Divine Cai Yue'er

Shrek City Blacksmiths Association.

"This is it."

Tang Wulin stood beside him, carrying a bulging package in his hand, filled to the brim with dried meat prepared for them by Mu Ye.

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva:

"Brother, Shrek City is just too huge, even bigger than Heaven Dou City."

Chen Xing smiled and stepped inside.

There were quite a few people in the lobby, but most were blacksmiths attending to business, and almost nobody paid attention to the two youths.

Chen Xing walked straight to the front desk and handed over the letter of recommendation Zhen Hua had given him.

The receptionist took the letter, tore it open, and glanced at it, her expression changing instantly.

"You... you are Grandmaster Zhen Hua's disciple?"

Chen Xing nodded.

The staff member immediately stood up, her attitude becoming much more respectful:

"Please wait a moment, I will go fetch the president right away."

Tang Wulin leaned in and lowered his voice:

"Brother, Teacher's clout is this huge?"

The corners of Chen Xing's mouth curled up:

"Isn't that obvious, our teacher is the Divine Craftsman of the continent. It'd be strange if his clout wasn't huge."

Not long after, a red-haired old man strode out from the inner room.

He was tall with a red beard and hair, the entire person resembling a blazing fire burning at its peak.

Feng Wuyu locked eyes with Chen Xing the moment he came out, sizing him up and down several times:

"You're the zero-soul-power student that old thing Zhen Hua took in?"

Chen Xing bowed slightly:

"Junior Chen Xing, greetings, President Feng."

Feng Wuyu snorted:

"Zhen Hua took in a student with zero soul power, and this matter has spread all over the Forging World."

"This old man thought it was false, but seeing it today, it really is zero soul power."

Chen Xing's expression remained unchanged.

Tang Wulin clenched his fists nearby,

but remembering Chen Xing's instruction to keep a low profile, he forcibly swallowed his words back.

Yet Feng Wuyu suddenly grinned:

"However, that old fellow Zhen Hua has always had a very sharp eye; the person he fancies must have some special methods."

"Speak, what brings you to see this old man?"

Chen Xing didn't beat around the bush:

"By my teacher's orders, I've come to find Dean Ya Li of Shrek Academy to negotiate new cooperation matters on behalf of the Blacksmiths Association Headquarters."

Feng Wuyu's eyebrows shot up:

"Looking for Ya Li to discuss new cooperation?"

Chen Xing nodded.

Feng Wuyu rubbed his chin.

What kind of cooperation required bypassing him, the president of the Shrek Branch Association?

After pondering for a few seconds, he slapped his thigh:

"Fine, I'll give Zhen Hua some face."

"Someone come, go report to the academy and say that guests have arrived from the Blacksmiths Association to discuss cooperation with Dean Ya Li."

"Have the academy arrange for someone to escort them over."

A surge of relief washed over Chen Xing.

It worked.

Feng Wuyu stood up and said:

"This old man has matters to attend to, so I won't accompany you. Someone on the academy's side will meet you."

Chen Xing expressed his thanks and brought Tang Wulin out of the Blacksmiths Association.

The moment he stepped out the main gates, Tang Wulin couldn't hold it in any longer:

"Brother, didn't you say you were bringing me to acquire my fourth soul ring?"

Chen Xing glanced at him:

"Business first, we'll talk about the cooperation after it's settled."

The two waited at the entrance of the Blacksmiths Association for less than a quarter of an hour

before a young female teacher sought them out.

She looked to be in her early twenties, with long white hair tied into a ponytail, wearing the faculty uniform of Shrek Academy.

Shen Yi walked up to the two of them, her gaze landing first on Chen Xing's face before freezing in place.

She opened her mouth, and the speech she had prepared beforehand completely vanished from her mind.

Could this person possibly be any more handsome?

No, no, what are you even thinking, Shen Yi, he's still a child.

She hurriedly lowered her head, pretending to straighten her clothes.

"Th... that, you must be the guests from the Blacksmiths Association?"

Chen Xing nodded:

"I am Chen Xing, and this is my younger brother Tang Wulin."

"By order of our teacher Zhen Hua, we've come to see Dean Ya Li to discuss cooperation."

Hearing his voice, the tips of Shen Yi's ears grew another shade redder:

"M... my name is Shen Yi, I'm a teacher from the Outer Court, and Dean Ya Li asked me to bring you over first."

Chen Xing smiled gently at her:

"Sorry for the trouble, Teacher Shen."

Shen Yi nearly lost her footing.

Tang Wulin watched this scene from the side, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Brother's charm is simply too absurd; teachers get completely bewitched like this the moment they meet him.

Good thing Na'er isn't here...

Shen Yi took a deep breath, fighting to steady herself.

Only then did she lead the two toward Shrek Academy.

Shrek Academy was located right inside Shrek City, and walking there from the Blacksmiths Association didn't take long at all.

Along the way, Shen Yi introduced the academy's situation to the two, though her gaze kept drifting toward Chen Xing.

Chen Xing remained completely calm, walking and listening while occasionally asking a question or two about the academy.

Before long, the three arrived before the grand gates of Shrek Academy.

Just as Shen Yi prepared to lead them inside, a voice suddenly echoed from the side.

"Hold on."

Chen Xing looked toward the source of the voice.

A woman appearing to be in her thirties stood by the entrance, crossing her arms as she watched them.

Her features were cold and detached, her gaze carrying an unspeakable arrogance.

Cai Yue'er.

Chen Xing instantly recognized the person.

Seeing Cai Yue'er, Shen Yi's expression shifted slightly:

"Dean Cai?"

Cai Yue'er ignored Shen Yi, her gaze landing squarely on Chen Xing and Tang Wulin.

"Shen Yi, who gave you permission to bring outsiders into the academy?"

Shen Yi explained:

"Dean Cai, these two are guests from the Blacksmiths Association who are here to discuss cooperation with Dean Ya Li..."

Cai Yue'er cut her off directly:

"Discuss cooperation? What kind of cooperation requires bringing a kid with zero soul power along?"

"Wandering around the Outer Court is fine, but the Inner Court is off-limits."

Chen Xing frowned.

Cai Yue'er was the Outer Court Dean and possessed no authority whatsoever to restrict passage into the Inner Court.

Yet he didn't speak up immediately.

Shen Yi grew somewhat anxious:

"Dean Cai, this was arranged by President Feng..."

Cai Yue'er let out a cold laugh:

"So what if Feng Wuyu arranged it? Since when does he get to call the shots regarding Inner Court affairs?"

"The Inner Court of my Shrek Academy isn't some place where any stray cat or dog can just walk in."

As soon as those words left her mouth, Tang Wulin's expression sank instantly.

What did she mean by stray cat or dog?

Did these people at Shrek really look down on others this much?

Chen Xing's expression remained unperturbed, however, as he simply stared quietly at Cai Yue'er.

He naturally knew why Cai Yue'er was making things difficult.

This woman possessed an eccentric and willful personality, frequently pulling bizarre stunts in the original text.

Moreover, she harbored an unrequited love for Yun Ming and felt jealousy toward Ya Li.

Seeing someone coming to seek out Ya Li right now, she undoubtedly felt displeased inside.

Yet Chen Xing had no intention of getting into a direct conflict with her.

Although he feared no one within this Shrek,

he had come here to help Tang Wulin obtain his fourth ring, so avoiding direct confrontation when possible was naturally for the best.

"Dean Cai," Chen Xing said in a calm tone, "we came by order of our master Zhen Hua to discuss an important cooperation with Dean Ya Li."

Cai Yue'er swept her gaze up and down him, her look akin to inspecting something filthy.

"Zhen Hua's student? Are you even worthy?"