Preparing to Go to Heaven Dou

In the Divine Realm, inside the Asura God's bedchamber.

The Asura God sat upright in the main seat, elbow propped on the armrest, fingertips lightly tapping his chin as he sank into thought.

So far, Qian Ren Shuang had not had any substantial effect on his main plan. But the Asura God always felt a little uneasy—that feeling was like walking down a familiar road, only to suddenly notice a stone by the roadside that had never been there before. It was small and inconspicuous, yet it left an uncomfortable lump in his heart.

He decided to pick up the pace.

The plan needed to speed up.

Over the next half month, everyone at Shrek Academy busied themselves with their own affairs.

Ning Rongrong shut herself in her room and devoted all her effort to raising her soul power rank. She was more serious than ever before—whether because she truly wanted to become stronger, or because every time she walked out of her room and saw Xiang Ya's back as she served tea and poured water, an indescribable drive would ignite in her heart.

While cultivating, Qian Ren Shuang also had to take care of Guilmon's and Xiang Ya's food and drink. Guilmon's appetite was absurdly huge; every day, Qian Ren Shuang had to use "Food Is Heaven" to conjure up several stacks of meat pies before it had enough to eat. Xiang Ya, meanwhile, looked after Guilmon in daily life—feeding it meat pies, wiping its claws, keeping it company while it basked in the sun—while also practicing the move "Starfall."

Once, Qian Ren Shuang accidentally saw Xiang Ya practicing "Starfall" in the courtyard. That turn, the arc of that side kick—she had already learned it with real shape and form.

"You're actually quite talented," Qian Ren Shuang said.

Xiang Ya panted and wiped away her sweat. "It is because Young Master teaches well."

Qian Ren Shuang smiled and said nothing.

Ning Rongrong, passing by, happened to see this scene. She stood at the corner of the corridor, holding a cup of freshly brewed tea—it had originally been meant for Qian Ren Shuang—and as she watched the two people talking in the courtyard, the steam from the tea blurred her vision.

She set the tea on the windowsill, turned around, and left.

That night, Guilmon ran over and said to Qian Ren Shuang, "Rongrong didn't seem very happy today. She didn't even come to see Guilmon."

Qian Ren Shuang thought for a moment. "Maybe cultivating tired her out too much."

Guilmon tilted its head, feeling that things were not that simple.

On this day, Flender finally returned with Oscar.

"Oscar, what's your third soul skill?" Seeing the two of them return, Dai Mubai, Tang San, Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu all gathered around, faces full of curiosity.

Oscar puffed out his chest, looking smug. "My third soul skill is—flying for one minute! The corresponding soul incantation is: I, your father, have a mushroom sausage."

"Only one minute?" Dai Mubai deliberately omitted the words "the soul skill's duration," curling his lip in disdain. "Oscar, that's way too short, isn't it?"

"Tch, what do you know?" Oscar's train of thought had long since been led astray by Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun. He immediately put on the expression of a seasoned driver and raised his brows. "The most important thing for a man is explosive power..."

Off to the side, Ma Hongjun saw that his teacher's expression did not look too good and asked with concern, "Teacher, what happened? Why do you look so worried?"

Seeing that his own disciple's first concern was him, Flender still felt a trace of comfort in his heart.

But thinking of the seriousness of the problem, he could not help but sigh. "This time, when I took Oscar to Hunting Soul Forest to kill soul beasts, we had some conflict with Dragon Duke and Serpent Granny, as well as Shi Nian from Pale Radiance Academy. I'm worried that after they find out the location of our Shrek Academy, they'll come over to take revenge."

It turned out that, with the Asura God secretly fanning the flames, Pale Radiance Academy and Beast Academy had also obtained the news that "the Titan Giant Ape had appeared on the outskirts of Star Dou Forest." That was why Dragon Duke and Serpent Granny, who had originally been preparing to take their granddaughter to Star Dou Forest to hunt for a soul ring, and Shi Nian, who had been taking his students to Star Dou Forest to hunt for soul rings, temporarily changed course. As a result, by sheer coincidence, they ran into Flender and Oscar in the same Hunting Soul Forest.

"What's the big deal!" Dai Mubai waved a hand indifferently. "If they dare come, I'll beat them all away."

He said it with heroic grandeur, as if he had once again become that brave third prince of the Star Luo Empire. But Qian Ren Shuang glanced at him and said nothing—the first one to get injured last time in Star Dou Forest had been him.

"Little Bai, don't talk big at a time like this." Flender rolled his eyes at him. "Dragon Duke and Serpent Granny's martial soul fusion skill, and Shi Nian's Residual Dream, are both things our Shrek Academy can't handle."

After silently grumbling "reckless fool" in his heart, Flender continued, "As for where we're moving next, this dean has already thought it through. I'll give you three days to pack your things. We're moving to Heaven Dou City."

At this point, the corners of Flender's mouth curved into a smile, a merchant's calculating glint flashing through his eyes as his tone rose. "It just so happens that there are less than three years until the next National Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition. Although our Shrek Academy has no official registration and cannot obtain qualification to compete, after we move there, we can directly use an academy over there as a springboard and take part in that competition!"

"Dean, is that competition very important?" Tang San and Xiao Wu asked at the same time.

Ning Rongrong, standing beside them, explained to the two with a proud look, "Of course it's important! That kind of competition is jointly held by the two great empires, Heaven Dou and Star Luo, together with Spirit Hall!" She paused, then lowered her voice mysteriously. "And I also know a little piece of inside information that most people don't..."

Halfway through speaking, Ning Rongrong crooked a finger at everyone, chin slightly raised, putting on an air of "if you beg me, I'll tell you."

Spirit Hall... the murderer who killed Mom is there. When Xiao Wu heard the words "Spirit Hall," her eyes could not help turning blood-red, her breathing quickening like a rabbit's, her ten fingers clenching until they turned pale. But she still did her utmost to maintain her outward calm.

"What kind of inside information could it be?" Dai Mubai curled his lip disdainfully. "Isn't it just a competition Spirit Hall set up to make it easier to select geniuses?"

"You're right, but not completely." Ning Rongrong glanced at Dai Mubai with disdain.

That look stabbed Dai Mubai in the heart—the last time he had seen such an expression had been when his elder brother looked down on him, a competitor for the throne. His face flushed with anger, and he stiffened his neck as he goaded her. "Then tell us, what exactly is going on!"

Provoked like this, Ning Rongrong's temper flared too, and she blurted out, "Because according to Spirit Hall's statistics, true genius soul masters can cultivate, at seventeen or eighteen years old, to a soul power rank that ordinary soul masters can only reach after an entire lifetime."

Since she had already stated the reason, Ning Rongrong simply stopped hiding it and added, "So those who can participate in that kind of competition and those who can't, even if they're all soul masters, belong to two different circles!"

After she finished speaking, she subconsciously glanced at Qian Ren Shuang, as though seeking some kind of approval.