Setting Out for Shrek!

Nothing happened that night.

The next morning, when the first ray of sunlight filtered through the window lattice into the room, Lin Ye, sitting cross-legged on the bed, slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were pitch-black and profound, like a cold pool. There wasn't a trace of grogginess from just waking up; instead, they were utterly clear.

Thanks to the Everlasting Spring Art from a martial arts world, he no longer needed sleep to restore his energy.

Meditating through the night while circulating the Everlasting Spring Art not only steadily increased his soul power, but also nourished his body, tempered his soul, and improved his aptitude. Its effects were more than ten times better than ordinary sleep.

Not to mention the Everlasting Spring Art's additional effects, which made his already handsome features even more striking and gave him an otherworldly air, like an exiled immortal in youthful form.

Lin Ye stretched, his joints letting out a string of crisp cracks. His blood and qi surged to their peak, filling him with a powerful sense of strength.

He got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom, sweeping his gaze around the courtyard. His father, Lin Xiao, was nowhere to be seen.

Raising a brow, he walked into the living room and spotted a sealed letter on the table.

He opened it and found Lin Xiao's bold, sweeping handwriting. After reading its contents, Lin Ye couldn't help but laugh helplessly, his face full of disbelief.

So his father had been promoted.

Previously, as the steward of Haotian Sect's outer city, Lin Xiao had only been responsible for one-fifth of the outer city. The authority in his hands was neither particularly great nor particularly small.

Then a single transfer order from the sect came down, placing all the affairs of the outer city directly in Lin Xiao's hands.

Officially, he was still the outer city's steward, but in reality, he was no different from the outer city's lord.

Lin Ye understood perfectly well that this wasn't simply a promotion for Lin Xiao. The Haotian Sect higher-ups were clearly doing it because of him.

The sect was showing goodwill, using Lin Xiao's promotion to do him a favor.

Lin Ye shook his head and casually set the letter back on the table. He was just about to close his eyes and use his thoughts to open his diary and write down what had happened today.

He'd been worrying over what to write, and then this material had practically fallen into his lap. Jotting things down casually was a good habit.

Just then, a clear knock sounded from outside the courtyard gate.

Lin Ye raised a brow, withdrew his thoughts, and walked into the courtyard before reaching out to pull open the gate.

The moment it opened, Lin Ye's eyes narrowed.

An exceedingly luxurious carriage was parked by the roadside outside.

The carriage was made of extremely rare purple nanmu wood, its surface warm and lustrous with a faint sheen. Its edges were inlaid with exquisitely polished silver trim, while the curtains were woven from heavenly silkworm silk. One glance was enough to tell that it was worth a fortune.

Two snow-white Qilin Horses pulled the carriage, faint soul power fluctuations radiating from their bodies. They were clearly horse-type soul beasts, capable of traveling a thousand miles in a day with ease.

What truly caught Lin Ye's attention was the young girl standing beside the carriage.

She appeared to be about his age, perhaps twelve or thirteen, yet her figure was already graceful and slender, like a willow branch budding in early spring—delicate, but with a hidden resilience.

Her skin was porcelain-white like the finest mutton-fat jade. Beneath the morning sunlight, it even seemed to give off a soft glow, flawless in every way.

Her hair was an exceptionally rare pale blue. Half of it was loosely pinned up with a pure white jade hairpin, while the rest cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall.

When the wind blew, her hair and robes fluttered gently together. She looked like an immortal maiden who had stepped out of a painting—no, even more lively and dazzling than one.

It was the first time Lin Ye had ever seen such a beautiful girl.

He immediately understood.

If nothing unexpected happened, she had to be Wang Dong'er.

Countless thoughts flashed through Lin Ye's mind, but his face revealed nothing unusual. Instead, he wore just the right amount of confusion and politeness.

The instant Wang Dong'er saw Lin Ye, her heartbeat skipped a beat as well.

They had met briefly yesterday, but she hadn't had the chance to examine him closely. Now that she saw him properly, Wang Dong'er was instantly stunned.

Lin Ye wore a simple black martial outfit, his figure tall and straight, his face absurdly handsome.

Those eyes of his were black and deep, as though they could see through a person's heart, yet they also carried the brightness of youth. Even simply standing there casually, he was impossible to look away from.

Both of them possessed Oscar-level acting skills. Their hearts were stormy seas, yet their faces remained perfectly calm, flawlessly playing out the unfamiliarity and courtesy of a first meeting.

Lin Ye stepped forward half a pace, gave Wang Dong'er a slight bow, and performed the standard salute of a Haotian Sect disciple. His voice carried the proper amount of respect. "So the young mistress has arrived. Disciple Lin Ye greets the young mistress."

Wang Dong'er hurriedly shifted aside to avoid it and waved her hand, speaking politely. "No need for such formalities. Since we're traveling to Shrek together, just call me Dong'er."

Lin Ye smiled and readily went along with it. "All right, then I won't stand on ceremony, Dong'er."

The moment he called her "Dong'er," a faint blush immediately rose across Wang Dong'er's lovely face, and even the tips of her ears grew slightly warm.

After all, she read Lin Ye's diary in her mind every day and had long become incomparably familiar with that name. But hearing it spoken from Lin Ye's own lips now gave her a completely different feeling.

Of course, she hid it extremely well. She merely lowered her eyes slightly before quickly returning to normal, not revealing the slightest flaw.

Wang Dong'er concealed it well, and Lin Ye didn't notice. He asked, "Dong'er, did you come today because we're setting off today?"

Wang Dong'er looked up and nodded. Her fingertips gently rubbed the sachet at her waist as she said softly, "Mm. There aren't many days left before Shrek's new students begin school. We should get moving."

Lin Ye nodded, returned to his bedroom to pack casually, then came out again and followed Wang Dong'er to the carriage.

The driver was a kind-looking middle-aged man. Lin Ye didn't recognize this uncle, but when he saw Lin Ye looking over, he smiled and gave a slight nod.

Lin Ye nodded in return before entering the carriage.

The carriage compartment was spacious, and the interior seemed even larger than it should have been. Lin Ye wasn't sure whether some kind of spatial technology had been used.

Based on what he knew of the original Douluo Continent 2, it didn't seem as though soul tool technology had developed to that point yet.

Once the carriage began moving, there wasn't the slightest bump inside. Lin Ye couldn't help but sigh. Although Douluo Continent hadn't developed soul tool technology yet, the treatment enjoyed by the nobility was still beyond anything ordinary people could imagine.

With nothing else to do, Lin Ye shifted his thoughts and began writing in his diary.

[Today, we're setting off for Shrek.

Come to think of it, this is the first time since I transmigrated to Douluo Continent that I've truly left Haotian Sect territory.

It's pretty interesting. Back in my original world, I watched the Douluo series over and over again through a screen more times than I could count. Now that I can actually experience it in person, I really can't suppress my anticipation.

After all, this place is, frankly speaking, a genuine continent of romance. The local customs and scenery are secondary—the truly essential part is the original novel's beautiful female characters, each with their own charms.

Thinking about it, the Douluo series has been criticized nonstop for years, yet no matter how fiercely people complain online, those who follow it still keep reading every update.

When all's said and done, isn't it because the female characters are simply too outstanding?

Just casually running through them in my mind, I can immediately think of a whole bunch.]