"Oh? So you're saying you're pretty brave?"
"Brave as they come!"
Li Yusong forcibly suppressed the corners of his mouth from twitching upward. He had wandered Douluo Continent for so many years, but this was the first time he had ever met someone so absurd.
A useless twenty-ninth-level nobody. Good grief, just look at him. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was ninety-second level.
The surging Soul Power of a twenty-ninth-level Soul Master gathered inside Yu Xiaogang's body. His moment to show off in front of everyone was almost here!
"Old man, kneel down and kowtow to this Grandmaster right now, then go fetch Flender. I might consider going easy on you."
"Otherwise, if I beat you to death, don't blame me!"
At that, Li Yusong said nothing. The phantom of the Dragon Pattern Staff in his hand shimmered in and out of sight.
Thwack—
One strike to the leg to stop him from running!
"Aaaaaaaah—"
A sharp pain shot through Yu Xiaogang's leg, making him drop to his knees, unable to move. A bloodcurdling squeal, like a pig being slaughtered, burst from his mouth.
Damn it, he was the greatest theoretical master on the continent, yet he was being bullied again!
When he habitually looked up to spit out some threats, he discovered six neatly arranged Soul Rings circling beneath the feet of the old man he had called a country bumpkin.
A Soul Emperor?
Oh no, I've kicked another iron plate!
"Se... Senior... it's a... misunderstanding!"
Yu Xiaogang hurriedly admitted his mistake. How could his puny body withstand a beating from a Soul Emperor-level expert?
"Heh, you know how to admit you were wrong now? Too late!"
Thwack—
Li Yusong swung the Dragon Pattern Staff in his hand with a fierce whoosh and smacked it straight across Gangzi's bizarre-looking face.
The second strike landed on his mouth, naturally, to stop him from begging for mercy.
Xiao Gang went flying. His vision swam with stars, and it seemed that his long-deceased great-grandmother was beckoning to him.
"Wuwuwu, stop hitting me, stop! I really am Flender's good friend..."
On the ground, Yu Xiaogang curled up and begged for mercy. But with his jaw dislocated and his voice hoarse, his words came out garbled and nasal.
Li Yusong: What's this useless fool yapping about now? He must be putting on an act again! Have another taste of my staff!
Li Yusong ignored Yu Xiaogang's cries completely. He wielded the Dragon Pattern Staff like a baton, lashing Gangzi again and again until the pretentious little crew cut was black and blue. Only then did he stop.
The pig-like squeals at the entrance naturally drew a crowd of onlookers. A yellow-haired loser sauntered over curiously. "Teacher Li, what's going on?"
Seeing that it was Dai Mubai, the big sponsor of Shrek Academy, Li Yusong rolled his aching arm before explaining, "Mubai, this twenty-ninth-level good-for-nothing came up and acted like some great expert in front of me, Old Li. He even claimed to be an old acquaintance of Flender's. Isn't that a joke?"
Dai Mubai nodded thoughtfully. If that was the case, then the fool deserved a beating.
After all, the motto of Shrek Academy was: "Those who don't dare cause trouble are mediocre!"
"Okay, Teacher Li. If there's nothing else, I'll head to Suotuo City first."
But as Dai Mubai passed by Yu Xiaogang, the latter seemed to have grabbed the last straw keeping him alive.
Golden hair, sinister eyes, and the secret letters he had exchanged with Flender over the years—Yu Xiaogang analyzed it all with his peerless wisdom and immediately recognized him as the third prince of the Star Luo Empire.
Yu Xiaogang grabbed Dai Mubai's leg, smearing filth from his body all over the young man's luxurious clothes. "You're Dai Mubai, right? Go tell Flender I'm Yu Xiaogang!"
"With guidance from the greatest theoretical master on the continent, you'll soon be able to prove your talent. When the time comes to compete for the throne, you're sure to stand out!"
Yu Xiaogang's face had been beaten until it was swollen like a pig's head, so Dai Mubai couldn't understand a single word he said.
He had dressed up specially today to go to Suotuo City and visit his Xiao Hong and Xiao Lu, the two gorgeous twins.
But now, seeing his luxurious clothes ruined like this, a nameless rage surged in his heart!
"Brazen commoner!"
Dai Mubai raised his palm and struck without so much as a pause, slapping Yu Xiaogang hard across the face.
"Ugh, aaaaaah—"
Soon, Yu Xiaogang's pained howls and pleas for mercy rang out once more. Dai Mubai only stopped when Gangzi had been beaten unconscious.
"Pah! What a piece of trash. How dare you waste this young master's time!"
He spat at Gangzi, whose clothes were in tatters and who looked like a beggar, then said to Li Yusong, "Teacher Li, don't bother with this fool. Since he keeps claiming he knows Dean Flender, we can deal with him when the dean gets back."
"Mm."
That night, Flender was humming cheerfully as he returned to the academy from the little shop he ran in Suotuo City.
He had swindled several more suckers today with his exquisite marketing tricks. Life really was looking brighter and brighter.
After reaching the academy, Flender failed to notice the disheveled, scruffy-looking man with a crew cut watching him from the bushes outside the gates.
At that moment, the exhaustion on Gangzi's face vanished. When he confirmed that the bespectacled, shovel-faced middle-aged man standing at the entrance was his good friend Flender, a glimmer of hope suddenly gathered in his weather-beaten eyes.
One, then two drops of hot tears slid down his dust-covered face.
The next second, he could no longer contain the grievance and pent-up emotions inside him. Summoning his last bit of strength, he charged straight toward his target and slammed into Flender's arms.
"Wuwuwu, Flender! My good brother! I finally found you!"
Flender was utterly disgusted by the sudden embrace from a man who had appeared out of nowhere—ragged, filthy, with a face swollen like a pig's head and a revolting stench clinging to him.
"Who the hell are you? Let go of this dean right now, or I'll make you regret it!"
Flender tried to shove the humanoid creature clinging to him away, but the man somehow had strength to spare and clung to him for dear life, refusing to let go no matter what.
Yu Xiaogang was panicking now, too. Flender was a Soul Saint. If he, like the people that morning, beat him up without asking questions, Yu Xiaogang probably wouldn't be able to take it.
Before you continue