Bu Le and Ma Hongjun's Group

On the other side, at Shrek Academy.

"Boss Dai, you have to avenge me!"

Ma Hongjun, his face bruised and swollen, clung to Dai Mubai's thigh and pleaded.

Dai Mubai looked at Ma Hongjun with an expression of utter disgust, simultaneously trying to push the boy clinging to his leg away.

Oscar walked over and said with a gloating tone, "Ma Hongjun, who beat you up like this?"

Ma Hongjun poured out his grievances to Oscar and Dai Mubai: "I went to the brothel today and got beaten up by some lecherous middle-aged man. You guys have to get revenge for me."

"A brothel?" Dai Mubai's face darkened, and he kicked Ma Hongjun in the backside. "You brat go fooling around in places like that without calling us? You deserved to get beaten!"

Oscar nodded in agreement: "Exactly, to not call your brothers to go together, that's really not loyal."

Ning Rongrong, standing in the distance, heard their conversation and wore an expression of pure disdain.

She was starting to regret joining Shrek Academy; if it weren't for her desire to prove herself, she would have left long ago to go play elsewhere.

Tang San, who was cultivating under a tree, heard their chatter, glanced at them briefly, and then resumed his cultivation.

Since joining Shrek Academy, their relationships were not as close as they were in the novels.

Seeing that Tang San's martial soul was Blue Silver Grass, and recalling his own recent beating, Dai Mubai had led Oscar and the others to isolate him.

As for Ning Rongrong, she didn't like associating with Tang San, whose face was covered in acne and who looked quite ugly.

Within Shrek Academy, Tang San was a lone wolf.

Tang San didn't care about this situation at all; he had only one thought in his mind, and that was to defeat Xu Yuan.

Ma Hongjun hugged Dai Mubai's leg again and said, "Boss Dai, you're my boss, you have to avenge me."

Dai Mubai said with a helpless sigh, "Fine, fine, I'll go avenge you. Lead the way."

Ma Hongjun's face lit up with joy, and ignoring the pain on his face, he scrambled up: "It's at Drunk Spring Alley in the south of the city! That man is still drinking at the stall at the entrance of the alley after beating me up!"

Dai Mubai patted his head: "Lead the way."

Oscar pulled two sausages out of his Soul Tool and stuffed them into Ma Hongjun's hands: "Eat these to pad your stomach, so you don't run out of energy to cheer us on later."

Ma Hongjun took the sausages and shoved them into his mouth, mumbling incoherently: "Just wait and see how I use my Phoenix Fire to burn his beard off later..."

The three of them walked away with their arms around each other's shoulders, passing by Ning Rongrong.

Dai Mubai whistled: "Rongrong, want to come watch the fun? It's guaranteed to be exciting."

He was currently interested in the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and wanted to woo her.

If he could win Ning Rongrong over, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would become his backing.

If he couldn't defeat his older brother in the future, he would have a fallback.

Love someone?

How could that be possible? As a prince, how could he only love one person?

His imperial father had married many wives, so he would have to marry at least five or six; if he became emperor, he would have to marry even more.

Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes and turned her head away: "Who wants to watch you guys fight and brawl? How childish."

In her heart, however, she muttered that Drunk Spring Alley didn't sound like a good place at all; this group of people really had no sense of propriety.

Tang San, under the tree, didn't even lift his eyelids, though he heard every word of their conversation clearly.

Ever since he was isolated by Dai Mubai and the others, he actually had more time to focus on his cultivation.

"Let's go, let's go!" Dai Mubai's voice faded into the distance.

Tang San slowly opened his eyes, a cold light flashing through them.

He stood up, brushed the grass clippings off his body, and instead of following them, he turned and walked toward the small woods deep within the academy.

At this moment, in Drunk Spring Alley in the south of the city, a man in his forties was drinking.

The middle-aged man was short and extremely fat; his face was piled with layers of blubber, and his small eyes were squeezed into mere slits by the fat.

A lecherous, sinister, and greedy light always flickered within those eye slits, and he looked at people with an undisguised, sleazy gaze.

"Hiccup—" He let out a drunken burp, his eyes scanning the pedestrians passing by the alley entrance.

Especially when his gaze lingered on young women passing by, an uncomfortable light would flash in his slit-like eyes, and a greasy smile would hang from the corners of his mouth.

The owner of the nearby wine stall was a lean old man who kept glancing at him while wiping bowls, his eyes filled with wariness, though he dared not speak.

Ma Hongjun saw him from afar and immediately gritted his teeth in anger, tugging at Dai Mubai's arm: "Boss Dai, that's him! His name is Bu Le, look at how sleazy he looks!"

Dai Mubai squinted as he sized up the fat man, snorting through his nose: "This guy? He's worthy of beating my brother?"

Oscar also leaned in and whispered, "Boss Dai, let's make this quick; this place is bad luck."

Just as the three were preparing to step forward, Bu Le seemed to sense something; he suddenly turned his head, his small eyes locking precisely onto Ma Hongjun.

Bu Le immediately revealed a mocking smile: "Yo, isn't this the little brat I slapped twice earlier? What, you dare to call for backup?"

He stood up slowly, patted the fat on his stomach, and cracked his wrists: "Just as well, I haven't had enough to drink yet. Empty your pockets, and maybe I'll spare you from another beating."

Ma Hongjun was infuriated by his attitude and was just about to release his martial soul when Dai Mubai pressed a hand onto his shoulder.

Dai Mubai stepped forward, the fluctuations of his soul power suddenly erupting: "Enough talk. Either apologize or take a beating—pick one."

Bu Le wore a look of disdain; they were mere Soul Elders, while he was a Soul Ancestor.

The next second, white, yellow, purple, and purple soul rings appeared beneath Bu Le's feet.

"A... a Soul Ancestor?!" Oscar's expression changed drastically, and he instinctively took half a step back.

He never would have imagined that this lecherous fatty was actually a Soul Ancestor above level forty.

Ma Hongjun was so frightened that he forgot his anger, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.

He had actually dared to challenge a Soul Ancestor just now? No wonder he hadn't even had the strength to resist when the other party attacked.

Dai Mubai's pupils constricted, his grip tightening on his clenched fist.

He was cursing Ma Hongjun wildly in his heart for provoking a Soul Ancestor.

Although Bu Le's soul ring configuration was not a perfect match, that did not change the fact that he was a Soul Ancestor.

Dai Mubai took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm: "I did not expect Your Excellency to be a senior Soul Ancestor. Please forgive our earlier offense..."

He thought to himself, deciding to go back and fetch Zhao Wuji to properly teach Bu Le a lesson.

"Senior?" Bu Le sneered, a flash of cruelty crossing his small eyes. "Now you know to call me senior? Weren't you acting quite tough just a moment ago?"

He patted the fat on his belly and stepped forward, his soul power surging toward the three of them like a tidal wave: "If you dare to come seeking revenge, you must have the resolve to bear the consequences."

"Boss Dai, what do we do?" Ma Hongjun's voice trembled.

Oscar had already put some distance between himself, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun, silently retreating backward.