Too Handsome Was a Sin

A day later, at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Su Chen, Bei Bei, and Tang Ya emerged from the dense forest, and the view before them suddenly opened up.

A vast plain stretched out before them. At its far end stood a towering city so magnificent it took one's breath away. Its walls rose into the clouds, built entirely from enormous gray-white stones that gleamed with a faint metallic sheen beneath the morning sun.

The city was larger than any metropolis Su Chen had seen in his previous life. It was so grand that even his imagination struggled to take in the sight.

"That's Shrek City!" Tang Ya pointed toward the distant city, her voice brimming with pride. Her purple eyes sparkled in the morning light. "The greatest city on the continent—and home to Shrek Academy!"

As she spoke, her gaze kept drifting toward Su Chen, as though she wanted to see shock and admiration on his face.

Su Chen gave a slight nod, calmly taking in the legendary city.

A legacy spanning ten thousand years truly was no ordinary thing. Shrek Academy had grown from a humble school with only a few ramshackle wooden huts ten thousand years ago into a mighty city of vast proportions and millions of residents. It certainly had reason to be proud.

Tang Ya drifted a little closer to Su Chen, narrowing the space between them to less than half a meter. She could clearly catch the faint, fresh scent clinging to him, and her heart involuntarily skipped a few beats.

Perhaps realizing Bei Bei was still behind them, Tang Ya's cheeks flushed faintly. She instinctively moved away a little, but never took her eyes off Su Chen.

Watching the two walking side by side ahead of him, Bei Bei felt a strange unease stir in his heart. He had naturally noticed Tang Ya's enthusiasm toward Su Chen over the past few days. At first, he had thought it came from gratitude and a desire to recruit a talent, but now...

He shook his head, forcing the thought aside. Tang Ya was his girlfriend. They had known each other for years and shared a deep bond. How could she have other feelings for Su Chen, whom she had only met a few days ago? He was surely overthinking it.

As the three drew closer, the details of Shrek City grew clearer.

Each of the city's four walls had its own character. The west, south, and north gates stood open. Each was more than ten meters wide and twenty meters tall, its massive metal doors thrown wide.

Outside the gates, traffic flowed and crowds streamed by. Merchant caravans loaded with goods rolled slowly through, travelers in all manner of clothing queued for inspections, and uniformed city guards kept order... The scene was bustling and lively.

But the view toward the east gate was entirely different.

Thousands upon thousands of people had gathered outside it, a dense, dark mass! The din of the crowd surged skyward, loud enough to hear clearly even from more than half a mile away.

Vendors had already set up brightly colored tents and stalls along both sides of the road, selling all kinds of food, simple Soul Tools, and more. Their hawking, the haggling, and children's cries all blended together in a hubbub of activity.

Even more striking was that the vast majority of those gathered were boys and girls between ten and fifteen years old. Some were alone, while others had come with their families. Most wore expressions of nervousness, anticipation, and hope.

"So this is Shrek Academy? It's lively, all right!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice rang in Su Chen's mind, brimming with curiosity and excitement at the spectacle. "Hey, nine gods appeared ten thousand years ago, and seven of them came from here. I might be more 'familiar' with Angel God, Rakshasa God, and that Sea God, but Shrek Academy's history sure is intimidating. No wonder it's stood for ten thousand years."

Su Chen replied calmly through their mental link, "It is the greatest academy on the continent today. Every year, the admission season is this lively. Most of these people won't even pass the first round."

"Tsk, and they're still fighting tooth and nail to get in," Sky Dream Ice Silkworm said with a sigh. "But, kid, you're about to become one of them. So, are you excited?"

"Excited?" Su Chen's heart was as still as a pond. "It's just a temporary place to stay."

"Hey, you're young, but you sure talk big," Sky Dream Ice Silkworm laughed. Yet there was admiration in his voice. "I like it! That's the kind of attitude my host ought to have!"

At that moment, Bei Bei pointed toward the bustling east gate and explained to Su Chen, "Brother Su, look. The academy is holding its annual admissions right now. These people have come from all over the continent, hoping to apply. They're young Soul Masters and their families."

He paused, then continued, "Admissions last several days, and this is when the crowds are at their largest. The first round is simple: you only need to be no older than twelve and have a Soul Power level of at least fifteen. Even so, those requirements eliminate eighty or ninety percent of the applicants."

Tang Ya turned as well and smiled at Su Chen. "The line outside for the eligibility check takes ages, and the first round is strict. But for you, Su Chen, it'll be a piece of cake!"

"Twelve years old, level twenty-seven, and two Thousand-Year Soul Rings... If you joined the queue, you'd probably scare the teachers in charge of the checks!"

As she spoke, she gazed at Su Chen with shining eyes, as if to say, You're sure to pass.

Su Chen nodded, his gaze sweeping across the packed crowd. With Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's aid, his spiritual power had grown quite formidable, allowing him to clearly sense the stronger Soul Power fluctuations among the people.

There were indeed a few boys in the line whose Soul Power had reached level seventeen or eighteen, which was quite impressive for their age. But most had only reached level twelve or thirteen. Their faces were tense and apprehensive, making it clear they had little confidence in passing the test.

This is the holy land in the hearts of the continent's young Soul Masters, Su Chen thought. A place where countless dreams and rivalries converge.

Seeing Su Chen study the crowd, Bei Bei assumed he was worried about the test and smiled. "There's no need for you to queue outside, Brother Su. Xiao Ya and I have student IDs, so we can take the fast lane straight into the academy."

"Just come with us, Brother Su. I'll take you to meet the teacher in charge of admissions. With your talent, they might even let you enroll without taking the test."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Bei Bei." Su Chen nodded.

The three went around the queue and headed straight for Shrek Academy's east gate. Several students in yellow uniforms were keeping order at the entrance. When they saw Bei Bei and Tang Ya, they clearly recognized them. One of them greeted them with a smile. "Senior Bei Bei, Senior Tang Ya, you're back!"

Bei Bei smiled and nodded, then took out his student badge. "This is our friend, Su Chen. We met him outside. He's planning to apply to the academy, so we're bringing him in."

The student glanced at Su Chen, a flash of astonishment in his eyes. But he quickly recovered and stepped aside. "Please, go in."

Once they entered Shrek City, the scenery changed again.

The broad streets were wide enough for eight carriages to travel abreast. Smooth flagstones paved the ground, and shops lined both sides, selling everything from materials to food, lodging, and clothing.

The streets teemed with people, who fell roughly into two groups. One consisted of young Soul Masters applying to the academy and their families, their faces filled with hope, nerves, or excitement. The other was made up of Shrek Academy students in uniform: those in white were newcomers or lower-year students, while those in yellow were the backbone of the outer academy.

"Shrek City is divided into an outer city and an inner city," Tang Ya explained cheerfully as she walked beside Su Chen. "We're in the outer city now, where the commercial district, residential areas, and inns are all located. The inner city is the real Shrek Academy. That's where you'll find the dormitories, lecture halls, simulated cultivation areas, the Soul Fighting Arena, and so on."

She paused before continuing. "The academy covers an enormous area—about a third of the entire city. The outer academy alone has more than five thousand students. The inner academy has fewer, but every one of them is an elite among elites."

Su Chen listened as he observed his surroundings. He could feel the dense Soul Power permeating the city. Several powerful auras were especially noticeable from the direction of the inner city. They were likely the academy's guardians.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Bei Bei noticed something was amiss.

More and more people were staring at them.

As a well-known figure in the outer academy, Bei Bei was used to attracting attention when he walked around campus. After all, he was one of the strongest students there, and his handsome looks had made him something of a celebrity.

But he had never before felt as if he had become the center of everyone's attention like this.

The gazes were heated, curious, astonished, and even infatuated... More importantly, Bei Bei keenly realized that they weren't focused on him.

Tang Ya, who had been talking with Su Chen, also sensed something was off. She turned to look around and saw that many passersby had stopped in their tracks, all staring at the person beside her—Su Chen.

Bei Bei finally understood, and couldn't help but smile ruefully.

There was only one reason: in Shrek City's bustling streets, Su Chen's appearance and bearing stood out far too much.

His golden hair shimmered softly in the sunlight like molten gold. His features were so handsome they seemed almost unreal, his figure tall and slender, and his natural air of nobility and composure... Even in a city full of geniuses like Shrek, someone like him shone too brightly to miss.

"Tsk, tsk, Su Chen, look at that!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's teasing voice rang in Su Chen's mind, carrying a hint of schadenfreude and... a faint trace of sourness. "That face of yours is way too showy. You're the center of attention wherever you go. Well... you might just barely measure up to me back in my day."

"Back in the Far North, I was the very picture of charm and elegance. All those fair-skinned, beautiful female silkworms in my clan lined up to confess to me. Alas, I had my heart set on the Great Dao and didn't even spare them a glance. I must've broken so many hearts~"

Su Chen replied calmly in his heart, "Wasn't it you who said that a female scorpion chased you so badly that you hid in the ice and didn't dare come out?"

"That... that was a strategic retreat! You wouldn't understand!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm fumed. "I was cultivating! Pursuing my great plan to become a god! Besides, even hiding in the ice couldn't conceal my charm..."

Su Chen stopped paying attention to Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's boastful tales and continued forward calmly, ignoring the gazes fixed on him.

After her initial surprise, Tang Ya felt a complicated emotion well up inside her.

On one hand, she felt a strange sense of pride that Su Chen had drawn so much attention. Look, this is the person I, Tang Ya, brought back. Isn't he dazzling?

On the other, seeing the girls' astonished and even admiring looks made her feel a little... uncomfortable. In particular, when several pretty female students in white uniforms blushed and whispered to each other, their eyes repeatedly darting toward Su Chen, Tang Ya instinctively straightened her back and moved a little closer to him, as though staking her claim.

"Su Chen..." Tang Ya lowered her voice, sounding a little embarrassed. "Um..."

"It's fine. I'm used to it," Su Chen interrupted calmly.

The attention really was nothing to him. In his previous life, he had been a good-looking homebody. Every time he went out, he became the center of attention wherever he was. He had long since gotten used to it. This level of attention wasn't enough to stir his composure.

Yet Tang Ya heard something different in his casual reply.

He's used to it...? Tang Ya blinked, gazing at Su Chen's calm, unruffled profile. Does he mean people often stare at him like this? Well, with looks and bearing like his, he'd be the center of attention wherever he went...

For some reason, that realization stirred a strange feeling in her heart. It seemed only natural, and yet it also left her faintly disappointed. It was natural because Su Chen certainly had the looks for it. The disappointment came from the thought that... someone like him could never be short of exceptional girls around him, could he?

They passed through the inner city's gate, a symbol of glory and history, and the view before them suddenly opened up. A broad flagstone avenue stretched straight ahead, flanked by carefully planned grounds. The first thing to catch the eye was a garden that had been set aside on the right side of the road.

The garden was quite large, with dozens of different plant varieties in sight, all growing exceptionally well. They had been arranged with care, creating a harmonious blend of colors and heights.

Su Chen's gaze lingered on the garden for only a moment before he looked away.

They continued along the avenue for about two hundred meters, then a group of unusually tall statues abruptly appeared in the middle of the road, completely blocking the view ahead. There were ten statues in all, each nearly ten meters tall, carved from some kind of hard, gray-white stone. After weathering the elements, their surfaces had taken on a gentle sheen and the marks of time, which only added to their solemn grandeur.

The instant Bei Bei and Tang Ya saw the statues, they stopped almost reflexively. Their expressions became solemn and reverent, filled with heartfelt respect.