The heavy armor.
Was taken off his body.
Clearly, Sage's Sanctuary had not been of much use during this fusion.
It seemed his worries had been unnecessary.
This inevitably reminded Cao Yu of a saying: with Big Bro System around, nothing could go wrong!
Just as he was about to leave, their minds connected, and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm asked curiously, "What was that just now?"
Within Cao Yu's sea of consciousness, he had personally seen that series of mysterious numerical panels and heard that strange voice.
Yet he had sensed no sign of life. It was ice-cold and utterly emotionless.
Cao Yu answered as he walked, "That's my big bro, understand?"
Naturally, he was not worried about revealing this secret. After all, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and Elder Yi had both become his Intelligent Soul Spirits, making them truly family.
"Your big bro?" The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was clearly dissatisfied with his explanation. He even felt as though he had been taken for a ride, which was not a pleasant feeling.
"Just think of it as the power of a god. Basically, Big Bro can give me anything I want. Don't bother trying to talk to him, either. It's useless! He won't pay you any attention at all. When Elder Yi wakes up, you can tell him about it too-that gray blob."
"No wonder he didn't respond when I called out to him earlier. Oh, right, human, this bro still doesn't know your name."
As he walked, he said, "My name is Cao Yu."
Several days later, Cao Yu and Huo Yuhao finally arrived at Shrek City.
In the eastern part of Shrek City stood Shrek Academy, their destination that day.
Situated at the junction of the three great empires, Shrek City naturally had highly developed and convenient transportation.
Busy merchant caravans passed through the city amid a boiling sea of voices. Many were engaged in international trade, and the goods on sale were quite varied.
A dazzling array filled their eyes, with more than they could take in.
Huo Yuhao said excitedly, "Brother Yu, this city is huge!"
"It's all right. We'll be living in this city from now on. Let's go in through the eastern gate."
"Okay, Brother Yu."
The eastern gate was reserved exclusively for Shrek Academy. Skirting around the many merchants, Cao Yu and Huo Yuhao walked through the towering, magnificent gate.
Not far away, Cao Yu spotted his future wives at a glance.
Tang Ya, Ning Tian, and Jiang Nannan had already been waiting there for quite some time.
Seeing Cao Yu approach, they immediately gathered around him. Tang Ya and Ning Tian affectionately took his hands and refused to let go, while Jiang Nannan stood to one side with a smile, watching them enviously.
"Little Yu, you didn't run into any danger on the road, did you?" Tang Ya even began checking him over carefully.
Ning Tian did the same, except her hands were far less well-behaved. She took the opportunity to make a few little moves, though with so many people around, she did not dare go too far.
When Cao Yu glanced at her, Ning Tian gave him a mischievous smile and patted his thigh.
Mm... nice and firm.
Holding his hand, Ning Tian said, "Little Yu has grown up. Come on, let's get you registered."
Cao Yu glared fiercely at her. Ning Tian was getting more and more brazen, actually daring to tease him here.
"I'll definitely teach you a lesson someday!"
Huo Yuhao stood to one side without saying much. He had seen plenty of scenes like this over the past few years. At first, he had been a little envious of Brother Yu, but by now, he was completely immune.
Still, he admired Brother Yu for getting all these older sisters to treat him so well. He had to admit that Brother Yu was a man of real ability.
In short, Brother Yu was freaking... awesome!
The group continued into Shrek Academy. People around them kept casting glances their way; the sight of several girls gathered together was certainly enviable.
Tang Ya said somewhat regretfully, "It's a shame Jiujiu went to the Royal Soul Master Academy. We'll have less time to play together now."
Cao Yu tightened his grip on her hand and comforted her. "It's fine. We can still go back and visit her during the holidays."
Quite a few senior students in charge of assessments watched the group enviously.
These senior students began discussing them among themselves.
"Look, isn't that Jiang Nannan, the Outer Court's number one beauty? And Junior Sisters Tang Ya and Ning Tian, too."
"Just who is this kid? Several of the Outer Court's great beauties are all treating him so well."
"Could he be their younger brother?"
One senior student shook his head. "Doesn't look like it to me. You can tell from their eyes. Their gazes reek of the sour stink of romance!"
"Hmph! What's so great about that? Ugh, I'm so sour with envy. Damn it!"
They looked as though they were taking huge bites of lemons too bitter to swallow. Even the air was filled with sourness.
A few female students felt differently. Instead, the more they looked at the boy, the more pleasing they found him.
"Heavens! Xiao Xue, he's so handsome!"
"No wonder Jiang Nannan and the others treat him so well. If I knew someone that handsome, I'd shower him with tender... loving care too!"
"Xiao Mei, you really have no shame."
"Oh, get lost."
Tang Ya and the others led Cao Yu and Huo Yuhao into Shrek Academy.
Green vegetation lined both sides of the road, every patch meticulously trimmed. Clearly, the academy had done an excellent job with its landscaping.
Continuing forward past dozens of enormous statues, they were greeted by the sight of a vast lake.
Tang Ya introduced it. "This is Sea God Lake, built to commemorate Tang San, the founding ancestor of the Tang Sect."
"The Shrek Inner Court is built on the island in the middle of the lake. Little Yu, you'll have to work hard to become an Inner Court disciple!"
Jiang Nannan nodded. "Yes, Young Master. Then you'll have a chance to become one of the Shrek Seven Devils."
Ning Tian glanced at him bashfully and added, "You'll also be able to attend the matchmaking gathering on Sea God Lake!"
Cao Yu and Huo Yuhao both smiled and continued following them.
They headed south along the lakeside path for nearly an hour, then turned west. After another hour of walking, a spacious rectangular square appeared in their field of view.
A sign reading "Shrek Square" stood there. Beyond it were buildings in various colors, primarily white, yellow, purple, and black.
In addition, north of Shrek Square stood a cluster of gray buildings.
Tang Ya and the others explained the differences between these buildings to Cao Yu in detail, pointing ahead.
"Look, Little Yu. The colors of those teaching buildings represent different grades. White is for freshmen, yellow is for second- and third-years, purple is for fourth- and fifth-years, and black is for sixth-years."
"The gray buildings to the north belong to the Soul Tool Department. Little Yu, if you become interested in researching Soul Tools, you can go take a look there."
Jiang Nannan said, "There are still very few students who can enter the Soul Tool Department, and the academy doesn't place as much importance on it as the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy does."
"I think you'd be better off focusing on the Martial Soul Department, Young Master. After all, a person's time and effort are limited."
Ning Tian nodded, clearly agreeing with this view.
Cao Yu smiled and said, "Sisters, have you forgotten? What's the one thing I never lack? Money!"
"One person's abilities are limited, after all, but I can spend money to hire lots of people to research Soul Tools for me! I'll start a company, and I'll be the big boss while they're the researchers! Why would I need to do it all myself?"
(End of chapter)