Outside the East Gate of Shrek Academy, numerous vendors lined both sides of the road, selling everything imaginable, though food was naturally the most common.
Even among the Genius Disciples of Shrek Academy, there were inevitably some with a sweet tooth.
Among the vendors, there were also quite a few young faces, mostly students from poorer backgrounds who ran small businesses to earn some Spirit coins.
The most eye-catching stall was undoubtedly one selling grilled fish. The stall was small, with only a metal grill, a few seasonings, and twenty to thirty green fish besides the iron rack.
The vendor was a very young boy. Despite his youth, a long line had already formed in front of his stall. Behind him stood two Shrek Outer Courtyard Disciples, a male and a female, both wearing purple school uniforms, whispering to each other.
Needless to say, the one selling grilled fish was Huo Yuhao, and the two behind him were naturally Beibei and Tang Ya.
Not long after, two more youths, a male and a female, arrived near the East Gate of Shrek Academy.
The male was over 1.8 meters tall, with long black hair tied into a topknot secured with a silver-white crown. He wore a neat, light-colored outfit, with his waist and cuffs cinched, and the hem of his clothes embroidered with intricate cloud patterns in gold thread. His appearance was refined, and his eyes gleamed.
The female had long hair reaching her waist and a delicate face that appeared quite serene.
These were Wang Nan and Zhang Lexuan, who had traveled from the Star Luo Empire. Wang Nan had spent two days absorbing his sixth spirit ring, and by the time he and Zhang Lexuan had rested briefly in a city near the coastal port and returned to Shrek City, it was already this time.
Putting away his flying spirit tool, Wang Nan walked towards the East Gate of Shrek Academy, seeing the long queue from afar.
He meditated and Cultivated in front of the Sea God Pavilion year-round, so he recognized Beibei behind the stall at a glance as he got closer. The other two familiar faces were then not difficult to guess.
Wang Nan hadn't expected that even after some changes, the three of them would still be together, still selling grilled fish at the school gate.
Was it a coincidence, or 'heaven's will'?
As Wang Nan and Zhang Lexuan approached together, Beibei also sensed something and looked up.
"Senior Sister, Senior Brother." Beibei's good upbringing prompted him to greet them first.
Beibei was exceptionally talented and well-known in the Outer Courtyard. Although his voice wasn't loud, many Disciples in the queue heard him and turned to look at Wang Nan, curious to see who could be called Senior Brother and Senior Sister by Beibei.
Just as they looked, a burnt smell wafted from the grill.
Huo Yuhao had also secretly released his Spiritual Eye Spirit while grilling fish, controlling the heat with his mental force, but the moment he looked up, his movements with the grilled fish went awry.
Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea churned, even startling the sleeping Tianmeng Iceworm awake.
"Little Yuhao, what's wrong?"
"I, I'm fine, Brother Tianmeng. I just saw someone very, very important to me."
"Hello, Senior Brother." Huo Yuhao raised his hand to wipe away the glistening tears from his eyes. Wasn't it for this person in front of him that he had promised Tang Ya to join Shrek Academy with a Tang Sect Exempt quota?
Beibei looked at Huo Yuhao with some confusion. Although Huo Yuhao was still young, after a few days of interaction, he had found Huo Yuhao to possess a composure unbefitting his age. This was the first time he had seen Huo Yuhao display such strong emotions.
"Hello." Wang Nan nodded slightly, then looked at Huo Yuhao, "Is your mother doing well?"
"Yes, she's very well. We, we live near Star Luo City now, she's doing great." Huo Yuhao stammered, and the Tianmeng Iceworm's mental force emanated from his spiritual sea, the faint coolness finally calming him down.
"That's good." Wang Nan looked up and saw that quite a few people were already looking their way. "You should attend to your customers first. Since you're here, we'll meet sooner or later."
"Okay." Huo Yuhao nodded, picked up the grilled fish again, but his eyes occasionally drifted towards Wang Nan.
Wang Nan also knew that his presence here would likely unsettle Huo Yuhao, so he nodded to Beibei and left with Zhang Lexuan.
Only when the two had walked into the academy gate did Huo Yuhao withdraw his gaze and resume grilling the green fish in his hand.
"Little Yuhao, you know the student that was buying the grilled fish just now?" Tang Ya asked curiously.
"Yes, I met him twice when I was little." Huo Yuhao replied while grilling fish.
"What's his name then?"
"Name?" Huo Yuhao was startled. Yes, he didn't seem to know the Senior Brother's name just now.
"That Senior Brother is an Inner Courtyard Disciple, named Wang Nan." Beibei glanced at Tang Ya, "Why do you ask?"
"I don't know." Tang Ya shook her head, "I don't know why, but when he looked at me just now, I felt his gaze was a little frightening."
Beibei's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of doubt rose in his heart, and his gaze involuntarily drifted towards the academy interior.
As far as he knew, Wang Nan was not a fierce person; he always appeared gentle when Beibei saw him. But Tang Ya wouldn't lie to him, so there might be other reasons for this.
Wang Nan and Zhang Lexuan walked for a long time after entering the academy before they felt the gaze behind them gradually dissipate.
"You know that student selling grilled fish just now?" It seemed Zhang Lexuan had also noticed the somewhat unusual atmosphere earlier.
Wang Nan sighed deeply upon hearing this, not knowing what he was sighing about. "Yes, he's a poor child."
...
As usual, Wang Nan returned to his dormitory to rest after a delicious dinner.
After a night's rest, he emerged from his room invigorated and refreshed at dawn the next morning.
He walked to the staircase and ascended the steps until a room appeared before him.
Wang Nan raised his hand and knocked on the door, and a pleasant voice quickly came from inside.
"One moment."
The door opened, and Ma Xiaotao peeked out, her eyebrows raising slightly when she saw Wang Nan.
"Come in and sit."
"No need. Do you remember what I told you before?"
"You've already obtained your sixth spirit ring?" Ma Xiaotao said joyfully.
"Yes, this time the harvest was quite good."
"Then you're here this time for my Spirit?" Although Wang Nan's meaning was clear, the problem that had troubled her for so long finally had a chance to be completely resolved, so she confirmed it again.
"What is your spirit power Rank now?"
"I'm already Rank sixty-five." Ma Xiaotao paused, then looked up at Wang Nan, "Am I Training too fast?"
"No, that should be fine."
Wang Nan gained an additional two Ranks of spirit power each time he absorbed a spirit ring compared to other Spirit Masters. Coupled with a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone and a full year of deep meditation, he had finally managed to keep up with Ma Xiaotao. Now, he was confident he could resolve Ma Xiaotao's issue.