Shrek Academy Enrollment (Part 1).

"Aiden, it's being a year already. It is time to stop. I know you are practicing your sword and I won't say much, but you can't forgo socializing and your spirit power. It stopped at 43 level." - the boy in question that didn't change in terms of looks at all nodded and sighed.

Actually, he understood it all long ago. He was prepared that one day he might lose someone very dear to him... but... not like this. Not on a battlefield fighting for survival, but at the hands of some scum humans. The very humans he inadvertently will protect if his goal is reached.

"Aunt Erlong..." - he hanged his head and was embraced in a warm hug.

"I know... it is painful, I can see. But you are young. You will see much more and experience much more. Don't lose to yourself. Humans are mortals, and we one way or another should learn how to move forward." - she smiled at him ruffling his long hair with her slender fingers.

"How is Sena? Is she making progress?" - Aiden changed the topic to the one he wanted to discuss. Na'er... she will forever remain in the corner of his heart, there always will be a part of it for her and currently, thoughts of her still caused dull pain inside. But it wasn't so pronounced as before.

Time can heal, and it did a splendid job on Aiden. He really was ready to move forward.

"She is fine. Actually, the girl is so talented that I can't even start comparing her to others. She is only seven and already stepped at the 19 rank. I believe we will go hunting for a second ring for her in a couple of weeks!" - when Aiden mentioned Sena Liu Erlong had a very satisfied look on her face as if a cat that eaten all hidden stash of sour cream. And that was done at the territory of her enemies.

Aiden decided to not take her or any other people he will find to accompany him. After all, they need a proper childhood. He alone being like that is enough. As long as Sena became strong it will one way or another help the world when demons will break the Veil.

His thinking was simple – the stronger anyone of human and beast race is the better, as long as they are not on the side of demons.

They were sitting at the corner of the restaurant with cups of tea and some smacks on the table. At that moment guests became a bit restless, apparently, there will be a famous artist performing today. Aiden didn't pay attention first, but later he shook with his entire body, because of the sound he heard.

It was a zither.

He suddenly remembered how Na'er asked him to learn the zither and let her dance accompanying him. And all this time after her death he didn't touch the instrument even once... he was engrossed in the sword while having thoughts of revenge all the time, polishing himself as a perfect killer, but this sound disturbed him greatly.

'She would want me to do it in a different way. To remember her in a different way.'

"What am I even doing?" - he sighed while rubbing nose bridge which didn't go unnoticed to Liu Erlong who smiled slightly with a pleased expression.

"Is it time?"

"You can put it that way." - he drank the cup full. - "I will travel for a bit, as intended. Don't look for me, when I turn 11 or older I'll come to enroll in Shrek. As for people I will send, everything for Dragon Fang is ready, right?" - Liu Erlong nodded. - "By the way, how are you and Yu Xiaogang doing?"

"Hehe, aren't you too young to think about it?" - she teased him, but it can clearly be seen Liu Erlong is quite cheerful. Grandmaster didn't let him down, however, they yet to pass the last stage. He was actually hard-pressed to fathom that a woman of Liu Erlong age can still be a virgin.

He went to the mercenary association to receive quests for the extermination of outlaws, bandits, rogue spirit masters, and hostile spirit beasts. He killed a lot while traveling from one place to another, and he had a purpose. That is to find talents and mostly the inheritors of guardian martial spirits.

And set a structure of a certain organization that will help him. He needed lots of local people who will owe him a life-saving debt. With them as a mainframe in many villages and cities, he will have helping hands all over the world. Hands that might not be able to fight, but surely can gather information from their hometown.

Every talented youth or person he found he sent to Liu Erlong and her academy for practice and urged her to make a special class for them, preserving secrecy. He didn't know that although Spirit Hall was very strong, by some reason known as changed Qian Renxue, only very normal information got to the major branch of Spirit Hall from Blue Tyrant Academy.

And the genuine one all ended in her little hands. All this time Qian Renxue was keeping tabs on Aiden and knew a lot about his accomplishments through a net of spies loyal only to her. After knowing Aiden in the form of Burning Hearts of Humanity, she changed drastically and her current goal was the same as him – fight the Demon Legion.

And she established the foundation for the struggle within Heaven Dou Empire she meant to destroy by the orders of Spirit Hall but ought to protect by the wish of her heart.

* * *

1,5 years later. Near Shrek Academy.

Aiden is 11 and a half and he is just half a year from the creation of legendary Shrek seven monsters.

"Sun is so hot today." - a youth of no more than fifteen to sixteen years old stood on the road gazing at the counter and covering eyes from bright light with a palm.

By the table slept old man on the chair with some planks and papers around his relaxed posture clearly being blown to the ground by a sudden gust of wind. Aiden made his way to him in silence and utter loneliness. There was none other aside from one young and one old around.

"Excuse me, can I take part in the entrance test?" - he bowed slightly with a very unusual sword on his back. His black clothes with platinum lining were neat, simple yet exuded regal aura and classy feel.

The old man raised his head as if being hit by a club and stared at the boy with rapt attention. What he saw amazed him to no end. Overlong inky hairs were, somehow, shining with platinum luster, or was it just a misconception, illusion in his old eyes? He looked the unknown kid all over, nodding unconsciously.

"Anyone can, rules, and requirements are there on the board for all to see. If you don't have what it takes, don't waste time." - although reserved, the elder still was sharp on the tongue. While saying this he sent a message to Dai Mubai who usually took care of other fresh ones who wanted to enter. - "Okay, if you are ready, state your name, age, and show your rings."

Aiden sighed because unlike many protagonists of various novels, he has no way to hide his rings at all!

He can only show less than he had, but even so, it will be quite shocking. He didn't hide much. It was pointless. They all will find out eventually, and maybe he can ask some advice on how to mask it.

Well, it is not like he had zero ideas in that field, but they all need some real inconveniences to happen, like for example illusions. Let alone one need to maintain them all the time, just the fact that they can be seen through with many methods made this thing unreliable.

The ones who are a threat have a high chance to disregard them, the ones who are not... what's the use of hiding it from them? He tasked Nexus to find a way to mimic spirit rings of different ages, but so outwardly simple thing turned out to be one hell of a task.

"Aiden Snow, age eleven... level 46." - his four rings, three purple, and one black showed themselves for a little time and faded away.

Well, the elder's face was an entertaining thing to see.

"This... this..."

"Can I enter?" - Aiden carelessly walked over with a slight smile on his face.

"You... you..."

At that time Dai Mubai came over.

Well, he was just like the novel described him. A handsome guy about two meters tall with a very robust, but not overweight figure and golden feel to overall aura from head to toe. What really drew attention was his pair of different eyes – the left one was blue and right one red.

Somehow he was a spitting image of himself in that 3d anime Aiden watched in his past life. It seems most of the characters went after that, Tang San and Xiao Wu were like that, even Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang didn't differ from that.

Albeit compared to the cartoon they were alive and real, not some characters on the paper.