Little Friend, You Can't Hold On to This Opportunity

Heaven Dou City, Shrek Academy.

This place had originally been Blue Tyrant Academy, but now its former plaque had been replaced. The five grand golden characters, Shrek Academy, stood prominently upon it, with Flender's name inscribed below.

So Blue Tyrant Academy had already been renamed Shrek Academy?

I wonder whether Little Scoundrel had kept my Immortal Herbs safe. Dugu Bo guarded that treasure ground but couldn't keep hold of this opportunity. Since you can't hold on to it, then I won't stand on ceremony.

Of course, even if Dugu Bo had held on to that treasure ground, I'd still go snatch it anyway. Little friend, you can't hold on to this opportunity!

Soul Land I Dugu Yan: "..."

No, no. That makes me sound like a bandit. How could something scholars did be called stealing?

Once I get the Immortal Herbs, if I have time, I'll help Dugu Yan resolve the flaws in her martial soul as well. I won't take them for nothing.

Unlike in the original story, where Dugu Bo "kindly" kidnapped Tang San and brought him to the Icefire Yin Yang Well as a guest. Relying on the Tang Sect's secret arts and his masterful poison techniques, Tang San fooled Dugu Bo completely.

In the end, Tang San showed no restraint at all and harvested every Immortal Herb in the Icefire Yin Yang Well, not leaving a single one for Dugu Bo. How "polite" of him.

Compared to that, I'm practically a saint!

Soul Land I Ye Lingling: "That's wonderful, Yan! You're saved! Brother Mo Yu is amazing, no further words needed!"

Soul Land II Ning Tian: "Come to think of it, if Brother Mo Yu really takes all the Immortal Herbs, can our ancestor's martial soul still evolve? Will the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect of our era still exist?"

Soul Land IV Ye Lingtong: "It actually won't affect anything. Each of our planes is an independent parallel world. What happens in one parallel world only affects that world."

Soul Land IV Ye Lingtong: "Simply put, in Brother Mo Yu's Douluo Continent, the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect probably won't appear ten thousand years later."

Soul Land II Ning Tian: "Oh, I see... but why probably?"

Soul Land IV Ye Lingtong: "Maybe your ancestor, um... maybe she was planning to bestow blessings too?"

Soul Land I Ning Rongrong: "No, don't spread rumors! Brother Mo Yu is Snow Ke's type. How could I possibly do something like that?!"

Meanwhile, outside Shrek Academy.

"Brother Mo Yu, did you come all the way to Shrek Academy because you planned to enroll?" Xue Ke suddenly asked from beside him.

"How could that be? I was just passing by to see what was so special about this academy that supposedly only accepted monsters."

As he spoke, Qin Moyu suddenly looked at Xue Ke beside him, his eyes carrying a faintly teasing smile. "What about you, Miss Xue Ke? What are you planning to do at Shrek Academy?"

This is strange. If I remember correctly, Xue Ke, the princess of the Heaven Dou Empire, had always studied etiquette under Tang Yuehua at Moon Pavilion Academy and developed considerable skill with the zither.

But aside from that, Xue Ke shouldn't have come to Shrek Academy, right?

Soul Land I Xue Ke: "..."

What reason could she possibly have? From beginning to end, Xue Ke had only made up a lie so she could strike up a conversation with Qin Moyu.

One lie required countless more lies to cover it up...

Xue Ke raised her hand as if perfectly at ease, brushed back the loose strands beside her ear, and smiled sweetly. "Actually, I have a friend attending Shrek Academy. I just happened to come by to see her."

"Oh, so that's how it is..."

Qin Moyu pretended to believe her and withdrew his gaze.

Just as Xue Ke secretly breathed a sigh of relief, Qin Moyu suddenly turned his head. His dark eyes stared straight at her. "But I heard that the legitimate princess of the Heaven Dou Empire happens to be named Xue Ke as well..."

The words fell lightly, yet the air instantly froze.

The smile on Xue Ke's face stiffened at once, and her mind went blank.

"Ha, haha... what a coincidence. I actually share a name with a royal princess. What a coincidence."

At a loss, Xue Ke gave an awkward laugh and forced out a clumsy, embarrassed smile.

Qin Moyu could not help laughing inwardly, but he did not expose her on the spot. Instead, he left behind a mischievous remark in his diary.

The coincidences in this world really are bizarre. Xue Ke just happened to appear in Suotuo City, just happened to meet me, and even deliberately concealed her royal identity...

Could it be that this little princess of Heaven Dou truly has ill intentions toward me... and wants to harvest my kidneys?!

Soul Land I Xue Ke: "..."

Soul Land I Xue Ke: "Oh no, oh no! I can't explain this!"

Soul Land I Xue Ke: "What do I do? Sister Rongrong, are you there? Hurry and come save me at the entrance to Shrek!"

Just as Xue Ke was so embarrassed that her toes were about to dig out a three-bedroom apartment, a crisp and lively young girl's voice suddenly came from within Shrek Academy's gates...

"Xue Ke? Is that really you?"

As soon as the words fell, a lovely, spirited figure came bouncing out.

The girl wore an exquisite aqua-green dress. Her skin was as fair as snow, and she possessed a quirky, impish air. It was Ning Rongrong, who had happened to be free and had come outside for some fresh air.

Ning Rongrong naturally linked arms with Xue Ke, her movements intimate. "Didn't you say you were going outside the city to clear your mind? You actually snuck over to Shrek to see me without even telling me beforehand!"

Xue Ke's eyes instantly lit up. Smiling sweetly, she said, "I was passing by, so I came to see you and give you a surprise."

After their brief exchange, Ning Rongrong's lively almond eyes turned and landed on Qin Moyu, who stood nearby with an otherworldly air. Her tone held a hint of curiosity. "And who is this?"

"Qin Moyu..." Qin Moyu said with a smile and a wave. "Mo as in stranger, Yu as in jade."

So Xue Ke really did come to Shrek to visit a friend? The original story did mention that Xue Qinghe, the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, became Ning Fengzhi's disciple. Xue Ke probably had known Ning Rongrong, this little devil, since childhood...

Soul Land I Ning Rongrong: "Excuse me? How am I a little devil? I've been gentle, obedient, well-read, and sensible since I was little, okay?!"

Honestly, I'd originally had quite a favorable impression of this little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Especially after seeing her in person, Ning Rongrong truly deserved to be called one of Shrek's three beauties.

Soul Land I Xue Ke: "??? Sister Rongrong?"

Soul Land I Ning Rongrong: "Ah... no, sister, don't overthink it! I really don't have the slightest interest in your Brother Mo Yu anymore!"

Soul Land I Xue Ke: "I didn't even ask about that..."

In fact, many people liked Ning Rongrong as a character. She was the most gifted genius of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the only daughter cherished by Sect Master Ning Fengzhi, and she even had two Title Douluo grandfathers at her side.

If one could marry Ning Rongrong and bring her home, it would give one an unreal feeling of having crossed the boundaries of social class, as though one's whole life had reached its pinnacle.

Soul Land I Ning Rongrong: "So that's what he meant. I thought it was something else..."

Actually, I'm no exception.

Soul Land I Ning Rongrong: "!!!"

Soul Land I Xue Ke: "Sister Rongrong, you..."

Soul Land I Ning Rongrong: "Xue Ke, listen to my explanation! It's really not what you think!"

Xue Ke's gaze quietly dimmed. Carefully, she put a little distance between herself and Ning Rongrong...

Was this what talent meant?

She had clearly been the first to meet Brother Mo Yu, yet Sister Rongrong only had to stand there to effortlessly receive her ticket in.

I was clearly here first...

Xue Ke's feelings were exceedingly complicated.

She suddenly recalled her father's advice: the first girl to come close in a boy's life would leave the deepest impression in his heart.

In her daze, Xue Ke suddenly heard Dai Yuner's earnest words echoing in her ears: a good match was not something one waited for, but something one had to fight for...