An Unexpected Incident at the Tavern

The hotel was a small two-story building; the first floor was a simple restaurant, and the second floor provided lodging.

Flender and the three teachers each opened a single room, then turned around and patted Oscar on the shoulder.

"You guys go ahead and eat; we're heading up first."

Dai Mubai had just opened his mouth to ask if they wanted to join them for a bite, but was stopped by Ma Hongjun.

After the teachers went upstairs, Oscar explained to Dai Mubai.

"Mubai, no need to invite them.

Usually, while they won't make us pay for anything, they also won't accept any favors from us. That's the Dean's rule."

"Isn't that a bit too cold?"

Dai Mubai looked puzzled, but saw Ma Hongjun smiling as he looked at Oscar.

"It wasn't actually this strict before. It's just that a few years ago, my senior brother gave Li Yusong a Spirit Bone, and things have been strict ever since."

Dai Mubai looked at Oscar in shock. That was a Spirit Bone! Even for someone like him, born into the royal family, it was a treasure that would make his mouth water. He just gave it away like that?

He couldn't help but hold Oscar in higher regard, and after the three of them discussed it briefly, they opened a triple room.

"Alright, hurry up and eat. We'll talk after we're done."

Seeing that Dai Mubai still wanted to ask Oscar something, Ma Hongjun quickly pulled him toward a four-person table not far away.

"Like I said before, this meal is on me. Ma Hongjun, you do the ordering; don't hold back for my sake."

Ma Hongjun was the youngest of the group, so Dai Mubai tossed the menu to him and looked at Oscar.

"Oscar, you're all Spirit Masters now, and you can receive quite a bit of subsidy from Spirit Hall. Why..."

"My senior brother says that since we are all Spirit Masters, we should earn our own resources if we need them. Taking advantage of others doesn't count for much. Besides, my senior brother isn't poor; it's just that he uses his sword too fast, so while he earns a lot, his expenses are also high."

Ma Hongjun interjected, and Oscar rubbed Ma Hongjun's head, smiling as he explained.

"These are all debts of gratitude that have to be repaid. If our relationship with Spirit Hall sours in the future, we can't exactly have the nerve to call for a fight, right? That would be... you know what I mean?"

Oscar didn't elaborate, but it was enough for Dai Mubai to understand.

Take someone's money, and you have to solve their problems; there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

Of course, that wouldn't apply if the person was shameless enough to hold double standards. After all, the money was earned by his weaker self through his own efforts, so what did that have to do with the person he would grow into?

Soon, Ma Hongjun called the waiter and quickly ordered over a dozen dishes.

"Not bad, not bad. Although this place isn't big, the selection is quite complete. I just hope the taste is up to standard."

Oscar said helplessly: "This little fatty, he's not polite at all. Sorry for the trouble."

"It's nothing, it's nothing. Just a little pocket change."

Dai Mubai waved his hand, not caring in the slightest.

If money could earn him the goodwill of these two brothers, he would spend everything he had, hoping only that they might support him in the future.

The three sat around the table, and the atmosphere was excellent.

Whether it was the worldly-wise Oscar or Dai Mubai, who had grown up in the royal family, both were skilled at keeping the conversation flowing. In just a short while, the relationship between the three had grown much closer.

Just then, a group of people suddenly walked in. Unlike Oscar and his companions, this group consisted of eight people.

Leading them was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties. He was quite handsome, his hair was combed to a high shine, and his moon-white Spirit Master robe was very exquisite, embroidered with silver silk patterns that shimmered as he moved.

Following behind the middle-aged man were seven youths—six men and one woman.

These seven looked to be nearly twenty years old, much older than Dai Mubai.

They wore the same moon-white Spirit Master robes, though they lacked the silver silk embroidery found on the middle-aged man.

However, whether it was the middle-aged man or the seven youths behind him, they all had a green circular mark on their left shoulder, with two characters of the same color embroidered inside the circle: Canghui.

One could tell from their attire that these people were clearly Spirit Masters. Oscar and his group were dressed very casually and looked no different from ordinary people, whereas these people were much more ostentatious.

When the restaurant owner saw them enter, he hurried over to greet them, nodding and bowing with extreme courtesy.

Just as Flender had said, this town relied on the Star Dou Great Forest to make a living—in short, it relied on Spirit Masters.

A Spirit Master was not only a noble profession but also a wealthy one, so the owner naturally dared not be careless.

Dai Mubai took one look, withdrew his gaze, and asked Oscar.

"Their goal should be the same as ours. We're all here to hunt spirit beasts."

Oscar glanced over and picked up on Dai Mubai's probe.

"This Canghui Academy looks like some kind of high-level Spirit Master academy. Judging by their age, these seven should be geniuses recruited in advance.

Their goal is likely to train these seven as a core starting team to participate in the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament, hoping to achieve results."

While the two were chatting, the people from Canghui Academy had already sat down, two tables away from Oscar's group.

"Then what do you think? Can they achieve results?"

Dai Mubai sat up slightly and asked.

"You don't need to test my senior brother. Whether they can make it or not, you'll know in a little while, won't you?"

Ma Hongjun glanced at Dai Mubai, then gestured with his chin toward the side of Canghui Academy.

Dai Mubai followed his gaze and saw the middle-aged man, who was clearly a teacher, whispering something into the ear of a young man.

Very quickly, that young man stood up from his seat and walked toward the table where Oscar and the others were sitting; based on his path, he was heading straight for Dai Mubai.

A hint of vigilance flickered in Dai Mubai's Evil Eye. After suffering a major loss at the unremarkable Shrek Academy, he had long since shed his previous pride and arrogance.

In his view, this place, the Heaven Dou Empire, was truly too bizarre!

A support-type Spirit Master could actually chase down and beat a Power Attack Spirit Master five levels higher than them!

What about the other Spirit Masters then?!

Oscar naturally saw it coming, but he didn't warn Dai Mubai; for a Spirit Master, self-confidence was an extremely important thing.

This group was clearly here to stir up trouble, so he would let Dai Mubai rebuild his confidence.

At this moment, the waiter happened to bring the first dish to their table.

The young man from Canghui Academy suddenly quickened his pace, and amidst the waiter's cry of alarm, he collided right into the waiter, making it look as if the plate of food was about to be dumped onto Dai Mubai's head.

"Don't waste food."

Oscar said calmly, his right hand darting out like lightning to steady the waiter's body.

He extended his left hand and caught the plate perfectly, utilizing Taiji force to suction the dish so that not a single drop spilled, then lightly set the plate down on the table.

At the same time, his left hand had already pulled the waiter to the side.

The young man from Canghui Academy was stunned for a moment, as the waiter's body had blocked his view, preventing him from seeing Oscar's movements clearly.

However, a provocative smile quickly appeared on his face.

"My apologies."

Though he said this, he continued walking forward, appearing as if he were going to pass by Dai Mubai, but one of his feet quietly swept out, kicking directly at the leg of the chair Dai Mubai was sitting on.

Oscar had clearly forgotten about Ma Hongjun, whose greatest hobby in life was eating!

Although he acted like a little lamb in front of Oscar and was usually very polite, it was a different story if someone tried to interfere with his meal!

Especially when he was hungry!

"What the f*** are you apologizing for?!"