Bei Bei

After finally brushing off the ill-intentioned girls beside him, Mu Guiyun was about to stand up when his peripheral vision caught a boy lurking by the door, acting suspiciously. That head of blue hair was particularly eye-catching.

Bei Bei?

Mu Guiyun blinked, a trace of confusion in his heart.

Hadn't he promoted to the second year this year? What was he doing at the first-year teaching building?

Glancing at the expressionless black-haired girl beside him, Mu Guiyun gradually found the answer.

He stood up and walked toward the door. Under Bei Bei's astonished gaze, Mu Guiyun greeted him with a smile: "Long time no see, Bei Bei."

"Mu Guiyun?! Why are you attending the outer courtyard too?"

Bei Bei exclaimed. The two were of similar age, and having grown up together in the inner courtyard, their relationship was quite close.

As for why he hadn't noticed him earlier, it was entirely because Mu Guiyun had been surrounded by a group of beautiful girls, and his attention hadn't been on him to begin with.

Hearing this, Mu Guiyun spread his hands and said helplessly: "It's a long story. But what about you, kid? Why are you hanging around the first-year building for no reason?"

"That, that... I was just looking around, hahaha!"

Bei Bei scratched his head, his eyes shifting evasively; he clearly had something to hide.

Mu Guiyun narrowed his eyes. Seeing Bei Bei's gaze constantly darting toward the classroom, he probed: "Is it for Tang Ya?"

"How did you know?!"

Bei Bei was shocked, but when he saw the teasing look in Mu Guiyun's eyes, he realized he'd been tricked again.

Damn it, you sly fox!

Though he didn't know how Mu Guiyun had guessed his secret, Bei Bei explained: "Our academy and the Tang Sect have been family friends for ten thousand years, after all. With the Tang Sect suffering such a blow, as an outstanding student of the academy, isn't it perfectly reasonable for me to come and offer my condolences to the orphans of the Tang Sect?"

Mu Guiyun was left speechless by Bei Bei's stiff excuse.

If I didn't know the plot, I might have actually fallen for your act!

If you're so compassionate, why don't you get Mu En to teach those bastards from the Iron Blood Sect a lesson?

In Mu Guiyun's view, the decline of the Tang Sect was entirely self-inflicted. As Soul Tool technology spread across the Douluo Continent, the Tang Sect not only refused to pursue reform but remained stubbornly self-isolated, eventually being swept into the dust of history.

Just as the two were chatting, Mu Guiyun's desk-mate, Tang Ya, slowly walked out of the classroom.

Looking at the two blocking the door, Tang Ya first glanced at Mu Guiyun with a blank expression before turning her gaze to Bei Bei, a flicker of annoyance rising in her eyes.

She brushed past them, her figure eventually disappearing at the end of the corridor.

"She seems to dislike you."

Mu Guiyun smiled; Tang Ya's reaction was well within his expectations.

After all, having just lost her father and mother, and with the ancestral site of the sect she grew up in occupied by outsiders, she had no time for romance.

In the original story, the only reason they ended up together was because Bei Bei held himself back a grade and spent years pestering her until he finally won her over.

"Ah... hahaha."

Bei Bei looked embarrassed, standing there at a loss.

"Go play by yourself, I'm off."

Feeling bored, Mu Guiyun waved his hand, left Bei Bei with a dashing silhouette, and turned to leave.

Arriving at the cafeteria alone and surveying the bustling crowd, Mu Guiyun gave the academy a mental thumbs-up.

As expected of Shrek Academy, the outer courtyard cafeteria didn't even have chairs!

The mere thought of having to eat while standing made Mu Guiyun feel completely uncomfortable.

Not only that, but the dorms didn't even have private bathrooms. If one intended to live in the Shrek outer courtyard, they had to be prepared to fight four hundred people for a toilet...

This was the facility configuration of the continent's number one academy—would you believe it?!

In short, the conditions of the outer courtyard were as crude as the inner courtyard's were excellent...

According to Yan Shaozhe, the outer courtyard had these facilities, and you could take it or leave it—preferably the latter.

Having grown up in the inner courtyard under the care of his teacher Mu En and several seniors, Mu Guiyun understood the hidden history.

Over four thousand years ago, the Sun Moon Continent collided with the Douluo Continent. The Sun Moon Empire, determined to unify the continent, resolutely launched a war.

Although the Sun Moon Empire was pathetic in terms of high-end combat power, they relied on Soul Tools to push the three empires, each harboring their own ulterior motives, into a steady retreat during the early stages of the war.

In the end, it was the Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion at the time—that great power who possessed 99th-rank limit cultivation and the Ultimate Fire attribute—who stepped in during the crisis, instantly summoning over 60 Titled Douluo-level powerhouses.

Under the leadership of that great power, the coalition forces, which had been like scattered sand, instantly united and defeated the Sun Moon Empire in one fell swoop.

That battle not only established Shrek's status as the number one on the continent but also showed the world its terrifying cohesion and rallying power.

Therefore, not long after the Holy War, following the passing of that Sea God Pavilion Master, the four great empires—Sun Moon, Star Luo, Heavenly Soul, and Dou Ling—joined forces with all the top powers on the continent, such as the Body Sect, Star Crown Sect, and Mingde Hall, to pressure Shrek Academy.

The lack of high-end combat power at the time forced Shrek Academy to reluctantly open the outer courtyard.

Before this, Shrek Academy had no distinction between inner and outer courtyards, and there were only a few dozen students.

Whenever Yan Shaozhe mentioned this, he would gnash his teeth in anger.

Damn it, you forced us to open the outer courtyard, we opened it, but you guys didn't provide any funding! Fuck!

With over a thousand teachers and students, plus a variety of other expenses, the once-wealthy Shrek Academy suddenly had to tighten its belt.

It was precisely because of this that Shrek Academy gradually drifted away from its allies of several millennia; even when the White Tiger Lineage had their country usurped, Shrek Academy chose to turn a blind eye.

Back in the day, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the White Tiger Lineage, and even the Tang Sect had all contributed significant effort behind the scenes.

After all, no one wanted a behemoth constantly looming over their heads.

This also laid the foundation for Shrek Academy to ascend to the skies ten thousand years later.

Arriving at a commercial street not far from Shrek Academy, Mu Guiyun casually chose a decent-sized restaurant and walked in; he didn't have the habit of eating while standing.

As soon as he entered, he discovered an old acquaintance—none other than his desk mate, Tang Ya.

"Welcome... welcome!"

Tang Ya naturally spotted Mu Guiyun as well. The smile on her pretty face came to an abrupt halt, replaced by a hint of awkwardness.

"Are you working a work-study job here?"

Mu Guiyun frowned, observing the fine beads of sweat on Tang Ya's forehead, and instantly guessed the reason.

He knew that Tang Ya was very poor in the original work, but he hadn't expected her to be reduced to such a state already.

This was the first time Mu Guiyun had spoken to her, and Tang Ya's expression was somewhat reserved: "I come to the commercial street to do odd jobs in my spare time to earn some living expenses."