New "Audience" in Place!

Lying on the Golden Tree Hammock, Lin Ciyan enjoyed the closeness of Xiyao.

Meanwhile, he mentally tallied the "great achievements" of a certain God King, finding more plot holes the more he thought about it.

Good grief, during the Peerless Tang Sect era, that Tang God King was truly "diligent and loving" in the God Realm!

On the surface, with the God of Destruction watching, Tang San seemed to be keeping his head down and developing steadily.

But in reality?

He remotely manipulated Boss Dai to fish out his mother's soul.

He forcibly paired Huo Gua and Wang Dong'er together despite their Martial Souls having no connection.

He created a 100% Martial Soul Fusion Skill (was that red thread of fate made of steel rebar?).

The Lucky Beast's sacrifice, the blatant plunder of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, that grand-scale gaslighting performance at the Universe Asking Love Valley, slicing his own daughter's soul into fragments for a patchwork resurrection, and even slapping a "lock" on his son-in-law...

Not to mention privately threatening Ju Zi to "never reveal this secret"—that was textbook intimidation of a witness!

Every single one of these incidents showed just how far he reached his hands.

These maneuvers practically had "double standards" and "manipulation" written all over his face!

Did he really think the God of Destruction was blind? Or did he feel that "the Sea God is kind-hearted and cannot bear to see the poor suffer"?

Thinking about it this way, pulling some strings with Tang Ya to plant a "Hidden Favorability Bonus Halo" was, for this old geezer, just a basic operation, as easy as flipping his hand.

Lin Ciyan curled his lip, "The dungeon difficulty was hell-level from the start; I was too naive before."

However, since he was already on the pirate ship... ah no, since he had been approached.

He could only take things as they came and try his best to live a good life under the "care" of the God King.

Primary principle: Stay away from all sources of trouble related to the word "Tang," especially Tang Ya, who came with a "Dragon-Binding Rope" debuff!

In the blink of an eye, the day for reporting to the Shrek City outer courtyard arrived.

By the Sea God Lake, the freshman registration area was bustling, filled with the excitement and anticipation of young boys and girls.

Lin Ciyan yawned and sauntered over, looking completely out of place in the tense atmosphere.

His gaze swept over the registration booths, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

Of the two senior sisters in charge of registration, one had a gentle temperament and peerless beauty—who else but Zhang Lexuan?

The other was a lively and spirited girl with clear eyes and a playful smile at the corners of her mouth; she must be Han Ruoruo.

"Sister Lexuan!" Lin Ciyan smiled as he walked up and greeted her naturally.

Zhang Lexuan looked up and saw him, a gentle smile appearing on her face: "Ciyan, you've come to report."

She took the recommendation letter Lin Ciyan handed over, which bore the unique golden patterns of the Sea God Pavilion, and began processing the paperwork with practiced ease.

This recommendation letter was far higher-tier than any main city recommendation; it was essentially a "VIP express ticket for Shrek internal affairs."

"Eh? Lexuan, do you know this handsome little junior?" Han Ruoruo immediately leaned in, her large eyes curiously sizing up Lin Ciyan.

She had a graceful, delicate figure and wore her hair in a neat ponytail, exuding a clever and quirky vibe.

"Mm, this is Lin Ciyan, a disciple of Mu En," Zhang Lexuan introduced simply.

"Wow! Mu En's closing disciple?!" Han Ruoruo's eyes brightened even more, as if she had discovered a new continent.

"Little junior is so handsome and has such great talent, are you interested in dating? Senior sister can offer you the advantage of being close to the water!" She blinked, speaking half-jokingly and half-seriously, her tone lively yet not annoying.

Lin Ciyan was stunned by this direct approach, then laughed: "Senior Sister Ruoruo is joking. My main task right now is cultivation... and rest."

He cleverly replaced "slacker cultivation" with "rest."

"Tch, boring." Han Ruoruo wrinkled her small nose to show her dissatisfaction, but the interest in her eyes didn't diminish in the slightest.

"But, little junior, you're quite famous in Shrek City!"

"'Sleeping Arhat', 'The Number One Slacker Cultivator'? I heard you can level up even while lying down?"

Lin Ciyan touched his nose, feeling a bit awkward: "Uh... those are just rumors, rumors."

"I just pay more attention to balancing work and rest."

Zhang Lexuan watched their interaction from the side and smiled helplessly, handing the completed paperwork and a key to Lin Ciyan: "Alright, your dormitory is in Jia Building 301 in the freshman area. This is the key."

"Class assignments won't be announced until all freshman assessments are completed in a week. Keep an eye on the academy plaza's bulletin board then."

"Many thanks, Sister Lexuan." Lin Ciyan took the key.

Jia Building, one of the best dormitory areas; it seemed his status as "inner courtyard direct lineage" still carried some privileges.

Lin Ciyan recalled Shrek's enrollment rules.

To enter the outer courtyard, one usually needed a recommendation letter from at least a main city of the three great empires, which basically kept 99% of commoner children out.

After all, since the Martial Soul Hall became history, the lower classes struggled even to awaken their Martial Souls, let alone obtain a recommendation letter.

Therefore, in a sense, the outer courtyard was indeed a platform for nobles to gild their resumes and network.

And this senior sister, Han Ruoruo, her Martial Soul was... the Golden Binding Rope?

A top-tier Control-type Tool Martial Soul; quite interesting, with a very wide range of applications.

"Hey, little junior, what are you staring at your senior for? Did you change your mind?" Han Ruoruo noticed his gaze and immediately asked with a giggle.

"I just think Senior Ruoruo's Martial Soul must be very powerful," Lin Ciyan replied candidly.

"Well, of course!" Han Ruoruo lifted her chin proudly. "I'll let you see it for yourself when there's a chance!"

Once the formalities were completed, Lin Ciyan bid farewell to the two seniors and headed toward the dormitory area.

Watching his retreating figure, Zhang Lexuan said softly to Han Ruoruo, "Ruoruo, stop teasing him."

"Oh my, Lexuan, are you already being protective?" Han Ruoruo nudged Zhang Lexuan with her shoulder, looking mischievous.

"But seriously, this little guy is quite interesting."

"His strength is ridiculously high, yet he always looks so lazy, and he happens to be so good-looking... tsk tsk, life in the Outer Court won't be boring in the future."

Zhang Lexuan smiled without responding, her gaze merely resting softly in the direction Lin Ciyan had left.

Walking along the tree-lined path of the Shrek Outer Court, Lin Ciyan felt the bustling atmosphere, which was completely different from Sea God Island.

Hmm, lots of people, prying eyes, loose rules... Perfect!

It is simply a harvesting ground for my Slacking Value and Influence, tailor-made for me!

As for class assignments, classmates, and potential challenges...

No big deal.

My core mission is to cultivate (lie flat) and accumulate Slacking Value (slack off) anyway.

I'll just treat life in the Outer Court as a change of scenery to continue my Relaxation Cultivation.

As for whether I'll run into any characters from the original work or get into any trouble...

Lin Ciyan yawned and thought lazily:

As long as no one disturbs my sleep or my slacking, everything is fine.