Tianhun Empire, Heaven Dou City, Heaven Soul Royal Hotel.
Inside a top-tier suite, a gray spatial door silently opened.
Kong Ming'an and the Snow Empress stepped out one after another, and Ju Zi, who had been waiting there, immediately came forward.
"Guild Leader, you've arrived." Ju Zi's tone was gentle, and she bowed respectfully.
As Kong Ming'an's nominal Vice Guild Leader and actual secretary, Ju Zi had always been diligent and responsible.
To ensure she could handle matters promptly, she temporarily moved her office from Shrek City to Heaven Dou City.
With the help of a demiplane to jump through space, this was not difficult.
Ju Zi's gaze lingered on the Snow Empress for a brief moment before quickly returning to Kong Ming'an, without asking further, maintaining her respectful posture.
"Hm, how are things?"
Kong Ming'an walked towards the sofa in the living room, while the Snow Empress quietly followed behind him, her eyes subtly surveying the surrounding environment.
There were many benefits to acting as Kong Ming'an's bodyguard, such as being able to freely enter and exit the Human World, without needing to be as wary as before.
For instance, over the past month, she had followed Kong Ming'an to many places in Mingdu, finding it all very novel.
"The schedule for the Spirit Master Grand Competition has been set, and the opening ceremony will be held the day after tomorrow."
"Currently, almost all participating teams have checked into the hotel." Ju Zi reported in a steady voice.
"The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy team is led by Elder Ma, and they arrived three days ago and are currently undergoing adaptive training. Since you haven't arrived yet, Lin Yi, a student of Dean Jing Hongchen, is temporarily serving as the captain."
Kong Ming'an understood. He had arrived a few days later than planned because he had become somewhat engrossed in researching and attempting Elementalization.
"What about the people from Shrek Academy?" he asked, as this was one of his key targets for this trip.
Ju Zi was clearly prepared and immediately replied, "According to the information our people sent back, the Shrek team went to clear out a group of rogue evil Spirit Masters on their way here."
"According to the news, they finished the Eliminate three days ago and rested overnight at a Tianhun Empire border military camp. Based on calculations, they should arrive at the hotel roughly this evening."
Kong Ming'an nodded. There was plenty of time, and he had enough time to make arrangements.
He stood up, preparing to go see his "teammates" first. To ensure his plan didn't go awry, unifying internal opinions was essential.
However, due to his age, directly talking them into it would be a bit troublesome… it would be better to just beat them up… Time slowly passed, and in the evening, through the main entrance of the Heaven Soul Royal Hotel, more than ten students and teachers, wearing Shrek uniforms and looking travel-worn, walked in.
Leading them was the Shrek Team Leader Teacher, who looked a bit tired but still sharp, followed by many students.
"We're finally here! I'm exhausted!"
Wu Ming stretched her shoulders, her fiery red hair seeming to have dulled a bit. "If it weren't for those damned evil Spirit Masters who ran too much, we would have been resting in bed by now!"
As she spoke, she looked at the figures beside her, her tone light.
"Xiao Tao, you all performed well this time. If you hadn't held back those evil Spirit Masters trying to escape, who knows how many people would have been harmed by them."
"This is what we should do, Senior Sister Wu!" Ma Xiaotao, who looked only thirteen or fourteen, said seriously, while Ling Luochen and others beside her all nodded, their expressions showing approval.
As the next generation of the Shrek Seven Devils, participating in hunting down evil Spirit Masters was inevitable. Although they all suffered some injuries in this battle, for them, it was all worth it.
Wu Ming smiled contentedly and chatted with these junior students, the atmosphere becoming somewhat lively.
Meanwhile, Han Ruoruo was beside Zhang Lexuan, looking a little worried: "Lexuan, are you still thinking about things at the Academy?"
"…" Zhang Lexuan was silent for a moment, then shook her head. "I'm fine, don't worry. We still have to compete, I won't let these things affect me."
Han Ruoruo was still a bit worried. After all, her best friend's condition had not been good during this period, and the subtle sense of fatigue on her was too obvious, making it hard not to worry.
But looking at Zhang Lexuan's expression, Han Ruoruo pursed her lips and ultimately didn't speak further.
The group slowly entered the hotel lobby. Zhang Lexuan's eyes, which could not hide her fatigue, looked forward, her gaze casually sweeping across the hotel's magnificent lobby.
But suddenly, her vision fixed on the lounge area not far away.
There, sat seven or eight young men and women wearing Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy uniforms, each with different expressions.
But what was interesting was that several of them had varying degrees of bruises on their faces, as if they had just been severely disciplined.
Of course, this was not what attracted her attention.
What truly caught her eye was a young man sitting in the very center, in the core position, with a handsome face, who looked young, and was calmly flipping through a document in his hand.
It's him?
Zhang Lexuan immediately recognized Kong Ming'an. After all, being good-looking inherently gives high recognition.
But… why was this young man here? If she remembered correctly, she saw him in Shrek City, right?
But this young man's current situation seemed to be that he was part of the Sun Moon Team?
Someone from the Sun Moon Empire ran to Shrek City?!
A hint of absurdity rose in Zhang Lexuan's heart, but as soon as the thought emerged, she saw the black-haired young man close the document and stand up.
And with his movement, the Sun Moon Team members with injuries on their faces also stood up in unison, their movements neat and uniform, with an indescribable discipline.
Then, under the gaze of Zhang Lexuan and the Shrek people who gradually noticed the anomaly, Kong Ming'an led the Sun Moon Team directly towards them.
The Shrek team instantly fell silent, and everyone's eyes became wary. The Team Leader Teacher frowned slightly, stepped forward half a step, stood in front of the students, and asked in a deep voice:
"Sun Moon Team? Is there something you need?"
Kong Ming'an stopped a few meters away from them. The Sun Moon Team members behind him also stopped at the same time.
Then, Kong Ming'an's face showed a polite and gentle smile, which, combined with his inherently mild temperament, made it difficult for the Shrek people to feel any ill will.
"I apologize for disturbing everyone." Kong Ming'an's voice was clear and calm, with a comfortable gentleness.
"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Kong Ming'an, from the Kong Family of the Sun Moon Empire. Kong Deming is my grandfather."
Grandson of Kong Deming?
The Team Leader Teacher's eyes narrowed slightly at this name. Kong Deming's name was known to everyone in the high echelons of the Continent.
Not to mention the recent rumors of his Breakthrough in cultivation, reaching the ranks of top-tier powerhouses, which made the Douluo Three Kingdoms even more vigilant.
And this person in front of him was Kong Deming's grandson?
"What is your purpose?"
"I do not wish to trouble you all. I am here only for a private matter, or rather… a family matter."
"Family matter?" The Team Leader Teacher was puzzled, but he saw Kong Ming'an's gaze pass over him, then over several of the Shrek main team members.
Finally, it landed on Zhang Lexuan, who was at the center of everyone.