. Following the room number on the key, Ning Chuan began his usual training.
Even when Xiao Wu called him to join them for dinner, he ignored her.
He didn't go out until the next morning, but only alone. After receiving the free plate crystals needed to craft dragon whisker needles from the profiteer in Flanders, who lied about being recommended by Yu Xiaogang, he returned to continue his training.
For Ning Chuan, anything that could be useful to Tang San, even if he didn't need it, was unacceptable.
Early the next morning, Xiao Wu knocked on Ning Chuan's door again.
The day to register for Shrek had arrived.
The three of them left the Rose Hotel, where they had been staying for two days, and exited Soto City through the south gate, heading towards their destination.
"Really? Two days straight of training in your room. Don't you get tired or bored?"
Xiao Wu couldn't stop complaining after leaving Soto City. She'd thought Ning Chuan had finally gotten his bearings, but he was still a blockhead.
The same thing happened to Tang San; no one was there to play with him.
"If you'd put a little more effort into your cultivation, you would have become a Soul Master long ago,"
Ning Chuan said abruptly.
Tang San, in a rare instance, agreed with Ning Chuan: "You're right. With your slacking-off training, you've reached level 29. You're simply wasting your talent."
Tang San had regained his confidence, but he still hadn't broken through to level 30. This fueled a sense of urgency, and so, like Ning Chuan, he had declined Xiao Wu's request to go out with him. Naturally, he'd missed out on the plate crystal. Of course, even if he hadn't missed it, he couldn't have gotten it.
Ning Chuan had already snatched it away.
"Do you know where Shrek Academy is?" Xiao
Wu, though addressing the two, glanced at Ning Chuan.
"Just follow this path straight ahead, but don't get your hopes up."
Recalling the dilapidated Shrek of the original novel, Ning Chuan couldn't help but shake his head. If it weren't for the Eight Spider Lances and the kitten, no one would have come.
Tang San looked at him in surprise. "Have you been to Shrek Academy?"
"No, but I've heard of it," Ning Chuan said expressionlessly.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go," Xiao Wu said, attempting to ride on Ning Chuan's back, but was once again dodged.
"Walk on your own." While Ning Chuan's hostility towards Xiao Wu had receded from the initial level, and his desire for her spirit rings was no longer as intense, that was all. If he truly needed a spirit ring, he would show no mercy.
And this time, besides swooping for the Eight Spider Lance, he also came to kidnap the kitten.
He couldn't let this rabbit delay his grand plan.
"Why is this happening?"
Tang San looked at Xiao Wu, who looked frustrated at her failure. He wanted to carry her, but thinking of his own appearance, he opened his mouth but remained silent.
He knew Xiao Wu wouldn't agree even if he suggested it.
Instead, Ning Chuan's repeated rejections of Xiao Wu left him with mixed feelings.
The good news was that this guy didn't seem interested in Xiao Wu, but the bad news was that Xiao Wu seemed a little too close to Ning Chuan.
Thinking of this, Tang San couldn't help but feel more and more jealous of Ning Chuan.
Why had it turned out like this?
After two lifetimes, he finally had a father and a cherished girl, two joys that overlapped. And these two joys brought him even more joy. It should have been a dreamlike, blissful time... but why had it turned out like this?
First, his father left without a word, leaving behind only a letter, and then the girl he cherished went off to become close to a man he hated.
It was me, it was me first, it was clearly me first. Bringing Xiao Wu home, promising to protect her, becoming her brother, falling in love with her, it was clearly me first!
Tang San cried out inwardly.
Shrek Academy was less a spirit master academy than a village, and a particularly shabby one at that. Even more
shabby than the Emperor Soul Village of Ningchuan before the "New Rural Construction" initiative, it was a mere village of about a hundred households. At the entrance hung a wooden archway, atop which hung a tattered-looking plaque with the characters "Shrek Academy" engraved in large letters. A green portrait resembling a humanoid monster hung on the wall.
This was the main entrance to Shrek Academy.
A table stood before the gate, and behind it sat an elderly man in his sixties.
By the time Ning Chuan and the other two arrived, approximately a hundred applicants had already arrived at the Shrek Academy gate, many accompanied by their parents.
"This is Shrek Academy?"
Xiao Wu was stunned by the sight. At that moment, she finally understood why Ning Chuan had urged them to be prepared.
Even Tang San's mouth twitched.
This Shrek Academy was truly awful, a sight too appalling.
If he hadn't trusted his teacher to stay true to him, he would have mistaken it for a fake academy.
"What else could it be?" Ning Chuan didn't show the slightest bit of surprise.
He was gazing discreetly. A single glance revealed Dai Mubai, standing at the front of the line.
He had summoned his spirit and was threatening the parents of applicants who were trying to claim their registration fees.
Noticing Ning Chuan's gaze, the kitten glanced over, nodding slightly with a kind smile.
Ning Chuan smiled dismissively, believing it was all temporary. If he attempted to make contact with the kitten, it would immediately turn hostile.
And this, it had all been predetermined.
Moving forward, a young girl with long brown hair caught his attention.
She looked about the same age as Xiao Wu, dressed in a simple, tea-green dress that gave her a clean, fresh look. She was taller than Tang San, about 1.65 meters tall, with skin as white and tender as a peeled egg. Even though Ning Chuan couldn't see her face clearly, her profile made it clear she was a beauty.
"This must be Ning Rongrong,"
Ning Chuan quickly guessed.
Just as he turned, trying to find the kitten, Xiao Wu had already begun to look at him with a warning glare.
Ning Chuan simply pretended not to notice, scanning behind him until he quickly found the kitten.
Long black hair draped over her shoulders, her skin was white, her beautiful face was flawless, her body lines were perfect, her proportions were world-class, her eyes were shining with shadows, and most importantly, her pride seemed to come from a mythical
world