Shrek Academy?
At those words,
Lin Tian's
movements paused slightly,
and a trace of helplessness flashed in his eyes.
He hadn't expected Shrek to show up after all.
He'd thought Shrek might come,
but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
However,
there was no way he would agree.
Let alone the fact that the Spirit Pagoda had already recruited him,
even if it hadn't,
he still wouldn't have joined Shrek.
"Thank you for the offer, Teacher Zhao."
Lin Tian wiped the corner of his mouth,
and calmly declined,
"But I'm sorry,
I can't join Shrek."
"Hmm?"
Zhao Hao froze for a moment,
not expecting such a blunt rejection.
In his view,
Shrek Academy's invitation was an irresistible temptation for any genius.
Even in a remote place like Aolai City,
communications were so advanced these days
that everyone in the Federation
knew how powerful Shrek was.
Zhao Hao frowned at once.
"Student Lin Tian,
do you know what Shrek represents?
If you join us,
you'll gain access to the finest cultivation resources on the entire continent,
guidance from the best instructors,
and the chance to grow alongside the continent's most talented peers.
Your future achievements will know no bounds.
Won't you reconsider?"
"I know how powerful Shrek is,
and I understand the benefits of joining."
Lin Tian shook his head all the same,
his tone resolute.
"But I've already joined the Spirit Pagoda."
"The Spirit Pagoda?"
Zhao Hao's expression instantly stiffened.
He'd thought the boy's money had come from the dean of Red Mountain Academy,
but he hadn't expected it to come from the Spirit Pagoda.
The Spirit Pagoda had moved that fast?
Now that he knew, though,
he absolutely couldn't let the Spirit Pagoda take a Twin Martial Souls genius away—
especially one whose Twin Martial Souls included a Body Martial Soul.
Every time the Spirit Pagoda gained another genius like that,
it posed a greater threat to Shrek Academy.
He had to poach Lin Tian.
So Zhao Hao immediately offered even more generous terms.
"Student Lin Tian,
if you're willing to leave the Spirit Pagoda and join Shrek,
I can petition the academy
to waive all your tuition and dormitory fees,
and give you a huge living allowance every month.
On top of that,
we at Shrek Academy will cover all the Soul Spirits your Martial Souls need.
We'll provide them for free.
Admit it:
the Spirit Pagoda isn't even fit to compare with Shrek!
Our Shrek Academy has the best teachers to guide you.
You're a Twin Martial Souls genius.
Only Shrek is qualified to train you!"
"Bullshit!
When it comes to training Body Martial Soul users,
our Spirit Pagoda has more say!"
Zhang Hu had had enough of Zhao Hao's words.
If he kept pretending to be dead,
Lin Tian might actually get poached.
"And you are?"
Zhao Hao wouldn't know an insignificant nobody like Zhang Hu.
"I am a Spirit Master from the Spirit Pagoda."
"A mere Soul Ancestor dares to act insolently in front of me?"
After sensing Zhang Hu's aura,
Zhao Hao's eyes filled with contempt.
A terrifying Soul Saint's pressure instantly poured from him,
bearing down on Zhang Hu until he could barely breathe.
But Zhang Hu wasn't the least bit afraid.
This was a society governed by law.
In the Federation,
even Shrek couldn't do whatever it wanted!
And Eastsea City was very close by.
The Tower Master had said he was on his way.
He'd arrive within an hour at most.
What did Zhang Hu have to fear?
Bring it on!
"Do people from Shrek Academy only know how to throw their weight around?
Everything has to follow the order in which people got there.
Lin Tian already belongs to the Spirit Pagoda.
Shrek showed up too late!
And everything you've promised,
the Spirit Pagoda can provide too!
As for the excellent teachers you mentioned,
the Spirit Pagoda's Illusion Brain Douluo is a Level 98 Body Martial Soul user.
If anyone is qualified to guide Lin Tian,
it's Elder Han!"
As Zhang Hu argued with Zhao Hao,
surprise also appeared on Lin Tian's face.
"Master Spirit Master,
why did you come along too?"
"Nothing much.
I came to eat while I was at it.
Young man,
you're impressive.
You didn't waver, even when Shrek tried to tempt you."
"Of course.
You were the first to come find me, Master Spirit Master.
How could I join another faction after that?"
"Good lad."
Damn it!
Watching Lin Tian and Zhang Hu interact so warmly,
Zhao Hao's expression grew even more sour.
But by now, quite a few people around them were pointing and whispering,
so he had no choice but to withdraw his aura.
These days, it wasn't the strongest person who got to throw their weight around.
Public opinion ruled.
In a public place like this,
if a Soul Saint bullied a Soul Ancestor from the Spirit Pagoda,
word would get out,
and people would laugh Shrek to death.
He'd end up disgracing Shrek instead.
But it was such a shame that a Twin Martial Souls genius had been snatched away by the Spirit Pagoda!
He'd already sworn to Elder Long
that he would bring this genius back with him.
Yet the Spirit Pagoda had cut in and stolen him away.
He'd thought a little vacation might earn him a promotion and raise,
but now that things had turned out this way,
he could only contact Elder Long first.
With that thought,
he shot Zhang Hu a cold look,
then swept out of the restaurant.
Only then did Lin Tian dare to really dig in.
Seeing him eat like that,
Zhang Hu couldn't help asking,
"Lin Tian,
how full are you now?"
Lin Tian just shook his head.
"About the same as before.
I don't feel any different.
No matter how much I eat, I can't get full,
though I don't feel hungry anymore.
That's the only good thing about it."
"But you've already eaten hundreds of thousands of Federal Coins' worth."
"Don't worry, Master Zhang Ling. I'll pay you back."
"The money isn't a problem. Don't you feel anything strange about your body?"
"I just feel really hungry, and the energy I eat is all absorbed by my Martial Soul."
Just as I thought. The Tower Master was impressive—he'd guessed it in one try.
"So if you don't eat, it won't affect your body at all. You'll just feel very hungry, and everything you eat will be absorbed by your Martial Soul? Does that mean you'll have to keep eating from now on?"
"It is inconvenient, but as long as I keep eating, I won't feel hungry anymore."
Lin Tian was easy to satisfy.
"That's true. Let's leave once you've finished eating. I'm worried Shrek Academy might try something. Shrek Academy can be very extreme."
At Zhang Hu's words, Lin Tian's expression grew a little grave.
At first, he hadn't thought so, either. But now, it was hard to say what Shrek might do.
Everyone at Shrek Academy had been brainwashed. They were a bunch of idiots.
Given Shrek Academy's possessiveness toward geniuses, they'd probably really do something. After all, people with Twin Martial Souls were extremely rare.
Across all of Legend of the Dragon King, there were only four people with Twin Martial Souls, and all of them had gone to Shrek.
Twin Martial Souls meant that one was destined to become a powerhouse someday—and a peerless one at that.
He'd wanted to wait one more day before leaving. He actually wanted to pay his respects to his parents first.
Though he'd come from another world, his parents had given him a second life.
Tomorrow was the anniversary of his parents' deaths. He'd wanted to pay his respects before leaving, but now, because of Shrek, he had no choice but to change his plans.
Damn Shrek!