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Li Luochen continued toward the inner part of the city, where the academy was located.
The main branch of Shrek Academy was designed by Li Luochen based on his impressions of how Shrek Academy would look in the future. As a liberal arts student, he had a knack for architectural design and was particularly skilled at drawing floor plans.
Following his own design, Li Luochen divided the academy into two sections: the Outer Court and the Inner Court. The Outer Court included the Spirit Arena, academic buildings, the Weapon Spirit Division, the Beast Spirit Division, the Auxiliary Division, the Food Division, dormitories, and dining halls.
Each division was equipped with simulated cultivation environments tailored to its specific needs. A full forty percent of Li Luochen's funds were poured into these facilities. Fortunately, Emperor Xue Ye of Tian Dou was wise enough to understand how to win over talent and generously provided Li Luochen with gold spirit coins.
Would Li Luochen repay this kindness? No. In this world driven by self-interest, who cared about emotions? What was an old man like him worth? Just a mere Soul Douluo.
If he were to indulge in emotions, it would be the sweet affection he shared with Dugu Yan. Little Angel counted as half, too—after all, she had helped him a great deal. Besides, she was part of the "Crown Prince's faction," which could technically be considered aiding Tian Dou Empire.
What? The Crown Prince is fake? I'm blind, I'm deaf, I know nothing. Moreover, Li Luochen held nothing but disdain for the decadent nobility of Tian Dou Empire.
Tian Dou Empire was infested with parasitic elites who drained the blood of the common people. The nobles of Star Luo Empire, on the other hand, were different. Though they also exploited resources, they were fiercely warlike, using those resources to strengthen themselves. The overall strength of every city in Star Luo Empire far surpassed eighty percent of the cities in Tian Dou.
To put it bluntly, the nobility of Tian Dou were nothing but clowns, indulging in hedonism. Meanwhile, the nobles of Star Luo dreamed day and night of conquering Tian Dou and unifying the Douluo Continent. They craved military achievements, creating a stark contrast.
However, Li Luochen thought none of them were truly commendable. Among the three major powers, the Spirit Hall was slightly more tolerable—at least since Bibi Dong had been scolded in that letter, the Spirit Hall had undergone a complete overhaul from top to bottom.
This was information Li Luochen had gleaned from his two masters. Who knew what had gotten into Bibi Dong, but she was determined to reform the Spirit Hall, convicting those parasites of corruption. Minor offenders were sentenced to labor reform, while major offenders were executed outright—like Bishop Miles of Gengjin City.
Li Luochen found this somewhat acceptable. At least there was change. Bibi Dong was indeed an ambitious woman. Personally, Li Luochen admitted he wasn't good at managing such large organizations.
Handling a few people was fine, but once the number exceeded a hundred, he was out of his depth.
Entering Shrek Academy, Li Luochen led Ning Rongrong, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing on a tour of the campus.
He had visited countless times before, after all—he was essentially the chief designer of Shrek Academy. How could he not be familiar with every detail?
"Xiao Ao, head directly to the Food Division later. There's a simulated environment perfectly suited for your cultivation.
Hongjun, go to the Beast Spirit Division. Remember to head to the fire-attribute area—the land was brought back by Elder Dugu from the Undying Volcano. It's rich in fire attributes, and even Second Aunt Liu Erlong likes to cultivate there.
Zhuqing, go to the Dark Forest in the Beast Spirit Division. It's the best cultivation environment for dark-attribute and feline-type martial souls.
As for Rongrong, your gemstone-type martial soul can simply train in a pile of gems. But honestly, training here might not be as effective as training at home—you have the most gems anyway. Still, you can stay if you want. At least the simulated environment here isn't bad. You should be able to break through to level thirty within half a year. By the way, I'll arrange something for you.
Later, I'll make a deal with your father, Lord Ning. Of course, this has nothing to do with your personal cultivation—it's just a transaction. I think you'll ultimately benefit from it."
After saying all this, Li Luochen promptly left. The four exchanged glances, unsure what Li Luochen was up to.
Li Luochen's urgency to leave stemmed from his desire to find Dugu Yan. After all, the girl was playing with fire, and she needed some proper "cultivation." Otherwise, she wouldn't know her place.
Li Luochen entered Dugu Yan's room, and he didn't emerge until three days later. On the evening of the third day, he staggered out, clutching his lower back. Though he looked somewhat disheveled, his face was glowing red, as if he'd just won a decisive victory.
"Hmph, challenging me? Little Dugu Yan, you're still no match for me. Ouch, though the aftereffects of her dragon transformation are quite intense. No wonder she has a Dragon King-level martial soul—how exhausting.
The all-attribute boost is ridiculous. I need to absorb the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone. Its endless vitality is essential; otherwise, I'll really lose to this little dragon maiden."
Li Luochen immediately headed to his cultivation room. He prepared to absorb the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone. Currently at level sixty-seven, the hundred-thousand-year spirit bone should help him gain over one level. With luck, he could push for level sixty-nine.
Next, he planned to absorb the Golden Dragon Torso Bone, making it easier to assimilate the soul ring of the Titan Giant Ape. After all, it was his first hundred-thousand-year soul ring, so caution was necessary.
Meanwhile, inside Dugu Yan's room, as soon as Li Luochen left, she sat up.
"Chen's combat strength keeps growing, but my own isn't weak either. Sooner or later, I'll make you bow at my feet."
Dugu Yan then freshened up and prepared to continue her cultivation. Li Luochen had told her that her eighth soul ring would come from the Azure Bull Python of the Star Dou Great Forest, known as the Forest Emperor and possessing partial Azure Dragon bloodline.
Dugu Yan was currently at level seventy-eight, having just advanced the previous week. She planned to reach Soul Douluo status within a year and absorb the Azure Bull Python's soul ring.
She already had experience absorbing a hundred-thousand-year soul ring—her seventh soul ring was also from a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. This made her an unprecedented existence in the history of spirit masters.
She was highly likely to become the strongest female spirit master in history, and she was striving toward that goal.
Indeed, Dugu Yan had consumed numerous top-tier immortal herbs, each of which was extraordinary in its own right. Her innate talent was unparalleled—only Qian Renxue could compare, and even Bibi Dong likely couldn't match her.
Sometimes, Li Luochen felt that Du Gu Yan might be getting too strong. At the moment, he couldn't defeat her when she activated her True Body state—it was simply unreasonable. The only place he could reclaim his "dignity" was in bed.
Occasionally, Li Luochen felt as though Dugu Yan was acting more like his husband, sometimes even protecting him. This wouldn't do. He had promised to protect her for life—how could the roles reverse like this? Still, he secretly enjoyed it.
But ultimately, Li Luochen knew that becoming stronger himself was the key. Dugu Yan didn't have the ruthlessness required for certain tasks—or perhaps she simply couldn't bring herself to do them. Such dirty work would fall to him.
Let her remain the beautiful maiden while he handled the grueling tasks.
Inside his cultivation room, Li Luochen pressed the blue-golden right leg bone against his own right leg. Instantly, he felt an overwhelming surge of vitality flood into his body.
During his cultivation, Li Luochen seemed to see a beautiful woman in a blue dress with flowing blue hair.
However, the woman's expression was emotionless, and she disappeared shortly after.
Li Luochen thought to himself that while the Blue Silver Emperor was indeed beautiful, she paled in comparison to his little dragon maiden.
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