Chapter 26: Little Junior Brother, That's Not Fair of You (II)

At these words, Ling Bai's expression froze.

This Senior Sister...

… seems quite lively.

"Elder Sister."

It was just a form of address, and girls, well, it's best to go along with them.

Ling Bai silently said to himself.

"Mm-hmm."

Han Ruoruo nodded in satisfaction. She and Zhang Lexuan had once represented Shrek Academy in the Continental Elite Spirit Master Academy Tournament and won the championship. During that time, they became the best of friends and confidantes.

Last night, Zhang Lexuan told her that an eleven-year-old junior brother had joined the Inner Courtyard and asked her to be his guide for a day. Han Ruoruo agreed without hesitation.

"Little Junior Brother, why didn't you return home after sparring with Xiaotao?" Han Ruoruo asked with a smile.

"Huh?"

Ling Bai raised an eyebrow. Something was off—very off!

"Elder Sister, you know about my battle with Ma Xiaotao?"

His expression suddenly turned strange, as if to say:

If you saw it, couldn't you at least have lent a hand?

A Spirit Ancestor going one-on-one against a Spirit Emperor, and one in a berserk state due to uncontrolled evil fire at that. Wasn't that a bit too much?

Han Ruoruo's voice was gentle and carried a faint, melodious tone as she said, "Lexuan, I, and most of the students at the 7-ringed cultivation level rushed over, but Teacher Li stopped us beforehand. He told us that it was Dean Yan's test for you—the Dean believed you had the ability to confront Xiaotao."

Ling Bai mechanically turned his head, gazing toward the towering golden tree at the center of Sea God Island, and murmured, "Oh? Dean Yan..."

He gritted his teeth fiercely. With the flames, sword shadows, and phoenix cries last night, he wondered if the Inner Courtyard of Shrek was full of blind and deaf people.

So it was you, old geezer!

Han Ruoruo continued to smile and said, "Lexuan told me that you're incredibly strong. I didn't believe it at first. You're only eleven years old, and it's been only five years since your Martial Spirit awakened. But even from so far away last night, I could sense the astonishing sharpness of your spirit skills."

She gave him a thumbs up, her fair and slender finger glowing in the morning light. "Keep up the good work, Little Junior Brother!"

"Thank you, Elder Sister. I will definitely live up to your expectations."

"Good."

Han Ruoruo's crystal-clear beautiful eyes curved into a captivating arc. Ling Bai lingered on her face for a few more seconds. Her features were as picturesque as those described in poems, with eyes as clear as autumn waters. She truly embodied the description of a peerless beauty.

"Here, these are essential items for Shrek Inner Courtyard student."

Han Ruoruo took out some items from her earring-shaped Storage Spirit Guidance Device and handed them to Ling Bai.

A yellow-green school badge, engraved with a cute yet ugly little monster.

There was a yellow-green school badge with a cute yet ugly little monster engraved on it, in keeping with the academy's motto: 'We only accept monsters, not ordinary people.'

There were also two sets of Shrek uniforms, both red in color.

White, yellow, purple, black, red—Shrek Academy used spirit ring colors to represent grades. The first four belonged to the Outer Courtyard; only red was for the Inner Courtyard.

"Put on the uniform," she said.

Ling Bai nodded and took the badge and uniform before heading inside to change.

Creak—

Two minutes later, the door reopened, and a figure in red stepped out.

A fleeting look of amazement crossed Han Ruoruo's eyes as she blurted out, "Sure enough, a pretty person looks great in anything."

"Elder Sister, when describing a man, you should use 'handsome'..."

Ling Bai sighed deeply as he covered his face. Why did everyone at Shrek like to use the word 'pretty'? Having fair skin and delicate features wasn't something he could control.

"Alright~ Handsome it is."

Han Ruoruo promptly corrected herself with a good-natured tone, but Ling Bai couldn't help but feel like she was humoring a child.

In truth, that was partly the case. Han Ruoruo was twenty-six years old, a full fifteen years older than Ling Bai. In the relatively precocious Douluo world, some girls became mothers at fifteen.

So in Han Ruoruo's heart, there was actually little difference between Ling Bai and a child.

"Never mind..."

Ling Bai waved his hand helplessly and asked:

"Elder Sister, have you had breakfast?"

"No."

"Shall we eat together?"

Han Ruoruo agreed, "Sure, let's eat first and then I'll take you around the campus."

Then she led the way, with Ling Bai following beside her. Ling Bai's residence was on the westernmost side of Sea God Island, while the cafeteria was on the easternmost side. The two of them had to cross almost the entire Sea God Island. Along the way, they passed many buildings that she pointed out to him as they walked.

"This is the Inner Courtyard Surveillance Pavilion, where you receive surveillance assignments. There are three graduation requirements for Shrek's Inner Courtyard: first, breaking through rank 60 in spirit power; second, passing the graduation examination; third, completing thirty surveillance assignments.

This is the Inner Courtyard Examination Hall. Just like the Outer Courtyard, the Inner Courtyard requires students to pass an annual examination to advance. If you stay back two consecutive years, you'll be expelled from the Inner Courtyard. Oh, by the way, in three months, the Inner Courtyard will have a freshman examination for you newcomers. You must pass it to become a true Inner Courtyard student."

'Why does it seem similar to the Outer Courtyard...'

Ling Bai instantly thought of the Outer Courtyard's three-on-three team battle freshman examination and tentatively asked, "The six of us won't be divided into two teams to battle, with the losers being eliminated and the winners continuing to cultivate at the Academy, right?"

"Hahaha, of course not."

Han Ruoruo chuckled. "The Inner Courtyard entrance examination is already very strict, and there aren't many people to begin with. If we used a fifty-percent elimination method like that, wouldn't the Inner Courtyard have no students left?

The Inner Courtyard examination is individual-based, and there's an element of luck involved—the difficulty can range from ridiculously hard to easily attainable. Well, I can't say more about the details. Let's continue introducing the Inner Courtyard.

This is the Inner Courtyard Library. It houses a vast collection of books about Martial Spirits, spirit beasts, and influential figures of the continent. Many of these books are rare or even unique copies. If you have time outside of cultivation, I highly recommend spending some time in the library."

Han Ruoruo's eyes unconsciously lit up when she mentioned the library.

The two finally arrived at the cafeteria twenty minutes after passing the library. The long journey, akin to a pilgrimage, made Ling Bai seriously consider the necessity of changing his house.

As soon as they entered the cafeteria doors, Ling Bai smelled various enticing aromas wafting from inside, making his mouth water.

There were fewer than a hundred students in the Inner Courtyard, and the cafeteria had only one serving window, but the dining space was built very spaciously.

At this moment, there were not many Inner Courtyard students dining, making the already large cafeteria seem even more empty. Ling Bai and Han Ruoruo went over to get their meals.

Adhering to the principle of ladies first, Ling Bai let Han Ruoruo go ahead, but the latter retorted that an elder sister should let her junior brother go first. Not being the type to make a fuss over such matters, he took his place in line before her.

"Uncle, I'd like two steamed buns and a bowl of porridge."

Ling Bai didn't like overly greasy food for breakfast. He had just seen an Inner Courtyard student eating roasted meat early in the morning!

Couldn't handle it... really couldn't handle it...

"Got it!"

The cafeteria uncle responded, swiftly taking out two round, plump steamed buns and ladling out a steaming bowl of white porridge. Judging by the uncle's speed, Ling Bai estimated he was at least a 3-ringed Spirit Elder.

The uncle handed the tray to Ling Bai, then turned to Han Ruoruo and asked warmly, "Ruoruo, you're here! What would you like to eat?"

Han Ruoruo and Zhang Lexuan were considered veteran students of Shrek, so the cafeteria uncle was very familiar with her.

"Uncle Mo, I'll have the same as my Little Junior Brother."

"No problem!"

"Um, Uncle Mo..."

Ling Bai spoke up to catch their attention and pointed to his tray. "You didn't charge me."

"Charge you?"

Uncle Mo scratched his head, looking puzzled. "Charge you for what? The Inner Courtyard cafeteria is free!"