Ling Yiyi sat right in front, giving no explanation.
The bus went on the street, which was lined with quaint buildings on both sides that gave one a sense of antiquity. These weren’t from 10,000 years ago, yet they seemed like ancient architecture from the records.
Some of these buildings were huge and very eye-catching. Shortly after the bus began moving, Lan Xuanyu saw something that caught his attention.
Up ahead, there was a massive archway and behind it was a ring-shaped building with both sides extended like opened arms that were hugging something behind it. If Lan Xuanyu remembered correctly, that should be the direction of the Sea God Lake.
When the bus arrived in front of that archway, he suddenly saw two words on it. “Tang Sect!”
Tang Sect? This was the headquarters of the Tang Sect?
Lan Xuanyu straightened up instinctively, and he wasn’t the only one. When everyone saw these two words, all of them sat up straight, and their eyes focused.
“Wow, this is the Tang Sect? Headquarters of the Tang Sect.” Qian Lei gasped and plastered his face on the window excitedly.
If Shrek Academy was said to be the top academy in the world, then Tang Sect was the top sect in the world. Fame follows merit!
More importantly, this top academy and top sect were interrelated in many ways.
Even the Federal government didn’t dare to offend them. In a certain sense, this vast area, Shrek City, which was self-ruled by Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect, was likely to still be the capital of the Federation.
However, Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect never made declarations, nor did they participate in any politics. They had always been a separate existence and remained neutral. The Tang Sect seemed to have become purely a research institution and Shrek academy was a school used only to groom talents; they never involved themselves in politics or any political parties, even military fights.
For that reason, the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy had always held an aloof position in the Federation and not many organizations were able to be on equal ground with them. The War God Temple and Spirit Pagoda were considered the few better ones of the lot.
As opposed to the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy, the War God Temple was directly under the Federation military while the Spirit Pagoda was closer to the Federation since they dealt with very sensitive information regarding soul beasts, Spirit Souls, Soul Masters, etcetera.
The bus drove for some time before finally passing the Tang Sect area. It kept going forward and arrived at the next cluster of buildings very soon.
Ji Hongbin’s back straightened instantly, excitement and respect appearing in his eyes. They have arrived at their destination.
Shrek Academy was a cluster of grey buildings; they looked simple and unsophisticated, and they covered a wide area, even wider than the Tang Sect. It was also arc-shaped because these buildings were built around the Sea God Lake.
The quaint buildings were connected, forming the outer area. The walls were dark green, but they didn’t feel oppressive. They were filled with elegance and warmth instead.
On the dark green walls, there was a golden vertical stripe every 50 meters. Not being able to see what was happening inside the academy made one look forward to it even more.
Just then, Ling Yiyi, who was seated at the front, stood up.
“Students and teachers from Heaven Luo Academy, we will be arriving at Shrek Academy very soon. Later, all of you will be going to the academy guesthouse to rest. The first test of the semi-finals will begin tomorrow morning. It will be a physical examination. Each of you will be examined in detail, including your Spiritual Power. So please have a good rest and be prepared so that you can give your best tomorrow.”
The first test was actually a physical examination? That easy? This was completely different from what everyone thought.
Whether it was the first or second round of qualifiers, both could be described as hair-raising, an absolute manifestation of real combat. But over here, things actually got easier? Were the semi-finals really that simple?
Of course, this was simply just the beginning. They didn’t know about the contents of the tests after that.
When the Soul Guidance bus drove through the big, solemn gates of Shrek Academy, everyone held their breath subconsciously.
That dark green gate was made of green and gold metal twisted together. It was roughly 100 meters wide and 40 meters tall. This was definitely the largest gate Lan Xuanyu had ever seen.
There were smaller gates on both sides of the large gate. Although smaller in comparison, they were still over 30 meters wide; Shrek Academy had opened the middle door in order to welcome them. Just this detail alone gave the students participating in the semi-finals blood-pumping adrenaline.
Ji Hongbin was slightly dazed. It was as if he had returned to his former days. The first time he came to Shrek Academy was like that too! He was finally back again.
His past mistake has caused him the remorse of a lifetime, and he couldn’t stay. He even left the most precious thing to him here. At this moment, returning to this place, coming back here again, it wasn’t hard to imagine how he felt in his heart.
He clenched his fists subconsciously and an indescribable emotion arose in his heart. ‘Yes, I’m back. Although it was in this manner, I still had the courage to return here.’
The bus made a left after entering the gates, and not far off was a tall building that was Shrek Academy’s own exclusive academy guesthouse.
They alighted, and under Ling Yiyi’s lead, the people from Heaven Luo Planet entered the guesthouse.
This was a world of green and gold. It was focused on elegance and comfort; there weren’t any extravagant decorations, but everything was neat and tidy.
More importantly, after entering the academy, Lan Xuanyu could clearly sense that the life energy here was richer than the outside. Not only him, but the rest of the students felt it too this time. Some people’s faces turned slightly red as if they were intoxicated.
The overly-rich life energy caused some changes to their bodies. Soft, like when soaking in a hot spring; comfortable, yet they couldn’t use any strength.
The teachers settled the accommodations properly then allocated the rooms.
Two people to one room. Lan Xuanyu was allocated to be in the same room as Ji Hongbin while Liu Feng and Qian Lei were in another room.
“Have an early night, everyone,” Ling Yiyi said. “The meals in this guesthouse’s restaurant have been paid for already, so you may go ahead and dine there. The academy will bear the expenses. Tomorrow morning at eight, I will come here to pick you guys up for the physical examination. Prepare well.”
After speaking, she turned around and left.
Being that it was their first time here, everyone’s heart was filled with freshness and they kept looking around. This guesthouse was spacious, and it seemed like there would be no problem accommodating thousands of people. They were unsure why Shrek Academy, which only had 300 students, would need such a huge guesthouse.
Ji Hongbin patted Lan Xuanyu’s shoulder and said, “Let’s go.”
Lan Xuanyu also wanted to look around like the rest, but hearing Ji Hongbin’s words, he could only follow the teacher into their room.
They were arranged to be on the second level. The room wasn’t big, about 50 square meters, but the decoration style was almost the same as the hall. It was clean, tidy, fresh and cozy; there was also a small balcony that overlooked the outside.
The moment Lan Xuanyu entered, he couldn’t wait any longer and asked Ji Hongbin, “Teacher, can we go over to the Sea God Lake and take a look?”
Ji Hongbin shook his head. “No, we can’t. When we’re here, without Shrek Academy’s approval, we can’t even leave the guesthouse, let alone go to the Sea God Lake. Only students of Shrek Academy are allowed to go there.”