"Jiujiu, you know that while I outwardly maintain extreme respect for Shrek Academy, in reality, I have no real expectations for them."
Xu Jiawei sighed.
"With Shrek Academy's deep foundation, if they had truly valued soul tools enough, their development wouldn't be in this state. When I was young, I studied at Shrek Academy. Their research on martial souls is indeed profound—thousands of years of heritage and the legacies of countless prodigies are Shrek Academy's most valuable assets."
"But they have always harbored a certain arrogance. I know very well that this arrogance will be the greatest obstacle to future progress. They refuse to accept new changes and remain immersed in their past glory. That's why, when it comes to soul tool research, they're actually lagging behind us."
Xu Jiujiu remained silent.
"To be honest, Shrek Academy recruits thousands of talented youths from the Star Luo Empire every year. Of those, forty percent are expelled for various reasons, like a sieve filtering out the weak. Of the remaining sixty percent, thirty percent stay in Shrek's outer court as teachers or take on other roles, becoming completely assimilated into Shrek. Another ten percent—the true prodigies—enter the inner court, and then they go play around with that so-called 'Shrek Academy Disciplinary Squad'!"
Xu Jiawei was full of anger.
"Every year, dozens of true geniuses die! Are they really Shrek's people? No, they're my Star Luo Empire's citizens! Sending a bunch of young prodigies, fresh out of school, to deal with notorious evil soul masters—what are the elders of the Sea God's Pavilion doing? If it weren't for Shrek Academy's reputation, I would have thought they were deliberately wasting our nation's talents!"
"Hah…"
Xu Jiawei slumped back into his chair.
"Only twenty percent! Only twenty percent of our prodigies ever return to serve the Star Luo Empire."
"If Shrek Academy's training actually justified the sacrifices, I wouldn't say anything. But what's the reality? Inner court students rely entirely on their own cultivation. Have those so-called teachers ever really guided them? Or did the students even need their guidance in the first place?"
"Shrek Academy… Hah, they excel at brainwashing, though."
After venting his frustrations, Xu Jiawei closed his eyes.
"Shrek is the number one academy on the continent—that is a universally accepted fact," Xu Jiujiu said thoughtfully. "That is indeed an unparalleled honor, but it is also a burden. The entire academy is being dragged along by the weight of that reputation. They have no choice but to keep moving forward."
"Only a steady flow of exceptional students can keep this massive machine running. That is why, in every Continental Soul Master Tournament, they fight desperately for first place, no matter what."
Xu Jiujiu's words struck straight at the heart of the matter: "Because if they ever lose, they're finished."
"You see things very clearly."
Xu Jiawei sighed in admiration.
If his sister had been born a man, he might have seriously considered making her his heir...
"But this is the reality. No matter how much I despise Shrek, I must bow my head and flatter them to prepare for the war against the Sun Moon Empire in the future."
Xu Jiawei spoke calmly.
"Even if they refuse to progress and indulge in their past arrogance, maybe someday in the future, they'll be completely overwhelmed by the Sun Moon Empire's soul tool cannons."
"But for now, their strength is enough to handle the upcoming continental war."
"So, Brother, your plan is?" Xu Jiujiu asked.
"Do everything possible to ally with Shrek Academy. During this Continental Academy Tournament, discuss with them how we should respond to the future war."
Xu Jiawei said flatly.
His personal disdain for Shrek Academy was one thing, but as a competent emperor, he would never let that influence major political decisions.
"Understood," Xu Jiujiu nodded.
At the same time, her beautiful eyes were fixed on a photograph, filled with complex emotions…
In the Laboratory
"Zzzzt zzzzt~"
A projection appeared on the snow-white wall.
It displayed an image of a bedroom.
Xu Cheng examined it—it looked just like the early projectors from his past life, but in terms of color and frame rate, it was exceptionally advanced, almost indistinguishable from reality.
He casually dismantled a formation core, analyzed it briefly, and immediately understood.
Although this only allowed for live transmission, making it capable of recording and then playing back like a movie would only require a small modification to the formation—a simple "record" function.
"Juzi," Xu Cheng called without turning around.
"I'm here~" Juzi immediately stood by his side.
"Go invite the people from the Sun Moon Empire's opera house."
"Understood."
Half an hour later—
Inside the once-empty laboratory, more than twenty people stood awkwardly, awaiting the prince's command.
Xu Cheng directed his subordinates to set up "camera positions" at four different angles.
Then, he turned to the gathered actors and said, "Perform your best play for me, anything you like."
Hearing this, an elderly man at the front let out a breath of relief. "Your Highness, shall we perform Snow and Rain?"
"Go ahead."
The actors wasted no time. As seasoned performers, they got into position within moments and began their act.
Xu Cheng reviewed the footage.
He nodded from time to time.
Their acting was a bit exaggerated—on screen, it looked like the cheap overacting from low-budget films in his past life.
But in reality, this was because stage actors had to use exaggerated facial expressions and body language to convey emotions to audiences seated far away.
This wasn't a problem.
With a little training, they could adjust.
After all, in his previous life, many successful film actors came from theater backgrounds, and some even thrived in both fields.
Juzi, meanwhile, was watching the screen with wide, curious eyes, as if she had discovered an entirely new world.
"Your Highness, why are you recording this?"
"To spread culture," Xu Cheng replied with a smile.
Of course, exactly what kind of "culture" he would be spreading… that remained to be seen.
"Alright, Juzi."
Xu Cheng casually placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, like a friendly older brother.
"Find more actors and form our own theater troupe. Your top priority is to learn how to shoot scenes that are comfortable for audiences to watch. The sooner we perfect this, the better. Train the actors, refine their techniques, and identify a few key performers who can carry major roles."
"These actors don't necessarily have to be ordinary people—soul masters can be included as well."
"Hmm…"
Juzi's fair face turned slightly red.
"Understood, Your Highness! I will make sure this is done!"
Royal Academy Training Grounds
"Hey, Ah Cheng, where have you been?"
At the Sun Moon Empire's Royal Academy training field, Xiao Hongchen greeted him loudly.
"I went to the Extreme North for a bit," Xu Cheng replied with a smile.
"Alright, since you're back, let's train together. We need to work on our teamwork for the upcoming Continental Soul Master Tournament."
Xu Cheng nodded slightly and glanced around.
Including himself, there were fourteen people in total—all of them the Sun Moon Empire's top young elites.
He smiled. "Let me introduce myself—Xu Cheng. It's a pleasure to meet you all."