Thank you to our new Patrons: RrJ, Emil Pedersen, Zhandos Kauzhanov, J L, Caio Cainel Buchalla, reece campbell, SilverWolf and Melon! You are what makes all this possible! We are up to Chapter 50: Spirit Beast Town on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
After four days of travel, Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong arrived at Suotuo City in the morning.
Upon entering the city, the first thing Ning Rongrong did was inquire about the location of Shrek Academy.
There was only one day left until Shrek Academy's opening. If they didn't find its location today, they wouldn't be able to register tomorrow.
"Rongrong, is it possible that Shrek Academy is located outside the city?" Ning Tianchen asked with a smile.
Ning Rongrong shook her head. "How could that be? From what I've heard, Shrek Academy is a very promising academy with incredibly strong teaching resources. How could such an academy possibly be located outside the city?"
The strength of Shrek Academy's faculty was undeniable—three Soul Sages and two Soul Emperors teaching just three students was an overwhelming surplus of talent.
As for the claim that Shrek Academy had potential? Hoho, they were practically on the verge of shutting down.
"Their admission requirements are so strict—how many people can actually meet them? Rongrong, think carefully. Among the inner and outer disciples of our sect, how many have reached soul power level twenty-one before the age of thirteen?"
Ning Rongrong began to think deeply.
Aside from the Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect boasted the largest number of disciples. Every year, more than thirty inner and outer disciples entered the sect's special training camp.
These thirty-plus disciples were all under the sect's focused cultivation. Occasionally, some disciples would experience extraordinary opportunities that boosted their talent, allowing them to enter the training camp early.
But such cases were rare—no more than one or two per year.
Normally, almost all of these thirty-plus disciples would break through to level twenty-one before turning thirteen. As for the rest of the sect's disciples, only a handful—perhaps single digits—could meet this requirement.
Based on this calculation, even the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, the continent's top sect on the surface, produced only about thirty students each year who met Shrek Academy's admission criteria.
Of course, level twenty-one was just the baseline. There were also three additional tests. Unless one was directly guaranteed entry to the final round, passing the first two rounds was nearly impossible.
Ning Rongrong suddenly covered her mouth and exclaimed, "Doesn't this mean that Shrek Academy barely has any students?"
Ning Tianchen nodded. "Exactly. The information you heard was deliberately exaggerated."
Ning Rongrong sighed.
Since they had already come this far, it wouldn't make sense to turn back without at least taking a look.
…
The location of Shrek Academy wasn't hard to find.
Recently, many parents had brought their children to Suotuo City to prepare for registration at Shrek Academy.
From one parent, Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong learned the address of Shrek Academy.
This parent added, "I think that place might not be the real Shrek Academy. Perhaps the dilapidated exterior is just a test for us. Their actual campus must be somewhere else."
Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up, as if she had found an excuse to defend Shrek Academy.
After bidding farewell to the parent, she quickly said, "Big brother Tianchen, maybe behind Shrek Academy is another advanced soul master academy. Shrek Academy could just be a branch of that academy, used to cultivate genius soul masters."
"Oh, let's hope so," Ning Tianchen shrugged, choosing not to dwell further on the topic.
He knew exactly what Shrek Academy was like.
Ning Rongrong was full of fantasies about Shrek Academy. No matter how much he tried to downplay it, she would always find excuses to justify her beliefs.
Only by seeing it with her own eyes could her illusions be shattered.
Before setting out, Ning Tianchen had thoroughly researched Suotuo City and was quite familiar with its situation.
Suotuo City was located on the Lima Plain and served as the granary of both the Balak Kingdom and the entire Tian Dou Empire.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had a vast commercial presence within the Tian Dou Empire. As such, they had established an office in Suotuo City to handle grain procurement.
With the autumn harvest approaching, the sect's official in charge of grain purchases had already arrived in Suotuo City.
"Therefore, to avoid being taken back, we should minimize our movements within Suotuo City over the next few months."
Ning Rongrong nodded casually, then suddenly tugged on Ning Tianchen's arm, pointing to a nearby hotel sign with her other hand.
"Big brother Tianchen, this hotel looks pretty nice. Why don't we stay here?"
Ning Tianchen looked up. The sign above the hotel read "Rose Hotel."
"Seriously? Are we stuck with this place?" Ning Tianchen inwardly groaned.
He didn't know when, in the original timeline, Tang San and Dai Mubai's conflict had occurred.
If they happened to run into Dai Mubai, wouldn't that be awkward?
However, due to the upcoming school season and the presence of multiple intermediate soul master academies in Suotuo City, the influx of applicants had caused all the hotels in the city to fill up.
Perhaps only these couple-themed hotels still had vacancies.
After some thought, the two entered the hotel together.
"Are you two sure you want separate rooms?" the receptionist couldn't help but ask.
Although their relationship had grown closer after the previous incident, they were still too young to share a room without raising eyebrows.
Receiving their confirmation, the receptionist hesitated. "Guests, this is a couple-themed hotel. Our rooms are quite spacious—more than enough for both of you."
"At the moment, we only have two rooms left. Given the current situation in the city, why don't you take one room and leave the other for someone else?"
While they were contemplating, another couple arrived, quickly paid, and booked a room.
Well, that settled it—only one room was left now. If they didn't decide soon, they'd likely end up sleeping on the streets tonight.
Without overthinking, Ning Tianchen immediately paid for the last room.
"Guests, your room is called 'Pink Flower Sea.' It's the last room on the third floor—one of the largest suites in our hotel," the receptionist said respectfully, handing over the key.
As the two headed upstairs, a young man about 1.8 meters tall, with broad shoulders, rugged good looks, and an air of determination slowly descended the stairs. His right hand rested on the slender waist of a seductive woman.
The young man had long golden hair, eerie yet mesmerizing double pupils, and deep blue eyes.
"Dai Mubai?" Ning Tianchen made a mental judgment.
According to the novel, shouldn't he currently be entangled with the twin sisters?
Suddenly, Ning Tianchen froze.
Could it be that this guy played around with this woman in the morning and then hooked up with the twins in the afternoon?
The infamous "Young Master Dai" of Suotuo City truly lived up to his reputation. His time management skills were truly unparalleled.
As they passed each other, Dai Mubai didn't pay any attention to Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong.
Upstairs, they arrived at the door of the "Pink Flower Sea" suite. Ning Tianchen inserted the key into the lock.
The moment the door opened, the interior decor left the two stunned.
------------------------------------------------------
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed.