New Student Registration

Shrek City, East Gate

This was the period when Shrek Academy opened admissions to the entire continent. Young Soul Masters of every kind had gathered here from all corners of the land, along with the relatives or family attendants who had accompanied them to Shrek City. The east gate belonging to Shrek Academy in particular was packed with a vast sea of people, voices roaring all around as shoulders pressed against shoulders.

However, Lu Yuan did not immediately head for the crowded admissions area. Instead, he changed direction and followed several narrow paths, twisting and turning until he arrived at the entrance of a small courtyard.

Bang, bang, bang!

"Sister Nannan, I'm back!"

At Lu Yuan's call, the courtyard gate opened, and a young woman stepped out.

She was tall and well-proportioned, with long golden hair cascading down her back in large waves. Her skin was fair as snow, and her eyes were like clear pools of water. Every glance carried a refined and noble grace. Her face was as lovely as jade, like the soft glow around a new moon or snow piled upon flowering branches. Gentle and alluring, delicate and graceful, her beauty was beyond compare. She was Jiang Nannan, one of the Shrek Seven Monsters from the original story and known as the foremost beauty of the Outer Court.

In this life, Jiang Nannan's family had been Lu Yuan's neighbors when he was young. After Lu Yuan's parents passed away in a hunting accident, Jiang Nannan's family had also taken great care of him.

After a fortunate use of the Great Tortoise Shell Technique had rolled the "Heal" die, Lu Yuan secretly cured Jiang Nannan's mother of her serious illness. As a result, Jiang Nannan had not suffered the tragic fate she faced in the original story.

As the gate opened, Jiang Nannan saw Lu Yuan outside. A delighted smile bloomed across her face, and her breathtaking beauty seemed to make all the colors around her fade.

"Xiao Yuan, you're back! Did your soul hunt go smoothly?"

Lu Yuan said nothing and simply revealed three Soul Rings: yellow, purple, and purple.

"My Xiao Yuan is the best!"

Seeing him like that, Jiang Nannan smiled until her eyes curved into crescents. She pulled Lu Yuan over and rubbed his hair.

Jiang Nannan had always known that her neighbor's little brother was extraordinarily gifted. But becoming a Three-Ring Soul Elder at barely eleven years old, with an unprecedented Soul Ring configuration of one yellow and two purple, was an extremely rare feat even in the Shrek Outer Court.

Even Beibei and Xu Sanshi, the so-called Twin Stars of the Outer Court, were only Three-Ring Soul Elders at present. Yet they were already upper-year students of the Outer Court.

When Lu Yuan had first proposed going out to hunt soul beasts, she had wanted to ask Beibei—who happened to be hunting a third Soul Ring for his girlfriend Tang Ya—to help guide Lu Yuan. But at Lu Yuan's insistence, she had ultimately chosen to respect his wish to hunt alone and temper himself.

Fortunately, Lu Yuan had now returned safely and successfully obtained his third Soul Ring.

"Eh? Is Xiao Yuan back? Come in and have a seat!"

Hearing the commotion, Mother Jiang, who had been busy in the courtyard, also came outside. She looked very much like Jiang Nannan, and she must have been a great beauty in her youth as well. Still, the years had left several lines at the corners of this middle-aged woman's eyes.

"Mom, today is the Academy's registration day. I still need to take Xiao Yuan to register," Jiang Nannan explained, pulling Lu Yuan along as she looked at her mother, who was about to welcome him inside.

"Alright, alright, registration comes first. Our Xiao Yuan is so talented; he'll definitely make it! Xiao Yuan, remember to come to Auntie's house for dinner after you finish registering!"

After a brief farewell to Mother Jiang, Jiang Nannan took Lu Yuan to the Outer Court registration area.

With someone familiar leading the way, Lu Yuan did not have to queue under the blazing sun like the people outside. Instead, aided by Jiang Nannan's purple Academy uniform, he arrived at an idle registration station hidden farther inside.

"Little brother, please inject your Soul Power into this crystal ball!"

After quickly filling in his personal information and having his bone age tested, the student in charge of registration gestured for Lu Yuan to test his Soul Power level—

A Soul Elder?!

As Lu Yuan injected his Soul Power, the crystal ball immediately filled with dazzling light. This was a specially made crystal ball that could only react to Soul Power above level fifteen. To fill it with light required cultivation at level thirty, while higher and more specific levels could not be measured by it.

The registrar sucked in a breath and said in shock, "Eleven years old... a Soul Elder?"

"Is that strange? Surely no one fails to reach Soul Elder by age eleven, right?" Lu Yuan shook his head calmly.

Looking at the registrar's disbelieving expression, Lu Yuan felt that the man had simply been born too early for this era. In the era of Dragon King Legend ten thousand years later, let alone an eleven-year-old Soul Elder, there were even Titled Douluo at eighteen or nineteen.

With Jiang Nannan looking pleased and Lu Yuan remaining calm, the registrar politely pointed them in the direction of the Academic Affairs Office.

After politely declining the registrar's offer to guide them, Jiang Nannan led Lu Yuan to the Academic Affairs Office. They quickly paid the ten Gold Soul Coin tuition fee and received a student uniform and a dormitory key.

"Eh? Nannan, the one beside you is—Little Brother Lu?"

Just as Jiang Nannan was leading Lu Yuan around to admire the statues and glorious deeds of Tang Buddha, the first-generation Seven Monsters, and masters who had broken through level thirty before the age of fifty, a familiar crisp female voice rescued Lu Yuan.

It was none other than Beibei and Tang Ya, who had just finished helping Huo Yuhao complete his new student registration and were taking a stroll.

"Little Brother Lu, what a coincidence. We meet again." Beibei linked arms with Tang Ya. After briefly greeting Jiang Nannan, he gave Lu Yuan a gentle smile.

"Nannan, are you two—" Tang Ya gestured between Jiang Nannan and Lu Yuan, a meaningful smile appearing on her face.

"You little Xiaoya, don't talk nonsense. Xiao Yuan is still young!" Seeing Tang Ya's strange expression, Jiang Nannan hurriedly stepped forward and covered her mouth.

"Mmm, mmm, what did I say wrong—"

After the two women playfully scuffled for a while, everyone explained how they knew one another.

"Xiao Yuan, I never expected it to be such a coincidence. You're the genius little brother Nannan has always talked about!" Tang Ya had long since tossed Beibei aside while fooling around with Jiang Nannan. Hugging Jiang Nannan's arm, she smiled as she sized Lu Yuan up.

"Yes, Sister Xiaoya. I didn't expect such a coincidence either!"

"Oh, right, Xiao Yuan." As though recalling something, Tang Ya suddenly said, "Do you want to join our Tang Sect? Little Yuhao joined our Tang Sect too. He even entered Shrek Academy using a special admission slot."

"Um, sorry, Sister Xiaoya, but I don't currently plan to join any sect." Lu Yuan answered just as Tang Ya was about to further introduce the Tang Sect's various benefits and treatment.

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Beibei, standing beside them, also looked a little helpless. His girlfriend was beautiful, kind-hearted, and wonderful in every way, except that she was a little too blunt and straightforward.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with her, as the Tang Sect's leader, wanting to recruit talented people to revitalize the Tang Sect. But Lu Yuan before them was not like Huo Yuhao. An eleven-year-old Soul Elder, even one born a commoner, would certainly not lack offers from major powers in the future.

Moreover, Jiang Nannan was standing right beside them. As Tang Ya's close friend, Jiang Nannan naturally knew the Tang Sect's true circumstances. Tang Ya had once invited her as well, but Jiang Nannan had politely declined. And now Tang Ya had made such an invitation in front of everyone again—

Just as Beibei was preparing to smooth things over for his girlfriend, Tang Ya did not seem particularly bothered. Instead, she smiled brightly, waved her hand with great spirit, and said it was nothing.

"It's alright, Xiao Yuan. It's perfectly normal for a super genius like you to refuse me. There's no need to feel sorry about it. I invited Nannan before too, and she turned me down. Didn't that stop us from being good friends?"

Raising the arm she had wrapped around Jiang Nannan's, Tang Ya instead began comforting Lu Yuan.