Bei Bei's praise only made Zhou Sichen smile without saying a word. He followed him through the various teaching buildings until they arrived at a lush forest.
Shrek City was located in the south-central region of the Douluo Continent, with a warm climate. While its trees weren't as towering as those in the southern regions of the Sun Moon Empire, they still averaged over thirty meters in height.
Since few people passed through this area, the forest thrived, its dense foliage casting large patches of shade across the ground.
At the center of the forest stood a majestic structure, the Combat Hall where Outer Court disciples often engaged in duels and sparring matches.
Bei Bei led Zhou Sichen inside with practiced familiarity. Inside, there were multiple large combat arenas, with tiered seating extending upward on both sides, capable of accommodating at least five hundred spectators.
At that moment, on the main combat platform, two four-ring Soul Elders were locked in an intense battle.
Noticing Bei Bei and Zhou Sichen's arrival, the Head of the Martial Soul Department, Du Weilun, approached them.
"Bei Bei, what brings you here? And who is this student?"
Without hesitation, Bei Bei introduced Zhou Sichen and revealed all of his information.
After listening, Du Weilun's eyes widened in disbelief.
Twelve years old. Rank 38. Three purple soul rings...
He stared at Zhou Sichen with an evaluative gaze. Even at Shrek Academy—the number one academy on the continent—this level of talent was unheard of.
If he remembered correctly, Tang San, the founder of the Tang Sect and the Sea God himself, had only managed a yellow, yellow, purple, black configuration when he obtained his fourth soul ring!
But Zhou Sichen? His very first soul ring was already at the millennium level?
Du Weilun, a strict and uncompromising instructor known for his rigid adherence to Shrek Academy's principles, found himself—for the first time—tempted to bend the rules for a student.
With Bei Bei present, he knew this wasn't a joke. And from beginning to end, Zhou Sichen's demeanor remained calm, showing no signs of arrogance or overconfidence.
After taking a deep breath to compose himself, Du Weilun steadied his tone and spoke solemnly:
"If you truly possess such strength, then you are indeed qualified to apply for the Inner Court examination."
"However, as the Head Instructor and an official admissions examiner, I must remind you of one thing."
"Shrek Academy's reputation as the number one academy on the continent is well known. But the Outer Court was created at the request of the three great empires to cultivate more soul masters for the continent."
"For Shrek Academy itself, only the Inner Court is considered the true representation of our standing as the number one academy."
"Even among the most outstanding students in the Outer Court, only a handful—no more than five—successfully enter the Inner Court each year. And those who fail the examination are not permitted to remain in the academy."
"Without the foundational training of the Outer Court, the difficulty of passing the Inner Court examination is beyond your imagination."
Despite this warning, Zhou Sichen remained unfazed. He nodded slightly.
Bei Bei didn't know what else to say. He had already recognized Zhou Sichen's monstrous talent, but Du Weilun's words weren't wrong either.
Zhou Sichen continued, "Director Du, with my current strength, competing alongside first-year students, whose average rank is only around twenty, would be nothing short of bullying. It would also be a waste of my potential."
"If I cannot enter the Inner Court, then spending my years idly in the Outer Court holds no meaning for me. I would rather leave Shrek Academy altogether."
Bei Bei immediately interjected, "Brother Zhou, that's not what Director Du meant. Let's just follow the standard process. If you pass the Inner Court examination, everything will be settled."
Zhou Sichen glanced at Bei Bei, then at Du Weilun.
"That is my decision. May I ask, Director Du, will you grant me this opportunity?"
Du Weilun was silent for a long moment before finally speaking.
"Very well. And because of your exceptional talent, I will make an exception this once. Even if you fail the Inner Court examination, you will still be allowed to remain at Shrek Academy. You won't have to compete against freshmen—you can join the fourth-year class with Bei Bei."
Zhou Sichen smiled faintly. "Then I must thank Director Du."
Du Weilun then whispered a few words to Bei Bei, who nodded before patting Zhou Sichen on the shoulder.
"Good luck, Brother Zhou," Bei Bei said before leaving the Combat Hall.
Du Weilun turned to Zhou Sichen. "Follow me."
At that moment, aside from the two students engaged in combat, everyone in the hall turned their attention toward Zhou Sichen.
Leaving Bei Bei's presence and arriving with Director Du himself had immediately drawn attention.
After all, everyone in the Outer Court knew Bei Bei. He was one of Shrek Academy's Twin Stars, famous across the entire Outer Court.
But who was this unfamiliar young man beside him?
A new student arriving at the Combat Hall during the Inner Court examinations?
This was highly unusual.
"Ahem." Du Weilun cleared his throat, immediately silencing the hall.
"What are you all staring at? Do you think you're guaranteed a spot in the Inner Court?"
There were more than a dozen elite Outer Court students present—each of them either handsome or beautiful.
But as soon as they heard Du Weilun's voice, they immediately turned their attention back to the duel in progress, no longer daring to gawk.
Meanwhile, in a training hall's waiting area, four students were observing the Combat Hall's soul tool screen.
A petite, cute girl among them squealed excitedly as she saw Zhou Sichen.
"Wow! Who is this little brother? He's so handsome! Is he here for the Inner Court exam?"
A young man beside her rolled his eyes at her lovestruck expression.
"Probably not. Even though we've only been in the Inner Court for a year, we still know all the talented students in the Outer Court. He's not one of them."
But the girl ignored him completely and turned to a tall woman with emerald-green hair.
"Xianmeng, what do you think about this little brother?"
Dugu Xianmeng didn't answer immediately.
Instead, her eyes remained fixed on Zhou Sichen, a flicker of recognition flashing through them.
She had seen him before—not in person, but in a portrait.
A familiar whisper echoed in her heart.
"So this is the person you think about day and night?"
Suddenly, a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.
"Since you're not here right now, why don't I have a little fun with this 'little brother'?"
After a moment, Dugu Xianmeng finally spoke.
"There isn't a second man in this academy as beautiful as him."
Her words made the other students raise their eyebrows in surprise.
Dugu Xianmeng was notoriously cold toward men—only their senior sister ranked above her in that regard.
But the reason no man ever approached her wasn't her personality—it was her martial soul.
Even though Dugu Xianmeng secretly longed for a passionate romance, no one dared to get close to her.
Not a single man in the Inner Court had ever been bold enough to try.
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