Douluo Continent: Angels Descend, Glory Reborn

"Su Chen, look!" Tang Ya's voice was much softer than usual, filled with an almost reverent excitement. "These are the founders of our Shrek Academy, and our most legendary predecessors! All new students must first pay their respects here!"

Su Chen followed the direction of her finger and slowly scanned the ten huge stone statues.

The three statues in the front row, from left to right, form the legendary "Golden Iron Triangle." In the center is a statue of a middle-aged man holding a book, exuding a scholarly air; this must be the theoretical master Yu Xiaogang.

On the left is a statue of a spirited and beautiful woman, presumably Liu Erlong. On the right is a statue of a man with a somewhat blurred face but sharp, eagle-like eyes, Flanders.

The seven statues in the back row are the "Original Shrek Seven Devils," famous throughout the continent for millennia. Each of the seven statues has a different pose, and even though they are just statues, one can faintly feel the unparalleled demeanor of those who have gone through countless battles and finally ascended to the realm of gods.

Su Chen's gaze moved quickly across the ten statues, and finally, almost involuntarily, it settled on the third statue on the left in the back row—a statue of a young man with a light blue hue throughout.

He was a young man with flowing blue hair, a handsome and gentle face, and a faint smile on his lips that seemed to encompass all things. His left hand hung naturally at his sides, while his right hand seemed to be holding something loosely, his posture relaxed and elegant.

Tang San!

The holder of both the Sea God and the Asura God titles, the founder of the Tang Sect, the key figure of the original Shrek Seven Devils, and now the high-ranking, extremely controlling enforcer in the God Realm.

Su Chen's eyes remained calm and undisturbed, but a cold ripple stirred deep within his heart. He would not forget the many "arrangements" and "tests" that this God-King had placed on the lower realm in the original story, nor would he forget his almost obsessive protection of his daughter and his methods of eliminating potential "threats."

Having inherited the legacy of the angel god and having stolen the opportunity that originally belonged to his "son-in-law," he is destined to stand on the opposite side of this god-king in the future.

He will not, and absolutely will not, become Tang San's lackey or pawn.

Therefore, the figure represented by this statue will only be his enemy in the future.

Tang Ya had been secretly observing Su Chen, and her gaze followed Su Chen's gaze, naturally landing on Tang San's statue.

Seeing Su Chen gazing at the Tang San statue, she was initially delighted—after all, he was the founder of the Tang Sect and one of her most revered ancestors. But then, an indescribable bitterness welled up in her heart.

Tang San's ancestor founded the Tang Sect, which dominated the continent and left behind countless legends. But now, ten thousand years later, the Tang Sect is in her hands, yet she can only watch it decline and fall, with only her and Bei Bei struggling to keep it afloat, barely able to maintain even the most basic lineage. This immense sense of loss and powerlessness caused Tang Ya a sharp pain in her heart, and her nose tingled slightly.

But she quickly took a deep breath, forced herself to adjust her mindset, and smiled again. After all, now was not the time for sadness; she still needed to introduce the academy's glory to Su Chen.

She opened her small mouth, ready to proudly introduce to Su Chen the great achievements of this Tang Clan ancestor, the Sea God, and the profound meaning behind the statue's construction...

"I'm a little tired today," Su Chen suddenly said, calmly interrupting Tang Ya's words. "Go report for duty first."

His tone wasn't harsh, but it carried an unquestionable air. He also shifted his gaze away from Tang San's statue, as if it were just an ordinary stone statue, not worth paying much attention to.

Tang Ya paused slightly, swallowing back the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She looked at Su Chen's somewhat indifferent profile, and then thought of the battle he had just fought against a five-thousand-year-old Crimson Winged Dragon. Although he looked relaxed, his soul power must have been greatly depleted, and it was normal for him to feel tired.

Thinking of this, Tang Ya's slight annoyance at being interrupted vanished instantly, replaced by a hint of concern: "Ah, right! It was my oversight!"

Beibei nodded in agreement.

Neither of them questioned Su Chen's interruption of Tang Ya's introduction, naturally attributing it to fatigue after the battle.

After passing the towering statues, the road ahead widened again. After walking for a while, a relatively open space appeared before them. In the open space, several long tables were simply set up, and a dozen or so young men and women of similar age to Su Chen were queuing up, their faces showing a mixture of nervousness, anticipation, and trepidation.

Behind the long table sat several middle-aged people who appeared to be faculty members, methodically conducting registration and preliminary verification. Beside them stood several young people dressed in yellow outfits with Shrek emblems embroidered on their cuffs; they appeared relaxed, occasionally conversing in hushed tones or maintaining order. These were second- and third-year students from the Foreign Languages ​​Department, assigned to assist with the new student registration process.

Compared to the massive crowds outside the East Gate, this place is much more orderly. Those who have made it here have already passed the most basic qualification screening.

Tang Ya stood on tiptoe, craned her neck to look, and then pointed to the middle-aged man sitting upright and composed in the center of the long table. She lowered her voice and said to Su Chen, "Su Chen, look, that's the Dean of Instruction of the Outer Academy's Martial Soul Department, Dean Du Weilun! He's a Soul Douluo-level expert! He rarely takes direct charge of freshman registration. It seems he's personally overseeing things here because he's particularly busy during the admissions season."

Contra? Su Chen's gaze flickered slightly as he glanced at Du Weiren. The other man seemed to notice his gaze and looked up as well. When he saw Bei Bei and Tang Ya, a faint smile appeared on his serious face, and he nodded.

But when his gaze fell on Su Chen, a barely perceptible hint of surprise and contemplation flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

With the introduction and guarantee of two well-known students from the Foreign Languages ​​Department, Bei Bei and Tang Ya, Su Chen's registration process was greatly simplified. He only needed to complete two basic verifications.

The person in charge was a kind-looking female teacher. She first took out a transparent crystal ball and had Su Chen infuse it with his soul power, at which point the crystal ball immediately shone brightly.

"Soul Power, Level 27. Meets the standard, excellent." The female teacher nodded and made a note of it. This level is definitely top-tier among the freshmen, but by Shrek Academy's standards, it's not entirely unique.

Then, she reached out and gently pinched several key areas on Su Chen's wrist and arm bones to feel the degree of bone development and bone age.

"Bone age, around twelve years old, matches." The female teacher confirmed again, her smile becoming even gentler. Twelve years old and at level twenty-seven, this talent is indeed worth taking seriously.

"Pay ten gold soul coins for tuition and miscellaneous fees. Here's your temporary student certificate, dormitory key, and two sets of white freshman uniforms." The female teacher deftly handed the items to Su Chen. "Specific class assignment information will be posted on the bulletin boards in the dormitory and teaching areas later, so please check them. Now, you can go to the dormitory area to settle in."

Su Chen took the items and thanked her. Bei Bei and Tang Ya also nodded to the female teacher, and then the three of them left the registration point and headed towards the road leading to the dormitory area.

Along the way, Tang Ya acted like a dutiful tour guide, continuing to introduce the buildings along the route to Su Chen.

"Su Chen, look, that's the teaching building area over there." Tang Ya pointed to a cluster of buildings in the distance. "The teaching buildings are mainly divided into four colors: white, yellow, purple, and black, corresponding to different grades. White is the teaching building for freshmen, yellow is for second and third graders, purple is for fourth and fifth graders, and black... that's the teaching building for sixth graders."

She paused, her tone filled with longing and solemnity: "Those who can enter that black teaching building are all the elites among the elites of the outer academy. After completing their studies in the sixth year and passing the examination, they can obtain the official graduation certificate from Shrek Outer Academy."

"This certificate is the most valuable in the entire Douluo Continent! No matter which country or power you want to go to in the future, having it will give you great respect and a better starting point."

Su Chen nodded, his gaze sweeping over the buildings. White teaching buildings were the most numerous, followed by yellow and purple, while only one black building stood alone, yet it was the tallest and most solemn. This clear hierarchical division subtly motivated the students to continuously strive upwards.

"No wonder it's the academy most coveted by Soul Masters," Su Chen said calmly. This wasn't flattery, but a statement of fact. Shrek Academy's ability to stand for ten thousand years, its training system, accumulated resources, and established reputation have indeed made it a golden brand in Soul Master education on the continent.

"Of course!" Tang Ya puffed out her chest proudly. "However, there are also some of the top students who will not choose to leave after graduating from the sixth grade, but will strive to enter the Inner Academy!" Her eyes lit up when she said the words "Inner Academy," which was the true core and essence of Shrek Academy.

As they spoke, they passed an area with a cluster of bulletin boards. A number of new students had already gathered in front of one of the brand-new bulletin boards, discussing it animatedly.

"That's the freshman class assignment notice!" Tang Ya's eyes lit up, and she immediately ran over. "Su Chen, come quick and see which class you're in!"

She squeezed to the front of the bulletin board, stood on tiptoe, and peered closely at the large sheet of paper covered with densely packed names, her purple eyes searching rapidly. Soon, she found Su Chen's name.

"Found you! You're in... Freshman Class 1!" Tang Ya shouted excitedly as she turned around, but when she saw the name of the Freshman Class 1 homeroom teacher, the excited smile on her face instantly froze, her face visibly fell, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

"Ah—!" She let out a short, mournful cry, turned around, and said to Su Chen, who was walking towards her, with a long face, "How could it be Zhou Yi... that old... cough, Teacher Zhou's class!"

She swallowed back the words "old pervert, old witch" in time, since criticizing a teacher in public is not a good thing, but the expression on her face said it all.

When Beibei heard the name Zhou Yi, she frowned slightly, clearly knowing something about her.

"Su Chen, you'd better be careful." Tang Ya leaned closer to Su Chen, lowering her voice, her face filled with lingering fear and worry. "This teacher, Zhou Yi, has so many rules, she's incredibly strict! The training load is enormous, and she threatens to expel students at the drop of a hat!"

"I heard she believes in something like 'monsters need to be raised using monster methods,' and her methods... well, they're quite extreme. The percentage of freshmen who can't keep up under her tutelage or are expelled for various reasons is the highest among all freshman classes!"

She spilled the beans about all the "terrifying rumors" she'd heard about Zhou Yi, then looked at Su Chen's calm profile and suddenly felt her worries were a bit unnecessary. She couldn't help but chuckle, "But... if it's you, I don't think I'm so worried. You're so amazing, that training must be nothing to you!"

She had personally witnessed Su Chen slay a five-thousand-year-old Crimson Winged Dragon with a single sword strike! That kind of strength was simply beyond the reach of ordinary freshmen.

Su Chen's eyes remained unmoved upon hearing the name "Zhou Yi." He naturally knew this person—a teacher whose teaching philosophy was still stuck in the "extreme exploitation" training methods of ten thousand years ago.

In Su Chen's view, her method was less about cultivating monsters and more about being lucky enough to be assigned to students with top-notch talent, who then relied on their own tenacity and talent to persevere.

Her so-called high college entrance rate was based on expelling nearly half of the students in the early stages—the denominator became smaller, so the proportion naturally became higher.

To be honest, in Su Chen's opinion, this simple and crude method was not as good as Yu Xiaogang, whom he also did not appreciate much ten thousand years ago.

Although that master's theories were somewhat rigid and his own skills were lacking, he at least knew how to use medicine to regulate his disciples' bodies and make up for the damage caused by high-intensity training.

"I understand, I'll be careful." Su Chen nodded to Tang Ya, accepting her kind reminder.

Seeing that he had a calm reaction and seemed not to care about Zhou Yi, Tang Ya breathed a sigh of relief and changed the subject to something lighter.

She patted her not-so-full but perky chest, raised her chin, and said, "By the way, Su Chen, Bei Bei and I are going to take the fourth-grade advancement exam later! After we finish the exam, I'll come find you, show you around the academy, and then we'll go eat something delicious! Shrek City has so many delicious foods!"

Her tone was light and cheerful, filled with obvious anticipation. Her purple eyes were fixed on Su Chen, as if waiting for his response.

Seeing the undisguised gleam in her eyes, Su Chen paused for a moment before replying simply, "Okay. Best of luck."

Upon receiving the response, Tang Ya's face immediately lit up with a bright smile, like a child who had received candy. She nodded vigorously and said, "Okay! Let's go then! Su Chen, you go to your dorm and rest first!" She waved vigorously at Su Chen before turning around, skipping back to Bei Bei's side, and following him toward the senior assessment area, not forgetting to look back at Su Chen one last time.

Bei Bei turned back and gave Su Chen an apologetic smile before leaving with Tang Ya. He vaguely felt that Tang Ya seemed a little too enthusiastic towards Su Chen today, but then he thought that Tang Ya was trying her best to recruit him into the Tang Clan, so it was understandable that she was being overly enthusiastic.