Although Xu Lizhi stood off to the side like a harmless lamb, neither Yuanen Yehui nor Yue Zhengyu dared look down on him. The reason was simple. The badge on his belt that spelled out ‘Shrek Academy’ was red. They both understood the significance of that color. That was the mark of an inner court student! He was one of the geniuses who stood at the peak of the continent, destined to become a battle armor master!

  Tang Wulin didn’t question any of his three friends, simply nodding at them instead. “Alright. I’ll lead the team then. Xie Xie is our only agility-type. We have three assault-types: Yuanen Yehui, Yue Zhengyu, and me. Yuanen Yehui will be positioned in the center, and Yue Zhengyu and I will support her by her side. Gu Yue will support me with control and ranged attacks. Last but not least, Xiaoyan will be our backline fire support.”


  Everyone nodded, not a spark of dissent present.

  Since they were a seven-man team put together at the last minute, they must rely on brute strength to climb the tower. Fortunately for them, Yuanen Yehui was on their team. Her attack power was worth that of several soul masters in the same ring level. Additionally, Yue Zhengyu and Tang Wulin were also coming along. Although Tang Wulin wasn’t their match in overall strength, he could stand their equal when it came to explosive power. Besides, he was also responsible for commanding the team and controlling the battlefield.

  He considered the rest of his team. Gu Yue was their hidden ace. Given enough time to charge up, she could unleash thunderous elemental attacks from afar. In contrast, Xu Xiaoyan was proficient in creating and taking advantage of openings, a skill she had honed from the nature of her martial soul. As an agility-type, Xie Xie wasn’t to be trifled with either. Then there was Xu Lizhi as their support. Under the influence of his food-type martial soul, Tang Wulin’s battle power increased by thirty percent! For now, he only knew of Xu Lizhi’s Recovery Pork Bun, the rest of his arsenal a mystery. Either way, the combination of their strengths formed an incredible seven-man team!

  “Let’s go!”


  The seven teammates departed for the campus gates. Before Tang Wulin could call for a taxi, a luxurious business van pulled up to their feet.

  The door to the driver’s side opened, Yue Zhengyu’s butler stepping out to open the passenger’s side for them.

  Flashing Yue Zhengyu a thumbs up, Tang Wulin turned to face the rest of his teammates. “Hop in.”


  Yue Zhengyu sat in the front and the rest shuffled into six seats behind him. Normally, six seats would have been more than enough room to ride comfortably, but Xu Lizhi’s plumpness occupied a seat and a half.

  Tang Wulin sat in the middle row, lodged in between Xu Lizhi and Gu Yue. Yuanen Yehui and Xu Xiaoyan sandwiched Xie Xie in the back row. It forced him to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with Yuanen Yehui. His heart thumped in his chest, his mind unable to forget the forbidden scene he had witnessed.

  “If you have any lewd thoughts, I’m going to kill you,” whispered Yuanen Yehui.

  A shiver went down his spine and he hastily said, “No, no. There’s no way I would think that!”


  His voice came out a louder than expected, and the three sitting in the middle row flashed him an inquisitive look, Xu Xiaoyan doing the same.

  Apart from Xu Lizhi, who wasn’t aware of the background story, the rest understood the situation.

  All eyes on her, Yuanen Yehui immediately flushed crimson. She was still dressed in a male uniform, her masterful makeup skills masking her blush.

  Xie Xie blanched. Two fingers pinched his thigh, rotating the flesh a full 180 degrees!

  He covered his own mouth to prevent himself from screaming in pain. Everyone watched him with helpless smiles, not a single person speaking up in his defense.

  In truth, he wasn’t the only one embarrassed. Tang Wulin found himself in a similarly awkward situation.

  Xu Lizhi was simply too fat. He excessive size forced Tang Wulin toward Gu Yue, pushing him against her. But this wasn’t enough to offset Xu Lizhi’s body mass. Gu Yue had no choice but to angle her body and lean toward the window, no choice but to sit on Tang Wulin’s thigh.

  There were occasional bumps as the van sped down the road, rocking those within it. As their positions moved with each bump, Tang Wulin and Gu Yue’s faces began to flush.

  The tender warmth of flesh against flesh ferried heat to their cheeks, awkwardness filling the air between them. But there was nothing they could do. They couldn’t adjust their seating arrangements while the van was in motion. As a last ditch effort, Tang Wulin tried to push back into Xu Lizhi, but the fat refused to budge.

  Tang Wulin could feel the beat of his heart, the dryness of his mouth, and the butterflies fluttering about in his stomach. Never had he felt this way before. He was only thirteen years old, at the start of puberty. He was still ignorant of the matters between boys and girls. All he could do was sit straight as an arrow, trying his best to avoid eye contact with Gu Yue.

  Soon they left the inner city, speeding toward the iconic Spirit Pagoda headquarters.

  All was quiet within the van. Xie Xie had regained his normal complexion and sat like a child afraid of iminent punishment, hands clasped tightly on his knees and head hung low, not daring to look up at Yuanen Yehui.

  The smell of youth was in the air.

  After forty minutes on the highway, they finally reached the Spirit Pagoda. Shrek City was truly enormous……

  The van cruised to a stop. As soon as the doors opened, Gu Yue burst out.

  Tang Wulin could still feel her warmth on his thighs, and her scent lingered. But he finally had some room to breathe. He let out a relieved sigh as he exited the vehicle.

  The Spirit Pagoda stood right before him. He had to crane his neck just to take in its entire magnificence. Even so, he could not see the top of the pagoda. The upper half of the building pierced through the clouds, only its silhouette vaguely discernable from that point onward. It was a surreal image for him.

  Following his actions, the others disembarked one after the other. Those who were visiting the Spirit Pagoda headquarters for the first time were similarly caught in a state of awe. This was a location of absolute authority on the continent!

  All in all, Shrek City was the greatest city on the continent because of two main reasons: Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda headquarters.

  If the two great organizations combined forces, even the Federation could only tremble before them.

  Shrek City was highly autonomous. Apart from the region surrounding the Spirit Pagoda headquarters, the entire city was solely self-governed. The Spirit Pagoda, on the other hand, was far more influential. It maintained a good, cooperative relationship with both the Federation and Shrek Academy. The Spirit Pagoda’s council had wisely chosen to abstain from politics and to not control any soul masters. Thirty-six members made up the entire core council. Not only that, it was run differently from the way large clans and other organizations were operated. Furthermore, some of the council members were sent by the Federation. Although numerous soul masters joined the Spirit Pagoda, the core of the forces under its command numbered less than three thousand. Coupled with the advancement of soul technology, these soul masters were no threat to the Federation.

  As such, the Federation and the Spirit Pagoda shared an amicable relationship.

  The Spirit Pagoda’s founder, Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao, founded the council system that allowed the Spirit Pagoda to persist for ten thousand years. And now it stood as one of the continent’s greatest powers.

  No one knew how deep Shrek Academy’s foundation ran, and the Spirit Pagoda’s wealth and number of masters were anyone’s guess.