The autumn sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds, gilding the grand gates of Shrek Academy, the number one academy on the continent, with a layer of pale gold brilliance.
However, this warmth could not dispel the chill in Liu Yuan's heart at all.
"Bang!"
A bundle was crudely thrown out from inside the gate, hitting the stone path by his feet and kicking up a cloud of dust.
That was all of his luggage.
"Get lost! We, Shrek Academy, don't need a student like you who violates the rules and shows no respect for your elders!"
A guard wearing a Shrek uniform looked at Liu Yuan with a gaze mixed with contempt and schadenfreude, as if driving away a filthy stray dog.
Liu Yuan silently bent down, patted the dust off the bundle, and slung it back onto his back.
He didn't argue with the guard, but only slowly raised his head, his gaze passing over the school gate that symbolized glory and dreams, looking deep into the academy.
His gaze was terrifyingly calm, but beneath this calm was a rage and humiliation that had long been churning like a stormy sea.
Half a day ago, he was still a Genius student in the outer courtyard of Shrek Academy.
At less than fifteen years old, he had already Cultivated to the Three-ring Soul Elder Realm, and his Spirit was the high-quality "Wind Spirit Snake," hailed as one of the most promising rising stars of the outer courtyard.
And now, he had become an "abandoned piece" kicked out the door.
This entire turning point stemmed from a conversation this morning.
Sea Gods Pavilion Elder, Gluttonous Douluo Xuan Zi, that Level 98 Super Douluo who stood at the peak of the continent, had personally summoned him.
Regarding Xuan Zi's summons, Liu Yuan already had a bad premonition. Sure enough, it was a trial coated in honey.
Xuan Zi invited him to join the Shrek Supervisory Group.
For any ordinary Shrek student, this might be a supreme honor.
But for Liu Yuan, a Transmigration traveler, he knew the meaning behind the words "Supervision Team" better than anyone.
It wasn't glory at all, but a deed of sale, an unpaid contract that would make even a capitalist weep.
Joining the Supervision Team meant you would perform the most dangerous and troublesome tasks for Shrek Academy, dancing on the edge of a blade and keeping company with death.
You would dedicate your youth, sweat, and even your life, yet receive no substantial compensation.
All the credit would go to Shrek, and once you sacrificed yourself, you wouldn't even have a tombstone engraved with your name; you would only be forgotten in some unknown corner, becoming an insignificant footnote in Shrek's glorious history.
Liu Yuan was not a Saint, and certainly not a brainwashed, blindly loyal person.
He came to Shrek to survive in this world, to become stronger, and to master his own destiny, not to be free cannon fodder for a massive power.
So, he refused.
He still remembered the slight, imperceptible gloom that flashed deep within the murky eyes on Xuan Zi's seemingly kind face when he said, "Sorry, Elder Xuan, my heart is not set on this."
That Gluttonous Douluo didn't say much, just waved his hand and let him leave.
Then...
Only half a day later, a notice of disciplinary action was delivered to his hand.
The reason was absurdly laughable—"Eager for quick success in Cultivation, repeatedly taking Medicinal Pills, overdrawing personal potential, disturbing the academy's Cultivation atmosphere, and improper conduct."
If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext!
Without any investigation or any chance to defend himself, he was directly stripped of his status as a Shrek student and ordered to leave immediately.
At this moment, Xuan Zi stood on a tower not far away, looking through the window, indifferently watching everything happening at the school gate.
He held a chicken leg in his hand, gnawing on it unhurriedly, a faint, barely visible cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Hmph, little thing, your talent is decent, but unfortunately, you're just too ungrateful. I personally gave you a chance, and you dared to refuse?"
"This is the consequence of defying me. Without Shrek's resources, I'll see how far you, this so-called Genius, can go."
Liu Yuan didn't know Xuan Zi's inner thoughts.
But he could clearly feel the suffocating pressure and malice emanating from the academy's high-level leadership.
He took a deep look at the plaque engraved with "Shrek Academy," carving those four words along with the humiliation he suffered today into the depths of his Soul.
He didn't stay any longer, turned around, and resolutely walked into the streets of Shrek City.
His back, stretched by the sunlight, appeared somewhat thin, yet it exuded a lonely pride that would rather break than bend.
...
Inside Shrek City, at a restaurant named "Shrek Gourmet."
Liu Yuan found a seat by the window and sat down, placing his bundle to the side.
To dispel the frustration in his heart, he almost vengefully ordered a large table of dishes: fragrant roasted Spirit Beast legs, golden-colored pan-seared Silver Cod, a thick soup stewed with precious herbs...
The dishes were served quickly, steaming hot and filled with aroma.
Normally, his appetite would have been piqued.
But now, he just picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of meat, and mechanically put it in his mouth, but it tasted like wax.
Fine food could not soothe the trauma in his heart; instead, it made that feeling of grievance ferment even more.
He had transmigrated to this world for over a decade, carefully planning his path.
He Cultivated hard, not daring to slack off in the slightest, which led to his current achievement of Level 37.
He originally thought that Shrek Academy wasn't completely rotten; although Xuan Zi was unreliable, Shrek Academy was ultimately under Mu En's control.
Moreover, Liu Yuan had always been a meritocrat.
He had always thought that as long as he had enough ability and talent, even Xuan Zi would give him the respect he deserved when dealing with talent, right?
But reality gave him a loud slap in the face.
Mu En didn't manage things, so Xuan Zi was the most powerful person in Shrek Academy.
Furthermore, Xuan Zi was truly extremely arrogant and did as he pleased.
After he refused Xuan Zi, the man didn't give him the slightest bit of respect; in just half a day, he directly kicked him out!
Xuan Zi didn't care at all about the talent and ability Liu Yuan was so proud of!
"Damn it!" Liu Yuan roared in his heart, the chopsticks in his hand creaking as he squeezed them.
"If... if only I had a System too..." This thought uncontrollably popped up from the bottom of his heart, carrying a hint of unwillingness and fantasy.
In the web novels of his past life, weren't Systems standard equipment for transmigrators? With a System, how could he have been pushed into such a miserable state by an old fellow?
At the moment this thought flashed by, a crisp, mechanical voice, devoid of any emotion, sounded in his mind without warning.
[Ding! Strong will detected from the Host, meeting the binding conditions.]
[Spirit Check-in System is binding... 10%... 50%... 100%!]
[Ding! System binding successful! Host: Liu Yuan. This System will serve you wholeheartedly and help you reach the peak of the Douluo Continent!]
Liu Yuan froze completely, and the chopsticks in his hand fell onto the table with a "clack."
He widened his eyes in astonishment, wondering if he was having hallucinations because he was too angry.
He tentatively asked in his heart: "System?"
[Ding! Host, I am here.]
It's real!
It's really a System!
An indescribable wild joy instantly washed away all the haze, anger, and grievance in his heart, and a huge sense of happiness swept through his entire body like a volcanic eruption!
His body even trembled slightly due to excessive excitement.
A System! He really had a Golden Finger!
With a System, it meant he had infinite possibilities!
What did being abandoned by Shrek Academy matter?
What did Xuan Zi's suppression matter?
From today onwards, his, Liu Yuan's, destiny would be completely in his own hands!
He no longer needed to look at any person's face, and he no longer had to worry about his future being easily ruined because he refused some "big figure's" unreasonable request!
This System was his greatest trump card for changing his fate against the heavens! What he lost, he would surely take back a hundredfold, a thousandfold in the future!
His excited mood calmed down slightly, and Liu Yuan immediately asked in his heart: "System, what functions do you have?"
[Ding! This System is the "Pokémon Check-in System."]
[The Host only needs to go to various designated locations on the Douluo Continent to check in to obtain various rewards from the pokémon world, including but not limited to powerful pokémon, Amazing gadgets, and various special abilities.]
pokémon? Are they the pokémon from the globally popular games and anime of his past life? Liu Yuan's heart accelerated again.
Before he could continue questioning, the System's voice sounded again.
[Ding! Detected that the Host has bound the System for the first time, issuing a Newbie Gift Pack. Open it now?]
"Open it! Open it now!" Liu Yuan didn't hesitate.
[Ding! Newbie Gift Pack opening... Congratulations to the Host, you have obtained a Divine Rank Spirit—Rayquaza!]
[Spirit Description: This Spirit has covered the Host's original Spirit, and all original spirit rings will be cleared.]
[The Host can summon the rayquaza martial soul outside the body at any time to assist in battle.]
[The Host can also perform Martial Soul Possession, transforming into the Rayquaza Incarnation form and obtaining all its abilities.]
[This Spirit possesses infinite growth potential, with an initial strength equivalent to a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast.]
Boom!
It was as if thunder exploded in Liu Yuan's mind, and he was stunned by this Heaven-Defying reward.
Ray... Rayquaza?!
That was a legendary Divine Beast in the pokémon world, the guardian of the sky, the ultimate existence that had quelled the battle between Kyogre and Groudon! It was the sky overlord that stood above countless Divine Beasts!
And now, it had become his Spirit?
What kind of concept was this?
The Spirit System of the Douluo Continent ranged from ordinary Blue Silver Grass to top-tier Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Seraphim, Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, Snow Empress, Golden Dragon King...
But Rayquaza's status was absolutely not inferior to any of them!
Its initial strength was comparable to a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast, and it could grow infinitely! What did this mean?
It meant that from this moment on, Liu Yuan possessed a mobile "hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast" fighter! And this fighter could continuously become stronger as he grew!
What was even more terrifying was that a Spirit Master could attach nine spirit rings. Did that mean his rayquaza martial soul could have nine powerful skills in the future?
A Rayquaza with nine skills—what kind of world-destroying existence would that be?
Let alone the Gluttonous Douluo Xuan Zi, he would probably even dare to fight a god!
Liu Yuan clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palms. The stinging pain confirmed that none of this was a dream.
The immense joy made him almost want to howl at the sky.
Shrek, Xuan Zi! I, Liu Yuan, have remembered your "kindness" of expulsion today!
Just wait, it won't be long before I make you regret today's decision to your very core!
Suppressing the agitation in his heart, Liu Yuan took a deep breath and asked the System: "System, where is my first check-in location?"
The fire of revenge had been ignited, and he couldn't wait to embark on the journey of becoming stronger.
[Ding! Releasing the first check-in task.]
[Location: Outside Shrek City, under the Three Lives Stone on the bank of the Sunset River.]
[Task Requirement: Arrive at the designated location and stay for ten minutes.]
[Task Reward:???]
Outside Shrek City, on the bank of the Sunset River?
Liu Yuan's gaze narrowed, and he didn't hesitate.
He quickly settled the bill, not even looking at the table of almost untouched food again.
Picking up his luggage, he strode out of the restaurant and hurried towards the west gate of Shrek City.
The previous haze was swept away, replaced by infinite fighting spirit and infinite expectations for the future.
A new legend would begin from that riverbank!