Omphalos Academy

Shrek Academy.

Tang San and Xiao Wu looked at the deserted entrance, both of them somewhat bewildered.

"Brother, didn't they say today was the day for Shrek's enrollment? Why is there no one here..."

Tang San shook his head.

Just then, a passerby hurried past.

Tang San quickly called out to him, "Excuse me, young brother, aren't you here to register for Shrek?"

The passerby glanced back at the Shrek sign and spat on the ground: "Pah, a trash academy like this doesn't deserve it! Isn't Omphalos Academy next door much better?"

With that, he shook off Tang San's hand and walked away without looking back.

Tang San stood frozen in place upon hearing this.

Omphalos Academy?

Xiao Wu leaned in, wrapping her hands around Tang San's arm: "Brother, what is this Omphalos Academy? Is it better than Shrek?"

"I'm not sure either, but Teacher had his reasons for sending us to Shrek Academy, so we should hurry to the registration desk ahead and sign up."

Xiao Wu nodded: "Okay."

The two turned and walked toward the Shrek registration area.

Behind them, a chestnut-haired woman with a beautiful face and an ethereal temperament rolled her eyes after hearing their conversation.

"Omphalos Academy? I've never heard of that academy. Is it really better than Shrek?"

The woman hesitated for a moment, then turned and headed in the direction the passerby had gone.

The woman's name was Ning Rongrong.

She passed through a grove of trees and soon saw a long, winding line of people.

At the end of the line was an inconspicuous house, with a table and chair set up in front of it and a sign standing beside the table that read: "Omphalos Academy Admissions Office, Location: Inside Soto City."

There was also a conceptual drawing of the academy posted, which looked elegant, magnificent, and exceptionally grand.

Seeing this image, Ning Rongrong nodded.

The school is inside Soto City? The conditions certainly look quite good.

Ning Rongrong became interested in this academy called Omphalos.

She glanced at the registration desk, which was still empty; it was clear that the teacher in charge of admissions had not yet arrived.

Ning Rongrong turned and walked to the end of the line.

Just as she was about to join the queue, she heard a discussion between two men in front of her.

The man in front looked back at the man behind him: "Yo, so you're also..."

The man behind waved his hand helplessly: "Shrek over there doesn't treat people like human beings. I heard this academy doesn't charge a registration fee, so I came here."

The man in front scanned the long line: "Exactly. Just the fact that they don't charge a registration fee makes them better than Shrek next door, but I heard something just now—they're only recruiting one person."

"Damn, for real?"

Hearing this, Ning Rongrong's delicate brows furrowed slightly.

"Only recruiting one person? Doesn't that mean..."

Her eyes lit up.

"With this young lady's talent, wouldn't this spot be as good as mine?"

Thinking of this, Ning Rongrong immediately joined the line and waited quietly.

However, not long after, a commotion broke out at the front of the line.

Someone shouted: "The door is open! The door is open!"

Ning Rongrong quickly looked toward the front.

Sure enough, the door to the unassuming house ahead was opened by someone.

Seeing the door actually open, the crowd instantly erupted into an uproar.

They swarmed forward in a frenzy of excitement.

But the next second, four students dressed in matching uniforms walked out from inside and blocked everyone directly.

Immediately following, a gray-haired man in white robes stepped slowly out of the house.

And when Ning Rongrong saw the man's face clearly, she froze completely:

"Ye Qiong?"

The man called Ye Qiong did not notice Ning Rongrong.

At this moment, he looked at the excited crowd before him, a slight arc forming at the corners of his mouth.

"It seems the promotional effect is quite good."

The man arrived at his seat and greeted everyone with a smile:

"Good morning, parents and students. I am the dean in charge of this recruitment, Ye Qiong."

Dean? So young?

The crowd looked at the four students blocking them, then back at him, all feeling a sense of astonishment.

Is this really the dean? How does he look only two or three years older than them?

Ning Rongrong stood in the back, watching Ye Qiong with equal confusion.

Isn't he supposed to be at the sect? Why is he here opening an academy?

Ye Qiong was the most outstanding disciple of their Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, having broken through to the Soul Emperor rank at only sixteen.

Such a gifted individual was also the most beloved disciple of the sect's two Douluos.

When she was a child, the two Douluos had originally doted on her the most.

But ever since this Ye Qiong appeared, the two Douluos seemed as if they were bewitched.

Their affection for Ye Qiong was even greater than it had been for her.

Not only that, but her father, Ning Fengzhi, had even declared that Ye Qiong should become her fiancé.

This made her feel extremely repulsed.

Looking at Ye Qiong, Ning Rongrong sneered in her heart:

Leaving the sect to come to a small place like this and open a crappy academy to make a fool of himself—it's truly laughable.

Suddenly, Ning Rongrong's eyes rolled as she thought of a brilliant plan to embarrass Ye Qiong.

That was to feign interest in enrolling, and then, once selected, reject him in front of everyone.

With that, she seized the opportunity to squeeze through the crowd from the outside.

Ye Qiong, standing at the front, did not notice Ning Rongrong's little maneuver.

He signaled for everyone to line up and then sat down in his seat:

"For this recruitment, our Omphalos Academy will only accept one person; the best candidate will be admitted."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present immediately became fully alert.

They all wanted to present themselves in their best state to increase their chances of getting into this academy.

Seeing everyone looking so spirited, Ye Qiong smiled, and he beckoned to the only girl among the four students:

"Jiang Zhu, come help me take notes."

"Understood, Teacher."

The girl called Jiang Zhu immediately trotted over, sat down beside Ye Qiong, and picked up pen and paper.

Next, Ye Qiong did not adopt the method of face-to-face elimination like Shrek Academy.

He carefully interviewed every student and had Jiang Zhu record their information.

When it was Ning Rongrong's turn, Ye Qiong looked at her haughtily upturned face, and his heart skipped a beat:

Ning Rongrong? According to the plot, shouldn't she be going to Shrek?

Ye Qiong remained calm on the surface, but his mind raced rapidly.

He remembered the entire plot, from Tang San jumping off the cliff in his past life to his ascension to godhood; he knew it all.

Because he was not a person of this world.

Ten years ago, when he transmigrated here, he had been picked up by Sword Douluo and brought back to the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect.

Back then, he had truly believed he was destined to be the protagonist.

As it turned out, when his martial soul awakened, he only manifested an ordinary baseball bat.

Fortunately, he possessed innate full soul power.

And so, he remained at the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect to cultivate, a process that lasted ten years.

After reaching the rank of Soul Emperor at sixteen, he should have naturally become involved in the sect's affairs, serving as one of its pillars.

Yet, at that very moment, he insisted on descending the mountain to pursue a path that no one held in high regard:

establishing an academy.

This was all because of what happened two months ago.

[Ding! Otherworld Academy Construction System activated.]

Ye Qiong, who had been in the middle of cultivation, froze.

"What the hell? An academy construction system? What would I need that for?"

[The host can become stronger by building an academy, eventually even transcending the Douluo plane.]

Upon hearing this, Ye Qiong stood up immediately.

The Douluo Continent was forever nothing more than a small, isolated planet.

Having transmigrated here, his future should lie among the vast stars.

"How exactly does one transcend? Explain in detail."

[The stronger the students you cultivate, the more rewards the host receives, allowing the host to cultivate even further.]

"I see. Can you elaborate on what specific functions you have?"

[Ding, the host must complete the novice mission to unlock all basic functions.]

Ye Qiong frowned upon hearing this.

Why did this system require completing a mission just to unlock basic functions?

"What a hassle. Fine, what is the mission?"

[Establish Omphalos Academy and recruit five students. Mission completion reward: Novice Gift Pack.]

"Omphalos?"