The round trip was not far. After walking at an unhurried pace for a short while, the main entrance of Heaven Dou Academy came into view again, with its unobstructed surroundings. From a distance, they could see people coming and going through the gates in an endless stream.
Everyone immediately focused on the figure at the entrance, spotting Zhao Tian standing there alone, looking rather crestfallen.
Most importantly, there was no one beside Zhao Tian—not a single member of Shrek was anywhere to be seen.
At this sight, everyone instantly understood what had happened.
Lin Chen had been right again!
The enthusiasm on Tie Zhan's face instantly froze. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he looked as though he had lost all will to live, already foreseeing that he would have to pay for the meal. The other teammates who had bet on him also wore helpless expressions, shaking their heads with wry smiles.
Zhao Tian spotted them approaching as well. Looking both helpless and unsure whether to laugh or cry, he hurried over and grumbled dejectedly:
"That was a wasted trip. I thought that with everything our Academy had to offer, we could recruit at least one or two of them. Instead, Yu Xiaogang rejected me outright, leaving no room for discussion. If I'd known Yu Xiaogang was there, I wouldn't have wasted my breath or my time."
As he finished, Zhao Tian seemed to remember something. He frowned slightly and added a puzzling detail:
"There was something strange, though. When I invited them, one of the young people in that Shrek group became especially agitated. His reaction was really intense, as if he was deeply hostile toward our Spirit Hall and hated us bitterly. It was rather baffling."
The others were puzzled, but Lin Chen immediately understood