Hearing Zhou Sichen’s words, the smile on Dugu Xianmeng’s face seemed to freeze for a moment.
“Legends aren’t necessarily all true.
Anyway, I don’t believe it,” Dugu Xianmeng snorted.
The two continued to chat back and forth.
Zhou Sichen also learned about his sister’s current status in the academy and the close relationship between this Poison Witch and his sister.
Before they knew it, the two arrived in front of several villas.
These villas were the closest to the Golden Tree, arguably situated in the prime location.
Dugu Xianmeng pointed at them.
“These are the three villas closest to the Golden Tree.
The one in the middle belongs to Eldest Senior Sister, the left one to the Flame Maniac Ma Xiaotao, and the right one is Eldest Sister’s.”
Hearing her introduction, Zhou Sichen couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
Being neighbors with those two…
Dugu Xianmeng turned to Zhou Sichen.
“Eldest Sister isn’t in the academy right now; she probably won’t be back for a month or two.
You go ahead by yourself first.
I’ll come find you tomorrow and show you around the Inner Courtyard.”
Zhou Sichen nodded.
After bidding farewell to Dugu Xianmeng, he headed straight for his sister’s villa.
They used to live in the same courtyard when they were kids; living in the same villa now was nothing.
He couldn’t be happier about it!
This even saved the academy a villa—a win-win situation.
Even if a villa was unoccupied, dedicated staff came to clean it daily, so they didn’t need to worry about a thing.
Zhou Sichen pushed the door open, and a familiar fragrance greeted him.
The villa’s courtyard was filled with Sunflowers.
These Sunflowers were very special; they had been specially cultivated to serve as a simulated cultivation environment, beneficial for light-attribute soul masters.
They also emitted a unique fragrance that made people feel refreshed and incredibly comfortable.
Before his sister came to Shrek Academy, their courtyard at home was full of Sunflowers, and they were still there now!
Every time his sister went back at the end of the term, she would stay there for a while.
Entering the courtyard, Zhou Sichen was quite surprised to find that the layout was almost identical to their home.
Entering the villa itself, the interior layout was also largely unchanged.
Following the layout of his own home, Zhou Sichen went directly to where his room should be.
Opening the door, he was surprised to find that even the furnishings in his room were almost identical.
Zhou Sichen felt deeply moved.
Even though they had been apart often over the past few years, his sister had always kept him in her heart!
His frantic efforts with the goal of marrying Ye Guyi weren’t in vain!
That soul device he used to cross Sea God Island just now was the welcome gift he had prepared for her!
It was a pity his sister wasn’t at the academy and hadn’t had time to write to him.
She must be on an urgent mission.
Far away from home, he didn’t expect coming to Shrek Academy would give him the feeling of returning home.
Zhou Sichen went to the kitchen and made something simple to eat, then carefully toured the villa, confirming that the scent of home was indeed everywhere.
That night, for the first time in a long while, Zhou Sichen broke his habit of meditating and instead lay on the bed Ye Guyi had personally made for him, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.
In his dreams, Zhou Sichen seemed to return to the first time he met his sister.
Back then, she was almost ambushed by Hellfire.
Thinking about it now, perhaps that was destiny?
…
The next day, Zhou Sichen woke up early.
Having not slept properly in a long time, he felt as if he had been reborn.
He usually substituted sleep with cultivation, so an occasional proper rest offered a completely different experience.
Looking at the rising sun outside, Zhou Sichen stretched lazily.
After washing up, he went downstairs and did some morning exercises in the courtyard.
Not long after, Dugu Xianmeng’s voice came from outside.
“Zhou Sichen, are you up?”
“I’m here, Senior Sister,” Zhou Sichen replied, stepping forward to open the courtyard gate.
Seeing Zhou Sichen in a clean, refreshing martial arts uniform with his hair tied in a neat ponytail, Dugu Xianmeng couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, secretly thinking, Truly worthy of being Eldest Sister’s brother.
These looks, this temperament…
No, I must snatch him up before Eldest Sister returns…
Despite being feared by others as the Poison Witch, Dugu Xianmeng wasn’t actually dark or withdrawn by nature; it was just that her martial soul kept people at bay.
However, she had experienced the joy of friendship over the past few years because Eldest Sister was willing to get close to her and wasn’t afraid of her severe poison.
With someone to guide her, her inner self naturally became much more relaxed than when she was a child.
Now, seeing Eldest Sister’s brother, she naturally wanted to get a bit closer.
Most importantly, Zhou Sichen wasn’t afraid of her poison either.
Ultimate Ice’s suppression of her poison was absolute; the previous battle had proven that enough.
It was exactly because of this that Dugu Xianmeng dared to actively approach Zhou Sichen.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have entertained such wishful thinking…
“Let’s go, Senior Sister,” Zhou Sichen said, looking at the dazed Dugu Xianmeng, increasingly feeling that his assessment of her as a dark, edgy older sister yesterday had been a mistake.
Dugu Xianmeng snapped back to reality.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you to get breakfast first.”
Zhou Sichen nodded, walking silently beside her.
Dugu Xianmeng introduced, “We basically don’t have many expenses in the Inner Courtyard.
The cafeteria is free, but whether you can eat the dishes you want depends on your strength.”
Hearing this, Zhou Sichen became slightly interested.
“How does that work?”
“Although there aren’t many Inner Courtyard disciples, and most go out on missions, there are usually about forty or fifty of us staying at the academy.
The food prepared by the cafeteria is basically all top-quality soul beast essence or other premium ingredients.”
“But with food, apart from throwing it all in a pot to stew, there’s also preparation based on the concentration of nutritional value.”
“Usually, there are duels in the Inner Courtyard.
Later, you’ll receive a duel points card and a duel badge.
After participating in duels, there’s a clear ranking system, and the food we eat is also ranked accordingly.”
Saying this, Dugu Xianmeng looked at Zhou Sichen.
“Do you understand now?”
Zhou Sichen nodded slightly.
“I see.
Does that mean as new arrivals to the Inner Courtyard, we can only eat the lowest-grade food?”
Dugu Xianmeng smiled faintly.
“Newly admitted Inner Courtyard students can choose their food grade freely for the first month.
But after a month, it will be strictly allocated according to the ranking system.”
“The Inner Courtyard is a place where geniuses gather.
Even if some people were true geniuses in the Outer Courtyard, their first month in the Inner Courtyard might be the best they’ll eat.”
“Of course, if you’re rich enough, you can also buy food above your grade at regular prices.”
Hearing this, Zhou Sichen gradually gained some understanding of the Inner Courtyard’s hierarchy.
If the Outer Courtyard was a cradle for learning theoretical knowledge and enriching various skills, then the Inner Courtyard was the place that truly cultivated powerhouses.
Here, they only believed in one thing: Might makes right!
Before long, the two arrived at the cafeteria.
The Inner Courtyard only had two cafeterias: one for the students, and one for the teachers and Shrek Academy’s elders.
Teachers could visit the student cafeteria, but students couldn’t go to the teacher cafeteria, except for a few special cases.
According to Dugu Xianmeng, only four people were currently allowed to eat at the teacher cafeteria.
The number one person in the Inner Courtyard, Eldest Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan.
The Flame Maniac Ma Xiaotao, who was hopeful to catch up with Eldest Senior Sister.
And the newly promoted big sister, the Angel Goddess Ye Guyi.
And lastly, a little brother, whose identity was reportedly special, though he hadn’t been in the Inner Courtyard for the past few years.
Hearing his sister’s nickname, Zhou Sichen thought it sounded pretty nice.
Why didn’t she tell him?
Was it because she was shy?