Sea God Island Meeting

In the end, the two arrived at the Class Nine classroom right on time.

Xiao Xiao had been waiting for them at her seat for a while. The young girl had changed her hair ribbon today; a white bow was tied to her light green twin-tails, making her look fresh and adorable. Seeing Su Chen and Wang Dong walk in, her eyes immediately lit up.

"Su Chen! Wang Dong! Good morning!" Xiao Xiao waved, her voice crisp and clear.

"Morning." Su Chen nodded and walked to his seat in the second-to-last row.

Wang Dong followed behind him. As she passed Xiao Xiao, she pulled a small jade bottle from her robes and casually handed it over. "Here, this is from Su Chen."

Xiao Xiao froze for a moment before taking the bottle. When she saw the emerald-green pill inside, her eyes widened instantly. "This... is this a Soul Ascension Pill?!"

Her voice trembled with excitement. As a soul master, Xiao Xiao knew all too well just how precious a Soul Ascension Pill was.

A pill capable of directly increasing one's soul power by a full rank was incredibly rare across the entire continent.

"Mon... Monitor..." Xiao Xiao turned to look at Su Chen, who had already sat down, her face flushed with excitement. "Thank you... this is too precious..."

Su Chen looked up at her upon hearing this. "It's nothing. You should just call me Su Chen, like Wang Dong does. 'Monitor' sounds a bit awkward."

Xiao Xiao's face turned even redder.

Su Chen... he told me to call him by his name...

Does this mean... our relationship has taken a step forward?

The young girl's internal monologue began to run wild:

He told me to call him Su Chen! Not Monitor, but Su Chen!

Does this count as a hint? A hint that I don't need to be so distant?

Could it be that he... has feelings for me too?

But Wang Dong calls him Su Chen too... No, no, Wang Dong is his roommate, so of course she calls him by his name. But for me...

The more Xiao Xiao thought about it, the redder her face became, until even her ears were burning. Her hands, clutching the jade bottle, trembled slightly as her mind conjured up an entire teen romance drama.

Wang Dong sat next to Su Chen, watching Xiao Xiao's "lovestruck maiden" act, and couldn't help but roll her eyes.

That little girl Xiao Xiao is letting her imagination run wild again. It's just a name—is it really worth blushing that hard over?

But then again... Wang Dong snuck a glance at Su Chen. Is this guy being a bit too gentle with Xiao Xiao? Why is he always so sharp-tongued with me?

"Hey, Xiao Xiao." Wang Dong tapped on Xiao Xiao's desk, her tone teasing. "What are you daydreaming about now? You're about to drool."

"Ah?!" Xiao Xiao jumped, instinctively wiping the corner of her mouth. Finding no drool, she realized she'd been played. "Wang Dong! You're mean!"

"Mean?" Wang Dong raised an eyebrow. "Then do you still want this Soul Ascension Pill or not?"

"..." Xiao Xiao immediately hugged the jade bottle tightly to her chest like a kitten guarding its food. "There's no such thing as taking back a gift!"

The day's lessons passed quickly. Mu Jin's teaching style was gentle and meticulous, and the students of Class Nine were gradually getting to know one another.

As the monitor, Su Chen had to handle various class affairs, such as relaying notices. Fortunately, with the capable vice-monitor Ning Tian assisting him, it wasn't too much trouble.

After class, Wang Dong dragged Su Chen toward the dormitory.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Let's go back and cultivate!" Wang Dong was full of energy. "There's only a little over a month until the Freshman Assessment; I have to improve my strength quickly! I can't let you guys leave me too far behind!"

Su Chen, being tugged along, felt helpless. "What's the rush? Cultivation requires steady progress."

"Steady progress is what you geniuses say!" Wang Dong rolled her eyes. "For us ordinary people, if we don't give it our all, how can we ever catch up?"

Su Chen: "..."

If you, the little princess of the Clear Sky Sect, are an 'ordinary person,' then there are no geniuses left in this world.

The two returned to their room, and Wang Dong began cultivating without a word. Su Chen watched her back for a moment, shook his head, and sat down cross-legged as well.

With a little over a month until the Freshman Assessment, the time seemed ample, but he had his own plans—to break through to level thirty, obtain his third soul ring, and then head to the Far North to acquire his second martial soul.

That process would take at most a dozen days of travel.

"I need to speed up my progress." Su Chen closed his eyes and began to circulate his soul power.

Meanwhile, in the most core area of Shrek Academy—Sea God Island.

Inside the Sea God Pavilion conference hall, an extremely rare emergency meeting was underway.

As the highest governing body of Shrek Academy, the Sea God Pavilion only convened when the academy faced major events or decisions regarding its future. This was the highest-level meeting in Shrek Academy, attended only by the deans and vice-deans of the Spirit Department and Soul Guidance Department, along with the elders of the Elder Hall. Important matters were decided by a show of hands.

Even the four deans and vice-deans only held one vote each in the Sea God Pavilion meetings.

Yet, the topic of today's meeting revolved around a newly enrolled student—Su Chen.

In the center of the Sea God Pavilion conference hall sat a primitive and heavy oval table, surrounded by ten of Shrek's core leaders. At the head of the table sat an old man in grey cloth, looking withered and weary.

He was the current Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion, the Dragon God Douluo Mu En.

This level-99 Limit Douluo, who usually played the role of a gatekeeper at the Freshman Dormitory Building, now sat in the highest seat of the Sea God Pavilion. Though he still looked as if he might pass away at any moment, his seemingly cloudy eyes would occasionally flash with a heart-stopping brilliance when they opened.

To Mu En's left sat a slovenly, unkempt old man. His hair was a mess, his clothes were stained with grease, and he was gnawing on a chicken leg, completely disregarding the formality of the occasion.

But one should not underestimate this old man—despite his unremarkable appearance, he was actually the second strongest person in Shrek Academy, a level-98 Super Douluo, the Taotie Douluo Xuan Zi! He held quite a reputation even across the continent.

Xuan Zi had only recently returned to the academy and had just learned from Yan Shaozhe that a "monster genius" named Su Chen had arrived. It should have been good news, but unfortunately, this "monster" was a descendant of the angels.

To the right of Mu En sat an elderly woman with greying temples. She was the mother of Soul Guidance Department Dean Xian Lin'er, a rank 97 Super Douluo, and one of the Shrek Academy Elders, Elder Song.

Seated in order down both sides were four unfamiliar Elders, each one a Super Douluo-level existence and the true foundation of Shrek Academy.

Following them were the four deans and vice-deans of the Spirit Department and Soul Guidance Department: Yan Shaozhe, Cai Mei'er, Xian Lin'er, and Qian Duoduo.

The atmosphere throughout the conference hall was heavy and solemn.

At this moment, Mu En, who was lying on a recliner, spoke slowly in a hoarse, low voice: "Since everyone is here, Shaozhe, you take the lead!"

As his voice fell, all the Elders straightened up with respect, their expressions turning serious. Even Xuan Zi, who had been eating and drinking, hurriedly wiped his grease-stained hands on his clothes and straightened his posture, looking earnest—though he still clutched that chicken leg in his hand.