"I concede..."
The outcome was already obvious.
Dai Mubai had been completely overwhelmed.
Lu Fan, on the other hand, had looked at ease from beginning to end.
Seeing Dai Mubai voluntarily concede, Lu Fan withdrew his Martial Soul and stopped attacking.
"In our academy, the strongest is the boss. Call me Brother Fan, and Brother Fan won't treat you badly."
Lu Fan stepped forward, hooked an arm around Dai Mubai's shoulder, and laughed.
Dai Mubai forced a bitter smile. "Brother Fan."
Though it was clear that Dai Mubai was still somewhat unconvinced,
Lu Fan felt that was perfectly normal.
After all, Dai Mubai had been a prince before coming to Shrek.
Now that a commoner like Lu Fan had beaten him so badly, it was only natural for him to feel unbalanced.
"Hehehe."
Lu Fan chuckled and pointed at Ma Hongjun. "Want to have a match with Fatty?"
Dai Mubai followed Lu Fan's finger and looked toward Ma Hongjun.
He recalled that Ma Hongjun seemed to be only level nineteen, not even a Soul Grandmaster.
Hearing himself mentioned, Ma Hongjun also looked at Lu Fan and Dai Mubai.
When he saw Dai Mubai looking at him, his eyes actually lit up.
Ma Hongjun immediately shouted, "I surrender! I'm not even a Soul Grandmaster, so how could I possibly beat him?"
Dai Mubai's mood improved considerably after winning without a fight.
He then took the initiative to look at Oscar.
Oscar was startled when he saw that.
"Why are you looking at me? Don't tell me you want to fight a food-type Soul Master like me!"
The smile on Dai Mubai's face grew even wider.
Two wins without fighting.
Other than a certain monster, he was the strongest person in this academy.
Thinking that way, much of the irritation from being beaten down earlier faded away.
Especially when he considered
that if Lu Fan became a true powerhouse in the future,
then as long as he built a good relationship with him during his time at the academy, he might have a chance to escape that certain death.
For a moment, his heart was filled with determination.
The people at Shrek truly did not know how to teach students.
For theory class, they were simply told to read on their own.
Physical training consisted of nothing but running laps, at most adding weighted runs.
Combat class was just having them beat each other up.
Although the faculty looked impressive,
their actual teaching ability was not even as good as the teachers at a junior Soul Master Academy.
But for Lu Fan and the others, who had barely attended school,
they naturally could not notice those differences.
However, Yu Xiaogang had not yet come to Shrek Academy,
so their usual training was relatively relaxed.
At the very least, nothing as absurd as running from morning until sunset would happen.
And Lu Fan spent most of his free time holed up in his Flower Sea Cabin.
After all, Douluo Continent had no electronic devices. Every form of entertainment either required risking one's life in battle or spending a huge amount of Gold Soul Coins.
Lu Fan was not particularly willing to do either.
So rather than swaggering into the city like some street punk,
he might as well stay in his cabin and cultivate to raise his Soul Power.
That was also one reason why he had improved so quickly.
After the new member joined,
their lives clearly became a little more colorful.
But when it came to close relationships,
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were clearly the closest.
After all, the two shared the same interests.
"What's the point of always staying home to cultivate? Soul Master cultivation requires a balance between work and rest. Come on, bring Xiao Ao too. Let's head to Suotuo City and have some fun. Don't worry, I'm paying for everything."
Dai Mubai draped an arm around Lu Fan's shoulder, trying to invite him to one of those pleasure districts
to enjoy the local customs of Suotuo City.
"You're treating?!"
Hearing that he could enjoy it for free, Lu Fan was somewhat tempted.
But in the end, he still refused.
Although he was only nine years old, after absorbing two Spirit Rings, he was already nearly 1.7 meters tall.
That area still had plenty of room to grow,
but even if he hurried into battle now, it would not be impossible.
Still, Lu Fan had reservations.
He was afraid he would become so infatuated that he would neglect everything else.
Besides, even across both lives, he was still a virgin. He was not too willing to give his precious first time to women with gambling fathers, sick mothers, and younger brothers in school.
"Ahem, I'm still too young. Maybe in a few years."
Lu Fan refused.
Dai Mubai did not say anything more upon hearing that.
This was not the first time Lu Fan had turned him down.
Oscar was unwilling to go along as well, so in the end, it could only be Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun going together.
"Alright, brother. Then come to Suotuo City later for a late-night meal."
Dai Mubai waved and left.
Lu Fan nodded.
Having a late-night meal was no problem.
Dai Mubai was genuinely easy to get along with.
Whenever he had something good, he always thought of the others and never kept it to himself.
Dai Mubai had also invited Lu Fan to participate in two-person soul battles with him.
Lu Fan had agreed.
One of them could defend while the other attacked, making them a perfect pair.
Moreover, both of them had fairly high levels among Soul Grandmasters.
As for how to conceal his Spirit Rings,
it was naturally just as Lu Fan had planned before: activate his soul skills in a passage where no one could see them before the match began.
No one at Suotuo City's Great Soul Arena had much to say about such little tricks.
However, news of Lu Fan still reached Spirit Hall.
A confidential letter was delivered into the hands of Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan.
"Oh? A high-level Soul Grandmaster under ten years old, with a Mutated Chrysanthemum as his Martial Soul, shining brilliantly in the Great Soul Arena. Interesting."
Yue Guan held the letter delicately between his fingers, smiling as he read the information within.
"The people below really are bold. A genius like this appeared, yet we had not received even the slightest information beforehand."
"It took a full three or four years, only receiving word after he began to stand out."
A trace of killing intent flashed through Yue Guan's eyes.
Had he obtained this information earlier, he might have taken that child as his disciple the moment his Martial Soul awakened.
His own Martial Soul had also been a chrysanthemum, only later transforming into the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum after he encountered certain opportunities.
Now that he had discovered a young genius whose Martial Soul was likewise a chrysanthemum,
he could not help but feel a desire to nurture talent.
And he also harbored a sliver of expectation.
The other party's Martial Soul was a Mutated Chrysanthemum, which meant it was not an ordinary chrysanthemum.
Moreover, the report said that its petals were purple.
That was a characteristic of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
For a moment, he could not help but look forward to it.
If that boy's Martial Soul truly was the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum,
then even as a level ninety-five Titled Douluo, he would be willing to humble himself and beg the boy to take him as his master.
If he alone was not enough,
Yue Guan turned his gaze toward a shadowy corner.
"Should we recruit him?"
From the shadows beside him, a black figure silently appeared within the hall.
It was Ghost Douluo, Gui Mei.
Yue Guan shook his head. "No rush. He is studying at some unrecognized backwater academy near Suotuo City. Once we finish the Pope's task, we can stop by and take a look on the way."
Gui Mei nodded and said nothing more.
He was not a man of many words.
"But that child seems to have some kind of physical defect."
Before you continue