The First Lesson: Eating Oscar's Big Sausage!

Flender glanced at him without saying anything, but his gaze softened a little.

"All right, stop standing around." Zhao Wuji cut in from the side. "Little Oscar, take the new student around and show him the dorms and cafeteria. Starting tomorrow, he'll train with you."

Oscar grinned and grabbed Ma Hongjun by the arm.

"Come on, brother. I'll show you our luxurious dormitory."

He put special emphasis on the word "luxurious," his tone thick with self-mockery.

Ma Hongjun followed him deeper into the courtyard, looking around at the surroundings as he walked.

Shrek Academy really was rundown.

The courtyard walls had collapsed, the roads were full of potholes, the desks and chairs in the classrooms were missing arms and legs, and even the blackboards were old wooden boards that had been used for who knew how many years.

Yet strangely, Ma Hongjun felt no disgust whatsoever.

Instead, he felt an inexplicable sense of belonging.

This was where his true journey in this world began.

"By the way, how old are you?" Oscar asked as they walked.

"Six."

"Innate Full Soul Power at six? That's impressive." Oscar praised him sincerely. "I had Innate Full Soul Power when I awakened too, but mine was a Food System Martial Soul, so it lacked combat ability. For a Battle Soul Master like you, Innate Full Soul Power is worth far more than it is for me."

Ma Hongjun shook his head.

"Reaching level eighteen with a Food System Martial Soul was much harder than it was for me. You're the impressive one."

Oscar chuckled, a little embarrassed by the praise.

The two arrived before a row of low mud-brick houses, and Oscar pushed open the door to one of them.

"This is your dormitory. I live next door. The conditions are a little rough, but it'll keep out the wind and rain."

Ma Hongjun walked inside and saw only a wooden bed, a table, a chair, and a wooden basin with a towel in the corner.

It could not have been any more basic.

But Ma Hongjun was already satisfied.

"It's pretty good," he said.

Oscar looked at him, surprise flashing through his eyes.

Most children who came to Shrek would complain at least a little when they saw conditions like these.

But this six-year-old child had not uttered a single word of disdain since arriving.

"You're pretty interesting," Oscar said with a smile. "We're classmates now. Let's look after each other."

Ma Hongjun nodded.

"Let's look after each other."

He looked at the dilapidated courtyard outside the window, and a surge of ambition rose in his heart.

Two of the Shrek Seven Devils were already here.

Dai Mubai, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing.

The remaining five would arrive one after another as well.

When that time came, the name Shrek would resound across the entire continent.

And he, Ma Hongjun, would no longer be the Evil Fire Phoenix from the original story, forced to scrape by in brothels.

He would be the Light Phoenix, righteous to the point of wickedness!

A new day dawned, and sunlight streamed through the broken window lattice into the dormitory. Ma Hongjun opened his eyes right on time.

Six years of habit had been carved into his bones. He did not need anyone to wake him.

He rolled out of bed, washed up quickly, then pushed open the door and walked outside.

Oscar was already waiting in the courtyard.

He wore a faded training uniform, his hair was a mess, and his eyes still held the groggy haze of someone not fully awake, but he stood perfectly straight.

"Morning, Hongjun." Oscar yawned. "Today's your first day of official training. Dean Flender said he'll personally keep an eye on it."

Ma Hongjun nodded and went to stand beside him.

"You get up this early every day?" Oscar asked.

"I'm used to it."

Oscar pursed his lips and said nothing more.

Before long, Flender and Zhao Wuji walked over from the office.

Flender held a roster in his hand, while Zhao Wuji carried a stack of training protective gear.

"Both here?" Flender swept his gaze over them. "Oscar, you remember today's assignment, right?"

Oscar's expression stiffened slightly.

"I remember." His voice sounded somewhat weak.

Ma Hongjun noticed that something was off with Oscar and grew curious.

But he did not ask. He simply stood quietly to one side.

"Then let's begin." Flender sat down in a chair, crossed one leg over the other, and wore the expression of someone watching a show.

Oscar took a deep breath and stepped forward.

He raised his right hand, Soul Power surging within him.

A yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet and slowly revolved around his body.

Ma Hongjun looked closely. It was a hundred-year Soul Ring, just like his.

"Martial Soul—possess!"

Oscar shouted softly, and a ball of light appeared in his palm.

Within the light, something slowly took shape—

It was a sausage.

Pure white all over, it gave off a faint fragrance and looked no different from an ordinary sausage.

But Oscar's next action made Ma Hongjun understand why his face had stiffened.

Oscar cleared his throat and chanted the Soul Incantation in an extremely strange tone—

"Daddy Has a Big Sausage!"

His voice was not loud, but in the quiet morning courtyard, every word was perfectly clear.

The air seemed to freeze.

Flender remained expressionless. Zhao Wuji looked up at the sky.

Oscar's face turned bright red, and he wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

This sausage was the product of his Martial Soul. It could satisfy hunger and slightly restore physical strength, making it an extremely practical support method in battle.

But the problem was that this Soul Incantation was simply too embarrassing.

"Daddy Has a Big Sausage!"

He had to say that every time he used his Soul Skill.

For an eight-year-old child, it was practically fatal.

Oscar secretly glanced at Ma Hongjun, already prepared to be laughed at.

It was not as though he had never tried offering his sausages to others before, but every time they heard that Soul Incantation, their expressions became particularly colorful. Some held back laughter, some blushed, and some refused outright.

He had even encountered an older sister who cursed him for acting like a hooligan after hearing it, nearly taking a swing at him.

So Oscar was used to it.

Used to being disliked, used to being ridiculed, used to people looking at him strangely.

Ma Hongjun looked at the sausage in Oscar's hand, then at Oscar's flushed face, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

Of course, he knew this joke.

When he had read the original story in his previous life, the comments would always be filled with "hahahahahaha" whenever Oscar chanted his incantation.

It really was funny, but that had been through a screen.

Hearing it with his own ears now made it feel more real.

But that was all.

Ma Hongjun stepped forward and reached out to take the sausage from Oscar's hand.

Oscar froze.

"Y-you want to eat it?" His voice trembled slightly.

"Didn't you ask me to eat it?"

Ma Hongjun asked in return, his tone as calm as if he were commenting on the nice weather.

He lowered his head, looked at the sausage in his hand, and brought it to his nose for a sniff.

Mm, it really did smell pretty good.

Then, beneath everyone's astonished gazes, Ma Hongjun opened his mouth and took a huge bite.

He chewed.

Then chewed some more.

Oscar's eyes widened.

Flender lowered his crossed leg, surprise flashing through his eyes.

Zhao Wuji also snapped out of his sky-gazing state and stared at Ma Hongjun.

After swallowing the first bite, Ma Hongjun took another and said through a mouthful of food:

"It tastes pretty good, Oscar. What kind of meat is this made from? The texture is really special."