Once everyone was geared up, the mood shifted. With the Shrek Supervisory Group's mission looming, there was no more time to dawdle.
Ma Xiaotao took Wu Feng along with her. Dai Yueheng and Xixi split up and each led one of the twin duo—Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong—on the road. As for Xuan Lao? He disappeared, as usual.
The rest of the team moved fast, pressing forward until midday before taking a break.
The inner courtyard students handled the pace easily, only slightly out of breath. But what surprised them was the performance of the reserve team. Aside from Chen Junting and Ning Tian—whose bodies had long adapted to ten-thousand-year soul rings—the rest kept up far better than expected.
One reason why?
"Hey, you're right. This soul tool is amazing," Xu Sanshi said, removing the lightweight gear as he caught his breath.
Beibei rolled his eyes. "Look who's talking. Didn't someone complain about soul tools not long ago?"
"Who? Not me," Xu Sanshi deflected shamelessly, handing the tool back to He Caitou with a laugh. "Anyway, more important question—what's for lunch?"
That silenced everyone. Clearly, few here were capable of cooking.
"Maybe just dry rations," Yao Haoxuan offered, pulling out a dense, blackish lump that vaguely resembled a steamed bun. "This is an inner courtyard special—very nutritious."
Inner courtyard special?! Xu Sanshi's eyes lit up.
He accepted gratefully, broke it in half, and handed some to Jiang Nannan before taking a bite himself. He didn't notice the inner courtyard students watching him like they were waiting for a punchline.
And they got one.
"It tastes awful!"
Xu Sanshi hit the ground, gagging, as the others burst into laughter—even Wang Yan couldn't hold back.
Jiang Nannan blinked at her half and hesitated. "Is it really that bad? It's supposed to be nutritious, right?"
Chen Junting chuckled. "High nutrition usually means low taste. The more natural and concentrated the ingredients, the less likely they are to be palatable."
"Exactly!" Wang Dong jumped in, his face darkening at the memory. "When I was little, my family made me eat stuff like this all the time. Said it was good for me. I puked. A lot."
The group couldn't help but envy him. Only someone from the Haotian Sect could afford to waste high-value food like that.
"Alright, let's eat for real now," Junting said, signaling to Ning Tian.
With a flick of her storage ring, she laid out a large tablecloth and set out a full spread of beautifully packed meals.
"Wait, what is this?" The inner courtyard students blinked at the arrangement, comparing it to the nutrition bricks in their hands—then swiftly packed theirs away.
"It's from the Shrek City Hotel," Ning Tian said casually.
"Bless you," Xu Sanshi groaned from the ground, flipping up like a turtle on its back. He dove toward the food, earning another round of laughter.
Beibei, still rubbing his temples, teased, "Xiao Ya, you just reheated restaurant food and passed it off as homemade?"
Before he could finish the thought—
"What are you even saying?!" Xu Sanshi roared with righteous indignation. "Beibei, as her boyfriend, how dare you insult Xiao Ya's cooking skills?!"
"You lying son of—!"
Beibei nearly lost it. Everyone knew he worshipped his girlfriend. To suggest otherwise was slander of the highest order.
Besides, he hadn't said it—Xu Sanshi had complained about it privately just the day before!
Sensing another bickering match incoming, Chen Junting called everyone to eat. Wu Feng and Ma Xiaotao heated the dishes quickly with their flame-type soul skills, and soon the scent of hot, savory food filled the air.
Even Xuan Lao couldn't resist.
Without a word, he appeared, swiped two chicken-based lunchboxes, and vanished again.
Yao Haoxuan muttered, "If he likes chicken that much, maybe we should call him 'Old Chicken' instead."
Thwack!
A chicken bone flew out of nowhere and cracked against the back of his head. Yao Haoxuan wobbled and nearly collapsed onto the tablecloth—until a sudden blast of cold air froze him solid, mid-fall.
"Yao Haoxuan! You trying to ruin lunch?!"
The group howled in protest, quickly moving the food to another spot.
Now seated beside a bubbling stream under soft spring sunlight, the students laughed, chatted, and ate like they were on a school picnic.
As for Yao Haoxuan? Frozen, mute, and miserable.
His sorrow was not shared.
After lunch, they thawed him out and let him eat. But he was also assigned garbage duty—poetic justice, really.
They rested for half an hour before resuming the journey. By late afternoon, they reached the border of the Tianhun and Xingluo Empires.
Before them stood a heavily fortified Xingluo army camp.
As Dai Yuheng stepped forward to negotiate entry, Chen Junting scanned the surroundings with narrowed eyes. Tension lingered in the air like a storm about to break. The soldiers here weren't for show—this was an iron-blooded army ready for war.
And that disturbed him.
Despite the Sun-Moon Empire being the public enemy, the border between Xingluo and Tianhun was armed to the teeth.
It didn't add up.
If the threat truly came from across the sea, where the Sun-Moon Empire bordered the Tianhun Empire directly, why place an elite force here, far inland?
No, Junting thought grimly. This isn't about defense. This is about distrust.
The three empires were supposed to stand united against a common foe. But even in the shadow of war, they still guarded against each other.
Against this kind of division, how can they possibly resist the Sun-Moon Empire's rise?
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(End of Chapter)
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