Making Trouble

"Rongrong, are you sure this is the place?" Flender asked, his voice sounding a little strange.

Ning Rongrong nodded. "Yes, that's right. The Heaven Dou Royal Academy wouldn't have moved, would it? I'm sure this is the place."

"But this is a mountain!"

"This whole mountain belongs to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Oh, and that forest behind it and the lake at the foot of the mountain on the left are also within the academy's jurisdiction. We're about to enter the academy grounds."

Glancing at Flender, who was gaping in astonishment, Grandmaster said leisurely, "Nestled against the mountains and beside the water—what a splendid place."

The other teachers also nodded in admiration.

The scenery here was truly beautiful, especially now, as the sun was setting and the sky blazed with evening clouds.

Against the backdrop of the crimson western sky, both the lake at the foot of the mountain and the thousand-meter-high mountain blanketed in all kinds of plants gave one the feeling of having stumbled upon a paradise beyond the mortal world.

This place was less than twenty kilometers from the Heavenly Dou Empire's capital, Heaven Dou City, and its surroundings were so beautiful.

Thinking that this would be where they lived from now on, the teachers—including Zhao Wuji—were all very pleased.

Only Flender was unconvinced. "So what if the scenery's nice and the place is big? Have they produced any strong experts? They're nowhere near as good as our Shrek Academy. Our place may be small, but it's full of monsters."

Grandmaster nodded in deep agreement. "Flender, to be honest, I still don't understand why so many promising children were foolish enough to walk into your Shrek Academy. How exactly did you trick them into joining?"

"I used... Nonsense, what do you mean, 'trick'? I call that personal charm." Flender hurriedly changed his words and glared at Grandmaster. "Let's head up. We should make it in time for dinner. Let's see how good the food is. If the treatment's lousy, I'm not staying."

At that moment, Flender looked like a sulking child. Even the Shrek Seven Devils couldn't help secretly laughing.

At the same time, they understood how Flender felt. After all, Shrek Academy, the fruit of his life's work, had come to an end. In his eyes, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy seemed more like a rival.

They hadn't gone far before trouble found them.

"Stop! Who are you people?"

Ten Soul Masters, all around eighteen or nineteen years old, blocked their way.

Though they hadn't summoned their Martial Souls, their goose-yellow uniforms made it clear that they were students of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Flender said brazenly, "We're from Shrek Academy. We've come at the invitation of your Heaven Dou Royal Academy for an exchange. Show us the way."

The young man leading the group looked Flender up and down, then examined the others' clothes. A trace of disdain appeared on his face.

"You country bumpkins think you can come to our academy for an exchange? You look more like a bunch of beggars from who knows where. Get lost, or we'll use force."

After traveling for over half a month, the people from Shrek Academy did look a little road-worn, but they were nowhere near as wretched as he made them out to be.

The student leading the Heaven Dou Royal Academy group was clearly judging them by their appearance.

Seeing the Shrek Academy group in plain clothes—and annoyed by the haughty way Flender had spoken—he had made those remarks.

Very few students admitted to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy had any real ability. Most had gotten in through connections and noble titles.

That had always been the academy's biggest problem. Otherwise, how could it have the reputation of being the number one academy in the Heavenly Dou Empire without the strength to match?

The Shrek Academy teachers were all proud by nature. Otherwise, they wouldn't have passed up the chance to join Soul Master clans or other factions and founded Shrek Academy instead.

Now, even the Shrek Seven Devils were seething with rage at the other side's insulting words.

Dai Mubai gave a cold snort. "I couldn't find Ling Tian, and I'm already in a foul mood. I'll take it out on you first!"

Dai Mubai blurred forward, instantly stepping in front of Flender as a bone-chilling aura burst from him.

Bang!

Dai Mubai kicked the young man who had spoken and sent him flying, then immediately activated his Martial Soul.

The sudden turn of events threw the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's noble students into a panic. They had never imagined the other side would dare attack them right at their own academy's gates.

A few with a little sense hurriedly activated their Martial Souls, but most quickly retreated, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

Even the few students who had activated their Martial Souls backed away as soon as they saw the three gleaming Soul Rings on Dai Mubai. None of them dared step forward.

The idea of overcoming the strong while weak simply didn't exist in their minds. Soul Rings represented an absolute difference in strength.

And not one person among them had even reached level thirty.

Dai Mubai had an abundance of combat experience. Following the principle of striking first and talking later, he didn't even give the other members of the Shrek Seven Devils a chance to step in.

With his tiger paws sweeping through the air, he sent several of the slower students flying.

Watching Dai Mubai fight, Flender and the others couldn't help frowning.

They weren't displeased that Dai Mubai had beaten the other side. It was the appalling quality of these Heaven Dou Royal Academy students that troubled them.

Flender turned to Zhao Wuji. "These are Heaven Dou Royal Academy students? They're a bunch of trash. I'm already starting to wonder if coming here was a mistake."

Zhao Wuji gave a bitter smile. "Don't ask me. How would I know? The Imperial Fighting Team that fought the Little Monsters to a standstill last time wasn't like this. There's bound to be dross everywhere, I suppose."

Even Grandmaster, who had insisted they come here, had nothing to say now.

"All right, Mubai," Flender called out to Dai Mubai. If he kept going, this would stop being a beating and start leaving people crippled.

Only then did Dai Mubai stop. A sinister light flickered in his twin pupils. "Let's see who ends up running."

He had vented much of the anger and resentment he'd built up over failing to find Ling Tian, and he felt a lot better.

"You—you actually dare cause trouble at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy! This is a provocation against the empire. Just you wait! Just you wait..."

Flender snorted. "You're quick to slap a label on us, but you're still nothing but trash. Go call one of your academy's teachers."

Just then, a vigorous voice suddenly rang out.

"What's going on? Why all the commotion?"

A figure quickly approached along a shaded path between the trees on the hillside.

He wore a silver outfit and looked about the same age as Flender. With a round, silver-colored face, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, he held his hands behind his back and had the air of an expert.

"Thank goodness, Teacher Sun is here!"

The young man who had been leading the group rushed toward him as if he'd spotted a lifeline, nearly rolling and crawling in his haste.

"Teacher Sun, they actually came here to cause trouble and beat us up! You have to get justice for us!"

Teacher Sun frowned deeply at the student before him, who looked like a stray dog. "Xue Beng, what kind of behavior is this?"

With outsiders present, he didn't reprimand his student any further. Instead, he looked toward the group from Shrek Academy.

He said, "Honored guests, could you come back tomorrow if you have business here? Our academy's Ling Tian and Yu Tianheng are preparing for a match right now, so I'm afraid we don't have time to entertain you."