Ma Hongjun: Dean, From Now On, I'm Your Most Loyal Dog!

"Dean? You think some brat like you deserves to have Little Brother Ma call you Dean?" The moment Ma Hongjun heard that, he narrowed his eyes and stared at Chen Lang with open hostility.

"Ma Hongjun, don't be rude!"

Ma Hongjun did not know Chen Lang's strength or background, but Flender had seen it with his own eyes. He immediately stopped Ma Hongjun.

"No matter. I, Chen Lang, enjoy teaching people how to behave most of all." Chen Lang raised a hand to stop Flender from persuading him.

How could he possibly let Flender stop him from showing off?

He turned to Ma Hongjun. "You're Ma Hongjun, right?"

"That's right. Don't think you can act all arrogant just because you've got a little money. At Shrek Academy, strength does the talking. You look about my age. If you beat me, I'll acknowledge you as our academy's Dean."

Ma Hongjun looked at Chen Lang. "But if you lose, take your filthy money and get lost!"

"Very good. I like that unruly look of yours."

Chen Lang smiled. "But you're not qualified to fight me yet. Beat my underling first."

"..."

Hearing Chen Lang's first remark, Flender awkwardly rubbed his nose from the side.

He had not expected that, having just become the "victim" of that very line, one of his own disciples would become its next victim.

Still, this was fine. No matter how much he explained, it would be useless. It was better to let these two boys see the gap for themselves.

"Your underling?"

Following Chen Lang's gaze, Ma Hongjun looked at Dai Mubai, who stood a head taller than him. The confident smile remained on his face. "I thought you were something special. You don't dare fight me, so you found someone older than me?"

"But so what if he's a few years older?"

"My Martial Soul is the Evil Fire Phoenix. I was born with rank-nine Soul Power, and now my Soul Power has reached rank eighteen!"

Before he had even finished speaking, Ma Hongjun revealed his Martial Soul and a yellow Soul Ring, looking at Dai Mubai with extreme arrogance.

In his eyes, since Dai Mubai was Chen Lang's underling, his strength and talent naturally could not compare to his own.

"Rank eighteen? Pfft... That really scared me to death."

Dai Mubai burst out laughing at Ma Hongjun, then revealed his own Martial Soul and Soul Rings. Though he was nowhere near as monstrous as Chen Lang, the mere sight of two Soul Rings transformed Ma Hongjun's arrogance into shock.

"You're actually a Soul Grandmaster?! How is that possible?!"

After seeing Dai Mubai's strength, Ma Hongjun was filled with disbelief and could not understand it at all. "A White Tiger Martial Soul, and you've even reached Soul Grandmaster. With talent like yours, how could you become this kid's lackey?"

"What do you mean, lackey? If you don't know how to talk, I'll make you shut up. I'm just Lang Ge's underling." Hearing "lackey" over and over again, Dai Mubai immediately moved to attack.

"Wait!"

Ma Hongjun naturally knew that he was no match for him, so he immediately called a halt.

He looked at Chen Lang. "He's obviously older than me. What kind of skill is that, bullying the young with age? The two of us look about the same age. If you've got the guts, let's fight one-on-one. If I lose, I'll honor the bet and call you Dean from now on!"

"Are you sure?"

Chen Lang wore a strange expression.

Flender wanted to speak but hesitated, while Dai Mubai was ready to enjoy the show.

"Of course I'm sure. What, are you scared? If you're scared, take your filthy money and get lost!" Seeing this, Ma Hongjun puffed out his fat chest again and looked at Chen Lang arrogantly.

"I'm afraid..."

Chen Lang smiled, revealing his Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul and four Purple Soul Rings. "I'm afraid I'll kill you with one sword."

Thud!

Ma Hongjun dropped to his knees, looking at Chen Lang with a fawning expression. "Dean, do you still need a dog by your side?"

Flender: "..."

Dai Mubai: "..."

Oscar: "..."

Chen Lang: "..."

What kind of joke was this? A Soul Ancestor at such a young age, with all Purple Soul Rings—he had no idea how the other party had achieved it, but the facts were right in front of him. Together with his own Dean's attitude, everything showed that this boy was far more monstrous than he had imagined.

He was only fat, not stupid.

There was an old saying on Douluo Continent: Those who recognize the times are the true heroes.

He, Ma Hongjun, was precisely such a hero.

"Enough. Get up. As long as you listen to me, I guarantee your potential will rise even higher."

Chen Lang looked at Ma Hongjun with an unfathomable air. "Phoenix, oh Phoenix, rests only upon the Phoenix Tree. As long as the Evil Fire Phoenix suppresses its evil fire, it will become a Sacred Phoenix!"

"A Sacred Phoenix?!"

Hope appeared on Ma Hongjun's face, but it quickly dimmed. Lowering his head, he said, "I want to suppress the evil fire in my body too, but Dean said that if I don't release it, I'll explode and die."

"Absurd!"

Chen Lang snorted coldly and shot Flender an icy look. "Is this how you teach your students?"

"This..."

Flender was momentarily speechless. With a sigh, he explained, "But his Martial Soul mutated from a grass chicken into an Evil Fire Phoenix. If he doesn't vent the fire, he'll explode."

"Then can't you think about it from another angle? What if this evil fire exists to temper his will?"

Chen Lang spoke eloquently. "If he can overcome his own desires, wouldn't his potential become even greater?"

"If a person is controlled by desire, then what makes him any different from an animal?"

Like one of those success gurus, Chen Lang looked at Ma Hongjun with a voice full of encouragement and inspiration. "Believe in yourself. You will be reborn, because you were already strong to begin with!"

Whoosh!

At that moment, Chen Lang's figure kept growing larger in Ma Hongjun's tiny eyes. He even seemed to radiate golden light, as though the light of righteousness had descended upon him.

Tall and magnificent!

Like a beacon in his dark life, illuminating the road ahead!

From that moment on, the words "idol" took tangible form in his heart.

Young people really are easy to fool.

Seeing the worship in Ma Hongjun's eyes, Chen Lang laughed inwardly. Copying the final move of a success guru, he reached out and patted Ma Hongjun on the shoulder, saying with utmost sincerity, "Follow me and shout it out loud: I can do it!"

"I can do it!"

"Louder!"

"I can do it!!!"

"I can do it!!!"

"I want to become a Sacred Phoenix! I don't want to be an Evil Fire Phoenix! I want to overcome my desires!!!"

"Very good! I believe you'll definitely succeed!"

Seeing that Ma Hongjun had been completely brainwashed by him, Chen Lang nodded in satisfaction. "And since I'll be the Dean from now on, Shrek Academy will be torn down and rebuilt. Whatever Heaven Dou Royal Academy has, we'll have too!"

"Dean is awesome! Dean is mighty!"

Seeing Chen Lang look at him, Oscar immediately followed suit. Then he pulled out a sausage and said with a fawning smile, "Dean, want some sausage?"

"Get lost!"

Chen Lang shot Oscar an irritated glare.

Sausage?

Mine is bigger than yours!

"Lang Ge, what about me? Do I have a chance to become stronger too?"

Seeing Chen Lang pinpoint Ma Hongjun's problem so accurately, Dai Mubai immediately asked expectantly.

"Of course!"

Chen Lang looked at Dai Mubai and recalled another Douluo fanfiction novel.