Mu En's Hopes, Wang Dong's Surprise

As the crowd dispersed, the Sea God Pavilion hall grew empty.

Only Mu En remained on his recliner, accompanied by a bewildered Long Yaochen.

Long Yaochen remained on high alert against this old fox, who was spoken of in the same breath as his own master.

However, in the memories of his past life, Mu En was arguably the most normal person in Shrek compared to the others.

He still held a measure of respect for this pillar of Shrek, who carried the weight of two lineages and four academies, overseeing tens of thousands of students.

Just as Long Yaochen was calculating his next move, Mu En's aged voice shattered the silence of the Sea God Pavilion.

"The number one academy in the world—is this what you expected? Are you disappointed?"

Rest easy, this isn't even your peak yet!

During the Dragon King era, those god-like figures literally sent Shrek into the heavens (quite literally).

Long Yaochen felt a sense of amusement as those memories surfaced in his mind.

"Disappointment is out of the question. With a Limit Douluo like you, who is mentioned in the same breath as my teacher..." Long Yaochen paused before continuing, "Shrek remains the number one academy on the continent."

"The number one academy on the continent..." Mu En sighed. "Sometimes, this title is nothing more than a burden."

"Fortunately, your martial soul made it impossible for my old friend to send you to the Holy Spirit Cult." Mu En's words were startling; as a Limit Douluo, there were almost no secrets on the continent hidden from him.

Long Yaochen did not respond. To be honest, he couldn't quite grasp what this old man was aiming for.

"It's a pity... you spoke well today, but the current Shrek is already beyond stopping." Mu En shook his head, his tone heavy with helplessness.

Though he stood at the pinnacle of the continent, he was no longer at his peak, and there were some things he could no longer change.

Long Yaochen found it increasingly difficult to understand what the other party was trying to do.

Riddle-mongers get out of Shrek... no, get out of Douluo Continent!

Blathering on and on—what does Shrek's problem have to do with me? Go find Tang San!

"Zhou Yi... everyone says she is the best teacher in the outer courtyard." Mu En shifted the topic to Zhou Yi without warning. "Since you insist on going to the outer courtyard, I have arranged for you to be in her class."

What?!

That crazy old hag?

Long Yaochen raised an eyebrow. He was going to the outer courtyard to witness geniuses, not to deal with a lunatic.

"She..." Long Yaochen started to speak, but Mu En raised a hand to interrupt him.

"She acts in a domineering and unreasonable manner, using her background to expel students at the drop of a hat... something like that, right?" Mu En smiled, voicing exactly what Long Yaochen had been about to say.

So you knew!

Long Yaochen cast a surprised glance at him.

"Is there anything I don't know? I simply choose not to interfere." Mu En's tone turned icy. "Eating Shrek's food while smashing Shrek's bowls—things like that happen all too often."

"Kill one Zhou Yi, and there will be a Wang Yi, a Zhang Yi... what good would that do?" Mu En's tone grew colder, enough to make Long Yaochen feel a surge of killing intent.

"A ten-thousand-year-old Shrek, a ten-thousand-year-old number one academy in the world—you can't kill them all!" Mu En's aura soared, as if he had returned to his prime.

But in the next second, the aura dissipated, and his tone became incredibly amiable.

"Fortunately, a 'catfish' like you has barged in, allowing the stagnant water of Shrek to finally stir for once.

There was no other reason for keeping you here today; this old man just hasn't spoken to anyone in a long time and was feeling a bit stifled..."

With that, at Mu En's signal, Long Yaochen turned and left the Sea God Pavilion.

By the time the old man finished speaking, he had already guessed what this old fellow was planning.

One could only say that a Limit Douluo who had lived for hundreds of years was truly something else...

Watching Long Yaochen's departing back, Mu En's mood finally improved, a sharp glint flickering in his eyes.

He is not at his peak... but someone else is!

Go ahead and cause trouble! Smash things!

It would be best if you could tear the very sky of Shrek apart!

In the inner courtyard dormitory, the sun was high.

Long Yaochen stretched and sat up from Ma Xiaotao's bed.

For once, he hadn't cultivated and had instead enjoyed a long sleep.

Shrek might have a thousand flaws, but the comfort was genuine, making it easy for one to let their guard down.

Especially...

Creak—

The door opened, and a red-haired silhouette walked in from outside.

Ma Xiaotao opened her palm, and a pure white school uniform appeared in her hand, with a brass key resting on top of it.

"I knew you'd be awake by now..." Ma Xiaotao placed the uniform on the table, sat down beside Long Yaochen, and looked at him with a cunning glint in her eyes. "Here, I've collected your uniform and dormitory key. How do you plan to thank me?"

"Someone nearly choked me to death last night, consider this your compensation!" Long Yaochen stood up abruptly, grabbed his school uniform, and left Ma Xiaotao's dormitory without looking back.

Youth is a fine thing, but being too young is truly a curse...

He felt a pang of regret for having shared a dorm with Ma Xiaotao these past few days; being able to look but not touch was an ordeal beyond measure.

He had to head to the outer courtyard to cool his head.

Bang! The door slammed shut.

Ma Xiaotao wore a look of lingering resentment: "What a heartless guy..."

Outer courtyard dormitory building.

"107, 108..."

Seeing the room number, Long Yaochen stopped in his tracks. "This is it, Room 108."

Creeeak—!

The door let out a harsh, grating sound, as if it hadn't been opened in an eternity.

"Cough, cough..."

The moment he opened the Space Gate, a wave of moldy air mixed with dust rushed straight into Long Yaochen's nostrils, sending him into a fit of coughing.

He covered his nose, his tone dripping with dissatisfaction: "Is Shrek really this stingy? Is this even a place for people to live?"

Looking around, the room contained only two hard wooden bed frames, a dilapidated table, and a rusted iron cabinet; there was nothing else.

Suppressing his discomfort, Long Yaochen walked into the room and shoved the window open.

Instantly, a gust of fresh breeze surged inside.

"You... cough, cough! Good grief, is it really this filthy?!" A strange voice rang out from behind him, clearly just as shocked by the scene.

Long Yaochen turned around to see a fair-skinned youth with a rare mop of powder-blue short hair. His features were incredibly delicate; using the word "pretty" to describe a boy felt perfectly natural in his case.

After getting a clear look at the newcomer, Long Yaochen raised an eyebrow.

It's actually her...?

"If I'd known the environment at Shrek was this bad, I wouldn't have come!" Wang Dong fanned away the surrounding dust, covering her nose as she spoke.

Having been pampered in luxury since childhood, when had she ever seen such a sight?

"Hey, you must be my roommate, right? Let me tell you, you can share this dorm with me, but you have to follow a few rules:

First, you are absolutely forbidden from being undressed in the room;

Second, the cleaning of the dorm will..."

Wang Dong's voice grew weaker and weaker, while her eyes widened in disbelief. As the dust settled, the face of the person before her became clear, and a single thought shoved every word she intended to say right out of her mind:

Is there no justice left in the world... how is this guy even more handsome than me?!