Seeing Xiao Xiao Again, Enrolling at Shrek Academy

After making a round through the shops,

evening soon drew near.

So Liu Yuan took Huo Yuhao to the second must-visit destination of their trip: Food Street.

Delicacies from every corner of the continent were gathered there. Food from Heaven Soul, Dou Ling, Star Luo, even Sun Moon...

There was everything imaginable!

"What a feast! It's so lively!"

Huo Yuhao looked around excitedly.

The aroma wafting straight into his nose made Liu Yuan's appetite stir as well.

"Come on, let's go take a look."

Liu Yuan stopped at all kinds of snack stalls from time to time. He paid, bought something, then savored it carefully. In this world, food was the one thing that must never be let down.

But soon,

Liu Yuan and the others ran into an "acquaintance."

"Boss, ten lamb skewers and ten beef skewers!"

"Coming right up!"

Under the fierce flames, the freshly grilled skewers came out piping hot.

Several skewers went down at once, their oily richness mixed with a fragrant, spicy flavor that burst across the tongue. Paired with a sip of chilled fresh lemonade... bliss!

"Yuhao, want some?"

Without even looking, Liu Yuan handed the lamb skewers to Huo Yuhao beside him, only to receive no response for quite a while.

So he turned his head,

and saw that the boy was chatting with a girl.

Huh!?

Had this innocent little virgin finally figured things out?

He even knew how to strike up a conversation with girls now?

With the mindset of enjoying the show, Liu Yuan quietly edged closer to investigate. But he soon realized Huo Yuhao was not hitting on a girl at all—he had clearly run into an "acquaintance."

So Liu Yuan no longer deliberately hid himself. The young girl noticed him as well and hurriedly waved at him, brimming with energy. "Big Brother Liu! Hello!"

"Hello, Xiao Xiao."

Liu Yuan gave a proper smile and walked over to Huo Yuhao. "You ran into Xiao Xiao, and you didn't even call me over?" As he spoke, he held the snacks out before Xiao Xiao. "Have you eaten yet? Have some first."

"Big Brother Liu, there's no need."

Xiao Xiao subconsciously swallowed and repeatedly waved her hands. "I'm still dieting lately. I can't eat."

Dieting? She could not eat?

Liu Yuan raised a brow. "..."

Never mind that her figure did not need dieting at all—just the fact that she had come to Food Street while dieting was already pretty suspicious, was it not? Did she really think she could resist temptation?

Seemingly sensing his slightly teasing gaze, Xiao Xiao's pretty face reddened. "Sorry, actually, I already had snacks for dinner. I really can't eat any more."

At those words, Liu Yuan showed an understanding expression.

"I understand, I understand."

Thinking back to his previous life, he had been the same.

So he did not continue the topic. He ate his snacks while casually chatting with her.

"...So, you're getting ready to register?"

Liu Yuan looked thoughtful.

"Yes." Xiao Xiao nodded.

"I was planning to have dinner here before going to register at Shrek Academy. If I get there any later, I'm afraid I won't be able to register today."

"I see..."

At that moment, Liu Yuan pointed at the hotel nearby.

"Actually, I don't think you need to be in such a hurry. Registration lasts three days, so there's plenty of time. But once you enter the academy, you won't have much free time afterward. You might as well take this chance to get some proper rest."

That actually made a lot of sense!

No matter what, Xiao Xiao was only eleven or twelve years old, right at the age when children loved to play.

So when Liu Yuan put it that way, she was tempted. Then maybe... she could stay one more night?

And so,

everything was naturally settled.

On Food Street, Liu Yuan walked behind them. Watching Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao continue to browse, he suddenly recalled something, and a faint, knowing smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

Both Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao had registered late. Did that mean he had just deprived Zhou Yi of two key recruits?

The next day, at the eastern gate of Shrek City.

Liu Yuan, Huo Yuhao, and Xiao Xiao arrived at the gates of Shrek Academy. Even though they had come fairly early, an extremely long line had already formed outside the city gate. Its scale was astonishing.

"What a long line!"

Huo Yuhao tilted his head and looked ahead.

"Yeah!"

Xiao Xiao covered her mouth.

"It feels even more outrageous than yesterday's line!"

"It is the number one academy on the continent, after all." Liu Yuan crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his arm with his fingers.

He could tell that some of the applicants had not even reached level fifteen. Even so, they still clung to the hope of trying their luck.

There was nothing to be done about it. Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year reputation was right there. But out of these thousands of people, how many could actually get in?

As time passed, the enormous registration line slowly moved forward. At last, it was Liu Yuan and the other two's turn.

After paying the registration fee, Liu Yuan handed two letters of recommendation from the Lord of Star Luo City to the Shrek student handling admissions, while Xiao Xiao also submitted her own recommendation letter.

Nothing unexpected happened. Once everything was confirmed, they moved on to testing their ages and cultivation.

Although Huo Yuhao's cultivation was very low, he had barely met the threshold. Xiao Xiao was a level twenty-one Soul Grandmaster, which was fairly ordinary. But when it was Liu Yuan's turn...

"Eleven years old, level thirty... three!"

The student in charge of admissions widened his eyes in shock, and his voice suddenly rose in disbelief!

His unrestrained voice swiftly spread the news. Instantly, the crowd erupted into commotion.

"Senior, is there a problem?"

"N-No."

Looking at the smiling Liu Yuan before him, the admissions senior subconsciously swallowed.

A monster!

A true monster had arrived among the new students!

He had never heard of anyone breaking through to level thirty-three at the age of eleven.

Now, he had seen one.

With this new student's talent, his future was boundless!

Thinking of this, the admissions senior became much more respectful. "Junior, welcome to Shrek Academy. May your martial path flourish within the academy."

"Thank you, Senior."

Liu Yuan gave a slight nod.

Then, under the senior's guidance, he led Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao toward the registration point.

Along the way, they naturally passed the statues of the Shrek Seven Devils and the Golden Iron Triangle. Xiao Xiao and Huo Yuhao both exclaimed in amazement, but Liu Yuan merely stared at Tang San's statue for a long time before finally looking away.

Next came Sea God Lake. They walked along the shore for the time it took to burn an incense stick before arriving at Shrek Plaza.

White, yellow, purple, black, gray—

Five colors of teaching buildings.

However, the gray teaching building stood far away from the other four, seeming somewhat out of place, as though it had been isolated.

Huo Yuhao was a little curious.

"Brother, what is that place?"

"That should be the Soul Guidance Department's teaching building."

Liu Yuan looked toward the gray building and casually added, "If you're really interested in the Soul Guidance Department, you can find a chance to take a look over there."

At those words,

Huo Yuhao revealed a thoughtful expression.