Qian Renxue Sulking

"Shrek Academy?"

Qian Renxue frowned slightly at his words, her eyes filled with confusion.

Having infiltrated the Heaven Dou Empire for so many years, she knew the sects, academies, and various powers of the continent like the back of her hand.

The Upper Three Sects, the Lower Four Sects, and all the major top academies—but she had never heard the name "Shrek Academy." It was probably some obscure little academy.

Yet Lu Chen, standing beside her, froze completely.

He had never read the second part of Douluo Continent, so he did not know who Beibei or Tang Ya were.

But Huo Yuhao, the protagonist whose first Soul Ring was a million years old? There was no way he could not know him!

No wonder he had felt that the Star Dou Great Forest was so strange. They had been transported through a spatial rift to an era ten thousand years in the future.

Seeing Lu Chen lost in thought, Qian Renxue felt that he was being somewhat rude and lightly tugged at the corner of his clothes.

Lu Chen suddenly came back to his senses, forcing just the right amount of surprise onto his face. "Sorry. I just didn't expect such a coincidence."

"My name is Lu Chen, and this is my companion." Lu Chen turned to introduce the girl beside him, then added, "The two of us were also planning to apply to Shrek Academy. We just got lost in the Star Dou Great Forest and hurried over when we heard some commotion here."

He had not read the second part of Douluo Continent. Other than knowing that the Tang Sect had declined and that the protagonist was named Huo Yuhao, he knew nothing else.

And since Shrek Academy had risen after the Seven Monsters became gods and had stood tall on Douluo Continent for ten thousand years, it surely possessed plenty of historical records.

It was currently the best place for them to learn about this era.

Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue looked at Lu Chen in confusion and shot him a look. Lu Chen could more or less guess what she meant.

Didn't you promise to return to Spirit Hall with me?

Why are we suddenly going to this Shrek Academy?

You'd better give me a satisfactory explanation.

Lu Chen could only smile faintly without saying anything.

Come to think of it, he had a headache over how to explain that this was no longer the Douluo Continent she knew.

This was ten thousand years after their era.

In the Douluo Continent of ten thousand years later, Spirit Hall had long since been destroyed, the Angel inheritance had been severed, and her grandfather and mother had already become dust in the pages of history.

Lu Chen did not know whether Qian Renxue could accept all of this once she learned the truth.

All of a sudden, Lu Chen felt a little sorry for the girl beside him, the one blessed by the Angel God.

Her father was that sort of person, and so was her mother.

The only person who truly loved her was her grandfather, yet for Bibi Dong's ambitions and to spare the common people from harm, she had willingly sacrificed several years of her youth to cosplay as Xue Qinghe.

And now fate had played another cruel joke on her.

There was no Spirit Hall she knew here, nor was there a Qian Daoliu who cherished her.

To her, this was an entirely unfamiliar world.

"Really? Then I'm your senior sister."

"Quick, call me Senior Sister."

Hearing that the two of them were also applying to Shrek Academy, Tang Ya's eyes lit up. She eagerly moved closer, clearly delighted to meet people headed the same way.

"Tang Ya, don't fool around. Little Brother Lu might enter the Inner Court even earlier than us. By then, who knows who'll be the senior brother and who'll be the senior sister?"

Beibei, standing nearby, saw things clearly.

Although this youth named Lu Chen was younger than him, the strength he had displayed just now was not inferior to Beibei's at all. He was undoubtedly another genius like Ma Xiaotao.

As for Qian Renxue beside Lu Chen, Beibei did not think too much about her.

He felt that two geniuses like Lu Chen could not possibly appear at once, so he subconsciously assumed that Qian Renxue's strength was about average for her age.

Even if she was strong, she could not be stronger than Lu Chen.

"Senior Brother Beibei, you're joking. Once a senior sister, always a senior sister. Once we reach the academy, we'll still need Senior Brother and Senior Sister to look after us."

Lu Chen spoke humbly. Though he did not know exactly what the "Inner Court" was, he had just arrived in this world, and making more good connections could only help.

Besides, Beibei and Tang Ya were quite formidable. They were likely outstanding among their peers.

"Did you hear that? I'll be your senior sister for life!" Tang Ya proudly lifted her chin, then patted her chest and promised, "Junior Brother Lu Chen, and Junior Sister Qian Renxue, if anything happens at the academy in the future, just come find Beibei and me. If we can help, we definitely won't hesitate!"

"Xiao Ya is right." Beibei smiled and rubbed the top of her head in agreement.

"No need."

However, Qian Renxue showed no appreciation for Tang Ya's goodwill. She tossed out those words indifferently, then turned and walked over to lean against a large tree nearby, radiating distance and aloofness.

"Junior Brother Lu Chen, she..."

The atmosphere became awkward for a moment, and Tang Ya looked at Lu Chen sheepishly.

"It's fine, Senior Sister. She's not in a very good mood. Just let her have some time alone." Lu Chen smoothed things over, then continued chatting casually with Beibei and Tang Ya.

As the sun climbed higher and noon approached, Huo Yuhao, who had been listening quietly at the side, suddenly spoke. "It's noon already. I'm pretty good at grilling fish. How about I treat everyone to some grilled fish?"

"Grilled fish?"

Lu Chen immediately became interested. Raising an eyebrow, he smiled. "What a coincidence. When it comes to cooking, there really aren't many people in this world who can beat me."

"Yuhao, how about a contest? Whoever loses will acknowledge the other as their big brother from now on."

"Th-This..."

Hearing Lu Chen's proposal, Huo Yuhao hesitated. He had never considered competing in grilled fish.

"Yuhao, accept it. Try to win yourself a little brother!"

Tang Ya patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder encouragingly.

She was extremely confident in Huo Yuhao's grilled fish skills.

The first time she and Beibei had met Huo Yuhao, they had been drawn in by his grilled fish.

"Alright, then let's compete."

Seeing how confident his teacher was in him, Huo Yuhao nodded and agreed.

But the result went without saying.

Huo Yuhao's control over the fire through his powerful Mental Power was exceptional, but unfortunately, he had encountered Lu Chen, who possessed Liu Xing'ang's cooking skills. In the end, he was still far behind.

Crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, with the seasonings fully infused—the difference was obvious.

"Wow, this is way too delicious!"

The first time Tang Ya had tasted grilled fish this delicious, she could not help eating several more.

"Yeah, I never expected Little Brother Lu's cooking to be this good. If you opened a shop, I'd have to visit every day."

Beibei, beside her, was also full of praise.

Huo Yuhao's grilled fish was already delicious, but Lu Chen's was clearly even better.

Moreover, it left an intensely rich flavor lingering on the taste buds.

After eating Lu Chen's grilled fish, Huo Yuhao's would seem bland by comparison.

"Well, Yuhao? A bet is a bet. Hurry up and call me Big Brother."

Lu Chen grinned smugly.

"B-Big Brother."

With no other choice, Huo Yuhao could only lower his head in frustration and call out softly.

This trip to the Star Dou Great Forest had probably brought him the greatest haul of anyone.

Not only had he gained Brother Tianmeng, a million-year soul beast, and acknowledged the Tang Sect's master as his teacher, but now he had also gained a big brother.

"Haha, from now on, you're my little brother. If anyone dares bully you, just give them my name." Lu Chen patted his shoulder with a heroic expression.

He would not dare claim much else, but Lu Chen was confident that he was invincible among those his age.

Of course, that excluded Qian Renxue, who had been blessed by the Angel God and possessed innate level-twenty Soul Power.

Thinking of that, Lu Chen felt deeply unbalanced.

They were both level-sixty Spirit Emperors, and both had their ages reverted to twelve. Was it really just because he had not obtained his sixth Soul Ring?

As a result, his strength had directly fallen back to only level thirty-one, while Qian Renxue was a full ten levels higher than him!

He had originally been evenly matched with Qian Renxue, but now she was directly a cut above him.

Elsewhere, as Qian Renxue watched Lu Chen chatting and laughing with the others, getting along with them splendidly, an inexplicable sense of grievance welled up in her heart as she leaned against the tree trunk.

They had clearly fought side by side and shared life and death not long ago. How had he become so friendly with strangers in the blink of an eye, even changing his mind about what they had agreed on?

What Shrek Academy? What senior brothers and senior sisters? Qian Renxue had no need to accommodate anyone.

The attentive Tang Ya noticed Qian Renxue's low spirits and quietly reminded Lu Chen, "Junior Brother, neglecting a beauty isn't very gentlemanly."

"Your junior sister is so pretty. You should cherish her properly."

Hearing this, Lu Chen looked toward the girl sitting alone in the distance with her eyes lowered. He smiled and nodded at Tang Ya. "I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister."

Lu Chen picked up two skewers of freshly grilled fish that were still steaming, then walked straight toward Qian Renxue and offered one to her.

The grilled fish smelled rich and fragrant, its skin golden and crisp. Normally, it would have made anyone's mouth water, but this time, Qian Renxue did not take it.

She merely raised her eyes. Her violet gaze was full of questions as she stared directly at Lu Chen, waiting for an explanation.

"Eat the fish first. Once you're done, I'll tell you everything."

Lu Chen kept holding out the fish, his tone serious without the slightest trace of playfulness.

Seeing his solemn expression, Qian Renxue hesitated for a few seconds before finally reaching out and accepting the grilled fish.

Qian Renxue still ate with elegance and dignity, though she was not particularly slow.

Before long, she had eaten the entire grilled fish clean.