After breakfast, Dugu Xianmeng took Zhou Sichen with her to continue familiarizing themselves with the Inner Court.
There were still several days before the new student intake began, and during this period, Duguxian Meng was fully responsible for helping Zhou Sichen get acquainted with the Inner Court.
Given Zhou Sichen's current status and access to resources within the academy, places like the Soul Dueling Arena were no longer necessary for him—at most, he might occasionally train some of the Inner Court students.
After all, within the entire academy, there were only a handful who could even hope to compete against his contracted soul beast.
And to be clear—it's the academy that couldn't compete with him, not just the students.
With three powerful and rare soul beasts at the ten-thousand-year level, Zhou Sichen was already capable of facing even Titled Douluo.
Strangely enough, despite possessing such terrifying strength, her annoying little brother had never once put on the airs of a mighty expert. On the contrary, he always smiled brightly around her, constantly teasing and joking.
Duguxian Meng knew very well—this was his way of showing affection toward her.
Despite the terrifying power of Zhou Sichen's soul beasts, he was still only twelve years old. There were many things he had yet to learn, much experience to gain. Without that, he couldn't possibly master such overwhelming strength to its fullest.
Now was the time for him to gain experience and broaden his horizons.
At least—that's what others would think.
As for Zhou Sichen himself, while the academy was indeed a place to accumulate experience and knowledge, that wasn't what truly mattered to him.
If he had come only for the so-called experience, then there would've been no need to attend the academy at all.
What he truly sought was everything that could benefit him—resources, connections...
Zhou Sichen's ambition wasn't limited to a small place like Tianyuan City, nor even to Shrek Academy or the Sea God's Pavilion. What he wanted, no one could simply give him—he had to take it for himself.
Walking alongside Duguxian Meng, he took in the beautiful scenery of Sea God's Island. Unknowingly, they arrived at the Sea God Pavilion's Archive.
The Archive was considered one of Shrek's secrets. Many ancient and long-lost manuscripts, some dating back over ten thousand years, could be found here.
The Archive had three levels. Inner Court students were typically only allowed access to the first floor. The second required formal approval from the academy, while only a handful of people were permitted access to the third.
But for Zhou Sichen, there were no such restrictions. One of the privileges of being a Special-Rank Teacher was unrestricted access to the Archive.
That said, even teachers like Elder Xuan, who held the same rank, barely came here once a year.
Partly because his knowledge was already vast—there wasn't much he didn't already understand.
And partly because Elder Xuan simply didn't like reading. Naturally, he wouldn't come to the Archive unless absolutely necessary.
These few days were mostly for getting familiar with the academy and building rapport with his little fairy, Xian Meng. Zhou Sichen merely gave the Archive a brief glance before they moved on to their next stop.
Still, he thought to himself: if he had more time in the future, he might come by more often. Who knows? He might find something valuable.
They wandered around until noon, and between today and the previous day, Zhou Sichen was now fairly familiar with Sea God's Island.
At lunchtime, Zhou Sichen used his Special-Rank Teacher status to dine at the top-level Red-Class cafeteria.
When it came to resource allocation, the academy was strict. Even with his current status, Zhou Sichen wasn't allowed to bring others with him casually.
Maybe once or twice would be overlooked—but too many times, and the others would certainly start complaining.
Duguxian Meng wasn't the type to take advantage of such things either. When Zhou Sichen offered to bring her to the Red-Class cafeteria, she declined, citing her own eligibility as only Purple-Class.
However, she didn't refuse when Zhou Sichen offered to pack up some leftovers for her. That was part of a small bet between them—something that made their relationship unique compared to others.
The space on the top floor wasn't large, only enough to seat about ten people. Very few people came here regularly—most of the time, it remained closed.
That's because, so far, only Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan had earned a Red-Class Soul Badge. She was often busy and rarely at the academy.
As Zhou Sichen stepped inside, a burly man with a full beard greeted him with a cheerful grin.
"You must be Zhou Sichen, right? Come on in! I've got a pot of delicious meat stew ready just for today!"
Zhou Sichen wasn't surprised the man knew who he was. After all, the academy had already informed its staff about his new status.
There was no need for any of those cliché 'misunderstanding and face-slapping' moments here.
He casually chose a quiet seat and said, "Thank you, uncle."
The bearded man laughed heartily. "No need to thank me! Serving talented young folks like you is our job."
Zhou Sichen then asked, "Uncle, would it be alright if I packed a portion to take with me when I leave?"
The man hesitated briefly before replying, "No problem."
Soon, Zhou Sichen's meal arrived—ten-thousand-year Earth Dragon soup, stir-fried thousand-year wild rice shoots...
After devouring the feast, Zhou Sichen felt warm and invigorated all over. The nutrition and energy contained in soul beast ingredients of that level needed no explanation.
Before leaving, he packed a portion of food to bring to Duguxian Meng. That would be her dinner.
He stored the meal in his soul tool and headed to the third floor to find her.
By then, Duguxian Meng had already eaten. She happily accepted the delicacies Zhou Sichen had packed for her and, feeling quite content, led him to the Soul Dueling Arena.
Inner Court students were required to participate in at least one duel per week, though most would go whenever they had time.
While Zhou Sichen was wandering around the academy with Duguxian Meng earlier, Ma Xiaotao had come looking for him. Finding him absent from the villa, she left with an annoyed huff.
She had told him just yesterday that she'd come see him today—how could he not care at all?
Was he really spending all his time walking around with that little poison girl, Duguxian Meng?
Still, since Zhou Sichen wasn't there, Ma Xiaotao simply went about her own business. As long as he was still in the academy, there would be plenty of time to find him again. No rush—she had all the time in the world.
Back in the Soul Dueling Arena, Zhou Sichen's appearance immediately drew everyone's attention the moment he stepped in.
He was no longer just another junior student—he was the head referee and combat instructor of the Soul Dueling Arena. Within these walls, they all had to call him Teacher Zhou.
Li Runrun spotted Duguxian Meng and came bouncing over happily. "Xian Meng, you're here!"
Then, she looked at Zhou Sichen with slight nervousness and said shyly, "Teacher… Zhou?"
Although Zhou Sichen's strength had long surpassed what they could comprehend, he had only just entered the Inner Court.
Even without knowing his exact age, he looked no older than them.
And now, he had suddenly become a teacher. For Li Runrun, it was a hard shift to accept.
Zhou Sichen smiled gently. "No need to be so formal, senior. I'm only an instructor here in the Soul Dueling Arena due to the academy's arrangement. Outside, I'm still your junior in the Inner Court."
His voice wasn't loud, but in the mostly quiet arena—aside from two people currently dueling—it was clear enough for everyone to hear.
If nothing else, it showed that Zhou Sichen was easy to get along with.
But even so, how many people in the academy still dared call him "junior"?
Zhou Sichen had shown them enough respect—and in return, they all knew how to show their admiration for this peerless genius.
Fortunately, they didn't know he was only twelve years old... or they might never believe it at all.
****
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