After crossing the border between the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire, the four traveled another hundred miles south before a towering city appeared in their sight.
Its walls were built entirely of blue-black stone, rising a hundred meters high like a slumbering dragon stretched across the plains.
Countless intricate Soul Guidance Arrays were carved into the walls. Even from several miles away, they could feel the heavy, overwhelming pressure they gave off.
Above the city gate, the four powerful characters "Shrek City" gleamed in the sunlight. Even after ten thousand years of wind and rain, they still radiated an air of disdain for the world.
This was the holy land in the hearts of soul masters across the continent, home to Shrek Academy.
It was the season of Shrek Academy's annual admissions. The broad road was packed with people, carriages and horses streaming past in an endless flow.
Soul masters from every corner of the continent had gathered here with their children, hoping their gifted youngsters could enter the legendary academy and rise to greatness in a single bound.
Ten-year-old Huo Yuhao walked beside Gu Yuan, his little face filled with undisguised awe and longing.
He had spent his childhood confined to the tiny world of the White Tiger Duke Mansion. The grandest place he had ever seen was the main city where the mansion stood. He had never laid eyes on such a vast city, teeming with people and crowded with powerful figures.
Seven or eight out of every ten people on the road were soul masters. Soul Rings shimmered everywhere. Soul Grandmasters and Soul Elders were a common sight, and every so often, Soul Ancestors and Soul Kings galloped past on tall horses, surrounded by their guards.
High-ranking soul masters, rarely seen elsewhere, were ordinary sights here.
"So this is... Shrek City?" Huo Yuhao murmured, his Spirit Eyes wide as he looked all around, sparkling with wonder.
"There are so many soul masters... more than all the ones I ever saw at the Duke Mansion put together."
"This is only the city gate," Gu Yuan replied evenly.
Shrek Academy had stood on the continent for ten thousand years. It was no longer merely an academy, but a wholly independent city. It answered to none of the three great empires and had its own laws and army. The continent's finest resources and most outstanding talents had gathered here.
Jin Ruiqiu was like a little bird fresh out of its cage, her bright golden eyes darting about as she took in everything around her.
She had grown up in the Star Dou Forest. How could she ever have seen such a lively human marketplace?
The vendors' sugar figurines, colorful clothes, and all manner of Soul Tool ornaments had her entranced. If Gu Yuena had not kept hold of her hand, she would probably have run off to play long ago.
"Look at that sugar figurine, Sister Yue! It's golden and so cute!" Jin Ruiqiu tugged at Gu Yuena's sleeve. Excitement lit her face as she pointed at the sugar painting stall, her eyes full of yearning.
A soft smile touched Gu Yuena's cool face. She reached up to ruffle Jin Ruiqiu's curls, took a gold coin from her Storage Soul Tool, and handed it to the vendor. "Sorry for the trouble. Could you make her a little rabbit?"
The vendor stared at the beautiful young girl before him, stunned for a good while before coming to his senses. He hurriedly melted the sugar and painted the design. In moments, he handed Jin Ruiqiu a lifelike sugar rabbit.
The girl held the figurine in both hands, her eyes narrowing into crescents with delight. She took a bite, and sweetness melted across her tongue. Grinning from ear to ear, she skipped along beside Gu Yuena like a contented kitten.
Seeing how happy she was made Gu Yuena's eyes grow even gentler.
The four wandered along, stopping here and there, and finally reached Shrek City's main gate half an hour later.
A Shrek Academy guard unit was stationed at the gate. Every guard had at least the strength of a Soul Ancestor, and their sharp eyes watched everyone entering the city.
Two enormous stone tablets stood on either side of the gate. "We Take Only Monsters" was carved on the left, and "We Take No Ordinary People" on the right. The eight characters displayed Shrek Academy's pride in full.
But to Gu Yuan, that pride was thin stuff. An academy was a place to educate people. Turning geniuses into geniuses was hardly an accomplishment.
It was like a flawless piece of jade that needed no carving. Geniuses were already perfect jade by nature. Why should Shrek have to forcefully "cultivate" them into geniuses?
The people entering the city had formed two lines of their own accord. One was made up of applicants and their parents, waiting in a long queue for the most basic Soul Power screening. The other was for Shrek Academy's teachers and students, along with resident members of the various factions. They could enter through a green channel with a token issued by the academy or a letter of recommendation from one of those factions.
The applicants waiting in line were tense and apprehensive. Looking over, Huo Yuhao saw a boy of about twelve turned away by a screening teacher because his Innate Soul Power was only level three. The boy's eyes were red from crying, but the guards still politely ushered him out of line.
"Shrek Academy's entrance exam really is strict..." Huo Yuhao said under his breath, his palms growing damp.
Even though he was already a level 23 Soul Grandmaster with an extreme Mental Attribute and a Million-Year Soul Ring to back him up, he still couldn't help feeling nervous before this legendary holy land of soul masters.
"Don't be afraid." Gu Yuan patted his shoulder, his tone firm.
"We don't need to line up for the exam. We can take the green channel."
As he spoke, he took a gold-embossed letter from his Storage Soul Tool. An antique emblem was stamped on the envelope: a scepter at its center, flanked by dragon designs and angel wings. It was the distinctive insignia of Douluo Hall.
After two hundred years of growth, Douluo Hall had risen from a small faction in a border city to a continent-spanning powerhouse on equal footing with Shrek Academy.
Its branches covered the entire continent, and its practice of awakening Martial Souls for commoners free of charge had earned it unparalleled prestige among the people. Even Shrek Academy would never lightly antagonize such a colossus.
Gu Yuan led the other three straight to the green-channel entrance. The teacher in charge of verification was checking tokens with his head down. When he saw the four approaching, he was about to stop them—then his gaze fell on the letter in Gu Yuan's hand, stamped with Douluo Hall's insignia, and his expression changed at once.
He hurried to his feet, respectfully took the letter in both hands, and carefully opened it.
The letter was handwritten by Douluo Hall's current master. Its wording was brief: it recommended four disciples to study at Shrek Academy and asked the academy to receive them.
At the end of the letter was the seal of Douluo Hall's master. Its bright red stamp carried undeniable weight.
The teacher's hands trembled slightly.
He had worked at Shrek Academy for decades and seen letters of recommendation from countless major factions, including the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family and Star Luo Empire dukes. But this was his first time seeing a personal letter of recommendation from Douluo Hall's master.
Everyone knew that Douluo Hall and Shrek Academy kept up a show of noninterference, while competing beneath the surface.
Over the years, Douluo Hall had never recommended a single disciple to Shrek Academy. The significance of this letter was obvious.
"So you're honored guests from Douluo Hall! My apologies for not recognizing you!" The teacher hastily put the letter away with great care, then bowed to the four, his manner respectful to the utmost.
"Please come with me. I'll take you to meet the academy's director of academic affairs right away and get your enrollment taken care of."
His words set off an uproar among the applicants and their parents nearby.
"Oh my goodness! They're from Douluo Hall! No wonder they don't have to take the exam and can go straight through the green channel!"
"All four children look about ten years old, and they have a recommendation letter from Douluo Hall? Who are they?"
"No wonder I thought those children had such an extraordinary air about them. They're geniuses from Douluo Hall!"
Countless curious, envious gazes landed on the four. With so many people staring at him, Huo Yuhao's cheeks flushed, and he instinctively moved closer to Gu Yuan. Yet he couldn't help feeling proud.
He knew the respect they were receiving came from Douluo Hall.
Jin Ruiqiu paid no mind to the gazes around her. She just kept nibbling at her sugar rabbit, as though the sky could fall without it having anything to do with her.
The faint aura around Gu Yuena kept people from approaching too casually. Gu Yuan gave the verifying teacher a slight nod. "Much obliged."
The teacher hurriedly waved his hands and insisted it was no trouble. He personally led the way, taking the four through the gate and into Shrek City.
The city was even more bustling than the area outside.
Shops lined both sides of the broad streets. Martial Soul shops, Soul Tool shops, alchemy stores, and cultivation rooms could all be found there.
Students in Shrek Academy uniforms were everywhere. Each carried a steady aura and a keen gaze. Even the younger students had cultivation far beyond that of their peers.
As they walked, the verifying teacher kept introducing the layout of Shrek City. His voice brimmed with pride, but he remained careful and deferential whenever he looked at the four.
He knew that children whose recommendation letter had been personally written by Douluo Hall's master could not be ordinary geniuses. Their future achievements were bound to be extraordinary.
After passing through the bustling main district, they soon arrived at Shrek Academy's main gate.
The academy gate was far more ancient and unadorned than the city gate. It had no unnecessary ornamentation, only two enormous stone sculptures.
Beyond the gate lay gardens stretching as far as the eye could see. Ancient trees towered everywhere, and Soul Power hung in the air in a mist, several times denser than at the edge of the Star Dou Forest.
The verifying teacher first took the four to the academic affairs office to complete their enrollment. The director was also astonished to see Douluo Hall's letter. He did not dare neglect them in the least: he admitted all four without an exam and immediately reported the matter to the academy's senior officials.
Douluo Hall had sent four geniuses to study here for no reason. There had to be something behind it that nobody knew.
It was already sunset by the time they finished all the paperwork. The academic affairs office specially assigned a student guide to take the four to the dormitory area.
Shrek Academy's dormitories were divided into three areas: the outer court, the Inner Court, and the core area. Ordinary freshmen lived in shared dormitories. Thanks to Douluo Hall's recommendation letter, the four were assigned separate, detached dorms in the core area. Each had its own cultivation room, living room, and bedroom. The setting was peaceful, Soul Power rich, and the accommodations among the finest in the academy.
After passing through layer upon layer of gardens, the student guide brought the four to the entrance of the core dormitory area.
A huge Huangjue Tree stood beside the dormitory gate, its canopy broad enough to block out the sky. The setting sun filtered through its leaves, scattering dappled shadows. Beneath it, an old man with white hair lay in a wicker chair.
He wore a gray cloth outfit washed pale with age. His frame was hunched and his face lined with wrinkles. His eyes were half closed as he lazily basked in the sun, two smooth, gleaming walnuts turning in his hand. He looked like an ordinary gatekeeper, without the slightest trace of Soul Power, as though a gust of wind could knock him over.
Yet the moment the four stepped through the dormitory gate, the old man's half-closed eyelids twitched sharply. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
They were extraordinarily bright. Set in his aged face, they seemed to hold the sun, moon, and stars—deep and clear, as if they could see through every illusion in the world.
The instant his gaze swept over the four, his heart gave an involuntary throb.
He was Mu En, Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion Master and Dragon God Douluo, one of the few Limit Douluo still alive on the continent.
With peak Soul Power at level 99, he stood at the very summit of the entire Douluo Continent.
His favorite thing was to disguise himself as an ordinary old man, bask in the sun at the entrance to the dormitory area, watch the academy's young students, and feel the vigor of its newest arrivals.
But the moment he saw these four children today, the heart that had been calm for decades stirred like a wave.
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