Six Hundred It Is

After two days of nonstop travel, the group finally emerged from the Star Dou Great Forest and headed toward Shrek City.

Over the past few days, Lu Chen had been chatting with Beibei and Tang Ya, gathering information about this era.

From the legend of the First Generation Shrek Seven Monsters, to the strange rule that "the academy only accepts monsters, not mediocrities," to the academy's structure, such as the Inner Court and Soul Guidance Branch, they told him everything in detail.

After these past few days, Lu Chen had gained a clearer understanding of this academy that had stood for ten thousand years.

It was no longer the small academy with only a handful of students from ten thousand years ago. It had become a sacred place in the hearts of Spirit Masters across the continent, with such deep foundations that it could even stand against an empire.

At first, Qian Renxue had been somewhat dismissive.

In her understanding, the continent's top academies were all supported by sects or backed by empires. No matter how strong a mere civilian academy was, it had to have its limits.

Yet the more she heard, the more the contempt in her heart faded.

The scale and influence of Shrek Academy likely no longer fell short of Spirit Hall in its prime. Perhaps it even surpassed it...

"Lu Chen, we'll be arriving at Shrek City soon. If you and Yuhao end up in the same class, make sure to look after him."

As the towering outline of Shrek City's walls came into view in the distance, Tang Ya turned back to Lu Chen, her tone carrying a hint of entrustment.

Huo Yuhao was a disciple she had only recently accepted into the Tang Sect. His strength was not enough to meet Shrek Academy's admission requirements, so this time, he was entering under the Tang Sect's quota.

Getting admitted was not a problem, but Huo Yuhao's Soul Power was low and his Soul Skills were mainly supportive. Tang Ya worried that someone might bully him.

After all, Shrek Academy was a place where the strong were respected.

"Don't worry, Senior Sister Tang Ya. How could I, as his big brother, let my little brother get bullied?"

"Right, Yuhao?"

Lu Chen slung an arm around Huo Yuhao's shoulders as he promised.

After spending the past few days together, he and Huo Yuhao had grown much closer.

Huo Yuhao had also learned quite a bit about cooking from him.

"Teacher Xiaoya, Brother Lu, I'm strong too, you know."

Huo Yuhao said helplessly.

There was no helping it. His Soul Power level was the lowest, and his Soul Skills were support-type Soul Skills. In everyone's eyes, he was the one who needed the most looking after.

But in reality, besides Spiritual Detection and Spiritual Sharing, his first Soul Skill also possessed Spiritual Shock. They simply did not know it.

"Yes, yes, our Yuhao is the strongest."

Tang Ya covered her mouth and chuckled, prompting everyone else to laugh as well. Much of the fatigue from the journey dispersed.

"Oh, right, Senior Sister, there's something else I need to trouble you with."

Once the laughter died down, Lu Chen suddenly scratched his head a little awkwardly. "Could you lend us some money first? Qian Renxue and I left in too much of a hurry and didn't bring any valuables. We're about to register, but we can't even scrape together the registration fee."

He had possessed quite a few treasures before, but during the spatial turbulence, his Space Ring had been damaged, and all the treasures and items inside had suffered irreversible damage as well.

Qian Renxue was slightly better off than him, but she had only managed to preserve an Angel Spirit Bone. Her Spatial Soul Tool and the rest had also been destroyed.

It could be said that he and Qian Renxue were now completely penniless.

They were about to arrive in Shrek City.

The registration fee was one matter, while everyday living expenses were another.

And there was also the fact that his One-Hit Kill System was about to refresh.

That would be another expense.

"No way!"

Tang Ya's eyes widened as she stared at the two of them in disbelief. "You two went out to train without bringing a single coin?"

At that moment, she suddenly felt that compared to Huo Yuhao, these two in front of her seemed far more like the ones who needed looking after.

"I don't have money. Borrow from Beibei—he's the rich one."

Tang Ya hurriedly waved her hands and nodded toward Beibei.

As the fallen leader of the Tang Sect, she was not well-off to begin with. Beibei was different; everyone at the academy knew that his family was wealthy.

"Junior Brother Lu Chen, with your current strength, you should already be a Spirit Zun, right?"

Rather than directly addressing the matter of borrowing money, Beibei first asked about Lu Chen's cultivation.

"Mm, I'm a Level 31 Combat Soul Elder," Lu Chen answered frankly without hiding it.

"He really is a Spirit Zun!"

Although Tang Ya had already suspected it, she still could not help exclaiming when she heard the confirmation from him personally. Her eyes were filled with envy.

"That's good." Beibei smiled, his tone carrying a hint of fighting spirit. "I can lend you the money, but after you enroll, you'll have to spar with me."

He wanted to see just how capable this new junior brother was.

"Oh?"

Lu Chen raised a brow, his interest piqued as well. "Senior Brother, you'd better be careful. Underestimating your opponent can lead to defeat."

A battle between those of the same level was the best way to understand the combat strength of Spirit Masters in this era.

Beibei was also a Spirit Zun, making him the most suitable opponent.

"What big words." Tang Ya lightly tapped Lu Chen's arm in irritation. "Beibei broke through to Spirit Zun at thirteen, and now he's nearly Level 40. He's one of the Outer Court's recognized twin stars. Even against a Level 40 Spirit Ancestor, he might not lose."

In her eyes, Beibei's initiative in challenging him was meant to guide a junior brother. What junior brother would turn around and declare that he was going to win?

"That's quite a coincidence."

"Senior Sister, you know what invincible among equals means, right?"

Lu Chen likewise believed he would not lose.

He still had the confidence to be invincible among those his age and invincible among those of the same level.

"Invincible among equals?"

Beibei laughed heartily, the fighting spirit in his eyes growing stronger. "Junior Brother Lu, I'm looking forward to this match more and more. Tell me, how much do you want to borrow? If I lose, consider it my treat. You won't have to pay it back."

"Since Senior Brother is so generous, how about one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins to start with?"

Lu Chen seized the opportunity and named an outrageous price.

"One hundred thousand?"

Beibei's mouth twitched, and he finally could not keep a straight face. "Do you really think I run a Soul Coin shop? Five hundred at most—not one coin more!"

"What can five hundred even do? Add a little more. One thousand, just one thousand!"

"Six hundred. Six hundred at most. I won't lend you any more than that." Beibei gritted his teeth and stated his bottom line.

"Fine, fine. Six hundred it is."

After all the bargaining, Lu Chen finally smiled and raised his hands in surrender. "All right, all right, six hundred it is. It's better than having nothing at all. Once I win the enrollment match, I'll treat it as Senior Brother's treat."

Beibei smiled too and readily took out a white card from his Storage Soul Guidance Device, handing it over. "There are exactly six hundred Gold Soul Coins in here. Whether you can win or not, we'll have to see what you can do with your hands."

Over ten thousand years, with the development of Soul Guidance Technology and commercial systems, large sums of Gold Soul Coins had basically moved away from the model of "piles of cash." The white card Beibei gave him was equivalent to a bank card from Lu Chen's previous life.

By infusing it with Soul Power, one could transfer funds, withdraw cash, or make cross-region transfers without carrying physical Gold Soul Coins.

"Then thank you, Senior Brother Beibei."

Lu Chen did not stand on ceremony and directly accepted the "bank card."

Qian Renxue watched quietly from the side without saying anything, only a faint smile passing through her eyes.

In this unfamiliar era, this lively bit of bickering unexpectedly loosened the tension in her heart by a little.