"Hey, I'm giving you fair warning in advance: there are a few rules for being my roommate."
Wang Dong looked at Mu Chen with an arrogant expression, then continued, "First, don't bring people back to the dorm whenever you feel like it. Second, don't go shirtless in the dorm. Exhibitionists are the worst! Third, don't snore when you sleep at night. Fourth, don't bother me. Fifth, you're responsible for cleaning the dorm."
After rattling off five rules, even Wang Dong was starting to feel parched.
But when he looked at Mu Chen, the other boy seemed not to have heard a word. He simply went on arranging his things.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?"
Mu Chen turned around and looked at him with an indifferent expression. "I have no reason to waste my breath on someone like you."
Wang Dong had been spoiled rotten since childhood, with everyone always indulging him. At those words, his temper flared at once.
"What are you putting on airs for? If you've got the guts, let's fight one-on-one. Whoever wins gets to call the shots!"
At that, Mu Chen immediately grew interested.
I wonder what God King Tang will think when I teach his little daughter a lesson right in front of him.
"Sure. It's settled, then. Whoever wins gets to call the shots."
At the moment, Wang Dong was only a Soul Grandmaster. Even with a thousand-year second Soul Ring, the gap between him and Mu Chen was still enormous.
Mu Chen had a hundred ways to beat him with ease.
The two of them went to the plaza in front of the dormitory, the same place where Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao had fought in the original story.
"Just so we're clear, I'm really strong. Don't expect me to go easy on you!"
Mu Chen said nothing. He merely gestured for Wang Dong to make the first move.
He didn't even summon his Martial Soul. He simply watched Wang Dong.
Feeling that the other boy was looking down on him, Wang Dong immediately released his Martial Soul.
The Light Goddess Butterfly possessed him, and then two Soul Rings appeared—one yellow and one purple.
Set off by his Martial Soul, his whole person became dazzling and radiant.
Wang Dong beat his wings and flew toward Mu Chen.
"First Soul Skill, Wing Guillotine!"
The edges of the Goddess Butterfly's wings turned into razor-sharp blades, slashing toward Mu Chen.
At last, Mu Chen released his Martial Soul.
Wave after wave surged forth, sending Wang Dong flying.
When he saw the four Soul Rings at Mu Chen's feet, Wang Dong nearly began to doubt his own eyes.
Was this a joke? They were both first-year students in the Outer Academy, yet he had only two Soul Rings while the other boy already had four.
What shocked Wang Dong even more was that Mu Chen's fourth Soul Ring was ten-thousand-year.
After all, Wang Dong's own second Soul Ring was a thousand-year one, so Mu Chen having a thousand-year second Soul Ring hadn't surprised him much.
Wang Dong had only reached twenty-one levels of Soul Power. In other words, Mu Chen's Soul Power Level was already twice his.
How was he supposed to fight that?
Wang Dong might have been arrogant and considered himself powerful, but he wasn't stupid.
A Soul Grandmaster picking a fight with a Soul Ancestor—wasn't that just asking to get beaten?
Mu Chen wasn't about to give him time to stand there dumbfounded. After all, opportunities to teach a God King's daughter a lesson didn't come often.
With a flash, Mu Chen appeared behind Wang Dong. He was so fast that Wang Dong didn't even notice him.
Mu Chen chose not to attack with the Trident in his hand. Instead, he raised his right leg.
He kicked Wang Dong squarely in the butt.
"Ow!"
Wang Dong dropped to the ground in pain, clutching his backside, his expression a sight to behold.
Mu Chen put away his Martial Soul and looked at him. "Well? Want to keep going?"
Wang Dong was still rubbing his sore backside.
He glared angrily at Mu Chen. "Don't think you're all that just because your Soul Power Level is higher. I'll catch up to you sooner or later!"
Mu Chen wasn't a child. Why would he bother responding to the other boy's bluster?
"We'll talk about that in the future. Right now, it's time for you to keep your promise."
The corner of Mu Chen's mouth curled into a wicked smile as he stared straight at Wang Dong.
Wang Dong folded his arms and eyed him warily.
"What are you going to do?"
Mu Chen spread his hands. "You were the one who said that whoever won got to call the shots. Now I'm going to tell you my rules."
Mu Chen dragged him back to the dormitory and shut the door with a bang.
"First, you can rest assured that I'm neither an exhibitionist nor the sort of person who likes bringing people back to the dorm. And I certainly won't go out of my way to bother you."
Then Mu Chen stated his rules. "I'm not spoiled rotten, either, so we'll take turns cleaning."
"My only rule is that from now on, you have to call me Big Brother."
Mu Chen wouldn't have wanted to be the big brother of some ordinary person. But Wang Dong was different.
"Come on, let's hear you say it."
Wang Dong's face flushed bright red, as if he found it terribly hard to say.
But when he looked at Mu Chen and felt the pain in his backside, he finally spoke. "B-Big Brother."
His voice grew quieter and quieter toward the end.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you, so it doesn't count!"
Mu Chen pretended he hadn't heard him.
Wang Dong was annoyed, but since he couldn't beat Mu Chen, he had no choice but to clench his fists and say it again, louder this time. "Big Brother!"
This time, he was loud enough. Mu Chen stopped teasing him and went back to putting his things away.
Once he had everything in order, Mu Chen decided to go out and buy some daily necessities.
"Do you need me to pick anything up for you? I'm going to buy some daily necessities."
"No need, Mu Chen."
"What did you call me?"
"No need, Big Brother!"
As the young sect master of the Clear Sky Sect, Wang Dong certainly wasn't short on things.
Since Wang Dong didn't need anything, Mu Chen went to buy things for himself.
There were still two days until the start of term, so he had plenty of time.
Mu Chen left the academy, planning to take a look around Shrek City.
The city was magnificent, every bit as impressive as the Ming Capital.
Shrek City and the Ming Capital simply had different styles. One leaned toward a technological, metallic aesthetic, while the other had older-style architecture, with an antique charm.
Each city had its own strengths and distinctive character.
Mu Chen went into a shop that sold quilts and picked out one that suited him.
When he returned to the dormitory, Mu Chen saw that Wang Dong was actually meditating and cultivating diligently, apparently spurred on by him.
Mu Chen didn't pay him any mind. He spread out his newly bought quilt, and that was that.
Two days later, it was time for classes to begin.
The two days passed in the blink of an eye. As expected, Mu Chen and Wang Dong were in the same class.
And their homeroom teacher was none other than that old hag, Zhou Yi.
There was another familiar face in the classroom: Huo Yuhao.
"Anyone who fought before the start of term, stand up."
The familiar words came from Zhou Yi's mouth.
Mu Chen stood up without the slightest hesitation.
After a moment's hesitation, Wang Dong stood up too.
Sure enough, only the two of them stood.
"Good. Can you tell me why you fought?"
Before Wang Dong could say anything, Mu Chen spoke first. "Teacher, we just weren't willing to back down to each other, so we fought to decide who'd be the boss of the dorm."
"From the looks of you, you came out on top, right?"
"Of course!"