The legendary demon king, Lu Cheng

Huo Gua is also a must-try.

One of the most exquisite delicacies in the world.

As he savored the fishy aroma on his lips, Lu Cheng seemed to hear a crisp, pleasant mechanical clock-in sound.

"Yuhao, where are you from?"

Lu Cheng looked at the slightly reserved young man standing to the side and slowly spoke.

"I... am from the Star Luo Empire." Huo Yuhao's throat bobbed, and after a moment's hesitation, he slowly spoke.

For some reason, he felt an inexplicable sense of kinship with this young man who was clearly only a few years older than him but was obviously the core of the team, as if his Martial Soul Spirit Eyes cherished him.

However, looking at his own simple clothes and then at the other person's exquisite attire, which, while not luxurious, was finely crafted and clearly expensive, the boy's inferiority complex reached its peak.

After all, he encountered a top genius right after leaving the beginner village.

Apart from Tang Ya, everyone present was a top-tier monster.

Looking across the Shrek Academy, they are all capable of dominating one side.

Not to mention Lu Cheng, the Outer Court Great Demon King.

"Yuhao, this guy is the most monstrous talent Shrek Academy has had in recent years. If you can befriend him, forget about getting Soul Ring, even Shrek Academy will be a piece of cake..." Tang Ya said with a smile while eating grilled fish.

"..." The boy's pupils suddenly contracted.

His lips twitched slightly.

Looking at that handsome face, he felt a sense of disbelief. A monster? He knew Shrek Academy, of course. It was the academy he dreamed of joining. It was said that geniuses were everywhere there, and even the eldest sons of the Duke's Mansion might not be able to stand out.

As the saying goes, you may be a genius, but Shrek Academy is full of geniuses...

To stand out from the crowd and reign supreme in that Monster Academy teeming with geniuses, he must have encountered something extraordinary—one of the most outstanding beings on this continent.

Perhaps many years from now, he will stand at the pinnacle of the entire continent, becoming a figure revered by countless people.

Huo Yuhao's throat bobbed.

His head drooped even lower.

Growing up under the oppression of the Duchess and the death of her mother, she developed a sensitive, insecure, yet stubborn personality.

but...

Lu Cheng, however, was also aware of this.

Once someone offers them light in their time of need, they'll follow them wholeheartedly. Shrek Academy in the original story is a prime example. Even someone as stingy as Yan Shaozhe, who was hesitant to accept a core disciple position, showed no resentment towards the Martial Soul Department in the later stages of the Huo Gua.

Just offer some benefits, and you can win over this devoted follower.

It's definitely a profit.

"I won't eat this grilled fish for nothing..." Lu Cheng smiled.

"I see that your first Soul Ring is still missing. Why don't I help you find a suitable Soul Ring?"

"This... thank you, thank you so much..." Huo Yuhao opened his mouth, but his head bowed even lower.

"Smack~"

A hand gently patted his shoulder.

Huo Yuhao looked up in bewilderment and saw a gentle smile on the lips of the handsome young man.

"Lift your head up."

"Never give up..."

He was speaking to Huo Yuhao, and also to Huo Yuhao, the Tang family's lackey in the original work whose spine was broken and who could only live the rest of his life in Tang San's shadow.

"..."

Huo Yuhao's lips moved, and his eyes gradually filled with tears.

"Um!"

He wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and his fists gradually clenched.

Lu Cheng smiled but didn't say anything more.

If there's a goodwill rating, it will definitely skyrocket. At this point Xiao Huo is still very easy to please; even the smallest favor can fill that humble and fragile heart.

"Thump..."

As a knocked-out, colorful butterfly fell in front of Huo Yuhao, the latter was startled.

"This is Illusion Butterfly, with three hundred years of cultivation. It's a perfect match for your Martial Soul, the Spirit Eyes. Both belong to the Spirit type, so it's a pretty good quality," Lu Cheng explained with a smile.

"Brother Cheng, thank you!"

The young man's gaze was firm. He nodded solemnly, then picked up the White Tiger Dagger and swung it down. A Yellow Soul Ring rose up, and he sat cross-legged on the ground to absorb it.

"Where did you get all these people from?!"

Shrek City.

Ma Xiaotao's lips twitched as she stared blankly at the four people beside Lu Cheng. After obtaining her fifth Soul Ring, she parted ways with Lu Cheng, promising to meet again in Shrek City.

Leaving fashion behind and being alone.

Upon seeing them again, there were... a total of five people.

"We met them all on the road," Lu Cheng said with a smile.

"Never mind..." Ma Xiaotao said speechlessly, "I'm relieved to see you. I still need to go back and report to Grandmaster. You guys should hurry up and register, the deadline is approaching."

Lu Cheng: "..."

East Gate.

A group of Shrek Outer Court students, dressed in yellow lower-grade school uniforms, were sitting together chatting, with a registration book placed in front of them.

"Lu Cheng, the Great Demon... cough cough, Senior Lu Cheng?"

Upon seeing a group of people approaching, the expressions of the young men and women at the registration desks all changed suddenly, especially when they saw Lu Cheng, who was in the lead position, they showed him great respect.

"Could you please register them?" Lu Cheng said with a warm smile.

"Okay, senior, please wait a moment..."

Aside from Huo Yuhao's barely-level-twelfth Soul Power being somewhat intriguing, the others, such as Ning Tian and Wu Feng, were naturally no surprise.

Upon entering the academy, Lu Cheng parted ways with the others.

And watching Lu Cheng's departing figure.

The question that had been weighing on Huo Yuhao's mind was finally asked, "Sister Xiao Ya, is Brother Cheng... very strong?"

"Hehe, it's more than just strong." Tang Ya chuckled and shook her head.

"At ten, he became Soul Elder; at eleven, he broke through to the Soul Ancestor; at twelve, Soul King..."

"Just recently, during the second-year assessment, he easily killed a ten-thousand-year-old Blazing Fire Rhinoceros. No one in the entire outer academy could defeat him. That guy was a monster in human skin." Tang Ya's eyes were full of admiration, as if she were recalling the scene in the Star Dou Great Forest where she was saved by that figure when she was in dire straits...

"So strong?!"

Huo Yuhao's pupils widened, filled with disbelief.

The Soul King slays Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

It should be noted that even encountering a Hundred-Year Soul Beast is a life-or-death situation for him now, let alone a ten-thousand-year-old being, which is extremely distant.

"He is destined to reach the pinnacle of the continent and be recorded in history. It's already your good fortune to have crossed paths with him. Don't fantasize about surpassing him," Tang Ya said with a complicated expression.

"Hmm!" The boy's Spirit Eyes gradually lit up.

But following him doesn't seem like a bad idea...

Tang Ya looked somewhat tired. After giving directions to Huo Yuhao, Ning Tian, and the others, she walked along the path towards the girls' dormitory.

"Xiao Ya! You're finally back!"

A blond boy was crouching under the girls' dormitory. The moment he saw the girl, he hurried over, his eyes filled with worry.

"What is it?" Tang Ya hesitated for a moment, then asked in a flat tone.

"Are you still angry with me?" Bei Bei asked, hesitating to finish her sentence.

He was summoned by Mu En for emergency training.

He was even told that he would receive his own power in the future to help him evolve his Martial Soul, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

No matter how unwilling he was, he dared not disobey Mu En's wishes.