Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue

The next morning.

Everyone gathered in the hotel's private room to enjoy a delicious breakfast.

Qin Ming spoke, "Yesterday was an exception. From now on, you must replace sleep with meditation at night."

"We understand, Teacher Qin," everyone responded weakly, still looking sleepy and groggy.

Xiao Wu sipped some carrot porridge and asked, "Teacher Qin, classes officially start tomorrow, so can we play in Heaven Dou City for one more day?"

Clearly, last night's festivities left this little rabbit wanting more.

Qin Ming nodded and replied, "You can, but make sure to gather in the bamboo grove before 9 a.m. tomorrow."

"Yay! Long live Teacher Qin!" Xiao Wu shouted joyfully.

Zuzong shot her a glance, "You're only thinking about playing. Go back today and train properly."

Facing the greater good (food, drink, and fun), Xiao Wu wasn't afraid of authority. "No, I won't. Yesterday, you promised to spend the whole day playing with me in Heaven Dou City."

"I didn't say that, I forgot!"

"You dare go back on your word, huh? Rawr!" Unsuccessful in begging, Xiao Wu bit Zuzong's arm with a familiar playfulness.

"Ow, this is terrible! Rabbit, let go of me!"

"Mphf—" (mumbling with her mouth full)

"Will you let go or not?"

"I won't! You liar!"

"Hahaha," everyone laughed as they watched the playful fight between the two, even the usually serious Ye Lingling smiled faintly.

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At the Heaven Dou Royal Palace.

A young man, appearing to be around 27 or 28 years old, sat in a pavilion, enjoying breakfast. Though not strikingly handsome, his clean, straight features and a simple long blue robe gave him a refreshing look. His long black hair was neatly tied with a blue ribbon and hung down his back. While his attire was ordinary, there was an air of grace about him.

Next to him, a middle-aged man dressed in black knelt respectfully.

The young man took a sip of tea and said, "Speak. What's the matter?"

The middle-aged man responded respectfully, "Your Highness, yesterday, Prince Xue Beng was beaten by two new students at Heaven Dou Academy."

The young man was none other than Xue Qinghe, the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.

"Heh, my foolish brother must have caused trouble again. Who are these two students who dared to beat the Fourth Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire?"

"Your Highness, I'm not sure. I only know they were invited by Meng Shenji, the Contra Spirit Master. Apparently, these two are extremely talented and highly valued by the academy's elders. One of them even defeated Dugu Yan of the Emperor Team yesterday, and both have now joined the team."

Xue Qinghe calmly wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, smiling slightly.

"Oh? Another pair of geniuses at Heaven Dou Academy? This should be interesting."

After the middle-aged man left, Xue Qinghe picked up a document from the table, walked out of the courtyard, and looked up at the sky, murmuring, "Is this the person that woman has been watching all these years?"

Meanwhile…

In Martial Soul City, inside the Pope's Palace.

A woman sat on the grand throne in the center of the hall. Though not tall, she wore an elegant long golden dress that fit her perfectly, adorned with more than a hundred red, blue, and gold gems that shimmered brilliantly. 

On her head, she wore a glowing purple-gold crown, and in her hand, she held a two-meter-long scepter encrusted with countless jewels. Her fair skin and near-perfect features made her stand out, but it was the invisible aura of nobility and holiness surrounding her that compelled others to worship her.

A young blonde girl, about 17 or 18, entered the hall and respectfully greeted the woman, "Teacher, the person you asked me to watch has joined Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

The regal woman was none other than Bibi Dong, the youngest Pope in the history of the Spirit Hall. The girl was her only disciple, Hu Liena.

Bibi Dong nodded, "Mm! Nana, make sure to have someone secretly protect him. Ensure he is not harmed, but don't interfere with his life."

"Yes, Teacher, but…" Hu Liena hesitated, but eventually held back from asking her question.

Noticing Hu Liena's expression, Bibi Dong smiled gently, a rare sight, and said calmly, "You and I are master and disciple. You can speak freely."

"Yes, Teacher! I just don't understand why you value him so much. Although he's exceptionally gifted, he's not one of us from the Spirit Hall. Why do you care about him?"

Bibi Dong shook her head, not answering directly. "I'll explain it to you later. For now, just know that he will never be an enemy of the Spirit Hall."

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Back to Zuzong's side, things were looking grim.

After breakfast, Xiao Wu dragged Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling for a day of intense shopping. There's no limit to women's enthusiasm for shopping, as they shopped from morning until evening. This exhausted Yu Tianheng and Zuzong.

The two men were covered in bags of all sizes. When Zuzong suggested using storage soul tools, both Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan sternly rejected the idea.

According to them, carrying the bags was what made shopping fun.

Zuzong (complaining): "Then why don't you carry them yourselves!"

Yu Tianheng (patting Zuzong's shoulder): "Brother, you'll get used to it."

By evening, the five finally returned to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and only because Zuzong and Xiao Wu hadn't arranged accommodations; otherwise, they would've shopped even longer.

Unlike Shrek Academy, where students lived in thatched cottages shared by two or three, each Heaven Dou Academy student had their own room. Especially the Emperor Team members, who enjoyed independent courtyards.

Now that they were at Heaven Dou Academy, Zuzong couldn't live in the same room with Xiao Wu as he did back at Nuoding Academy. Even though Xiao Wu looked at him pitifully, Zuzong remained firm.

As Zuzong said: "We're grown-ups now. We have to think about each other's chastity."

Zuzong (meditating): "Amitabha! Don't disturb me. I must preserve my virgin body and properly train the Nine Yang Divine Skill. What if something goes wrong?"

[T/N - Worry not, MC doesn't need to be a virgin]

The next morning, everyone gathered in the bamboo grove.

Qin Ming had been waiting there early.

Seeing everyone assembled, Qin Ming said, "Today, I originally planned for you to spar with each other to familiarize yourselves with your new teammates. However, the academy has decided to send us to participate in a team battle at the Great Spirit Arena in Suotuo City."

Having dealt with these kinds of unofficial arrangements before, Dugu Yan and the others weren't surprised. As long as it didn't interfere with their training, they only grumbled a bit but didn't object.

Dugu Yan sneered, "Hmph! Another money game for those lousy nobles."

Zuzong understood what was going on. This must be the event from the original story where the Emperor Team went to Suotuo City and lost to Shrek.

Xiao Wu, full of confusion, asked, "What's the Great Spirit Arena? And what money game is Sister Yan talking about?"

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