Blue Tyrant Academy

Yu Xiaogang pressed his lips into a thin line, the veins on his temples pulsing slightly. In his deep-set eye sockets burned a raging fire of indignation at being slighted and neglected.

For the sake of these gifted disciples and to prove his own theories, he had been willing to swallow his pride and bring the entire Shrek Academy to "seek refuge" at Heaven Dou Royal Academy; this in itself was an unspeakable humiliation in his heart.

He had expected that, relying on Qin Ming's connections and the talent of the Shrek group, they would quickly be valued and accommodated. Instead, they were first told they needed a prince's signature, and now they were expected to wait indefinitely for an audience with a busy crown prince?

This series of evasions and slights felt like repeated slaps to his extremely sensitive, arrogant, yet insecure self-esteem.

"Wait until when? Until the end of time? Until the tournament begins and our registration quota is voided?" Yu Xiaogang's voice was bone-chillingly cold, every word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.

"I, Yu Xiaogang, brought these gifted children here, putting aside my status, not to come to your Heaven Dou Royal Academy to wag my tail and beg for scraps while waiting in line!"

He took a sharp step forward, his gaze as keen as a blade, sweeping over the three committee members and Flender before fixing firmly on Meng Shenji: "Chief Meng, Committee Member Bai, Committee Member Zhi! I respect you as seniors and believe that Heaven Dou Royal Academy is the empire's premier institution! But today's events are truly chilling!"

"Our Shrek Academy may be small, but which of the students we have taught is not one in a million? Tang San, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong!" He pointed to his disciples one by one, his voice trembling slightly with agitation.

"Which one of their talents, if placed in your Heaven Dou Royal Academy, would not be considered top-tier? Which one is not worth you recruiting immediately, right now, at any cost?"

"And the result?" Yu Xiaogang's voice rose sharply, filled with grief, indignation, and resolve.

"A prince dies, and the process grinds to a halt? The crown prince is too busy, so we must wait indefinitely? Is this the hospitality of your empire's premier institution? Is this your respect for genius?"

"Grandmaster, please don't be agitated, the situation..." Meng Shenji attempted to soothe him, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

They had heard of Yu Xiaogang's reputation. While his "invincible theory" might have been somewhat exaggerated, he had taught students like Qin Ming and brought up this group of monster-like youths; he was certainly not famous without cause.

If such a person were to be truly provoked, the consequences would be very troublesome.

"Enough!" Yu Xiaogang interrupted sharply. He flicked his sleeves, as if trying to shake off the humiliation and excuses filling the room. "Since Heaven Dou Royal Academy is too grand to accommodate us, I, Yu Xiaogang, and Shrek Academy will certainly not force the issue! Flender, Zhao Wuji, let's go!"

"Xiaogang!" Flender was anxious. He understood his friend's anger, but to leave like this would render all their previous efforts and Qin Ming's painstaking work completely in vain. He tried to grab Yu Xiaogang's arm.

"Old Flender!" Yu Xiaogang pulled away sharply, looking at Flender with a resolute gaze. "How much longer are you going to endure this? We in Shrek have our own backbone!"

"I, Yu Xiaogang, do not believe that in this vast Heaven Dou City, we cannot find a place that can accommodate us and give us a tournament spot immediately! Even if there isn't one, I will take the children to other kingdoms or duchies, and we will still be able to compete! Let's go!"

After saying this, he didn't even glance at the three embarrassed and grim-faced committee members. He turned and strode out of the conference room, his back radiating a stubbornness and pride born from being deeply wounded.

Tang San, Dai Mubai, and the others looked at each other. Although they felt the Grandmaster's reaction was a bit extreme, the frustration of being slighted and obstructed throughout their journey welled up in their hearts as well.

Seeing their teacher so resolute, they did not hesitate for a moment and followed him immediately. Xiao Wu even pursed her lips at the committee members in dissatisfaction.

Flender looked at Yu Xiaogang's determined back, then at the anxious and helpless Qin Ming and the three embarrassed committee members. He let out a heavy sigh, his face full of bitterness and exhaustion.

He cupped his hands toward the three committee members, his voice filled with apology and powerlessness: "Committee members, I am truly sorry, Xiaogang he... sigh! We shall take our leave."

Zhao Wuji patted Flender on the shoulder and said in a muffled voice: "Dean, let's go. The Grandmaster is right; we in Shrek will not take this kind of indignity!"

He also cupped his hands at the committee members and followed Flender out.

The large committee conference room was instantly left with only the three top administrators of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Meng Shenji slumped back into his chair, took off his glasses, and rubbed his temples wearily: "Sigh... what a mess this is..."

Bai Baoshan and Zhi Lin also exchanged bitter smiles, their faces full of helplessness and regret.

A group of rare, talented seedlings had just walked away right before their eyes, all because of a bureaucratic bottleneck and Yu Xiaogang's extremely sensitive self-esteem.

"Xiaogang! Wait!" Flender's voice carried exhaustion and a hint of imperceptible pleading. "I know you're angry, and I'm frustrated too! But we cannot let our emotions dictate the children's future!"

"The tournament quota is right in front of us; do you really want to give it up and start from scratch in those remote, small kingdoms? Time waits for no one!"

Yu Xiaogang stopped, his chest heaving and his face still ashen, but the fire in his eyes dimmed slightly; clearly, Flender's words had struck the point he cared about most.

Flender took a deep breath, looked around at the Shrek Seven Devils and the teachers who were also wearing expressions of unwillingness, and said in a low voice: "Heaven Dou City is not just a path that leads to the Royal Academy."

"I thought of a place—Blue Tyrant Academy. The dean, Liu Erlong, is an old friend of mine. The academy's strength is not bad, and most importantly, they currently... should have a vacancy for a quota, and Erlong, she... will give us this opportunity."

Upon hearing the name "Liu Erlong," Yu Xiaogang's body stiffened imperceptibly. A flash of extremely complex emotion crossed his eyes—pain, guilt, and even a deeply hidden fear.

He was silent for a moment, then finally nodded with difficulty, his voice dry: "...Then let's go and see."

In the end, he could not gamble with his disciples' future out of spite.

Under Flender's introduction, the group from Shrek Academy was quickly and warmly accepted by the dean of Blue Tyrant Academy, Liu Erlong.

This female dean, who had a fiery personality but valued loyalty and friendship, seemed to have a deep history with Flender and Yu Xiaogang.

When she saw Yu Xiaogang, Liu Erlong's expression was equally complex, but it was dominated by her appreciation for this group of Shrek geniuses and her unhesitating agreement to Flender's request.

Blue Tyrant Academy became the new home for Shrek Academy, and the problem of the tournament quota was easily resolved.

After settling in, the intense training and studies began immediately.

One evening, after finishing the day's lessons, Tang San and Xiao Wu walked side by side along the quiet forest path behind Blue Tyrant Academy.