Driven out of his spiritual sea by the embarrassed and angry Tian Meng Ice Silk Worm, Ji Lin shook his head with a smile. That Tian Meng Ice Silk Worm is so weak, and yet he can't even handle being teased.
His goal had already been accomplished, so there was no need to remain in the Star Dou Forest. On his way back, Ji Lin once again caught sight of Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and another companion hunting down a century-old Purple Spirit Mink.
To encounter such a rare spiritual-type soul beast on the outer edge of the Star Dou Forest... It seems that even though Huo Yuhao didn't obtain Tian Meng Ice Silk Worm because of me, the plane's original protagonist is still favored by destiny and finds a beast suitable for him regardless.
Arriving at the spot where he had parted with Chi Yuan, Ji Lin found her resting against a tree. After regrouping, the two of them headed toward Shrek.
They didn't move too quickly, needing to skirt around the forest. The detour would span close to a thousand kilometers.
Several hours later, Ji Lin and Chi Yuan finally caught sight of their destination—Shrek Academy.
Rather than calling it an academy, it would be more accurate to call it a city. Emerging from the forest and following the main road, towering city walls stretched across the plains in both directions.
Shrek Academy was built atop the Lìmǎ Plains and occupied a massive area. It was a city in itself, known as Shrek City. On the Douluo Continent, Shrek City was one of the largest, with a population exceeding two million. The Academy had exclusive governing rights over the city and did not need to pay taxes to any nation. That alone was something unmatched by any other academy—even those within the Sun-Moon Empire.
The academy wasn't located in the center of the city but rather on the eastern edge, closer to the Star Dou Forest.
Shrek City had roads extending in all four directions, making it a hub of continental travel. Besides being the site of the academy, it also served as the most crucial trade city at the junction of the three great empires of the original Douluo Continent. Thanks to Shrek Academy's presence, public order in the city was exceptional, and trading here was not only fair but also secure. As a result, merchants from all three empires often chose Shrek City for their cross-national transactions.
The south, west, and north gates of the city were open for general access, but the eastern gate was exclusively reserved for Shrek Academy.
Ji Lin and Chi Yuan arrived at the east gate.
Though it was a private gate, it was bustling with activity. Over five thousand people were gathered outside the entrance, creating a lively scene. Vendors had clearly gotten wind of the event and flocked here to do business. It was probably more lively outside the city than inside at this point.
"Looks like we've arrived at the perfect time." Ji Lin said with a smile, gazing at the crowd, "Right during Shrek Academy's new student enrollment period."
As for the high-level letter of recommendation from one of the three great imperial capitals—Xu Jiujiu had already prepared that long ago.
There were only two requirements to enroll in Shrek Academy's outer court: first, the applicant had to be under twelve years old; second, they needed to possess at least Level 15 soul power.
For Ji Lin, both were a piece of cake.
After escorting Ji Lin to the east gate, Chi Yuan took her leave. She would be staying within Shrek City but wouldn't enter the academy itself. After all, the academy didn't allow non-members—even Title Douluo—to reside within its grounds.
Fortunately, Xu Jiujiu, the wealthy princess, had already arranged a residence for Chi Yuan, saving them the trouble of house-hunting.
After Chi Yuan left, Ji Lin circled around the crowd and approached the east gate.
From a distance, he spotted a stunning young woman in snow-white clothing standing by the city gate, as though she were waiting for someone.
Passersby were casting admiring glances her way. Beauty always attracted attention.
"Le Xuan-jie!?"
Ji Lin was pleasantly surprised to recognize the woman. He hadn't expected to encounter Zhang Le Xuan right outside Shrek Academy before even entering the city.
Hearing a familiar voice, Zhang Le Xuan turned her head and saw the tall, strikingly handsome youth who had clearly grown since their last meeting three years ago.
A joyful smile appeared on her face. She waved and gestured for Ji Lin to come over.
Ji Lin jogged up to her and asked with a grin, "Le Xuan-jie, are you waiting for someone? Don't tell me you're here for me?"
"That's right," she replied with a light smile. "I estimated your timing and figured you'd be joining this year's batch at Shrek Academy, so I came to wait for you on enrollment day."
Ji Lin chuckled, "Hehe, Le Xuan-jie, you've grown even more beautiful over the past few years."
"You little smooth talker." she retorted, tapping his forehead with her finger, "I knew from the first time we met that you weren't a good influence. Who knows how many girls you'll end up ruining in the future."
Despite her words, a smile curled at the corners of her lips—clearly, her heart said something different from her mouth.
"Hehe, Le Xuan-jie, let's go register! You've got to show me around Shrek Academy this time." Ji Lin said with a goofy grin, swiftly changing the subject—he knew this was a dangerous topic to linger on.
Zhang Le Xuan looked at Ji Lin in amusement. Of course she could tell he was trying to deflect, but she didn't press the matter and turned to lead him toward the registration area.
At the eastern gate, a dozen or so youths roughly their age were stationed on guard. Each wore a tight-fitting yellow uniform with a green emblem on the chest. These were the uniforms of second- and third-year students from Shrek's outer court.
Seeing Zhang Le Xuan approaching with Ji Lin, the outer court students immediately stood and greeted her respectfully, "Senior sister, do you have any instructions for us?"
They didn't recognize her, but they knew she was from the inner court—and that was more than enough to warrant their deference.
In Shrek Academy, inner court disciples had status surpassing even the outer court instructors. The reaction from these students was completely natural.
Zhang Le Xuan responded gently, "I brought a younger brother to take the entrance test. No need to pay me any mind."
"If he's an inner court senior's little brother, there's no need for testing. Just hand over the recommendation letter—he can enroll directly," one of the outer court students said, quick on the uptake.
Clearly, they figured that if someone was brought by an inner court disciple, he must meet the age and soul power requirements.
But Zhang Le Xuan shook her head, "Let's still follow the procedure. Let him go through the test."
She had full confidence in Ji Lin—there was no need to bend the rules and invite gossip.
"Understood."
A student at the registration desk quickly handed Ji Lin a soul power testing crystal.
Ji Lin submitted his recommendation letter and registered his information. He gathered soul power into his palm, then pressed his hand onto the blue crystal orb and infused it with energy.
The orb glowed brilliantly—then shattered into pieces.
"T-T-This... soul power over Level 30!? What kind of monster is this!?"
The entrance test only required proof that a student's soul power was over Level 15. If it was, they passed.
This testing orb could only measure up to Level 30. Anything beyond that would overload it and cause it to explode.
At that moment, new students and senior students alike all stared at Ji Lin in stunned silence.
Ji Lin smiled and said, "Senior, did I pass the test?"