45 Glory Road

By the time that Weilan and Xueqin arrived, it was already lunchtime so Weilan guided Xueqin towards the school cafeteria where the others of the middle class were already there eating.

"Here, here!" Lizhi waved his hand signaling the Ning siblings to sit in their table, both siblings sitting over it.

"The food here is delicious and really helpful for cultivation" Lizhi started explaining excitedly all the cafeteria's menu, saying all the characteristics of any plate. "However, it's mostly the same, so you would find it bland very quickly. So the best is to go out to eat often to the restaurants around, even if you had to pay unlike in the cafeteria that is free."

All of them started eating while having an animated talk. "Let's talk a little about ourself so we know each other" Lizhi said "I will be first. I am an orphan without any family, but I awakened a food spirit with full innate soul power, becoming a talent only seen once every centery like Oscar of the first generation of Shrek Eight Devils. Due to that I was quickly recruit by Shrek Academy and I am very glad to all that they had done for me. The thing I love the most is eating and I grow stronger the more I eat. My dream is to eat every food over the world and continuing being part of Shrek Academy even after graduating."

The next one was Xinglan "I am part of the Ye clan which is one noble clan with a history over 1.000 years. However, I am not interested in politics and fight to be the heir, so I decided to escape from all of it, searching to become strong enough to be unaffected by my clan. Like Lizhi, I want to stay as part of Shrek and I want to follow my father's footsteps trying to reach the pinnacle of swords."

"I suppose that it's my turn now" Wuhua shook her head sighing, like there wasn't any other option "I came from a normal house. Both of my parents aren't spirit masters, but I really love them. I also had a big brother that is also a spirit master and a little sister that I love dearly. Due to us being a normal family, my parents were unable to pay the costs of raising two spirits masters so I accepted to join the Spirit Pagoda for their support towards me and my brother. Thanks to a mutation in my spirit, it became capable of multiple stacking support effects so I was quickly accepted. My brother wasn't so lucky as me and he had a normal Blue-Silver Grass with a low innate spirit power. My dream is to support him to reach his dream of becoming a Mecha Master and help my family in everything that I can."

"I didn't know that you were part of the Spirit Pagoda" Xueqin said.

"I met Weiwei there and we became friends." Wuhua answered "She was the one that recommended me to Shrek Academy, being in her class."

"Of course. It's normal to help my best friend" Weilan puffed her chest "But you should focus more on you. You are too big of a brocon and siscon."

"I'm not!" Wuhua shouted blushing "It's normal to love your brother and sister. You surely also love dearly your brother, Weiwei."

"Me? That idiot" Weilan started laughing "I would love more a rock on the road. And I already told you, he isn't my true brother."

"Thanks, little sister. I also love you" Xueqin said ironically.

"What is Weilan refering that you are not her true brother?" Yinglan asked curiously.

"I am her cousin" Xueqin asnwered. It was the story that Xiaoran had told him to tell "My parents died just I was born. They were part of the Nine Treasure Clan but they didn't have soul power so they lived away from it, living a normal life." Xueqin explained "I was raised in an orphanage until Weilan's grandmother found me and adopted me, returning to the family."

"What about your master?" Yinglan asked confused. She wanted to know how Xueqin was able to become Mucheng's disciple.

"Oh, Mucheng? He was the one that awakened my spirit and decided to teach me swordmanship, becoming my master" Xueqin explained. He would have prefered to not talk about Mucheng, but with Yinglan knowing about it, there was no way to avoid.

All the others had a shocked face with Yinglan being the exception as she already knew.

"Wait a moment, Mucheng? Are you talking about Shi Mucheng?!" Weilan was the one that jumped.

"Yess" Xueqin nodded a little confused, not knowing why they were all so shocked "Didn't Grangran tell you? She knows about it."

"No!" Weilan said offended "You have any idea who is Shi Mucheng?"

"A cardinal of the Dawn Church" Xueqin answered.

"That's not even important!" Shouted Weilan "He was one of the most important figures of the cultivation world 60 years ago. He was part of Shrek Eight Devils! Their generation is considered as one of the strongest, only under the first and Maya's generations."

"You are very lucky to had been taught but such strong swordmaster" Yinglan said "In his peak, he was even a contendant for the Sword title."

"I think that you are confunding him" Xueqin answered "Mucheng is an old and grumpy man that liked to beat the shit out of me rather than teaching anything. Even if he is strong, he couldn't be that much, he is a spirit douluo in the end."

At that they blinked "He should be a titled douluo" Yinglan said.

"Let's affirm it!" Lizhi stood up "Let's go to the Glory Road!"

All except Xueqin nodded "What's the Glory Road?"

"It's the path to reach the Inner Area of Shrek Academy where only inner students can enter." Weilan explained, always liking to show her knowledge "The path is open to anyone and there's statue all over it with every Shrek Eight Devils generation. If your master is the true Shi Mucheng you should be able to recognize it."

As they had already finished eating, they left the cafeteria, running towards the Inner Area. Arriving before the Glory Road, Xueqin was shocked by the sheer quantity of statues. Shrek had 20.000 years of history so he had a lot of Shrek Eight Devils generations. These were the strongest people of the strongest academy, chosen at minimum of 50 years. It was told that they were able to create miracles.

"Here's their generation" Weilan signaled. It was the first group of statues that could be found, showing that they were Shrek Eight Devils last generation. The statue was a big one carved over a black ore unlike most of the other statues that were gray. It despicted eight people in a hug group smiling at each other.

Xueqin looked attentively at it. They were 2 women and 6 men, all of them wearing swords with the exemption of one that had a spear. Xueqin's gaze focused on a rugged man with a greatsword on his back. It really resembled his master. The young man there seemed far happier, younger and had both eyes and arms, but he could see his master features and his greatsword.

"The Worst Generation. We must not let it repeat" Xueqin read the inscription under the statue. He turned towards the other "What's this about the Worst Generation? Weren't they one of the strongest?"

"We don't really know" Yinglan was the one who asnwered "They were some of the strongest but somehow they separated 60 years ago, all of them leaving Shrek with the exemption of one" Yinglan signaled at the statue to a young handsome man that had a spear at his back "He is the actual head of Shrek, the head of the Sea God Pavilion that commands Shrek Academy."

"Yeah, I know that Grangran was their friend, but she really don't want to explain anything about them" Weilan said "Anyway, is that your master?" she asked pointing at the rugged man.

"It might be. He is very similar and his greatsword was that one" Xueqin said looking at the statue. What had happened to him to turn of the man that he was today? Xueqin was really curious about it. Mucheng seemed truly happy next a younger man who really resembled him but had a thin sword and a beautiful woman with a greatsword that Xueqin didn't know why but it seemed familiar to him.

"Since we are here, let's show you the other generations" Wuhua said trying to alleviate the thick atmosphere that was created. Looking at Xueqin's face, Wuhua knew that it wasn't the best time to talk about his master.

The other nodded and went across the Glory Road, looking over the statues. All of them had one title under and Xueqin discovered that some of them had a silver or golden color. Like the Demon Generation who all of them were kind of old and were in silver color and had more than 6.000 years or the Protectors Generation that had a golden color and also over 6.000 years.

More or less in the middle of the road, it opened into a round square. In the middle, there was a group statue with all that generation, surrounded by individual statues of everyone. It was far grander than the other, putting enphasis in this generation. They were called the Revolutionary Generation and it was Yuhao and Maya's generation.

Xueqin could recognize Ning Maya who was carved with a mecha next to her, Huo Yuhao whose eyes were made out of shappire, Wu Jian with his iced sword and Tang Wutong with her dragon butterfly wings. The other ones being unknown to him. They were a boy with a shield, a girl with bunny ears, a girl with a flaute and cauldrons and a bald boy with a cigar in his mouth and guns around him.

After them, there was only another silver generation called the Conquerors generation from 16.000 years ago. Finally, at the end of the road, the road opened widely with a great gate over it. Around it, there was the First Generation. The one where everyone of them ascended to godhood.

Xueqin only had listened about them, but it was easy to recognize everyone of them. Bai Chenxiang with her wings. Oscar with a sausage, Dai Mubai with tiger features and a valiant posture, Zhu Zhuqing with cat features, Ma Hongjun with phoenix, Xiao Wu with bunny and Ning Rongrong with her pagoda. Xueqin could see how similar was Rongrong to Xiaoran and Weilan, even after 20.000 years it was clear that they were family. Lastly, it was the Sea God Tang San leading every of them.

"Over there is the Sea God Lake" Weilan said pointing over the gates to a big lake "It was created by the Sea God himself and protects the academy and creates a perfect enviorenment to cultivate."

Xueqin looked attentively over the gate. That's where the strong were. He decided to go there, to become an inner student and learn more about the world and his master.

"It's already becoming late, let's return" Yinglan recommended, all the others accepting.

As they left, Xueqin stopped one more time before the Worst Generation "What happened to you, master?" He whispered.

"If you stay there, you would leave you behind!" Wuhua shouted making Xueqin realize that they had continued walking.

"Sorry!" Xueqin apologized and ran towards them, all of them going towards their dormitories.