Damn Shrek

Shrek Academy?

Lin Tian paused, his movements faltering for a moment as a trace of helplessness flashed through his eyes.

He had expected Shrek to come, but he hadn't anticipated it would be this soon.

However, there was no way he would agree. Even if he hadn't already been recruited by the Spirit Pagoda, he still wouldn't have joined Shrek.

"Thank you for your kindness, Teacher Zhao."

Lin Tian wiped the corner of his mouth and calmly declined, "But I am sorry, I cannot join Shrek."

"Hm?"

Zhao Hao was stunned, not expecting such a blunt refusal.

In his view, an invitation from Shrek Academy was an irresistible temptation for any genius. No matter how remote Proud Arrival City might be, with communication as advanced as it was today, anyone in the Federation would know just how formidable Shrek was.

Consequently, Zhao Hao frowned directly: "Student Lin Tian, do you know what Shrek signifies? By joining us, you will gain access to the top cultivation resources on the entire continent, guidance from the most excellent mentors, and the opportunity to grow alongside the most gifted peers in the land. Your future achievements will be limitless. Won't you reconsider?"

"I know of Shrek's strength, and I understand the benefits of joining."

Lin Tian shook his head, his tone firm, "But I have already joined the Spirit Pagoda."

"The Spirit Pagoda?"

Zhao Hao's expression stiffened instantly. He had assumed the boy's money came from the dean of Red Mountain Academy, but he hadn't expected it to be the Spirit Pagoda.

Had the Spirit Pagoda moved that quickly?

However, now that he knew, he could not let a genius with Twin Martial Souls go to the Spirit Pagoda—especially one who also possessed a Body Martial Soul.

Every such genius the Spirit Pagoda gained was a threat to Shrek Academy.

Lin Tian must be poached.

Zhao Hao immediately threw out even more generous terms:

"Student Lin Tian, as long as you are willing to give up the Spirit Pagoda and join Shrek Academy, I can apply to the academy to waive all your tuition and accommodation fees, and we will provide you with a massive living allowance every month. Besides that, Shrek Academy will cover all the spirit souls for your Twin Martial Souls, all provided free of charge. Admit it, the Spirit Pagoda is simply not qualified to be mentioned in the same breath as us, Shrek! We at Shrek Academy have the best teachers to instruct you; you possess Twin Martial Souls, and only we at Shrek are qualified to cultivate them!"

"Bullshit! If we're talking about cultivating a Body Martial Soul, our Spirit Pagoda has much more say in the matter!"

Hearing Zhao Hao's words, Zhang Hu truly couldn't listen anymore. If he kept playing dead, Lin Tian might actually get poached.

"And you are?"

It was impossible for Zhao Hao to know a nobody like Zhang Hu.

"I am a Spirit Master of the Spirit Pagoda."

"A mere Soul Ancestor dares to be insolent in front of me?"

After sensing the aura on Zhang Hu, a look of disdain appeared in Zhao Hao's eyes. A terrifying pressure belonging to a Soul Saint immediately radiated from his body, pressing down on Zhang Hu until he couldn't catch his breath.

However, Zhang Hu was not afraid in the slightest: this was a society ruled by law, and in the Federation, even Shrek could not do whatever they pleased! Moreover, Eastsea City was quite close to here, and the Pagoda Master said he would be here immediately; he could arrive in an hour at most. What was there to be afraid of? Just do it!

"Is that all the people from Shrek Academy are good for, acting fierce and bullying others? Everything follows the principle of first come, first served. Lin Tian is already a person of our Spirit Pagoda; you Shrek people are too late! Furthermore, everything you promised, our Spirit Pagoda can also fulfill! As for the excellent teacher guidance you mentioned, our Spirit Pagoda's Phantom Brain Douluo is a level 98 Body Martial Soul master. If we're talking about who is more qualified to guide Lin Tian,"

"It has to be Elder Han!"

Just as Zhang Hu was snapping back at Zhao Hao, a look of surprise appeared on Lin Tian's face: "Lord Spirit Master, why have you come along as well?"

"Nothing much, just here for a meal. Little one, you are quite impressive; you remained unmoved even when faced with the temptation of Shrek."

"That goes without saying. Since you, Lord Spirit Master, approached me first, how could I possibly join any other faction?"

"Good child."

Damn it! Seeing Lin Tian and Zhang Hu interacting like this, Zhao Hao's expression grew increasingly displeased. However, with many people around already pointing and whispering, he had no choice but to retract his aura.

This was no longer a time when the strongest held all the power; now, public opinion reigned supreme. In a public setting like this, if he, a Soul Saint, were to bully a Soul Ancestor from the Spirit Pagoda, Shrek would be laughed to death if word got out. Instead, he would be the one bringing shame to Shrek.

Yet, it was truly a pity that a genius with Twin Martial Souls had been snatched away by the Spirit Pagoda! Furthermore, he had already sworn to Elder Long that he would definitely bring this genius back, but now he had been intercepted. He had thought that taking a casual vacation might lead to a promotion and a raise, but now that he had encountered this situation, he could only contact Elder Long first.

With this in mind, he cast a cold glance at Zhang Hu, flicked his sleeves, and walked straight out of the restaurant.

Only then did Lin Tian feel at ease enough to eat to his heart's content. Watching Lin Tian, Zhang Hu couldn't help but ask: "Lin Tian, how full are you now?"

Lin Tian simply shook his head: "About the same as before. I don't feel anything; no matter how much I eat, I can't get full. But at least I don't feel hungry anymore, so that's the only benefit."

"But you've already eaten hundreds of thousands of Federation coins worth of food."

"Rest assured, Master Zhang Ling, I will pay you back."

"Money is not the issue. Do you not feel anything unusual in your body right now?"

"I just feel very hungry, and then all the energy from what I eat is absorbed by my Martial Soul."

As expected; he is truly worthy of being the Tower Master to have guessed it right on the first try.

"So that means not eating won't cause any harm to your body, you'll just feel very hungry, and everything you consume will be absorbed by your Martial Soul? Doesn't that mean you'll have to keep eating forever?"

"It is quite inconvenient, but as long as I keep eating, I can stop myself from feeling hungry."

Lin Tian was easily satisfied.

"That is true. Let's leave once you've finished eating; I'm worried about what Shrek Academy might do. Shrek Academy is extremely radical, after all."

As soon as Zhang Hu said this, a look of gravity appeared on Lin Tian's face.

He hadn't thought much of it at first, but now, it was hard to say what Shrek might do.

The people at Shrek Academy have all been brainwashed; they are just a bunch of idiots.

Given Shrek Academy's possessiveness over geniuses, they might really do something; after all, Twin Martial Souls are truly rare.

Throughout the entire Legend of the Dragon King, there are only four individuals with Twin Martial Souls, and all of them went to Shrek.

Twin Martial Souls mean that one will inevitably become a powerhouse in the future, and a peerless one at that.

He wanted to wait another day before leaving, as he actually wanted to pay his respects to his parents first.

Although he was a transmigrator, his parents had given him a second life.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of his parents' passing, and he wanted to pay his respects before departing, but now, because of Shrek, he has no choice but to change his plans.

Damn Shrek!