The next morning—
Ye Yu checked out of the Zirui Grand Hotel. After asking around for the location of Shrek Academy, he left Soto City and headed in its direction.
Outside the city, as he made his way toward the academy, he passed endless farmland on both sides of the road. The fields were filled with vegetables and golden rice crops that stretched as far as the eye could see.
It truly lived up to its reputation as the Granary of Balak.
After about half an hour of travel—
A shabby village came into view ahead.
Thanks to the vision enhancement from the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, Ye Yu's eyesight was now exceptional. From a distance, he could clearly make out a crowd gathered at the entrance to the village.
There stood a wooden archway with a dilapidated plaque.
On it, five large characters were carved:
Shrek Academy
And beside the words, there was a crude green cartoonish face with ears shaped like loudspeakers.
Clearly, this was the legendary "Monster Academy"—Shrek.
Seeing his destination, Ye Yu accelerated into a flash of movement and soared forward.
He arrived at the village gate in no time.
Among the gathered crowd—
He spotted a few familiar faces: Tang San and Xiao Wu.
Although Tang San had used his Mysterious Heaven Skill to reduce the bruising, his face was still swollen and discolored from the beating he'd taken the day before. He looked downright miserable.
Nearby in the line—
Ye Yu also saw Ning Rongrong.
And another striking girl caught his eye: clad in a tight black leather outfit that accentuated her curvy figure and slim waist, she exuded both elegance and allure. Her face was pure and stunning.
That had to be Zhu Zhuqing.
"Hey!"
Ye Yu casually waved and smiled as he approached the line, calling out to Ning Rongrong.
"You—how did you know I was here?!"
Startled, Ning Rongrong's elegant and noble face lit up with surprise, her carefully composed demeanor faltering. She looked like a noble lady caught sneaking out.
"Heh, maybe it's fate," Ye Yu chuckled, tilting his head with a playful grin. "I just knew you'd be here."
"Maybe it's like they say—'Though we have no twin wings, our hearts beat as one.'"
"Humph! Did my father tell you?!"
Suspicious, Ning Rongrong planted her hands on her hips and glared at him.
"That's a secret," Ye Yu said with a faint smile. "Your father did ask me to look out for you if I got the chance. So here I am—as your big brother, I'll stay by your side and protect you."
"You're welcome, by the way."
"Who asked you to protect me?!"
Ning Rongrong huffed and turned away, arms crossed in frustration, refusing to look at him again.
Ye Yu didn't mind in the slightest. Hands behind his head, he strolled off to the side.
His real plan was to use his "big brother" status to tag along with Ning Rongrong and force his way into Shrek Academy.
Sure, with his current strength, he could've easily shadowed Tang San from the dark—
Especially when the Shrek group headed to the Star Dou Forest.
He could have waited until Tang San encountered the Man-Faced Demon Spider and forcibly taken the External Spirit Bone, the Eight Spider Lances.
But now that even Tang Hao was his prisoner—
Completely at his mercy—
Ye Yu's ambitions had grown. With the acquisition of the External Spirit Bone Pumo Xu, he didn't just want Tang San's Eight Spider Lances.
In his eyes, Tang San was a treasure trove—just like Tang Hao.
Why not milk them both?
Meanwhile, over in the line—
Tang San and Xiao Wu heard a familiar voice and turned their heads.
The moment they saw Ye Yu, Tang San's bruised and battered face twisted with rage. His fists clenched tightly, his eyes burning with fury and hatred.
Damn bastard! You stole my Spirit Gold (Fajin) and beat me half to death!
You're asking for death!
I may not be able to beat you now, but one day… I'll make you pay!
Just then, a commotion broke out near the front of the line.
"What kind of academy is this?! You won't even refund our registration fee after rejecting us?"
"This is clearly a scam!"
"Mu Bai, someone's causing trouble. Come out here."
A calm voice called out, and a tall young man in a white suit jumped down from a tree.
He had long golden hair, sharp features, and a pair of heterochromatic pupils—one gold, one purple.
He summoned his Martial Soul—a White Tiger, also with heterochromatic eyes.
As three spirit rings—two yellow and one purple—rose beneath his feet, the pressure of a Spirit Elder exploded outward.
"I dare any of you to ask for a refund."
Facing this intimidating threat, the father and son duo who'd been arguing could only grit their teeth and walk away in frustration.
Seeing how unreasonable and thuggish the academy acted, nearly a third of those waiting in line left on the spot.
Soon after, another father brought his son to register.
But when registration officer Li Yusong saw that the boy was only a Spirit Master, he immediately rejected them.
The father argued, saying his son had a hundred-year Spirit Ring.
Li Yusong sneered.
"A hundred-year Spirit Ring? That's just average."
Growing impatient, he summoned his Martial Soul—a dragon-patterned iron staff.
As six spirit rings—one white, one yellow, three purple, and one black—rose from his feet, the immense pressure of a Spirit Emperor level Spirit Master swept through the area.
"Clearly, none of you understand the rules of Shrek Academy."
"If you don't know the requirements and still come here, that's on you. Your registration fee's just the price of ignorance."
"We don't accept ordinary people here."
"Shrek only admits monsters."
"If you're over thirteen, or your Spirit Power isn't at least Rank 21, or you don't have two hundred-year Spirit Rings—don't waste your time."
His cold announcement shocked the crowd.
Many, realizing how impossibly high the requirements were, left in disappointment.
Soon, only about a dozen people remained in line.
"An academy that only takes monsters… that sounds kinda cool!" Ning Rongrong's bright eyes sparkled with excitement.
But Ye Yu couldn't help but scoff inwardly.
Monster Academy, huh? What a joke.
It's just a bunch of overconfident Spirit Masters running a broken-down school, misleading naive kids.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin