"Oi, wait for me, you bastards!" The portly Xu Lizhi rushed over from behind them.

"What do you want, Fatty? You're going to ruin our image," Yue Zhengyu said in a disdainful manner.

Xu Lizhi was still in his school uniform, but the uniform in the inner court was different from that of the outer court; it was orange in color, and was of excellent design and quality. However, with Xu Lizhi's portly frame, everything looked like an oversized rucksack on him anyway.

Xu Lizhi wasn't irked by Yue Zhengyu's disdainful display. Instead, he chuckled as he squeezed between the two of them and walked along at the center. "If we walk around like this, it looks like a rich landlord walking with his two bodyguards!"

"Piss off!" Xie Xie and Yue Zhengyu exclaimed in unison before glaring at one another as they continued in unison, "Can you not be so in-sync with me?"

"Are you two going to confess to each other during the match-making convention? It's alright, I support you two. I'm going on ahead now," Xu Lizhi chuckled with amusement before speeding away like the wind. Despite the fact that his body weight had constantly been increasing, his speed had also been improving in equal measure.

Yue Zhengyu and Xie Xie glanced at one another before harrumphing in perfect synchronicity.

Meanwhile, preparations on the surface of the Sea God's Lake had already commenced. Xie Xie was already fully prepared as he arrived at the edge of the lake, but he was still feeling quite nervous.

"Is this really going to work? What if Yuanen gets mad at me?" he asked in an uneasy manner.

Yue Zhengyu turned to him with an exasperated look. "Can you not be so cowardly? You know what? Why don't you just go back and sulk in your room? I've never seen anyone as pathetic as you! Is Yuanen supposed to be some kind of ferocious beast?"

"Who did you say was a ferocious beast?" A flat voice sounded from behind them.

Xie Xie and Yue Zhengyu hurriedly turned around, only to discover Yuanen Yehui standing right behind them in her usual male attire.

"Er... I didn't say that; it was the voice of Xie Xie's heart. Oh, would you look at the time! Gotta run!" Yue Zhengyu instantly fled the scene. He was no match for Yuanen Yehui in battle.

"Er, Yuanen." For some reason, all of the courage that Xie Xie had mustered up earlier vanished as soon as he caught sight of Yuanen Yehui, and he rubbed his hands together in an anxious manner.

Yuanen Yehui merely took a glance at him before departing with a cold look on her face without uttering even a single word.

Xie Xie looked on at Yuanen Yehui's departing figure, and he sagged like a deflated balloon. It appeared he still didn't have a chance, after all.

There's no way that she's going to accept my confession. Otherwise, why would she still be in her male attire even though the convention is about to commence? What do I do? I am so dead!

The commencement of the Sea God Fate Match-making Convention was imminent, and Xie Xie naturally wasn't the only one who was feeling very nervous. At this moment, there were countless students in the inner court experiencing accelerated heart rates.

To the inner court disciples who had come of age, this day was simply far too important.

Ever since they'd first entered Shrek Academy, they'd been constantly under pressure from the entire academy. None of the teachers in the academy stipulated that they had to do something or become something, but all of the students of Shrek Academy were exceptional prodigies. In the midst of so many freakish talents, there was always the feeling that one would be surpassed by their fellow students even if they slacked off just a little.

This was not a good feeling, but no one wanted to be expelled after expending so much effort to make it into Shrek Academy in the first place. As such, the only thing they could do after entering the academy was work as hard as they could without daring to grow even slightly complacent.

Only after working extremely hard year after year could the most exceptionally talented students stand out from the rest. These students would become one-word battle armor masters before turning 20, thereby granting them a place in the inner court.

Only the likes of the Monster Eight Kings of the Star Luo Continent's Monster Academy had the right to enter the inner court of Shrek Academy! As such, this was the only time where they could relax a little.

At around 20 years of age was when hormonal secretion reached its peak, so of course they were yearning to meet their other half. However, only at a time like this did they truly have the opportunity and the power to choose their other half.

The academy had prepared this opportunity for them in the form of this Sea God Fate Match-making Convention. Not all students of Shrek Academy would choose their partners within the academy, but this applied to the vast majority of the inner court disciples. The reason for this was very simple; if two people were to be together, they had to at least have common topics that they could discuss. If two people were vastly different from one another, perhaps temporary could make them see past these differences, but it would be very difficult to maintain a relationship.

As it turned out, almost all of the matches that were made during the Sea God Fate Match-making Convention stayed together for life with the exception of those who encountered extraordinary circumstances. With the same experiences and the same goals, those couples would greatly cherish one another, and they could advance together toward a shared cultivation dream.

Such a relationship wasn't just one that was forged on love, but also on the basis of dual cultivation. Through assisting and supporting one another, their relationships would prove to be more stalwart than most.

As such, all of the inner court disciples were always extremely excited in the lead-up to the Sea God Fate Match-making Convention. During the period of time prior to the commencement of the convention, not only would they be working hard in their cultivation, they would also be searching for love interests.

There was also another type of situation where some already had love interests, and they wanted to express their love during the Sea God Fate Match-making Convention. During the process, they'd be proving themselves through their own powers, and also forging their bonds right in front of all of their fellow students. It could be said that the Sea God Fate Match-making Convention was not only a type of service offered to inner court disciples by the academy, but also a type of honor bestowed upon the couples of the inner court by the academy.

It was said that those who found their matches during the Sea God Fate Match-making Convention would receive blessings from the captain of the first generation of Shrek’s Seven Monsters. In other words, they would be blessed by the Sea God himself. The Sea God's Island and the Sea God's Lake had all been erected to commemorate his existence.

Night fell, and the sky had completely dimmed. Normally at this time, the inner court would be very quiet and peaceful, but on this day, it was becoming quite lively and bustling instead.

After dinner, all of the outer court students of a suitable age, particularly those over the age of 18 but below 20, had already entered the inner court well in advance. Only on a day like this would they be granted special entry into the inner court, and all of them wore expressions of intense yearning, wishing that they could be taking the place of the inner court disciples participating in the event.

The Sea God Fate Match-making Convention acted as the best form of motivation for them. If they could become one-word battle armor masters, they'd have a right to participate in this convention.

For outer court students who were already over 20 years of age, the door wasn't entirely closed to them, either. After all, the age restriction for entry into the inner court wasn't always set in stone. For example, there were some late bloomers who would become one-word battle armor masters at 21 years of age. They would normally have missed their chance to enter the inner court, but they had a second chance. If they could become two-word battle armor masters prior to turning 30, then they'd have a chance to take a supplementary exam, the passage of which would also grant them entry into the inner court.

As such, all hope was not lost, even for students above 20 years of age. Many people didn't want to graduate from the outer court even after becoming one-word battle armor masters, and all of these people were striving toward becoming two-word battle armor masters before 30 so they could have another chance to enter the inner court.

They simply loved Shrek Academy, and they wanted to do everything they could to stay here.