Sea God's Pavilion.
Mu En lay peacefully on his reclining chair. Yan Shaozhe, having just finished handling official matters, stood respectfully by his side.
Mu En spoke leisurely, "Shaozhe, put aside your tasks for the next couple of days and hand them over to Meier."
"I've already spoken to Xiaolin. Go to the Treasure Pavilion, select some gifts, and take a trip to Tianyuan City. Reconnect with your old friends and express the academy's goodwill."
Hearing this, Yan Shaozhe was momentarily stunned before a delighted expression appeared on his face. "Teacher, you truly think of everything. I'll set out first thing in the morning."
Mu En shook his head helplessly. "You… When will you finally develop a broader perspective? If you did, you could at least look after Sicheng properly before he matures."
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Yan Shaozhe's face. "Teacher, I may not be as capable as you, but surely I can manage to watch over Zhou Sicheng?"
Mu En shot him a sharp glance. "You? You're meticulous about trivial matters but full of flaws when it comes to the big picture. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you end up consulting Sicheng instead!"
Hearing his teacher's criticism, Yan Shaozhe dared not argue and could only respond with a helpless smile. "Teacher, you'll be fine. But saying this really hurts me… He's just a twelve-year-old kid. Can he really be as extraordinary as you make him out to be?"
Mu En chuckled. "You don't understand. Just wait and see. This child Sicheng is a true miracle—a miracle for Shrek Academy."
With that, Mu En waved his hand dismissively. "Go now. I want some peace and quiet."
Since his teacher was practically shooing him away, Yan Shaozhe had no choice but to leave. After offering a respectful bow, he quietly exited the Sea God's Pavilion.
Before leaving, he went to find Ma Xiaotao. If even his teacher spoke so highly of Zhou Sicheng, there was no way he would overlook this kid.
Inner Court Battle Arena.
The moment Zhou Sicheng entered, all eyes turned to him.
Even those who hadn't witnessed his fight against Ma Xiaotao had heard about his terrifying strength from others.
A mere Rank 38 Soul Elder had managed to defeat Ma Xiaotao and take 30 battle points from her.
In Shrek Academy's battle system, when a lower-ranked student defeated a higher-ranked one, the points gained were doubled, and the points were directly deducted from the higher-ranked opponent.
With a monster like Zhou Sicheng around, many inner court students were bound to lose their points to him.
After all, he had defeated Ma Xiaotao. How many people in the inner court could match her strength?
As Zhou Sicheng approached the registration desk, the young women managing the points exchange booth all flashed adoring smiles at him.
He handed over his battle card. "Sisters, I'd like to register."
One of them beamed at him. "Would you like an open or hidden match?"
Zhou Sicheng thought for a moment. "Hidden. I'm afraid no one would dare challenge me otherwise."
"Alright. Any level restrictions?"
"Anyone below Soul Sage is fine."
The moment he finished speaking, the previously noisy arena fell into complete silence. It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Aside from those already engaged in battles, everyone else who had been paying attention to Zhou Sicheng took a sharp breath.
Below Soul Sage…
Was this kid really a new inner court student?
However, after witnessing his battle against Ma Xiaotao, no one doubted him anymore.
Everyone simply prayed they wouldn't be matched against this monster—because they had no confidence in winning.
In truth, with Zhou Sicheng's current strength, very few people below the Titled Douluo rank could stand against him.
A 15,000-year-old Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear… That alone was enough to challenge an ordinary Titled Douluo!
At this moment, dressed in the signature red uniform of Shrek Academy's inner court, Zhou Sicheng looked like a complete anomaly—a monster no one wanted to face.
If they knew the full extent of his power, they would probably lose their minds.
Duguxianmeng grinned at him. "You practically became a legend overnight. Now that you've registered, I doubt anyone will dare to sign up."
Zhou Sicheng replied, "I don't think so. Aren't Shrek's geniuses supposed to be fearless? They wouldn't give up so easily."
Hearing this exchange, the other students' expressions twisted.
Was this sarcasm, or did this junior really believe what he was saying?
But that was a Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear! And nearly 10,000 years old! You couldn't just defeat something like that with words alone.
Even the Flame Demon Ma Xiaotao hadn't dared to engage it in close combat!
After completing his registration, Zhou Sicheng and Duguxianmeng went to find a seat in the spectator area to wait for the results.
Zhou Sicheng turned to her. "Sister Xianmeng, aren't you signing up?"
Duguxianmeng rolled her eyes. "Signing up now? Do you just want to use your Ice Jade Scorpion to bully me?"
Zhou Sicheng chuckled. "But I registered for a hidden match, meaning it's random. You could always sign up for an open match."
If you just want to spend more time with me, just say so. Don't make it seem like you always choose random battles!
While they chatted, more and more people filled the battle arena.
No other reason—they were all here to watch Zhou Sicheng.
Or rather, they wanted to see those three purple soul rings and his extraordinary contracted soul beasts in action.
Suddenly, the arena erupted into cheers.
A tall, beautiful figure entered, surrounded by admirers.
Seeing the stunning woman, Dugu Xianmeng raised an eyebrow. "The Golden Fairy, Han Ruoruo. I didn't expect her to be back at the academy already."
Hearing this name, Zhou Sicheng's gaze immediately shifted toward her.
At the same moment, Han Ruoruo's eyes scanned the arena—meeting Zhou Sicheng's gaze directly.
The two exchanged warm, pleasant smiles.
Dugu Xianmeng noticed this interaction and gritted her teeth in frustration. As expected of our senior sister!
She could only hope her troublesome junior brother wouldn't be easily swayed by beauty. After all, there were plenty of gorgeous women in Shrek Academy…
For ordinary students, the inner court was a place where men outnumbered women. But for a prodigy like Zhou Sicheng, he was the sought-after prize.
Zhou Sicheng soon withdrew his gaze, but Dugu Xianmenghuffed. "Senior Sister Ruoruo is a Soul Sage, you know. And she rarely comes here. The fact that she's staring at you like that… I bet she came specifically for you."
Zhou Sicheng raised an eyebrow slightly. It seemed that his overwhelming victory against Ma Xiaotao had already reached the ears of the famous Golden Fairy.
And indeed, that was exactly the case. Han Ruoruo had just returned from a mission when she heard about Zhou Sicheng.
Learning that he was at the battle arena, she had decided to come see for herself.
To witness the newly enrolled student who had defeated Ma Xiaotao and drawn the attention of Elder Xuan and the other academy elites.
After their brief eye contact, Han Ruoruo reached a simple conclusion—this junior was quite handsome.
At the same time, she couldn't help but admire him. There weren't many people in the academy who dared to interact so closely with the Poison Enchantress, Dugu Xianmeng.
Not that Han Ruoruo disliked Dugu Xianmeng—it was simply a well-known fact.
The poison of the Jade Phosphor Serpent was not something just anyone dared to deal with.
And Dugu Xianmeng's was even more terrifying—the Jade Phosphor Five Poisons.
Han Ruoruo's arrival also drew countless stares.
She was the dream girl of many students.
Without much fanfare, she walked to a quieter spot and took a seat.
She was here for one reason only—to watch Zhou Sicheng fight.
Three purple soul rings.
Three nearly 10,000-year-old contracted soul beasts…
****
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