At the academy gates, Yan Shaozhe stood waiting. Before him were the students about to set out for the Sun Moon Empire as part of the exchange.
His gaze swept over them one by one, taking in each expression. Then, raising his hand, he released a wave of soul power to support them all and said:
"Go forth!"
Jiang Qingtong, Wang Dong'er, and the others stood at the gate, watching as the group gradually disappeared into the sky.
Wang Dong'er sighed softly:
"This trip will last three full years…"
"There are still vacations! It's not as if they won't come back even once in three years." Jiang Qingtong patted Wang Dong'er on the shoulder, then added, "Come on, let's go back and get some rest. We woke up so early to see Xiao Xiao and Senior Nannan off—I'm dead tired!"
Seizing the chance, Wang Dong'er hooked her arm around Jiang Qingtong's shoulder and said:
"Now that Senior Nannan has left, and my identity as a girl is out, why don't I apply to the academy to move in with you?"
"Why do you have to live with me? Isn't Xiao Xiao's room empty now? You could just stay there."
The moment Jiang Qingtong heard Wang Dong'er suggest living with her, she became instantly wary.
Ever since that conversation with Destiny, when she learned that Tang San—who resided in the God Realm—was subtly influencing both Wang Dong'er and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, each bearing half of Tang Wutong's soul, to draw near her, Jiang Qingtong had grown resistant to Wang Dong'er's closeness.
It wasn't that she feared being swayed—rather, it was like placing a ticking time bomb right beside her. If it ever exploded, what then? After all, Wang Dong'er was still Tang San's daughter.
Half a daughter was still a daughter!
If Tang San used Wang Dong'er as a medium to directly interfere with the Douluo Continent, things would become very troublesome.
But Wang Dong'er shook her head and said firmly:
"No. I don't get along with the others. In this academy, aside from Xiao Xiao, you're the one I'm closest to! Could you really bear to see me live with people I don't even know? I've got a cleanliness obsession, you know!"
"Then I'm sorry, but I'm a really messy person." Jiang Qingtong blurted out.
Yet Wang Dong'er simply shook her head again:
"That's fine. I don't mind your messiness."
Jiang Qingtong: "…"
So no matter what she said, this girl still insisted on living with her?
From an outsider's perspective, their relationship did seem very close. After all, the two of them, along with Xiao Xiao, were known across the Outer Court as the notorious "Devil Trio." If she outright refused Wang Dong'er, and Yan Shaozhe or others asked for an explanation, what reason could she give?
Troublesome.
Jiang Qingtong thought quickly, and then—like a sudden spark of inspiration—she came up with an excuse:
"My brother is coming soon, isn't he? I'll be living with him. That way I can help him get familiar with the academy."
At these words, Wang Dong'er froze for a moment. Her head lowered slightly, and she said with some disappointment:
"Alright then."
Jiang Qingtong let out a breath of relief. Thankfully her mind had worked fast enough.
Through her other half's sight, she saw that at the gates of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, crowds bustled. Jing Hongchen was also preparing to lead the Sun Moon students on their own exchange journey.
The students selected on their side included Jiang Shengyu, Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, as well as Huo Yuhao, Ai Cao, and others with outstanding martial spirits. Their purpose in going to Shrek was mainly to learn Shrek's methods of martial spirit cultivation.
Beyond that, Shrek had little to tempt them.
"Your teacher wanted you to rest a few more days before departing, but you insisted on leaving today." Jing Hongchen looked at Jiang Shengyu with some helplessness. He asked again: "Is your body truly alright?"
Jiang Shengyu nodded in response:
"I'm fine. With Heavenly Sound Douluo's treatment, my body has long since recovered."
Jing Hongchen sighed once more:
"It's a pity His Majesty won't allow Heavenly Sound Douluo to accompany you. Otherwise, I'd have liked her to go along. Still, it's alright—Dean Gu is going with you. It's about time. Let's set out."
With his words, the group began boarding the large bus waiting at the gate.
In the Sun Moon Empire, soul-guided buses were no longer considered new technology. After countless innovations by soul engineers, these buses had reached a level of comfort utterly unlike their earliest versions.
Though their speed could never compare with flight-type soul tools, speed was not the goal of this journey.
Once everyone had boarded, the soul-guided bus rumbled to life, carrying them onto the highway toward the border. Powered by a seventh-tier soul array, the bus accelerated to the highest allowable speed.
The meeting point for this exchange had been set within the territory of the Star Luo Empire. Thus, upon reaching the border, the students had to disembark and pass through Yuming Pass on foot to enter Star Luo lands.
When the garrison of Yuming Pass saw so many uniformed youths arriving from the Sun Moon Empire, they couldn't help but tense up.
But the matter of the exchange had already spread far and wide since the confrontation between Jing Hongchen and Mu En above Yuming Pass. Realizing these were the exchange students, the soldiers did not make things difficult. After only a cursory inspection, they allowed the group through.
Once inside, Xiao Hongchen asked:
"Grandfather, where are the Shrek students? Why don't I see them?"
"The message from Shrek said they'd be waiting for us at Yuming City, the first major city beyond the pass. By the distance, it should take us about half a day to reach on foot." Jing Hongchen took out a map—produced from soul-guided satellite surveying, making it exceptionally precise.
"Hmph! Acting so high and mighty. We're all just exchange students—why should we be the ones to go chasing after them?" Xiao Hongchen snorted, clearly disdainful of Shrek Academy's arrangement.
"You… rein yourself in. Once you arrive at Shrek, you'll be facing far greater slights than this." Jing Hongchen could only shake his head helplessly.
Xiao Hongchen muttered coldly:
"Then I'll just beat them until they don't dare slight me again!"
Jiang Shengyu patted his shoulder, speaking earnestly:
"If you can singlehandedly take down Shrek Academy, you'll be a hero, a model for all. You'll be the eternal pride of the Sun Moon Empire—and of me, too."
He raised his thumb in praise. Xiao Hongchen blinked at him, then flipped up his middle finger.
"Alright, you two, enough fooling around!" Meng Hongchen clapped both their shoulders. "Once we get to Shrek, we're all counting on you two."
Though Huo Yuhao had already gained a new spirit ring from the Evil Demon Forest and advanced to a three-ring Soul Elder, the strongest among the exchange students remained Jiang Shengyu and Xiao Hongchen.
The group trekked for half a day. Just as they were nearing Yuming City, the sky ahead suddenly darkened with rolling, ink-green clouds. An ominous, suffocating aura swept toward them.
Seeing this, Jing Hongchen immediately moved to the front of the group and shouted:
"Everyone, be on guard!"
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