Lu Jingming felt relieved at Han Ruoruo's intervention.
Such overly enthusiastic elder sisters were a bit much for him to handle.
Only now did the scene calm down enough for him to observe the Shrek group.
Besides Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming, the five older members were all formidable—Lu Jingming couldn't gauge their strength.
But the younger reserve members gave him a strong sense of déjà vu.
Besides Ma Xiaotao, the most powerful aura belonged to a golden-haired boy—Dai Yueheng, easily recognized by his striking blond hair and natural confidence.
Next was a feminine-looking black-haired boy with facial markings—likely Gongyang Mo.
There was also an honest-looking boy with short black hair—probably Yao Haoxuan.
Then there was the cold-looking boy with dark red short hair, Chen Zifeng, and a seemingly unremarkable girl who, upon closer inspection, was a real beauty—Xixi.
Finally, a black-haired girl who was Ma Xiaotao's opposite: stunningly beautiful, cool, and aloof as a snow princess—Ling Luocheng.
Though these reserves were still young, Lu Jingming identified them based on his memories. Each had such a distinct aura, it was easy to tell them apart.
After a brief exchange, Shrek Academy, guided by the empire's staff, checked into the top floor's luxury suites at the Sky Vault Hotel.
Yan Shaozhe never appeared—he'd left all affairs to Han Ruoruo.
This was a trial for the current generation of Shrek Seven Devils, helping them gain experience and grow quickly.
Meanwhile, Zhang Lexuan took St. Freya Academy's documents to register for the tournament, accompanied by their supervising teacher Jing Liu and Lu Jingming, the only reserve member.
Without this status, he couldn't have stayed at the Sky Vault Hotel.
The hotel was exclusive to teams; if anyone could stay, even its massive size couldn't house everyone.
Unlike the prestigious Shrek Academy, St. Freya Academy was only assigned ordinary rooms on the second floor.
Though not as luxurious, these rooms were still top-tier compared to common hotels outside.
After all, Sky Vault Hotel was the best in the empire; even its normal rooms were not for ordinary folk.
St. Freya was new and unknown, naturally no match for the renowned Shrek or Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
But Lu Jingming and the rest didn't care—they were confident that after the tournament, even if they couldn't surpass the top academies, St. Freya would soon be among the elite, making a name for itself in the soul master community.
...
Time flew by, and the tournament's opening day drew closer.
Other teams arrived in succession—even the distant Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy checked into the top floor, enjoying the same treatment as Shrek. As the perennial runner-up, their status was second only to Shrek, and the empire gave them full respect.
For the next few days, Lu Jingming wandered around Heaven Dou City with his little fox, exploring every corner.
He came to judge that, though grand in scale, the city was far inferior to his own Haiyuan City.
Heaven Dou was huge—ten times the size of Haiyuan—but, with its ancient history, it felt old and heavy.
However, its buildings and facilities lagged far behind Haiyuan.
The empire's people shunned soul devices far more than the Star Luo Empire, making their technological progress slow.
In Heaven Dou, not to mention soul trains, even automatic soul-powered air conditioning was rare.
Only high-end places like Sky Vault had such conveniences; ordinary people couldn't hope to use them.
After his explorations, Lu Jingming felt disappointed.
If even the empire's core city was like this, the rest must be even worse.
He'd once dreamed of traveling the continent, but now that idea vanished.
Compared to his highly developed previous life, Douluo's technology was just too backward.
Once the novelty wore off, only boredom remained.
Listless, he returned to the hotel.
The lobby was much busier than when they arrived, with over a hundred teams checked in and people coming and going.
Lu Jingming was about to head upstairs when a faint fragrance wafted over and a graceful figure blocked his way.
"Jingming, little brother, long time no see—do you still remember your big sister?" A crisp, bell-like voice rang in his ear.
Lu Jingming looked up in surprise to see Xu Jiujiu smiling at him, her smile as warm as spring sunshine, but with a hint of something else.
"How could I forget you, Sister Jiujiu?" Lu Jingming quickly shook his head, inwardly alert—she was a sponsor and a powerful backer, someone he couldn't afford to offend.
After all, St. Freya Academy owed its tournament spot largely to Xu Jiujiu's help.
"Really? I thought you'd forgotten me—you only ever asked for help by letter, never even came to visit me once!" Xu Jiujiu's voice carried a trace of grievance, her expression like a lovesick girl abandoned by her beloved, stirring a hint of pity.
Lu Jingming felt awkward. Thinking back, it was true—he'd only contacted her by letter, never visiting Star Luo City in person.
Now, he realized that was thoughtless.