Closing the System panel, Liu Yuan lay on the bed, tossing and turning, his heart still surging with excitement.
Whether it was the newly acquired powerful Spirit Ability "Dragon Dance" or the upcoming journey to the Extreme North Land, both filled him with drive.
This excitement lasted for a long time before he finally slowly drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, after a simple wash, Liu Yuan went straight to the Dean's office.
He needed to bid farewell to Jing Hongchen.
Of course, he wasn't planning to leave the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
He just needed a reasonable excuse to leave the academy for a while and head to the Extreme North Land to complete a new check-in task.
Conveniently, the academy's semester had ended, and it was currently the holidays; most students had already left for home.
This provided him with a perfect excuse.
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Come in." Jing Hongchen's gentle voice came from inside the office.
Liu Yuan pushed the door open and saw Jing Hongchen sitting behind his desk, processing files.
"Oh? It's Little Yuan. Why are you here so early? Is something the matter?" Jing Hongchen looked up, and seeing it was Liu Yuan, a kind smile immediately appeared on his face.
"Grandpa Dean." Liu Yuan greeted him respectfully. "The academy is on break now, so I plan to go home and visit."
"Going home?" Jing Hongchen was momentarily stunned, then nodded understandingly. "That's right, you've been away from home for so long, it's time to go back. Good, go back and relax; you've worked hard studying these past few months."
He looked at the young man before him, his heart full of appreciation and affection.
"Stay safe on the road. If you need anything, contact me anytime through the soul tool communicator," Jing Hongchen instructed.
"Alright, thank you for your concern, Grandpa Dean."
After receiving permission, Liu Yuan didn't stay long. After bidding farewell to Jing Hongchen, he turned and left the Dean's office.
He returned to the dormitory, shouldered his already prepared simple bag, and strode out of the gates of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Standing on the bustling streets of Bright Capital, Liu Yuan looked up at the northern sky and took a deep breath.
Extreme North Land, fourth Spirit Ability, here I come!
...
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of miles away at Shrek Academy.
Deep within the Sea Gods Pavilion, in Xuan Zi's quiet room which was perpetually filled with the smell of chicken legs and fine wine, the atmosphere seemed somewhat heavy.
Xuan Zi leaned back in his lounge chair, and for once, he wasn't holding any food. In his cloudy eyes, a dark and uncertain light flickered.
Since Ling Luochen left last time without being able to bring back the name of that Genius youth, he had mobilized all the power of the Supervision Team to search within the Sun Moon Empire.
However, three months had passed, and they still had nothing to show for it.
That youth, whom Ling Luochen had described as breathtakingly brilliant, seemed to have vanished into thin air.
This matter had become a thorn in his side.
Just then, there was a light knock on the door of the quiet room.
"Come in," Xuan Zi said deeply.
A dark shadow slipped in like a ghost, kneeling on one knee with an extremely respectful posture.
It was a scout responsible for intelligence for the Shrek Supervisory Group.
"Elder Xuan." The scout's voice carried a hint of irrepressible excitement. "The matter you asked us to investigate earlier—we have a lead!"
Xuan Zi suddenly sat bolt upright in his lounge chair, his cloudy eyes instantly erupting with a terrifyingly sharp light!
"Oh? You found him? Speak quickly! Where is that Genius?"
"Reporting to Elder Xuan," the scout lowered his voice, "we spent a great deal of effort and finally found out. That youth... is in the capital of the Sun Moon Empire, Bright Capital!"
"Bright Capital?" Xuan Zi's brow furrowed.
The scout continued to report: "Yes! Moreover, he is currently at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy!"
"What?!" Xuan Zi's expression changed. "He joined the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy? Since when?"
"According to the intelligence we gathered, it should have been three months ago. And..." The scout paused, his tone filled with shock, "And, in just these three short months after joining the academy, that Genius has become a Fourth-Rank Soul Engineer through his studies!"
"What did you say?!"
This time, Xuan Zi really couldn't sit still!
He stood up abruptly, his face written with shock and disbelief!
"Three months! Becoming a Fourth-Rank Soul Engineer?! How is that possible!"
Although he didn't practice with spirit tools, Shrek itself had a Soul Tool Department, so Xuan Zi naturally knew how difficult it was to Cultivate as a Soul Engineer.
For someone who had never touched a spirit tool to become a Fourth-Rank Soul Engineer in just three short months—what kind of terrifying talent was that!
This could no longer be described as a Genius; this was simply a monster!
His Spirit cultivation talent was supreme, and his talent as a Soul Engineer was even more one in ten thousand!
Get him!
I must get him!
Only this one thought remained in Xuan Zi's mind!
I must poach this Prodigy for Shrek!
Furthermore, no matter what, he couldn't let him stay at the Sun Moon Royal Academy, Shrek Academy's greatest competitor.
"But... Elder Xuan..." The scout looked troubled.
"According to the intelligence, his status at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy is extraordinary. It seems he was taken in as a Core Disciple by Dean Jing Hongchen as soon as he entered, enjoying the highest level of treatment. Trying to poach him might be..."
"So what if he's a Core Disciple?!"
Xuan Zi waved his hand, a crazed light of determination flickering in his eyes, not giving the scout a chance to finish.
"Can Shrek not give what Jing Hongchen can? We can give even more!"
Xuan Zi paced back and forth in the quiet room, saying in a hurried tone: "Listen! As long as he is willing to come, our Shrek Academy can also give him the status of a Core Disciple! No! Let him enter the Inner Court directly! Let him enjoy all the benefits of an Inner Court Core Disciple!"
"Not only that!" Xuan Zi held up one finger, his voice filled with an unquestionable dominance. "One semester, one million gold coins in cultivation subsidies! In addition, give him two Spirit Bones! Let him choose them himself!"
"Hiss—"
Hearing these terms, the kneeling scout couldn't help but gasp, his eyes filled with horror!
Entering the Inner Court directly!
A one-million gold coin semester subsidy!
And two Spirit Bones to be chosen at will!
Such a grand gesture could be called the highest price Shrek had ever offered to an outside student in the ten thousand years since its founding!
He believed that in the face of such temptation, no one could refuse!
"Elder Xuan is wise! With such generous conditions, I'm sure we can win him over!" the scout hurriedly complimented.
Xuan Zi nodded with satisfaction; he also believed that in this way, he could easily win over the other party.
Just then, there was another knock on the door of the quiet room.
"Elder Xuan, I'm back."
A steady and powerful voice came from outside the door.
"It's Yue Heng. Come in."
The door was pushed open, and a tall young man with shoulder-length golden hair and a handsome face walked in. He wore the uniform of the Shrek Inner Court, and there was a natural air of dominance in his stride.
It was the Shrek Inner Court student, the eldest son of the Duke of White Tiger, Dai Yueheng!
He had just completed a high-difficulty task for the Supervision Team and had returned to report.
When Xuan Zi saw him, his eyes lit up, and he immediately had an idea.
He directly beckoned to Dai Yueheng and said, "Yue Heng, you've returned at the perfect time. I have an even more important mission to give you."
Saying this, Xuan Zi used the most concise language to quickly explain the matter of the Genius youth and the conditions he had offered to Dai Yueheng.
After Dai Yueheng finished listening, a look of shock also appeared in his eyes, but he quickly calmed down.
"Go to the Sun Moon Royal Academy with him and bring this person back to me at all costs!" Xuan Zi stared at Dai Yueheng and issued the command.
Dai Yueheng did not hesitate in the slightest, immediately bowing and answering with a sonorous and powerful voice:
"Yes! Elder Xuan!"
"Rest assured, we will definitely bring this person back to Shrek!"
"I guarantee I will not fail the mission!"
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