After leaving the Golden Ancient Tree, Zhu Ziyang arrived at the inner court cafeteria.
He entered a private room where eight or nine people, both male and female, were already seated. The room was filled with chatter and laughter, and when they saw Zhu Ziyang enter, everyone's face lit up with joy.
"Ziyang, little brother, you're here!" Wu Ming called out cheerfully, her charming face beaming with a bright smile.
The others also nodded in greeting toward him.
"Senior brothers and sisters, long time no see!" Zhu Ziyang grinned as he entered the room, greeting everyone warmly.
Inside the room were Han Ruoruo, Zhang Weiwei, and other inner court students. Except for Zhang Lexuan, everyone was present. All had recovered fully, at least physically — there were no visible issues anymore.
"Ziyang, come sit here," Ma Xiaotao called out, patting the chair beside her.
"Sure," Zhu Ziyang didn't refuse and sat down directly. As he looked at Ma Xiaotao's delicate face, he couldn't help but recall what Yan Shaozhe had said earlier that day. So he asked instinctively, "Sister Xiaotao, how are you feeling?"
"I'm doing great!" Ma Xiaotao responded with a charming smile. "Thanks to my fifth soul ring, I can already handle some minor out-of-control episodes now."
"That's wonderful!" Zhu Ziyang replied with a smile.
"Hey hey, Ziyang! Are you only going to talk to Xiaotao? Aren't we pretty too?" Wu Ming huffed with mock indignation.
"Uh…" Zhu Ziyang froze, unsure how to respond.
"Hehe~ Okay, Ming'er, don't tease him. He's still a kid," Han Ruoruo stepped in to rescue Zhu Ziyang, her gentle smile blooming like spring flowers.
"Heehee~ fine, I'll let him off for today," Wu Ming giggled.
"Hey, where's Sister Lexuan and Brother Zhu?" Zhu Ziyang asked.
"Senior Sister is still recovering, so she's not coming today. Brother Zhu is in the kitchen — he insisted on cooking for us personally," Su Meng explained.
"Oh, I see. Then we're in for a treat today!" Zhu Ziyang's eyes lit up with excitement.
Zhang Lexuan's injuries were severe, affecting both her life force and Martial Soul origin. It would take at least half a year to restore her life force, and even longer for her Martial Soul. But once she did recover fully, her combat strength would more than double. With a 100,000-year soul ring and a 100,000-year soul bone, she would be stronger than many titled Douluo.
About fifteen minutes later, Zhu Lie entered the room with several cafeteria staff, each carrying trays loaded with over a dozen dishes.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting!" Zhu Lie said with a big smile as he stepped into the room. "Today you all get to taste my personal cooking!"
"Yay!" Everyone cheered in unison. The dishes filled the table with fragrant steam, making everyone's mouths water.
"Come on, don't be shy, dig in!" Zhu Lie grinned, then reached for his chopsticks and began to eat.
Seeing this, everyone else followed suit and began enjoying their favorite dishes.
The room was filled with laughter and conversation. The atmosphere was lively and warm. Time passed swiftly in this joyful gathering, and before long, the table was cleared — everyone was full and lounging in their seats, chatting casually.
"Everyone," Zhu Lie suddenly spoke up, his face still smiling, "this might be our last meal together at the academy. I've applied for graduation, and the academy has approved it. I'll be heading back home."
"This…" His words cast a shadow over the once cheerful room. The expressions of everyone shifted into various shades of sadness.
"Cheng Hui, Wanwan, and I originally planned to leave the academy together after this soul ring mission… I didn't expect to be the only one left," Zhu Lie said with a smile, but tears shimmered in his eyes.
"I'm also planning to leave the academy," Shen Xu added suddenly, his face calm but his eyes revealing a hint of reluctant sorrow.
"Safe travels to both of you!" Han Ruoruo pursed her lips, managing a smile. "Even if you leave the academy, you'll always be part of Shrek!"
"Yes! We won't forget that!" Zhu Lie and Shen Xu nodded in agreement.
The joyful gathering ended with a sense of sorrowful farewell. Just before leaving, Zhu Lie stopped Zhu Ziyang and said, "Junior Brother Ziyang, I owe you my life. If you ever need anything in the future, I'll be there!"
"No need to worry about it, Senior Brother Zhu," Zhu Ziyang replied with a smile, knowing he was referring to the Healing Pill incident.
"My home is in Taining City of the Heaven Soul Empire. If you ever pass through, don't forget to look for me! My family has some influence there," Zhu Lie said.
"I will," Zhu Ziyang promised with a smile.
—
A few days passed.
Shrek Academy was about to begin its break.
Inside Class 1's classroom of Year One, Xia Yu was announcing the holiday schedule.
"Today is the last day of the school year. The break begins tomorrow. When you return, you'll undergo your second-year promotion assessment," Xia Yu said flatly. "I've already said everything I needed to throughout the year. There's nothing more. Go pack your things."
The students immediately became lively, gathering in small groups and leaving the classroom.
"Ziyang, Nannan, are you two going home?" Tang Ya asked.
"Of course! Why wouldn't we? I haven't seen my mom in a whole year," Jiang Nannan replied.
"Waaah~ Everyone's going home except me! I'll be so lonely!" Tang Ya pouted, trying to gain sympathy.
"Please, I know Beibei is staying here too!" Jiang Nannan shot down her act mercilessly. "You two get to spend your sweet little couple time together — lonely my foot!"
"Eh~ Hehe, I just didn't want you to leave!" Tang Ya laughed, not the least bit embarrassed after being exposed.
"Yeah, right," Jiang Nannan waved her hand helplessly.
The next morning.
At the gates of Shrek Academy.
Many students were bidding each other farewell. Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan were also saying goodbye to Tang Ya and Beibei.
There wasn't much to say — they would see each other again in a month anyway.
"We're off!" Zhu Ziyang said as he took Jiang Nannan's hand and walked in the direction of Soto City in the Sonan Province.
They had only walked about a hundred meters when two figures appeared ahead of them — Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er.
"Senior Sister, Junior Sister."
"Senior Sister, Sister Cai."
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan greeted them in unison.
"Mm, let's go," Xian Lin'er smiled and said, "Mei'er, you take little junior brother. I'll take Nannan, okay?"
"Alright," Cai Mei'er nodded.
Then, the two of them each embraced one of the pair and rose into the air, flying north across the continent.
With two Hyper Douluo as escorts, the journey home for Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan was swift. They reached Heaven Dou City in just one day.
Returning to this ancient capital, Zhu Ziyang felt very different from his first visit. At least, the feeling of insignificance and alienation was much diminished.
His attention, however, was mostly focused on the Sunset Forest outside the city. The thick miasma was so dangerous that even the two Hyper Douluo had avoided flying over it. This made him all the more aware of its threat.
After resting in Heaven Dou City overnight, the four of them set out again the next morning. However, this time, Zhu Ziyang stopped Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er from rushing ahead. He chose a slower pace.
This puzzled the two women.
"I'm just fulfilling a promise," Zhu Ziyang explained, then told them about his encounter at Zhangyang Village a year ago. After hearing his story, both women fell silent but expressed their support.
Thus, the small village of Zhangyang once again welcomed the chance for Martial Soul awakening after many years.
And it was precisely this moment that laid the foundation for yet another legend of future generations.
(End of Chapter)
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