Star Luo City.
The majestic city wall lies like a giant dragon, and under the sunlight, the gray-white boulders reflect a metallic luster.
Hundreds of meters thick, covering an area of thousands of square kilometers.
This magnificent city, known as the "capital that will never fall," is now hosting a grand event that takes place every five years.
The streets were teeming with people.
"Make way! Make way!" the coachman shouted, and even the road where sixteen carriages were traveling side by side seemed a bit crowded.
Lin Ciyan held Zhang Lexuan's hand and walked at the front of the group.
Today he changed into a moon-white long robe with faint Qilin patterns embroidered on the cuffs, making him look both handsome and languid.
Zhang Lexuan was still dressed in a silver outfit, which perfectly accentuated her slender and graceful figure.
Her long silver hair was tied into a high ponytail at the back of her head, revealing her fair neck.
The two walked side by side, attracting frequent glances from passersby.
"This is Star Luo City?" Wang Dong's eyes widened, his short, light blue hair fluttering in the wind. "It's huge!"
Xiao Xiao nodded. "Bigger than Shrek City..."
Huo Yuhao silently activated his Spiritual Detection, and a three-dimensional image of the surrounding area, spanning hundreds of meters, flooded into his mind.
Shops, pedestrians, patrolling soldiers, the golden rooftops of the imperial city in the distance... the amount of information was overwhelming, so he quickly narrowed down his focus.
"Don't waste your Soul Power." Lin Ciyan without turning his head. "Maintain your best condition during the competition."
"Yes, teacher," Huo Yuhao replied quickly.
The procession passed through the outer city and headed towards the inner city.
Along the way, you can see many young Soul Master wearing various academy uniforms, who are obviously from the participating academy teams.
When they saw Shrek Academy's iconic dark green uniforms, their eyes immediately filled with awe and curiosity.
"It's Shrek!"
"They're really late this year..."
"Who are that couple leading the way? They're not wearing Shrek uniforms... and they're so young."
The faint sound of murmurs could be heard.
Lin Ciyan ignored her, simply holding Zhang Lexuan's hand and gently stroking the back of her delicate hand.
Zhang Lexuan turned her head to look at him, and smiled gently, "Nervous?"
"What's there to be nervous about?" Lin Ciyan raised an eyebrow. "It's not like I'm the one doing the fighting."
"You're the captain."
"Captain, there's no need to be nervous." Lin Ciyan shrugged. "Anyway, I'll decide the tactics, and they'll execute them. If they play well, that's expected; if they don't... then they'll have to practice more."
Zhang Lexuan chuckled softly, her eyes and brows radiating gentleness.
Behind them, Ma Xiaotao watched the two figures disappear into the distance and pouted, "Showing off their love again."
Ling Luochеn remained silent, his icy blue eyes gazing quietly ahead.
Half an hour later, at the Star Emperor Hotel.
The seven-story building was resplendent in gold, with two rows of royal guards in golden armor standing in front of it.
Upon seeing the Shrek team, a middle-aged man who appeared to be in charge quickly came to greet them.
"Welcome, Shrek Academy!" He bowed.
"The room has been arranged, please follow me."
Top floor, luxury suite area.
"One bedroom per person, and this is the meeting room." The steward pushed open a double door. "Please let us know if you need anything."
Lin Ciyan glanced at it and said, " Sister Lexuan and I can share a room to save space."
"Cough..." Wang Yan almost choked.
Zhang Lexuan blushed slightly and gently pinched him, but she still anticipated it.
The manager smiled knowingly, "Understood, we'll adjust it right away."
Room assignments were completed quickly.
Lin Ciyan and Zhang Lexuan's room is at the end of the corridor. It is the largest room and has a separate living room and terrace.
Pushing open the door, the afterglow of the setting sun filled the room, and the outline of Star Luo Square was clearly visible in the distance.
"The view is good." Lin Ciyan walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
Zhang Lexuan gently hugged his waist from behind, pressing her cheek against his back. " Ci Yan, this competition..."
"Don't worry." Lin Ciyan turned around and pulled her into his arms. "I'm here."
He lowered his head and kissed her forehead.
Zhang Lexuan closed her eyes, savoring the tender moment.
Her long, silver hair cascaded over her shoulders, shimmering softly in the setting sun.
Her figure was slender and well-proportioned, and as she nestled close to him, he could clearly feel her softness and warmth.
After a long while, the two parted ways.
"It's time for the meeting," Zhang Lexuan said softly, a faint blush still on her face.
Meeting room.
Everyone is here.
Wang Yan sat in the head seat, with Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochеn on his left.
The three of them had mostly recovered their complexion, though they were still somewhat pale.
The seven players on the right are the reserve team.
Lin Ciyan and Zhang Lexuan entered last and naturally sat down next to the head of the table.
"Everyone's here," Wang Yan said. "Let me explain the situation. Registration for the academy is complete. The draw will begin tomorrow, and the competition will officially start the day after tomorrow. The first round is an elimination tournament, seven-on-seven team battles; the loser is eliminated."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "The good news is that, based on past data, most of our opponents are at the third ring level, with fourth ring being rare. With your strength, you shouldn't have much of a problem."
Bei Bei and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
But Wang Yan changed the subject. "The bad news is that, as the defending champions, we have to play in the first match, and it's the first match after the opening ceremony."
The meeting room fell silent for a moment.
The first match, a knockout round, must be won.
The pressure instantly weighed on the hearts of everyone in the preliminary team.
"Scared?" Lin Ciyan suddenly asked.
He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, his posture as languid as if he were sunbathing.
"Master, we..." Wang Dong wanted to say something.
"No need for explanation." Lin Ciyan waved his hand. "I'll just ask you one question: Do you consider yourselves weak?"
Everyone was taken aback.
" The Shrek Academy's main team has three Soul Emperor and four Soul King, and the reserve team has a minimum Soul Power level of 29 and a maximum of 51. They have Twin Martial Souls, Ultimate Martial Soul, and the best Soul Ring combinations," Lin Ciyan listed them one by one.
"A lineup like this would be an aces in any academy, what are you afraid of?"
He stood up and walked to the window.
The setting sun cast a long shadow of him.
"The draw will be tomorrow, and the matches will begin the day after. I'll arrange the tactics; you just need to execute them." Lin Ciyan turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "Winning is expected. Losing..."
He laughed, "Then let's make history and make Shrek the first team to be eliminated in the first round. That would be quite interesting."
"Pfft—" Ma Xiaotao burst out laughing, "You rascal..."
The tense atmosphere dissipated instantly.
Wang Yan breathed a sigh of relief and was about to speak when Zhang Lexuan's Communication Soul Tool suddenly lit up.
She took it out and glanced at it, her expression changing slightly.
"It's a message from Mu En." She looked at Lin Ciyan.
" Mu En said that during the competition, you will be fully responsible for all matters... including tactics, field arrangements, and personnel scheduling. Mr. Wang and I will only be responsible for logistical support and external liaison."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's gaze towards Lin Ciyan changed.
Fully responsible...
This means that Mu En has completely handed over the command of this competition to this sixteen-year-old boy.
Lin Ciyan raised an eyebrow. "That old man really knows how to slack off."
He sat down again. "Alright, then I'll explain the arrangements. Sister Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochеn, the three of you continue to rest and don't need to play in the first round. The remaining four members of the main team... me, Xi Xi, Gongyang Mo, Yao Haoxuan, plus the three from the reserve team, will form the first round lineup."
"Who will play will depend on the opponent."
"Meeting adjourned. Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, please stay."
The group gradually left.
Only Lin Ciyan and his two apprentices remained in the conference room.
"Master?" Wang Dong asked nervously.
"Hold out your hand," Lin Ciyan said.
Wang Dong obediently reached out his hand.
Lin Ciyan grasped his wrist and probed it with his Soul Power.
After a moment, he frowned. "The evil energy hasn't been completely cleared away yet. Didn't you cultivate properly last night?"
"I... I've cultivated..." Wang Dong lowered his head.
"Cultivation my foot." Lin Ciyan released his grip. "Come to my room tonight, I'll help you with your spiritual guidance. Xiao Xiao too."
Xiao Xiao nodded quickly. "Thank you, Master!"
At the same time, on another floor of the hotel.
The atmosphere was completely different in the conference room of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy.
At the head of the table, two elderly men stood with serious expressions.
The fourteen trainees below are seated on both sides, with the main team on the left and the reserve team on the right.
"Breaking news," the old man on the left said in a deep voice, " Shrek Academy has sent sixteen people this time, including the main team, the preliminary team, and teachers. Eight of them are under the age of eighteen. Their main team captain... is a sixteen-year-old boy named Lin Ciyan."
"Sixteen years old?!" a red-haired student scoffed. "Is Shrek out of talent?"
"Perhaps he's a genius from the Inner Court," another person said.
"A genius?" the red-haired student scoffed. "Even the most talented person can't be that strong at sixteen. Soul King is the absolute maximum. The weakest one on our side is Soul King."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
But a girl sitting at the head of the reserve team slightly raised her head.
She had long, wine-red hair, like fine wine, shimmering with a subtle sheen.
But her eyes weren't red; they were rare ice-blue pupils.
At this moment, the girl was looking at a simple intelligence report in her hand, her fingertips lightly tapping the table.
" Lin Ciyan..." she murmured the name.
The intelligence report contained only a few words: Shrek Inner Court disciple, sixteen years old, Soul Power Level... unknown.
"Interesting." The girl's lips curled into a slight smile.
"What do you think of this dream?" a boy next to him asked.
The girl known as "Dream" put away the information, a hint of curiosity flashing in her heterochromatic eyes. "To enter Shrek Inner Court at this age and become a regular captain, one must have some skill. However..."
She paused.
"At sixteen, even the strongest have their limits. This time, our Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy should take the championship."
As soon as he finished speaking, confident laughter filled the conference room.
Only in the girl's heart did that subtle curiosity remain.
The sixteen-year-old Shrek captain...
So, what kind of person is he exactly?