After Shrek Academy changed fighters, Taining Academy still saw no hope of victory. The four remaining contestants were only Soul Ancestors. Facing Dai Huabin, a high-level Soul King, their only chance would have been to attack together—but fighting one by one only meant being defeated one after another.
By this stage, there was no suspense left. When Dai Huabin defeated Taining Academy's final member, it sealed Shrek Academy's victory. Having already secured six points, the following team battle held no meaning.
Shrek Academy won the match, earning eleven points in total and advancing smoothly to the third round.
Once the match concluded, Zhu Ziyang didn't linger at the arena. He led the team straight back to the hotel. Coincidentally, the Taining Academy team returned at the same time, and the two groups ran into each other in the hotel lobby.
The Taining students all looked dejected, heads drooping like defeated roosters. Only their leader seemed calm—he had clearly expected this outcome. Upon spotting the Shrek group, his expression brightened, and he strode forward with a broad smile.
"Ziyang! Xiaotao! It's been far too long!"
"Senior Brother Zhu! It really has been ages!" Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao both greeted him warmly, laughing as they stepped forward.
The leader of Taining Academy was none other than Zhu Lie, a former inner court disciple of Shrek Academy who had left the academy after the Star Dou Forest incident to return home. He, Zhu Ziyang, and Ma Xiaotao had been comrades who had lived and fought through life-and-death moments together. Though years had passed since they'd last met, the joy and excitement in their reunion were impossible to hide.
Zhu Ziyang embraced him tightly, grinning as he introduced him to the others. "Everyone, this is Senior Brother Zhu Lie, one of Shrek Academy's outstanding graduates from seven years ago."
"Greetings, Senior Brother!" said Jiang Nannan, leading the rest in respectful unison. Their earlier confusion now made sense.
"Haha, no need to be so formal." Zhu Lie waved both hands with his usual warm, honest smile. "When I brought my students here for the tournament, I wondered whether I'd run into anyone from Shrek. I didn't expect it to happen like this, though. What a twist of fate!"
Zhu Ziyang laughed. "Hah, that only proves our connection isn't over yet, doesn't it?"
At his suggestion, Jiang Nannan led the rest of the team upstairs to rest, while Zhu Lie sent his own students off to their rooms to pack up. He then joined Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao in the hotel's teahouse lounge.
They found a quiet corner where they wouldn't be disturbed and began catching up on old times.
From their conversation, Zhu Ziyang learned what had become of Zhu Lie after leaving the academy.
After departing Shrek, Zhu Lie had returned to Taining City, capital of the Heavenly Soul Empire's Northern Province. His family happened to run the city's largest merchant association, influential throughout the surrounding towns. That influence grew even stronger once Zhu Lie returned as a graduate of Shrek Academy's Inner Court.
Upon arriving home, he first arranged care for Cheng Hui and Wan Wan's families, ensuring their safety. Soon after, at the invitation of Taining City's Lord, he took a teaching post at Taining Advanced Soul Master Academy.
He had stayed there for seven years, rising to the position of Director of Instruction and Vice Dean, as well as the academy's strongest expert. Now thirty years old, he was already a rank 75 Soul Saint. In Taining City's political circle, there wasn't a single official foolish enough not to maintain good relations with him. Clearly, Zhu Lie had been doing very well for himself.
"Ziyang," Zhu Lie said with a meaningful smile, "Shrek Academy's been quite busy these past few years. Several of the beginner academies around Taining City have been converted into Tianyuan Academies. Our city lord was thrilled about it, though he doesn't really understand why."
"Oh?" Zhu Ziyang blinked in mild surprise. "Has Tianyuan Academy's expansion reached Taining already?"
Indeed, this was news to him. The entire expansion project was managed by Cai Meier, and Zhu Ziyang rarely interfered in administrative matters. He only heard updates during Tianyuan Pavilion meetings.
Zhu Lie nodded. "That's right. The entire Northern Lin Province already has at least fifteen Tianyuan Academies. They're practically surrounding Taining City in a circle."
Zhu Ziyang chuckled softly. "Looks like Senior Sister Cai's been doing quite a job. Tell me, Senior Brother Zhu—how do the upper ranks of Taining City view this development?"
Zhu Lie's expression turned faintly ironic. "What else can they do? Apart from mocking Shrek for meddling in other people's business, none of them have the insight to see the true purpose behind these academies."
Zhu Ziyang's eyes glimmered. "And what about you, Senior Brother? What do you think?"
"Hehe, honestly, Ziyang…" Zhu Lie scratched his head sheepishly, smiling with that familiar simple charm. "Before we came here for the tournament, Taining Academy had already reached an agreement with the Taining City Junior Soul Master Academy. It's being renamed Taining City Tianyuan Academy, and guess who was appointed its first dean—me! The appointment letter came directly from Dean Cai herself."
"Oh, so that's how it is!" Zhu Ziyang said, realization dawning. He and Zhu Lie exchanged amused smiles. "Congratulations, Senior Brother, on your promotion. Dean of a Tianyuan Academy—quite the honor!"
"Haha," Zhu Lie laughed bashfully, rubbing his neck. "To be honest, I had my own reasons. By becoming dean, I can make sure the academy doesn't fall back into the hands of the nobles. This way, the children of my family—and of Cheng Hui's and Wan Wan's families—won't have to leave town for education."
"I understand." Zhu Ziyang's tone grew solemn. "That's precisely why the Tianyuan Academies exist—to ensure that every child has the chance to awaken their martial soul and study at a soul master academy."
Half an hour later, Zhu Lie and his students departed from the Mingyue Hotel, with Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao standing at the entrance to see them off.
The tournament continued. As the first day of the round ended, the second began immediately. The Shrek team resumed their usual routine from the first round: while most stayed at the hotel to cultivate, Zhu Ziyang and the four girls—Jiang Nannan, Qian Lingyi, Wu Huan'er, and Ma Xiaotao—took turns watching the matches.
That day, only one match truly drew Zhu Ziyang's attention—Tang Sect versus the Iron Sword Sect.
The Iron Sword Sect was an obscure minor sect, and against a team like Tang Sect—whose leader was a Soul Saint—the outcome was self-evident. Tang Sect crushed them with ease.
On the fourth day of the second round, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan stood at the entrance of the Mingyue Hotel, seeing off Yang Zhenzhen and her team from Frand Advanced Soul Master Academy.
This time, Frand Academy wasn't as fortunate as in the first round. They faced a sect called Heaven Armor Sect, a powerful group that had fielded five Soul Kings in the opening round. Against Frand, they only needed three fighters to secure victory.
Yang Zhenzhen and her team showed no signs of disappointment as they left—they had entered the tournament with no real expectations, and reaching the second round was already a pleasant surprise. Still, Jiang Nannan was clearly downcast; she had grown quite fond of Yang Zhenzhen, and now that she was leaving, Jiang Nannan couldn't help but feel a little sad.
Soon, the second round ended. The ninety-two advancing teams had no time to rest before the third-round draw began.
The third round would feature forty-six matches over four days—eleven matches on the first two days, twelve on the last two.
When the results came out, Shrek Academy was once again scheduled for the first match of the first day.
Their new opponent: a sect known as the Overlord Sect. Judging by their previous battles, the Overlord Sect's strength was on par with the Heaven Armor Sect that had eliminated Frand Academy—formidable, but still far below Shrek's level.
Zhu Ziyang and the others didn't even bother discussing strategy. They went to bed early and slept soundly.
And indeed, the next day's match was a total landslide. Shrek Academy crushed the Overlord Sect effortlessly. Zhu Ziyang didn't even bother sending Zhou Tianhe into the ring. The victory was achieved solely by three of Shrek's reserve team members—Dai Huabin, Wu Feng, and Xie Huanyue—without breaking a sweat.
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