Morning, in class.
Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, Tang Ya, and Beibei were all sitting together.
"Hey! Zhu Ziyang, what did you and Nannan do yesterday?" Tang Ya asked curiously. "Why did Nannan's soul power suddenly jump to level 30?!"
"What?!" Beibei, who had been listening to the lecture attentively, immediately turned around with a shocked expression, staring at Jiang Nannan in disbelief.
"Beibei, do you have a question?" The teacher, annoyed by the outburst, looked at him sternly.
"Apologies, Teacher Li! I have no questions," Beibei quickly stood up and explained.
"Pay attention in class!" Seeing Beibei's respectful attitude, the teacher let it go and continued with the lesson.
Beibei let out a sigh of relief, then sat back down, still looking at Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan with the same curious and inquisitive expression as Tang Ya.
"You didn't tell Tang Ya?" Zhu Ziyang asked Jiang Nannan.
"No," Jiang Nannan shook her head. "She interrupted me before I could explain, so I didn't continue."
"Ah…" Tang Ya suddenly remembered interrupting her earlier that morning and gave an embarrassed smile. "I was just worried about being late! Come on, Nannan, please tell us again!"
She tugged on Jiang Nannan's arm, pouting. Jiang Nannan smiled helplessly and said, "There's not much to it—I just bought a treasure at the exchange event a few days ago that happened to suit me well."
"Oh, that explains it!" Tang Ya nodded. "I was wondering why you two disappeared without a word that day. Beibei and I were waiting around like idiots for over half an hour! So that's what it was—you got something good!"
"Hehe!" Jiang Nannan gave an apologetic smile. "We left in such a hurry, I forgot to let you know."
"It's fine! It's been a few days already, and your big sis Ya is very forgiving, so I won't hold it against you," Tang Ya laughed.
"Ziyang, when is Nannan going to hunt for her third soul ring?" Beibei asked after understanding the situation. "Is the academy going to assist?"
"That's right," Zhu Ziyang nodded. "We're setting out this afternoon."
"Then let me congratulate Nannan in advance," Beibei said with a smile, though he couldn't help but feel a bit of pressure. Looks like I need to work even harder!
Afternoon.
After taking leave from Xia Yu, Zhu Ziyang brought Jiang Nannan to the shore of Sea God Lake.
"Brother, what are we doing here?" Jiang Nannan asked curiously. "Weren't we going to see Dean Yan?"
"No need," Zhu Ziyang replied with a smile. "If we wait here for a bit, someone will come to us."
As he spoke, he was also thinking—who could that "old friend" Mu En mentioned be? Most likely a senior elder from the Sea God Pavilion, otherwise Mu En wouldn't have spoken of them so familiarly.
"Oh, okay," Jiang Nannan nodded. She didn't ask further, but her gaze drifted to the lake, where Sea God Island and the inner court were located. She had often dreamed of entering the inner court with her brother Ziyang, becoming disciples together, and more… She blushed at her thoughts. Now that she was a Soul Exalt, that goal seemed closer than ever!
They didn't wait long before someone flew toward them across the lake.
What first appeared as a tiny dot became, in the blink of an eye, a white-haired yet youthful-looking old woman who landed gracefully in front of them.
"Elder Song!" Zhu Ziyang was surprised and quickly led Jiang Nannan forward to greet her.
"Elder Song!" Jiang Nannan was puzzled, but seeing how respectful Ziyang was, she grew curious about the old woman's identity.
"Hehe, long time no see, little one," Elder Song said kindly. "Is this the young lady who needs to hunt her third soul ring?"
"Yes, Elder Song," Zhu Ziyang answered, then introduced her to Jiang Nannan. "Nannan, this is Elder Song, one of the Sea God Pavilion Elders—a level 97 Super Douluo!"
"!" Jiang Nannan's eyes widened in shock. Then she respectfully said, "Greetings, Elder Song. I'm Jiang Nannan, a level-30 Soul Exalt candidate."
"Very good! You're a fine young lady," Elder Song said with approval. "What is your martial spirit?"
"A mutated Soft Bone Rabbit, Elder Song," Jiang Nannan replied politely.
"Soft Bone Rabbit?" Elder Song raised an eyebrow with surprise, then nodded. "I see. You're both ready, I assume? This trip may take over a month."
"We're all set, Elder Song," Zhu Ziyang said, raising his right hand to show his Starflame Ring.
"Good. Let's go," Elder Song said without delay.
The three departed Shrek Academy and headed south.
"Elder Song, are we going to the Star Luo Empire?" Zhu Ziyang asked, confused.
The Mingdou Mountain Range was at the border of the Heaven Dou, Sun and Moon, and Star Luo Empires—west of Shrek. From their location, they should have headed west.
"That's right," Elder Song replied. "But I have something to handle first. I'll also take you to see some things on the continent. After that, we'll go to the Mingdou Mountains to find Nannan's soul ring."
"Oh…" Zhu Ziyang nodded. What else could he say? He had no choice but to follow.
Three days later.
They arrived at the Giant Forest Province of the Star Luo Empire.
As the name suggests, this province was home to enormous forests—specifically the Star Dou Great Forest. The portion of the forest within the Star Luo Empire lay within this province. From here on, they were outside the traditional sphere of Shrek Academy's influence.
What did that mean?
Four thousand years ago, Shrek Academy began awakening martial spirits for all eligible children within a 100-kilometer radius of the academy for free. This clashed with the interests of the empires' nobility. In response, noble houses across the three empires pressured their royal courts, who in turn pressured Shrek Academy. Though the academy served the common people, it was essentially still a part of the noble system. Under immense pressure from the nobility and royal families, the academy's headmaster eventually compromised—promising to offer free awakenings only within the 100-kilometer zone. Amid heavy internal opposition, he resigned.
Only after Shrek made that concession did the fearful nobles and royal families back down.
Though that headmaster stepped down, it was from that point on that the land surrounding the academy was recognized as Shrek Academy's exclusive zone by the three empires. Although taxes and land ownership still belonged to the empires, all martial spirit awakenings within that region were Shrek's responsibility.
Because of this, most soul masters in the zone were affiliated with Shrek. The talented ones enrolled in the academy; the less talented stayed in Shrek City.
Compared to other areas on the continent, the common people living in the Shrek zone were undoubtedly the most fortunate.
After entering the Giant Forest Province, Zhu Ziyang was puzzled to see Elder Song leave the main road and take a narrow trail instead. This meant their destination was not a major city, but some wild and remote place.
His curiosity grew. But before he could guess anything, Elder Song spoke up.
"Ziyang, Nannan, do you see that village over there?" She pointed to a small village in the distance.
"Yes," they both nodded.
The village resembled Zhangyang Village. Zhu Ziyang suddenly realized what Elder Song intended.
"We're going there so I can teach you how to perform martial spirit awakenings for children," she said with a smile.
Just as he thought! Hearing this, Zhu Ziyang was overwhelmed with emotion. It was a complicated feeling—one he couldn't quite explain—but deep down, he knew all the detours they'd taken these days had been worth it.