First Arrival at Shrek Academy

Shrek City, Shrek Academy.

As the continent's largest city and greatest academy, this was a place countless people yearned for.

Twenty thousand years ago, Shrek Academy had not yet reached such a scale. It was only after the Spirit Pagoda was founded, when Huo Yuhao, the first master of the Spirit Pagoda, proposed expanding Shrek City, that it gradually grew into the continent's foremost city.

Over the past thirty thousand years, it had once stood at the center of the era's stage, giving it an extraordinarily special status in the hearts of the people across the three continents.

Even after the Sun Moon unification and the establishment of the Federation, its status had never been shaken.

Shrek Academy covered an enormous area. Within its grounds, it possessed highly independent autonomy, with its own garrison, taxation rights,

Though called an academy, it was like an independent city—or rather, "a state within a state."

And Shrek Academy's once-every-three-years freshman recruitment was unquestionably the most important grand event on the entire continent for young Soul Masters.

Simply being able to come to Shrek Academy for the entrance examination was already a source of pride for countless young Soul Masters. There was even a saying within the continent's Soul Master world.

Any Soul Master qualified to take Shrek Academy's examination, even if they failed, would be fought over by other academies and admitted without an exam.

Those selected to participate in Shrek Academy's assessment were all elites among elites.

Yet among those elites, only a tiny fraction could pass the assessment and join Shrek Academy—and that was merely the Outer Court.

Shrek Academy admitted two hundred Outer Court students every three years. Of those two hundred slots, fifty were reserved for those who had failed to apply to the Inner Court.

There were only fifty slots in each intake for applying to the Inner Court. Naturally, getting in was best, but even those who failed could join the Outer Court and still qualify to take the Inner Court examination in the future.

Graduating from Shrek Academy's Outer Court already made one a top talent on the continent. Any organization or family would be willing to offer exceptional treatment to recruit them.

As for Shrek Academy's Inner Court, that was a special world. Few students who graduated from the Inner Court ever left Shrek Academy; most chose to remain in the Inner Court.

There was a saying in the education world: Inner Court disciples of Shrek Academy would inevitably become Battle Armor Masters.

One had to know that every Battle Armor Master was a strategic asset within the Federation!

Of course, a very small number of Inner Court disciples would choose to leave for one reason or another. Naturally, they were super talents coveted by every faction.

At that moment, at Shrek City Station, pedestrians all turned their gazes toward the station entrance. A handsome black-haired, black-eyed youth was slowly walking forward, carrying a small suitcase.

The youth stood beneath the bright sunlight, his jet-black hair smooth and neatly falling by his ears. His deep black eyes were like the most mysterious stars in the night sky, gleaming with a resolute and clear light.

His facial features were sharply defined, his lines firm without losing their softness. Sunlight spilled across his high nose bridge, tracing a perfect curve.

Taken together, his features seemed like a masterpiece meticulously sculpted by nature. His brows were like ink paintings, his eyes deep and bright, as if they contained countless stars and seas. Beneath his high nose bridge were thin, elegantly shaped lips, now slightly raised in a confident, warm smile.

He wore a simple yet refined white shirt, its cuffs casually rolled up to reveal firm, powerful forearms. The collar was slightly open, exposing his delicate collarbones.

He paired it with dark blue casual trousers, their creases crisp, making him appear even taller and more slender.

He exuded an innate sense of uprightness, a temperament that radiated from within like an invisible light, drawing people toward him without realizing it.

Standing there, he was like a towering mountain, giving others a sense of reliability and trustworthiness that made his presence impossible to ignore.

The crowd that should have been flowing endlessly had actually slowed to a halt because of the youth's appearance. Even those walking ahead of him subconsciously slowed their steps and glanced back at him from the corners of their eyes.

Everyone knew that if a man made the opposite sex think he was handsome, that wasn't much of an achievement.

But if a guy was so handsome that even people of the same sex thought he was handsome, that was true handsomeness.

The youth was named Wei Heng. Unlike the other examinees around him, he had come to Shrek City alone, without teachers or parents accompanying him.

"At last, I'm here. There are still a few days until enrollment starts. I should find a hotel first."

Oh right, I need to report my progress to the main body.

The moment the thought arose, Wei Heng immediately called out to the main body in his mind. His five clones could directly connect to the Sea of Consciousness Space, so communicating with the other clones was possible as well—though whether they had the time was another matter.

"..."

Fine. Since no one's around, I'll talk to them another day.

Though no one responded, Wei Heng wasn't disappointed. Instead, he smiled with sunny ease.

However, the bright smile he revealed by accident left the girls around him staring in a daze.

"Click."

Wei Heng looked toward the sound of the camera, making the girl who had secretly taken his picture flush red. She hurriedly ran away and nearly bumped into someone because of it.

Inside the hotel.

Wei Heng had just returned from registering at Shrek Academy and was currently lying on the large bed in his room. At last, he had managed to contact the main body.

Main body, I've arrived at Shrek Academy. In a few days, I'll be taking Shrek Academy's entrance examination.

Based on the timeline, Tang Wulin should be attending an auction two days from now. He'll obtain a spiritual item there and use it to break through the Golden Dragon King's second seal. Once I enter the academy, I'll begin carrying out the plan step by step.

Understood. Judge the extent yourself and proceed gradually.

Liu Tianran's purpose for Wei Heng's identity was to have him develop within Shrek Academy and strive to gain sufficient influence within the academy when Shrek Academy was rebuilt in the future. He would replace Tang Wulin and become the helmsman of this colossal entity.

The reason it had reached the point of being destroyed in the original work could be understood just by looking at the outrageous things it had done. It had brought ruin upon itself.

Its student trials involved stealing military secrets, it interfered with Federation politics, indulged teachers and students in provoking other factions without cause, and established a state within a state.

Its school creed, passed down for twenty thousand years, was utterly defiant of heaven. Teachers and students alike were excessively arrogant and treated Federation law as if it were nothing. No country could tolerate it.

Honestly, in Liu Tianran's view, as long as Shrek Academy fulfilled its duty as an academy and did not excessively interfere in Federation military affairs and politics, no one would be determined to fight it to the death.

There was another point: despite Shrek Academy being surrounded by countless enemies and nearing its end in the Federation, one had to admit that its number of geniuses, channels for acquiring high-level resources, and network of connections were truly terrifying.

Moreover, the energy reserves of Dragon Valley and Demon Island were enough to make Liu Tianran salivate.