The autumn sunlight filtered through sparse clouds, casting a pale golden glow over the grand gates of Shrek Academy—the number one academy on the continent.
Yet this warmth did nothing to dispel the chill in Liu Yuan's heart.
Bang!
A bundle was crudely thrown out from inside the gates. It hit the stone path at his feet, kicking up a cloud of dust.
That was all his luggage.
"Get lost! Shrek Academy has no need for a student like you—someone who breaks the rules and shows no respect for their elders!"
The guard in a Shrek uniform looked at Liu Yuan with open contempt and schadenfreude, as if driving away a filthy stray dog.
Liu Yuan silently bent down, brushed the dust off the bundle, and slung it over his shoulder.
He didn't argue. He simply raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the academy gate—the symbol of glory and dreams—before looking deep inside.
His eyes were terrifyingly calm.
But beneath that calm churned a storm of rage and humiliation.
Just half a day ago, he had still been a genius student in Shrek Academy's outer courtyard.
At less than fifteen years old, he had already cultivated to the Three-Ring Soul Elder realm. His martial soul, the high-grade Wind Spirit Snake, had earned him recognition as one of the most promising rising stars.
And now?
He had become nothing more than discarded trash.
This sudden fall began with a conversation that morning.
Elder Xuan Zi of the Sea God's Pavilion—the Level 98 Super Douluo known as the Gluttonous Douluo—had personally summoned him.
Liu Yuan had already sensed something was wrong.
And sure enough, it was a trap coated in honey.
Xuan Zi invited him to join the Shrek Supervisory Team.
To most students, this would be an unimaginable honor.
But Liu Yuan was a transmigrator.
He understood the true meaning behind those words better than anyone.
It wasn't glory.
It was a contract of exploitation—a lifetime of unpaid labor that would make even the cruelest capitalist blush.
Joining the Supervisory Team meant taking on the most dangerous missions, constantly walking the line between life and death.
You would dedicate your youth, your strength—your very life.
And in return?
Nothing.
All credit would belong to Shrek. And if you died, you wouldn't even have a grave bearing your name—just another forgotten sacrifice in the academy's glorious history.
Liu Yuan was no saint.
Nor was he some blindly loyal fool.
He came to Shrek to survive—to grow stronger—to control his own fate.
Not to become disposable cannon fodder.
So he refused.
He still remembered the fleeting shadow that passed through Xuan Zi's murky eyes when he said:
"Sorry, Elder Xuan. My heart is not set on this."
Xuan Zi hadn't argued. He simply waved his hand and dismissed him.
And then—
Within half a day, a disciplinary notice arrived.
The accusation?
Absurd.
"Pursuing rapid cultivation, abusing medicinal pills, overdrawing personal potential, disrupting the academy's cultivation environment, and improper conduct."
A classic case of fabricated charges.
No investigation. No chance to defend himself.
He was stripped of his status and expelled on the spot.
---
At that very moment, Xuan Zi stood atop a distant tower, watching everything unfold.
A chicken leg rested in his hand as he chewed leisurely, a faint, cold smile tugging at his lips.
"Hmph. The brat has talent, but he doesn't know his place."
"I gave him an opportunity, and he dared refuse?"
"This is the price of defiance. Without Shrek's resources, let's see how far a so-called genius like him can go."
---
Liu Yuan, of course, knew nothing of this.
But he could feel the suffocating malice pressing down from above.
He took one last look at the plaque engraved with "Shrek Academy."
He carved those four words—and today's humiliation—deep into his soul.
Then he turned and walked away without hesitation, heading into the streets of Shrek City.
His figure, stretched thin by the sunlight, seemed frail—
Yet carried an unyielding pride.
---
Inside Shrek City, at a restaurant called Shrek Gourmet, Liu Yuan took a seat by the window.
To vent his frustration, he almost spitefully ordered a table full of dishes: roasted Spirit Beast meat, golden pan-seared silver cod, and rich herbal soup.
The food arrived quickly, fragrant and steaming.
Normally, it would have whetted his appetite.
But now?
He chewed mechanically.
Everything tasted like wax.
Good food couldn't soothe him—it only deepened his resentment.
He had lived in this world for over a decade, carefully planning every step.
He cultivated tirelessly, never daring to slack off, reaching Level 37 at such a young age.
He once believed that Shrek Academy, despite its flaws, still valued talent.
After all, wasn't it under Mu En's authority?
And Liu Yuan had always believed in meritocracy.
He thought that as long as he was talented enough, even Xuan Zi would respect him.
Reality slapped him hard.
Mu En didn't intervene.
And Xuan Zi ruled the academy as he pleased.
After Liu Yuan refused him, the man cast him aside without a second thought.
He didn't care about Liu Yuan's talent at all.
"Damn it…" Liu Yuan gritted his teeth, the chopsticks in his hand creaking.
If only… I had a System…
The thought surfaced uncontrollably.
In the novels of his previous life, weren't Systems standard for transmigrators?
If he had one, how could he have been reduced to this state?
And just as that thought appeared—
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Strong will detected. Binding conditions met.]
[Spirit Check-in System binding… 10%… 50%… 100%!]
[Binding successful! Host: Liu Yuan. This system will assist you in reaching the peak of the Douluo Continent!]
Liu Yuan froze.
The chopsticks slipped from his hand.
"…System?" he asked cautiously.
[Ding! I am here, Host.]
It was real.
A System.
A surge of overwhelming joy erupted within him, washing away all his anger and frustration.
His body trembled.
With a System—
He had limitless possibilities.
What did expulsion matter?
What did Xuan Zi matter?
From this moment onward, his fate would belong to him alone!
Taking a deep breath, he asked, "What can you do?"
[Ding! This is the Pokémon Check-in System.]
[By checking in at designated locations, the Host can obtain rewards from the Pokémon world, including Pokémon, items, and special abilities.]
Pokémon?
His heart raced.
Before he could ask more—
[Ding! Newbie Gift Pack detected. Open now?]
"Open it!"
[Opening… Congratulations! You have obtained a Divine-Rank Martial Soul—Rayquaza!]
---
Boom!
Liu Yuan's mind went blank.
Rayquaza?!
The legendary ruler of the skies—the being that suppressed Groudon and Kyogre!
And now…
It was his martial soul?!
This was beyond heaven-defying.
Its starting strength was equivalent to a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast—and it had limitless growth potential.
That meant he now possessed a living, evolving powerhouse.
A future Rayquaza with nine spirit skills…
What kind of terrifying existence would that be?
Even Xuan Zi—
Even gods—
He might one day stand above them all!
Liu Yuan clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms.
The pain confirmed it.
This was real.
"Shrek… Xuan Zi…"
His eyes burned with determination.
"I'll remember this."
"One day… you'll regret everything."
---
"System," he said, steadying himself, "where is the first check-in location?"
[Ding! First task released.]
[Location: Sunset River, beneath the Three Lives Stone, outside Shrek City.]
[Requirement: Stay for ten minutes.]
[Reward: ???]
Liu Yuan didn't hesitate.
He paid the bill, ignoring the untouched feast.
Grabbing his luggage, he strode out of the restaurant.
The gloom of before had vanished.
In its place—
Burned endless determination.
A new legend…
Would begin at that riverbank.