Welcome to Shrek City

As they spoke, the group arrived at the main gate of Shrek City.

The towering blue-gray city walls rose from the ground and stretched endlessly in both directions.

The wall's surface bore the muted sheen of time's polishing, its weight and solidity pressing toward them.

Above the open gate, a lifelike green Shrek emblem was embedded in the stone. Beside it were the four vigorous characters for "Shrek City," their sharp strokes carrying an innate, unyielding pride.

The city gates stood wide open, with a constant stream of people passing through in a bustling spectacle.

"Yuhao, Lu Chen, Qian Renxue, this is Shrek City."

Beibei raised a hand toward it, unable to hide the pride in his voice. "Magnificent, isn't it?"

"Mm."

Qian Renxue nodded lightly. Her gaze swept across the walls and the crowds, and a trace of barely perceptible emotion flickered through her eyes.

Though she was unwilling to admit it, the scale and grandeur of this city truly surpassed Spirit Hall's main city from back then.

"The city has four gates in total. The south, west, and north gates are open to the public, but the east gate belongs to the academy's core area. Ordinary people aren't permitted to enter or leave freely."

Tang Ya explained from the side, then looked at Lu Chen and Qian Renxue. "Beibei and I are taking Yuhao to complete his enrollment procedures. Are you two coming with us, or will you find somewhere to rest for the day and register tomorrow?"

"Senior Sister, we'd better get cleaned up first."

Lu Chen pointed at his loose, tattered robes with a helpless look. "If I go register looking like this, won't the guards mistake me for a beggar and throw me out?"

After his body reverted, his once well-fitting clothes had become far too large and loose. On top of that, they had been torn in several places during the battle with the Cockscomb Phoenix Snake, and were covered in dust and grass clippings. He looked utterly bedraggled.

Qian Renxue, on the other hand, possessed the Angel Spirit Bone's divine disguise ability. She could disguise both her appearance and Martial Soul, let alone a piece of clothing.

Thus, her white robes remained as immaculate as ever. Her entire presence was cold and sacred, untouched by the dust of travel. Standing together, the contrast between them was especially striking.

"Hehe, that works too. It's good for you to get settled first." Tang Ya could not help laughing, then seriously reminded them, "There are only three days left for enrollment registration, so don't miss it."

"Don't worry, Senior Sister. We won't be delayed." Lu Chen nodded.

"Then we'll be going ahead. See you at Shrek Academy!"

Tang Ya waved, while Beibei nodded at the two of them as well.

After saying goodbye to Tang Ya, Beibei, and Huo Yuhao, Lu Chen and Qian Renxue officially stepped into Shrek City, which had stood for ten thousand years.

The two first found a clothing shop and picked out two sets of properly fitting clothes.

Lu Chen changed into a dark, fitted outfit that was neat and close-fitting. It made the youth's figure look tall and straight, reducing some of the laziness between his brows and adding a touch of heroic spirit.

Qian Renxue chose a moon-white long dress embroidered with subtle dark-gold patterns. The soft fabric draped elegantly, making her skin appear whiter than snow and further accentuating her cold, sacred temperament.

The handsome young man and beautiful young woman drew frequent glances from passersby as they walked down the street.

"Damn, that was expensive. Just these few pieces of clothing cost us ten Gold Soul Coins!"

Lu Chen could not help lamenting the currency's depreciation.

Ten thousand years ago, one Gold Soul Coin had been enough to support an ordinary family of three for three months.

Now, they had spent ten Gold Soul Coins on a few pieces of clothing.

And that was after he had practically talked himself hoarse bargaining the price down.

"Lu Chen, look over here."

As they walked, Qian Renxue gently tugged on Lu Chen's sleeve, her fingers tightening slightly as she indicated a shop by the street.

Lu Chen looked up and saw the words "Sun-Moon Royal Soul Guidance Store" engraved on an ornate gilded signboard. The shop was exquisitely decorated, with a somewhat cold, foreign style. It was clearly a branch opened by the Sun-Moon Empire.

The two had heard quite a bit about the Sun-Moon Empire from Beibei and Tang Ya over the past few days.

Apparently, four thousand years ago, the Sun-Moon Continent had collided with the Douluo Continent, and the two continents had erupted into a prolonged war.

Relying on Soul Guidance Technology far beyond that of Douluo, the Sun-Moon Empire had once beaten the three great empires into retreat after retreat. In the end, it had taken the Sea God Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy gathering more than sixty Titled Douros and having them strike with all their strength to severely damage the Sun-Moon Empire's main forces.

"Come on, let's go in and take a look."

Lu Chen became interested and led Qian Renxue inside.

The Sun-Moon Empire was renowned throughout the world for its Soul Tools. Even if they were too strapped for cash to buy anything, it would still be worthwhile to see the era's most advanced Soul Guidance Technology.

The moment they stepped through the doors, a dazzling array of Soul Tools came into view.

The clear glass display cases had been polished spotless, and objects of every shape and form were arranged in layers within them. Many featured ingenious designs that neither of them had ever seen before, leaving them overwhelmed.

"Welcome to the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Guidance Store."

A young female clerk in a crisp uniform hurried over. Her smile was proper and her voice sweet. After looking the two over, she seemed to guess why they had come. "You two look unfamiliar. Is this your first time visiting our store? We have Soul Tools for daily use, self-defense, attack, and transportation. What would you like to see?"

"We're just looking around. Go ahead and do your work." Lu Chen replied casually.

Though they said they were just browsing, the unfamiliar Soul Tools filling the display cases left them with no clear idea where to begin. They felt rather like country bumpkins entering a city for the first time.

The clerk was sharp-eyed. She smiled and stepped forward to strike up a conversation. "You two are here to apply to Shrek Academy, aren't you?"

She blinked, her tone carrying a knowing note. "Shrek's motto is, 'Those who dare not cause trouble are mediocrities.' Sparring between students is commonplace at the academy, and conflicts are unavoidable. Besides, this young lady is exceptionally beautiful."

At that, the clerk gave Lu Chen a look that told him to figure it out himself.

She then took a palm-sized, exquisitely designed Soul Tool resembling a pistol from the display case and held it out to them. "You might be interested in this third-grade Soul Tool—the Soul Guidance Paralysis Ray. Pull the trigger, and if it hits, it can leave a Spirit Master at the Spirit Zun level stiff and paralyzed for a full three seconds."

"How is that possible?"

Qian Renxue's cold eyes were filled with disbelief.

Three seconds might seem brief, but in a life-and-death battle between Spirit Masters, it was enough to determine victory or defeat a hundred times over.

Such a tiny thing, no bigger than a palm, could actually restrain a Spirit Zun?

In her era, that would have been pure fantasy.

"Do you not believe it, miss?" The clerk was not offended. Instead, she lifted her chin slightly, her tone carrying the distinctive pride of a Sun-Moon Empire Soul Master. "Forget a Three-Ring Spirit Zun—even a five-ring Spirit King would be affected if hit head-on. These are all carefully made by our Sun-Moon Empire's Soul Masters. They cannot be compared to those crude Soul Tools."

"How much is it?"

Lu Chen had become interested in the Soul Guidance Paralysis Ray as well and asked the clerk for its price.

If it was affordable, buying one to study would not be out of the question.

"Two thousand five hundred Gold Soul Coins."

"If you two have Shrek Academy student IDs, our store can give you a twenty percent discount."

The clerk truthfully gave them the price.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Lu Chen coughed dryly several times after hearing it.

Two thousand five hundred Gold Soul Coins—he and Qian Renxue had only a little over five hundred Gold Soul Coins between them.

And even that had been borrowed.

"It's a good item, but we don't need it right now."

"We'd like to look at Storage Soul Guidance Devices. Do you have any?"

Lu Chen coughed twice more and quickly changed the subject.

Both his and Qian Renxue's Storage Soul Guidance Devices had been damaged. What they needed most now was a Storage Soul Guidance Device to make carrying things more convenient.

The clerk also knew Lu Chen was short on money, but as a qualified employee, she understood not to point it out.

She put away her earlier pride and resumed her professional smile, stepping aside to gesture invitingly as she led them toward the display area on the second floor.

"This is the Storage Ring with the best value sold in our store."

"Although it only has half a cubic meter of space, it costs just two hundred Gold Soul Coins."

The clerk picked up an ancient-looking ring and introduced it.

"We'll take it. Give me two."

This time, Lu Chen unusually did not bargain.

After decisively paying, Lu Chen casually handed one of the Storage Rings to Qian Renxue beside him. "Here. Make do with it for now."

Qian Renxue looked at the ring held out before her, and her fingertips paused slightly. She did not take it immediately.

Rings had always carried special significance, often serving as tokens of love.

In all her life, she had never received a ring from a man. In fact, she had barely interacted with men at all.

For a moment, Qian Renxue's heartbeat skipped half a beat, and the tips of her ears quietly warmed.

When Lu Chen saw that she was not taking it, he assumed she thought the space was too small and awkwardly withdrew his hand. "True, half a cubic meter is a little small. When we have money later, we can get a better one..."

Before he could finish, Qian Renxue suddenly reached out and swiftly snatched the ring from his palm.

Qian Renxue lowered her eyes, a faint blush coloring her fair cheeks. Somewhat stiffly, she put the ring on the ring finger of her left hand and muttered softly, "I don't mind," but she never took it off.