Lu Fan felt quite confident about that.
But compared with Tang Hao, who was recorded as breaking through to Titled Douluo in his forties, Lu Fan seemed to remember that Bibi Dong had done so at around thirty-six.
Half a year later.
Lu Fan went to the cafeteria with Oscar and Ma Hongjun.
They had originally planned to eat out today and improve their meals a little.
But for some reason, Flender had gone mad and insisted that he had something important to announce, refusing to let them leave the academy.
They questioned him for ages but could not get a straight answer.
"What's gotten into the dean? He isn't planning to raise the tuition, is he?"
Oscar leaned his head over and spoke in a deliberately sleazy tone.
Lu Fan raised a brow and joked, "Seriously? I can't afford higher tuition. I'd better run away, then."
"Oh? Who wants to betray the academy?"
Flender's voice rang out.
The three hurriedly looked over.
They saw that Flender had brought along a golden-haired young man dressed in luxurious, noble attire.
Flender adjusted his glasses and shot Lu Fan a glare.
Then he introduced him. "This kid is Dai Mubai. He'll be cultivating with you from now on. Go introduce yourself to them."
Dai Mubai nodded, stepped forward, and said, "Dai Mubai, eleven years old, Level 25 Battle Soul Master."
As he spoke, his White Tiger Martial Soul Possession appeared behind him, and two yellow Hundred-Year Spirit Rings rose beneath his feet.
Seeing the high quality of Dai Mubai's Martial Soul and his respectable Soul Power Level, the three finally gave him a proper look.
Noticing their reactions, Dai Mubai curled his lips slightly, believing they had been shocked by his talent.
He stepped forward and smiled at them. "You all look younger than me. If you don't mind, call me Boss Dai. From now on, we're brothers. If anything comes up, come find me for help."
The three exchanged glances, then burst into laughter.
Dai Mubai frowned at the sight.
"What are you laughing at?"
Yet as soon as he spoke, Flender behind him—and even the other Shrek Academy teachers—could not help laughing as well.
For a moment, Dai Mubai was dumbfounded.
He looked at Flender in confusion.
Flender smiled at the three and said, "You should introduce yourselves to this new classmate too. Hong Jun, you're the weakest, so you go first."
Ma Hongjun curled his lips and got up reluctantly. "Ma Hongjun, Level 19 Battle Soul Master. Martial Soul: Evil Fire Phoenix. Nine years old."
Oscar rose with a smile. "Oscar, Level 22 Tool Soul Master. Martial Soul: Sausage. Ten years old."
Finally, Lu Fan made his grand entrance.
"Lu Fan, Level 27 Tool Soul Master. Martial Soul: Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. Nine years old."
"A nine-year-old Level 27 Soul Grandmaster? How is that possible?!"
Dai Mubai looked at Lu Fan in disbelief.
He was clearly at least two years older than Lu Fan, yet Lu Fan's Soul Power was actually two levels higher than his.
Lu Fan smiled, walked forward, and patted Dai Mubai on the shoulder. "Welcome to our group. Shrek Academy recruits one or two new students every year, but to this day, only the three of us have remained. I hope you can stick it out."
"Also, our academy has one rule: the strongest is the boss. You can call me Brother Lu or Brother Fan."
Dai Mubai was briefly at a loss for words, but he stubbornly retorted, "Having higher Soul Power doesn't necessarily mean you're stronger. It's only a two-level gap. My White Tiger Martial Soul might still make up for it."
Lu Fan gave a chuckle. "Heh. You don't think my Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum is low-grade, do you?"
The atmosphere between them immediately became tense.
But Flender merely nodded with a smile. "Good. Shrek students should have some fire in them. Since neither of you accepts the other, go have a fight and see."
Dai Mubai turned to Flender in disbelief.
He had never expected a teacher to actually encourage students to fight.
Still, Dai Mubai thought this was not a bad idea.
He was a prince, after all. How could he possibly lose to some mere commoner?
The group arrived at the training field.
Lu Fan patted his stomach. "Perfect. We just finished eating, so let's get some exercise to aid digestion."
Seeing how little Lu Fan regarded him, Dai Mubai felt a flicker of anger rise in his heart.
He snorted coldly and activated his White Tiger Martial Soul Possession.
Lu Fan summoned his Martial Soul as well.
One yellow and one purple Spirit Ring appeared beneath Lu Fan's feet.
"What? A thousand-year second ring?!"
Dai Mubai stared in disbelief at the colors of the Spirit Rings beneath Lu Fan's feet.
Lu Fan smiled faintly. "I've always been the one fighting opponents above my level. I never thought someone would want to challenge me above theirs today."
"Come on. Let me see what you're made of."
Lu Fan crooked a finger at Dai Mubai.
The provocation could not have been more obvious.
The dissatisfaction in Dai Mubai's eyes vanished, replaced by deep wariness.
At the same time, a thought arose in his heart: I came to the right place.
"This tiny academy, which looks so shabby, is actually hiding such talent—a Soul Saint dean and a student with a thousand-year second ring."
"Could this academy possess the secret to helping students absorb Spirit Rings beyond their age limit?"
Dai Mubai's heart burned with excitement.
But first, he had to finish this fight.
"Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Intense Light Wave."
Dai Mubai's second Spirit Ring lit up. He leaned forward, and the White Tiger phantom behind him spat a white beam of light toward Lu Fan.
"First Soul Skill, Singular Velvet Protection. Second Soul Skill, Golden Power."
The two Spirit Rings beneath Lu Fan's feet flashed at once.
He simply stood there, utterly unmoving.
He did not defend at all, directly taking Dai Mubai's second Soul Skill head-on.
When the white light faded.
Lu Fan was revealed, not even the corner of his clothes dirtied.
Lu Fan chuckled. "Is that all the attack power you have?"
Dai Mubai frowned and charged forward, swinging his tiger claws. But Lu Fan merely stood still with his hands in his pockets. Dai Mubai could not even break through his most basic defense.
Dai Mubai used every method he had, yet he could not force Lu Fan back even a single step.
Lu Fan smiled. "The outcome is already obvious. You can't even break my defense."
Dai Mubai stopped attacking at those words, but he still stubbornly said, "I didn't expect your defense to be this strong. I really can't break it, but that doesn't mean you can break mine."
As he spoke, Dai Mubai activated his first Soul Skill, White Tiger Protection Barrier.
A faint golden protective shield enveloped Dai Mubai.
Lu Fan merely smiled faintly.
He raised the metallic Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. "Falling Blossoms."
The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum was lifted into the air by Lu Fan's Soul Power.
At Lu Fan's command, it began spinning at high speed.
As it spun, countless petals like tiny blades were flung outward.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The blade-like petals struck Dai Mubai's protective barrier, producing a constant clanging sound.
Unlike Lu Fan's relaxed demeanor earlier, when he had stood still without moving.
Dai Mubai now seemed to be bearing immense pressure, retreating again and again.
Before long, cracks appeared across Dai Mubai's barrier.
Before you continue