Shrek at night

"Although we've seen some signs, we're still a little short. It seems our Martial Souls still need that final kick through the door to fully mesh. We don't have it yet, but I asked Old Wang, and he said it was only a matter of time."

Huo Yuhao explained this to Wang Dong. She scratched her head, then said,

"What do you mean, 'only a matter of time'? You make it sound like the two of you are going to have a baby."

Before Huo Yuhao could reply, a blush flared across Xiao Xiao's face. She planted her hands on her hips and said indignantly to Wang Dong,

"Honestly, Wang Dong, you look so respectable normally, but behind closed doors, you're this filthy? What kind of language is that? How old do you think the class monitor and I are, talking about having babies already?"

Wang Dong scratched her head and smiled at Xiao Xiao before saying,

"It was just a joke. Why are you making such a fuss? You're like a cat whose tail's been stepped on."

Huo Yuhao said to Wang Dong,

"Enough. That joke really did go too far. I don't mind, but Xiao Xiao is a respectable young lady. Saying things like that can do serious damage to her reputation."

Wang Dong helplessly waved her hand back and forth between Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao, then shrugged and said,

"All right, you two are wearing the same pair of pants now."

Huo Yuhao simply started walking, ending the conversation as he said to Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao,

"All right, all right, let's hurry. If we're any later, someone will have snapped up all the good stuff at the treasure appraisal fair."

Huo Yuhao was right. Although this treasure appraisal fair was only for the Outer Court's Core Disciples, the three of them were not the only ones who had received invitations. All the Core Disciples in their year had been invited, along with those from several older years in the Outer Court.

Because of their assessment schedules and personal preferences, however, they would not all arrive at once. Huo Yuhao and his companions were already among the later arrivals.

They took out an invitation to the treasure appraisal fair and turned it over. On the back was a meticulously drawn map showing the route from Shrek Academy to the fair.

Following the map and the street signs made the journey easy enough.

The two first left Shrek Academy, then headed down the little path leading to Shrek City.

Although Shrek Academy itself lay within Shrek City, it had no direct connection to the city.

In other words, Shrek Academy had no back gate opening into Shrek City. To reach the city, they had to follow the path out of the academy and enter through the city gates.

After walking for about an hour, the three finally entered Shrek City's north gate. From the moment they stepped into Shrek City,

A single gate separated it from the darkness and silence outside, dividing them into two entirely different worlds.

People streamed endlessly in and out of the city. As far as the eye could see, dense crowds filled the streets, while countless cries of hawkers from within added to the commotion.

Faced with such extraordinary bustle and prosperity, even Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao hardly knew where to look.

Huo Yuhao, on the other hand, took it rather better. Although in this life he had only accompanied Dai Hao to see the grandeur of a few noble estates, he was, after all, a transmigrator. Compared with the big cities he had seen in his previous life, the bustle here still fell a little short.

By now, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao had forgotten their earlier displeasure over the dirty joke. They walked close beside Huo Yuhao, one on either side, looking around curiously as Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong passed through the broad city gate.

Shrek City's main road was exceptionally wide, with enough room for eight horse-drawn carriages to travel abreast.

Its sweeping grandeur truly left Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao marveling, feeling as though their horizons had broadened.

The map was extremely precise, and Shrek City's streets were neatly laid out, so finding their way was not difficult.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the two spotted the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.

The Treasure Gathering Pavilion itself was a large shop dealing in all kinds of goods related to Soul Masters and Soul Engineers.

Seen from a distance, the Treasure Gathering Pavilion was an enormous four-story building more than twenty meters tall. It occupied a sizable plot of land, and its exterior gleamed with gold and splendor, like a great basin overflowing with treasure.

The sight did surprise Huo Yuhao a little—not because he had never seen anything like it, but because the treasure appraisal fair's setting was actually somewhat grander than a princely residence.

Although Shrek City's standing already faintly approached that of a nation, it was still only a city. However large it might be, it could never compare with the Star Luo Empire in size.

Those nobles, backed by the Star Luo Empire's wealth, had actually lost to a treasure appraisal fair in Shrek City when it came to putting on a grand display. It truly gave one cause to sigh.

In the end, this was a world where the strong devoured the weak.

Before they reached the Treasure Gathering Pavilion's entrance, one of the eight young women stationed there to welcome guests had already come forward with a faint smile.

She stopped beside the two and asked respectfully,

"Have the three of you Soul Masters come to attend the treasure appraisal fair?"

Huo Yuhao nodded, then reached over to take Wang Dong's and Xiao Xiao's invitations as well. He stacked all three together and handed them over.

After inspecting the invitations, the young woman's smile immediately softened further. "Please follow me, you two Soul Masters."

As she spoke, she gestured to show them the way, then walked ahead.

Clearly, even among Shrek Academy's Core Disciples, very few as young as Huo Yuhao and his two companions came to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion to attend the treasure appraisal fair.

As they passed between the young women, they could all feel curious gazes coming from both sides.

The moment they entered the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, an air of luxury swept over them. Extravagance filled every corner of the golden hall, which shone beneath crystal chandeliers suspended high overhead. Two rows of young women stood along its sides as well.

The instant this corridor came into view, Huo Yuhao felt Xiao Xiao abruptly tighten her grip on his right hand. Clearly, she was a little nervous about how he would react to the woman leading the group of beauties.

Huo Yuhao merely smiled, then held his breath a little and proceeded down the corridor lined with beautiful women.

He did not actually like places like this very much. Since childhood, he had suffered from a minor ailment that made him extremely sensitive to smells. Overly strong scents would leave him feeling slightly dizzy.

After merging with the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and gaining sufficient spiritual power, he no longer suffered that dizziness, but he still disliked strong smells.

It was an instinctive aversion. He did not know whether he could change it over time, but for now, it was genuinely annoying.

After they passed through the corridor of beauties, the young woman in the white dress led them up a golden staircase to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion's second floor.

Compared with the first floor, the second was much quieter. The displays inside looked scattered, yet every one occupied the most sensible and eye-catching position. Each display was enclosed by a huge crystal-glass cover, with different items resting on the stands within.

The young woman in the white dress stopped, smiled at the three of them, and began to speak...