Normally, Eastsea Academy wouldn't have stood in the way. One of their own students getting into Shrek Academy was actually good news. A bit of publicity, and it would bring in another wave of new students.
Besides, blocking it would serve no purpose at all, and would only put them at odds with their most outstanding student. There was no need for that.
As luck would have it, no sooner had Arthur left than Agravaine arrived hot on his heels.
He looked Wu Changkong over carefully. Of everything he'd just scanned across all of Eastsea City, Wu Changkong was the only thing that had felt slightly off.
Agravaine asked, "Have you seen Arthur?"
"Arthur?" Wu Changkong looked somewhat surprised, and raised a hand to point not far off, at Arthur's retreating figure, strolling away as though out for a leisurely walk.
But right before Agravaine's gaze followed the gesture, Arthur had just turned the corner of a wall, slipping out of view.
Seeing no one there, Agravaine sent his spiritual power threading through the area, peeling it apart layer by layer in careful search, but found nothing at all.
"Tch." He frowned, and having found nothing, Agravaine vanished, off to search elsewhere.
Left standing there, Wu Changkong was thoroughly baffled. What exactly was going on.
Two and a half years after the Skysea Alliance Tournament, the students of Class Zero, all of them much grown now, gathered at the soul-guided train station.
Gu Yue wore a plain long dress, her hair falling loose over her shoulders. At just twelve, she'd already grown to a height of one meter seventy, slender and graceful.
Na'er was no less striking, a sky-blue gauze dress setting off her willowy figure. She too had shot up to one meter seventy, her silver-white hair cascading like moonlight.
Aside from Arthur, the two of them had the highest soul power in the group, both at level forty-eight. It was as though something had switched on inside them: the higher their soul power level climbed, the faster their cultivation speed grew.
Tang Wulin, meanwhile, showed an increasingly pronounced mutation in his Blue Silver Grass, his soul power level rocketing upward to reach level thirty-four.
Xie Xie, still stuck at level thirty-three, was thrown completely off balance by this. Being overtaken by his good buddy was the one thing he simply could not accept.
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi were both at level thirty-two.
Xu Xiaoyan, the lowest of the group, was at level thirty-one.
Watching them all, Wu Changkong felt a stir of gratification in his heart.
While waiting for the train, the students of Class Zero crowded around him, chattering about what Shrek City would be like.
Not far away, Arthur was needling Agravaine mercilessly, right to his face. "Tsk tsk tsk, you looked so flustered yesterday, not being able to find me."
"Hahaha, you little brat, feeling your wings have grown strong, have you!" Agravaine wasn't angry in the least. Quite the opposite, he was genuinely delighted, his eyes brimming with unconcealed pride. "To slip past my full-strength search, there can't be many left in the entire federation who could catch you."
"I can't speak for a Limit Douluo, but even a level ninety-eight Super Douluo wouldn't outmatch me when it comes to searching. After all, my martial soul was built for exactly this."
"Hurry up and grow stronger. Let's uproot the Holy Spirit Cult together."
Hearing this, Arthur dropped the teasing and turned serious. "Soon. It won't take more than a few years."
"With those words from you, your uncle can finally rest easy!" Agravaine clapped him on the shoulder, the strength in his palm steady and firm. "I've long wanted to have it out with those beasts in the Holy Spirit Cult. Once you've grown strong enough, the two of us, uncle and nephew, will join forces, and not a single one of them will get away!"
"Naturally. With the two of us together, a Crouching Dragon and a Phoenix Fledgling, the Holy Spirit Cult won't stand a chance!" Arthur and Agravaine locked eyes for a moment.
Then the two of them planted their hands on their hips in unison and burst into triumphant laughter.
They set off for Shrek City.
When the soul-guided train entered the territory of Shrek City, its speed noticeably slowed, and an announcement soon came over the carriage speakers:
"Dear honored passengers, we have now entered Douluo Continent's largest city: Shrek City."
What followed was a long stream of introduction about the Spirit Pagoda, with Shrek Academy getting barely a passing mention.
One listen was enough to tell whose train this really was.
And as the train pulled into the station, the Spirit Pagoda headquarters came into view right on cue: in the distance, a towering pagoda rose majestically, its body octagonal in shape and glowing with a faint silver sheen, its peak already swallowed by clouds and mist, only its outline visible.
"It's so tall, even more magnificent than the pictures online." Xu Xiaoyan tilted her head back in amazement. She rarely traveled, and this was her first time in Shrek City.
"You're telling me!" Xie Xie leaned toward the window, his voice full of wonder. "The federation has it written into law that no building can exceed its height. It really lives up to its reputation!"
"I wonder what the view is like from the very top. I'd love to go up and see."
"It's alright." Na'er pursed her lips. "Nothing special, really. Not much to look at."
Xie Xie's eyes went wide. "You've been up there?"
"You didn't know?" Na'er said, puzzled. "Didn't I tell you all that I'm from the Spirit Pagoda?"
"I thought you were just saying that off the cuff, or at most had some loose connection to the place!" Xie Xie scratched his head. "Otherwise, why would you leave the Spirit Pagoda headquarters to come all the way to Eastsea Academy?"
"Isn't it obvious why I came to Eastsea Academy?" Na'er glanced toward Arthur.
Xie Xie fell silent at once. So much for asking.
After entering Shrek City, the train ran for a full hour more before finally, slowly, pulling into the station.
This station was the largest in the entire federation.
Its towering dome, its architecture steeped in an old-world elegance, and the exquisite stone carvings visible everywhere: all of it spoke to the city's deep and storied heritage.
"Teacher Wu, are we heading straight to Shrek Academy now?" Tang Wulin asked, a little uneasy. The vast gap between Shrek City and Eastsea City brought back memories of once being called a country bumpkin.
"No." Wu Changkong's expression stayed calm. "We'll find a hotel to settle into first."
"What hotel." Na'er stepped forward, declaring boldly, "We're staying at the Spirit Pagoda, straight up!"
"Didn't you all want to see the top? Well, perfect, I'll take you there myself!"
"Stay at the Spirit Pagoda?!" Xie Xie jumped straight up, his eyes lighting up like they were on fire. "Na'er, you're unbelievable! This is Spirit Pagoda headquarters, and you can just say the word and we're staying there?"
Xu Xiaoyan looked just as stunned, her fingers tightening slightly around the hem of her dress. "Wouldn't that be... too much trouble? Spirit Pagoda headquarters isn't the kind of place you can just walk into, is it?"
"Leave it to me!" Na'er waved a hand grandly, brimming with confidence.
Watching this, even Arthur couldn't help chiming in. "Impressive, truly impressive. Now that's real pull."
Na'er, who a moment ago had carried herself like the boss of the group, instantly turned bashful at his words.
She blushed faintly and lowered her head. "Heh heh heh, it's nothing really."
Gu Yue, taking in the whole scene, was utterly speechless. What exactly are you blushing about?!
Wu Changkong watched the group's noisy antics, a flicker of warmth passing through his eyes, then said in a low voice, "Since Na'er is confident, then let's head to the Spirit Pagoda."
As it happened, he was more than a little curious himself about just what kind of standing Na'er actually held within the Spirit Pagoda.
The group followed Na'er through a winding maze of turns.
Before long, the towering form of the Spirit Pagoda loomed right before them.
Up close, it was nothing like viewing it from a distance: the sheer weight of its presence was almost suffocating.
As they approached, the guards at the Spirit Pagoda's gates, assuming they'd come to purchase soul spirits, stepped forward to inform them. "Sorry, everyone, the soul spirit district is closed for the day. If you'd like to purchase a soul spirit, please come back tomorrow."
"New here?" Na'er said, her expression full of swagger.
The guard's heart lurched in alarm. What did that mean?
Could it be?
Ignoring the guard entirely, Na'er strode forward and kicked the gate wide open.
"Spirit Pagoda, your emperor has returned!"
Flop Diary: After spending today shooting the breeze in the group chat, I've put together some thoughts on how to become a mature author.
When someone posts their book's stats, no matter what the numbers actually are, whether they're great or terrible, all you have to do is reply with things like "Taking off," "A god," "So jealous," "You're amazing, boss, send a red packet." If you genuinely can't think of anything to say, just become a parrot and repeat whatever's already been posted. Do that, and congratulations, you're officially a mature author.
In the group chat, even a brand-new author can bask in the kind of ultimate adoration usually reserved for the heavyweights pulling in ten thousand a month.