First Meeting with Tang God King

Just as Yang Ming noticed the three people at the front of the line, his unusual bearing also caught the attention of the Blue-Clad Youth among them.

The Blue-Clad Youth turned to look at Yang Ming. Their eyes met, and both felt an inexplicable tremor in their hearts!!!

The Blue-Clad Youth's distraction quickly caught the attention of the Pink-Clad Girl beside him. As she spoke, she followed his gaze.

"Third Brother, what are you looking at..."

Then she, too, saw the handsome, elegant young man at the very back of the line, dressed in white brocade robes.

It had to be said that after entering the human world for so many years, this was the first time Sister Xiao Wu had seen a boy with such a good-looking face... No, how could he compare to her truly ordinary-looking Third Brother? His skin was even so fair, hardly any worse than hers! Thinking this, Xiao Wu cursed under her breath.

"Girly man!"

The Blue-Clad Youth called Third Brother was none other than Tang San, the fated protagonist of the Douluo Continent, the beloved teenage Sea God, Tang God King, Tang Buddha Ancestor, and bearer of many other illustrious titles.

Hearing his sister's words, Tang San came back to himself and softly reprimanded her.

"Xiao Wu!"

However, judging by Tang San's expression, the gesture mattered far more than the reprimand itself.

Having been insulted, Yang Ming naturally came back to his senses as well. He frowned slightly but said nothing. Though he disliked the girl called Xiao Wu's behavior, it was not as if he needed to go over and beat her up over it.

Before Yang Ming and Tang San could make any further moves, Shrek Academy's admissions process stirred up trouble again.

A father of one of the applicants at the front could no longer hold back his anger. "You're plainly cheating people out of their money! Return our registration fee, or we won't leave. If we'd known this so-called Shrek Academy was such a dump, we never would have come!"

From the hushed conversations among the parents in the line, Yang Ming learned what had happened.

An applicant had paid the registration fee but failed the test, and the money could not be refunded. That was what had led to the current scene.

The old man at the front glanced at the father and said blandly, "Hongjun, someone wants their registration fee back. Handle it."

Unlike the original timeline, Ma Hongjun was the one acting as the enforcer this time. After all, Dai Mubai had only broken his leg a few days ago and could not have recovered so quickly!

A bulky figure suddenly sprang up from the ground nearby. The newcomer was a broad, fat fellow with red hair styled into a Mohawk and two little mustaches. The fat man spoke.

"If you want your registration fee back, fine. Beat this young master, and I'll return every last coin."

This person was Ma Hongjun. Since he had been sitting off to the side and blocked by the crowd, Yang Ming had not seen him earlier.

Ma Hongjun did not waste words. He directly circulated his Soul Power, releasing two hundred-year Spirit Rings at once. His surging Soul Power immediately gave off intense heat, creating invisible waves of scorching air. His small eyes, burning with purple flames, stared at the father and son.

When Yang Ming saw that the Shrek Academy students truly behaved as the rumors in Suotuo City claimed, resorting to such blatant extortion, all kinds of inexplicable emotions erupted within him again—contempt, shame, anger, and more.

And this time, it was not merely those inexplicable emotions. It was also Yang Ming's own heart. For the first time, the emotions from his two lives resonated in unison. Yang Ming stepped forward and said in a deep voice.

"Fine! If I beat you, you return the money!"

"Do you dare?"

As he spoke, the Atlas Spear appeared in Yang Ming's hand. He raised the long spear and pointed it directly at Ma Hongjun.

When Ma Hongjun saw Yang Ming's handsome face, he had instinctively been about to fly into a rage.

However, when he saw the transparent, ethereal Atlas Spear in the other party's hand and noticed that no Spirit Rings had yet appeared beneath his feet, he recalled the warning his teacher Flender had given him three days ago, as well as Dai Mubai's miserably broken leg.

He could not help shuddering all over. Even Boss Dai had been beaten so badly—wouldn't it be even worse for him?!! For a moment, even the Phoenix Evil Fire could hardly warm him.

The old man beside the wooden table, Li Yusong, was also startled when he saw Yang Ming reveal his Martial Soul. He knew far more than Ma Hongjun did, and he had already heard about Zhao Wuji.

Furthermore, according to Old Zhao, Li Yusong himself might be killed if he fought this kid to the death. Though he did not quite believe it, Old Zhao's miserable state was right there for all to see. Rumor had it that he would need three months of recuperation before fully recovering!

Seeing Yang Ming looking ready to strike at once, Li Yusong stepped forward and said, as if trying to make amends after the fact.

"Enough! Stop arguing! Consider this a reminder to you!"

As he spoke, he tossed ten Gold Soul Coins to the father and son.

Then he gave an explanation of the origins of the name Shrek, clearly laid out the basic admissions requirements, and summoned his Martial Soul to display his Spirit Rings, showing off his Soul Emperor cultivation.

In the original timeline, Li Yusong had done the same after collecting registration fees from two people. But with Yang Ming present this time, Li Yusong had stepped in early.

After hearing Li Yusong's words, most of the parents showed regretful expressions and silently led their children away. The line of more than a hundred people dwindled to only a dozen or so applicants in the blink of an eye.

Li Yusong did not care about the number of students. He had not explained things earlier only because of that fellow Flender's request—to swindle a little money and ease the academy's financial crisis. Otherwise, as a Soul Emperor, he still had his pride. How could he do such a thing?

After resolving the minor disturbance, Li Yusong said to Yang Ming.

"The dean has already given instructions. You can go in too, kid!"

Seeing that Ma Hongjun had backed down and the matter had been resolved, Yang Ming had no intention of fighting further. He withdrew his Martial Soul and headed into Shrek Academy.

Seeing that Yang Ming was fine and even swaggered into Shrek Academy, Xiao Wu commented unhappily.

"That guy was about to fight one of their students. How did it just end like that?"

Xiao Wu found the outcome thoroughly unsatisfying. But when she thought of Shrek Academy's admissions philosophy that Li Yusong had just described, Wu Taijun felt otherwise.

"But this academy is pretty interesting. Especially that teacher's line about only accepting monsters and not ordinary people. That was so cool."

Tang San, meanwhile, watched Yang Ming's departing back with an unreadable expression. He felt Yang Ming had overreacted. The other applicants had simply come without understanding the rules. This was the academy the Grandmaster had recommended after rejecting invitations from every other academy, so Tang San felt it should naturally be different from the rest.

And besides Tang Buddha Ancestor and Wu Taijun, another well-known second-generation soul master found things increasingly interesting.

After entering the village, all Yang Ming could see were wooden buildings. Simple and plain were the most fitting words to describe the architecture here.

After walking a short distance, Yang Ming arrived at an open area of roughly five hundred square meters.

Just then, a soft, languid cry of hawking rang out.

"Sausages for sale, sausages for sale! Take a look, have a look, don't miss out as you pass by. Oscar Brand Sausage, delicious and sweet. Cheap prices and generous portions. Just five copper coins each. Eat an Oscar Brand Sausage, and I guarantee you'll have an easier time passing the entrance exam."

Yang Ming turned his head and saw someone pushing a small cart nearby while calling out his wares.

Behind the cart stood a person wearing a simple gray jacket, about the same height as Yang Ming. He had neat short hair and a face full of beard, yet also a pair of large Peach Blossom Eyes. He was a big... No, a young man with thick body hair.

This was none other than Oscar, the future first Food-Type Titled Douluo of the Douluo Continent and one of the true geniuses of his generation.

Sensing an unusual fluctuation of Soul Power coming from the stall, Yang Ming stepped forward to take a look.

When he drew near, Yang Ming saw a wooden board nailed to the cart, with four words carved into it: Sausage Specialty Store.

The moment Oscar saw Yang Ming approach, he warmly asked, "Customer, want a sausage? Oscar Brand Sausage—honest prices for young and old alike, delicious and affordable!"

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