Tang San, Han Li, Xiao Yan, Wang Lin, and Shi Hao Were Rejected

That evening, in a corner of the cafeteria at Shrek Academy.

Dai Mubai sat in the seat of honor, fingers interlaced beneath his chin as his gaze swept over everyone present.

"Is everyone here?"

Oscar raised his hand. "Wait, Third Brother isn't here."

"We didn't invite him," Dai Mubai replied expressionlessly.

Oscar froze for a moment, then silently lowered his hand.

Ma Hongjun gnawed on a chicken leg and mumbled, "So today's a special session for... roasting those four guys?"

Dai Mubai nodded. "That's right. And since Tang San isn't here, everyone can speak freely."

Xiao Wu opened her mouth as if to say something, but after glancing at the expressions around her, she closed it again.

She thought excluding Tang San was a little harsh, but... she did have plenty to complain about.

Dai Mubai cleared his throat. "What do you think of those four?"

Oscar spoke first. He set down the sausage in his hand, his expression as solemn as if he were presenting an academic paper. "That ugly freak Han Li is gloomy all the time. He looks at everyone like they owe him money. I ran into him today and said hello. He looked at me—just once—and I felt like he'd made a note of it in his ledger."

Ning Rongrong asked curiously, "Made a note of what?"

Oscar spread his hands. "How should I know? But I just had that feeling. He was keeping track of me—my name, my face, what I said to him today. That guy is terrifying."

Ma Hongjun finished his chicken leg, wiped his mouth, and chimed in. "What about that foul-mouthed Xiao Yan? Has anyone here dealt with him? I had a meal with him once, and he went on and on the entire time about how the east of the river would be prosperous for thirty years, then the west for thirty years. How annoying is that? My ears practically grew calluses."

Xiao Wu cut in. "He seems to say it every day. I kept count. He says it at least five times a day on average."

Ma Hongjun's eyes widened. "Five times? That many?"

Xiao Wu nodded. "Once when he gets up, once before meals, once before cultivating, once before a fight, and once before bed. Without fail."

Everyone fell silent.

Zhu Zhuqing rarely spoke, but today she joined in. Her voice was cold, like a winter wind. "That lunatic Shi Hao has no rhyme or reason in a fight, and he mutters 'Arbitrary Eternity' all day long. I fought him once. He shouted those four words the entire time. It gave me a headache."

Dai Mubai asked curiously, "Did you win?"

Zhu Zhuqing fell silent for a second. "I won, but he fought for an hour. I was nearly exhausted, and he was still shouting. Those four words kept replaying in my head all day. I even dreamed about Arbitrary Eternity that night."

Ma Hongjun couldn't help laughing. "Zhuqing, you got brainwashed too?"

Zhu Zhuqing gave him a chilly look, and Ma Hongjun immediately shut up.

Ning Rongrong spoke last. She hesitated, then lowered her voice. "That Wang Lin... um... that person, keeps going on about 'this venerable one,' karma, and wiping out entire clans. Just hearing him gives me the creeps. I accidentally stepped on his shoe today, and he looked at me and said, 'The karma is already set. This venerable one will remember that step.' I was terrified. I started crying right then and there."

Xiao Wu was surprised. "You cried?"

Ning Rongrong nodded, looking aggrieved. "I went back and cried for a quarter of an hour! He's really scary. He's so handsome, but he talks like that—like a ghost."

Xiao Wu took a deep breath and slapped the table. "And another thing! Those four show Third Brother no respect at all. They call him a floor tile! Third Brother may sometimes be a little... well... but that's no reason to call him a floor tile, right?"

Dai Mubai frowned. "What does 'floor tile' mean?"

Xiao Wu said, "The most useless of the useless."

Everyone fell silent again.

After a while, Dai Mubai rapped on the table. "All right, I'll say a few words. Those four are an ugly freak, a foul mouth, a lunatic, and a man-woman—no, a sissy. Not one of them is normal."

Oscar added, "And they don't get along with each other, either. They argue every day."

Ma Hongjun said, "But when they argue, Third Brother goes over to break it up, and all four of them turn around and curse him at the same time."

Xiao Wu slapped the table. "Exactly! What's that about? Third Brother is only trying to help!"

Ning Rongrong said quietly, "Actually... I think Third Brother can be a little... annoying."

Everyone looked at Ning Rongrong.

Ning Rongrong shrank her neck. "That's not what I mean. I mean, Third Brother is always smiling and nice to everyone. Sometimes that actually makes him seem... fake."

Xiao Wu opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again.

Because deep down, she knew Ning Rongrong had a point.

Dai Mubai raised his head and looked around at everyone. "My opinion is that we have to kick those four out. They don't belong at Shrek Academy. Let's vote. Raise your hands if you agree they should go."

Seven hands shot up at once.

Even Xiao Wu raised hers.

She felt a little bad for Third Brother, but... those four really were too annoying.

Early the next morning.

Dai Mubai placed the expulsion letter, signed by all seven monsters, solemnly on Flender's desk.

Flender was drinking tea.

He saw the letter, set down his teacup, picked it up, read it once, then read it again before sighing.

"You all have a point."

Dai Mubai's heart lifted. "So, Dean, you agree?"

"But have you considered one thing?" Flender interrupted.

Dai Mubai froze. "What thing?"

Flender didn't answer directly. Instead, he called toward the door, "Xiaogang, come in for a moment."

Yu Xiaogang pushed the door open, a stack of documents in his hands.

He walked over to Flender, pushed up his glasses, let his gaze rest on Dai Mubai's face for a second, then opened the documents.

"I've been observing them." Yu Xiaogang's voice was as calm as if he were giving an academic report. "Han Li's Martial Soul is the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, a miscellaneous weapon-type Martial Soul. His Heavenly Bottle can accelerate the growth of spirit herbs, and his talent for alchemy is exceptional. I found some pill residue in his dormitory. Those pills were ten times more potent than the best healing medicine in the academy's infirmary."

Dai Mubai's expression changed.

Yu Xiaogang continued, "Xiao Yan's Martial Soul is the Xuanhuang Flame, a mutated fire-type Martial Soul. His Heavenly Flames can devour Soul Power to cultivate, giving him a cultivation speed five times that of an ordinary person. If he keeps this up, he'll break through level thirty within three months."

Ma Hongjun's chicken leg fell to the ground, but he didn't pick it up.

"Shi Hao's Martial Soul is the Supreme Bone, a mutated weapon-type Martial Soul. I tested his physical strength. It's comparable to that of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and his body is still growing at a visible rate. At this rate, in a year his physical strength may reach that of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."

Zhu Zhuqing's fingers trembled faintly.

"As for Wang Lin..." Yu Xiaogang paused. "I still can't fully analyze his Martial Soul, the Heavenly Inverse Bead. But I can say for certain that he can manipulate the laws of causality. Do you know what that means? It means that before him, he can alter every change in your attacks, defenses, and dodges through causal interference."

A dead silence fell.

Flender took a sip of tea and spoke slowly. "Any one of these four would be a once-in-a-century genius on the continent, and you want to kick them out?"

Dai Mubai gritted his teeth, his fists clenched until they cracked. "But they're so weird!"

Flender set down his teacup and looked Dai Mubai in the eye. "All geniuses are freaks. Aren't you all the same?"

They exchanged glances, unable to refute him.

Flender stood and walked to the window, turning his back to them. "I won't kick them out. In fact, I'm going to keep them here and cultivate them properly."

Xiao Wu couldn't help asking, "Why?"

Flender turned around and smiled. "Because Shrek Academy's motto is to accept only monsters, and those four are the most monstrous monsters I've ever seen."

Flender relayed the Seven Monsters' decision to the four of them.

Location: that rundown dormitory.

The four each occupied a corner, sitting or lying in different poses, but their expressions were all strikingly indifferent.

Flender stood in the doorway with his arms crossed. "The Shrek Seven Monsters have submitted a joint petition demanding that you leave."

Xiao Yan scoffed. "Oh."

Shi Hao rolled over. "And then?"

Wang Lin kept his eyes closed. "So?"

Han Li's expression remained blank. "We're not leaving."

Flender nodded. "I know you won't leave. I never intended to make you."

He paused, then said seriously, "But starting today, you have to coexist with the Seven Monsters. I'm not asking you to be friends, but I am requiring you not to fight among yourselves, not to cause trouble, and not to tear the academy apart."

Shi Hao raised his hand. "What if someone else starts trouble with me?"

Flender thought for a moment. "Hit back, but don't cripple them."

Shi Hao nodded, satisfied.

Xiao Yan snorted. "I have no objections."

Wang Lin said coolly, "This venerable one doesn't care."

Han Li gave his answer last. "Fine."

After Flender left, the dormitory fell silent for a while.

Han Li was the first to break the silence. "I need time to study the rules of this world. Don't cause trouble."

Xiao Yan sneered. "You say don't cause trouble, and we're supposed to listen? Who do you think you are?"

Han Li glanced at him, his expression blank. "I'm only making a suggestion."

Hanging upside down, Shi Hao said, "I want to fight. Every day. I'll fight until I'm the strongest."

With his eyes closed, Wang Lin said, "This venerable one has plans to make. Your affairs have nothing to do with me."

Four people, four different minds.

Yet they reached an odd understanding: they wouldn't provoke each other, but they wouldn't interfere with one another, either.

Their goals lay beyond Douluo Continent. Han Li wanted to go home, Xiao Yan wanted to grow stronger, Shi Hao wanted to achieve Arbitrary Eternity, and Wang Lin wanted to uncover the secrets of reincarnation.

To them, this little world was only a stepping stone.

A temporary, unimportant stepping stone that they had no choice but to stay on.

Tang San had been feeling very unhappy lately.

He'd noticed something strange: the Shrek Seven Monsters no longer seemed to like him.

That morning, he went to find Dai Mubai for a spar.

Dai Mubai glanced at him and said, "I'm busy today," then turned and went to fight Shi Hao.

At noon, he went to find Oscar for a meal.

Oscar said, "I've got plans with Ma Hongjun," then left with his tray, leaving Tang San standing alone where he was.

In the afternoon, he went to chat with Ning Rongrong.

Ning Rongrong said, "I'm going to cultivate," then actually started cultivating, leaving Tang San standing off to the side.

Tang San stood in the hallway. The wind ruffled his blue hair, but couldn't stir the confusion on his face.

"What did I do wrong?" he asked himself.

Then he asked again, "What did I do wrong, exactly?"

Xiao Wu came up from behind. Seeing Third Brother standing alone in the hallway, lost in thought, she sighed.

Tang San turned and saw Xiao Wu. His eyes lit up. "Xiao Wu! Do you know why they're ignoring me?"

Xiao Wu opened her mouth as if to say something, but she couldn't figure out how.

She thought it over, then finally told him the truth. "Third Brother, maybe you just have... an annoying personality."

Tang San's smile froze.

"What?"

Xiao Wu scratched her head. "I mean... you're a good person, really, a very good person. But you're too nice, nice enough to make people feel like... you're fake."

Tang San's face turned pale.

Xiao Wu hurriedly waved her hands. "I'm not saying you're fake. I mean, you smile at everyone and treat everyone well. You never lose your temper and never turn anyone down... Normal people aren't like that."

Tang San was silent for a long time.

His voice came out muffled. "So, I'm... the most useless of the useless?"

Xiao Wu panicked. "No, Third Brother, you're not useless. You're... you're a super, super gentle waste!"

Tang San: "..."

That assessment did nothing to make him feel better.

He raised his head, his eyes a little red. "Xiao Wu, what should I do?"

Xiao Wu thought for a moment. "Smile less? Maybe get angry once in a while? Or... stop saying 'Resurrect, My Love' every other minute?"

Tang San took a deep breath. The words were already on the tip of his tongue.

"Resurrect, My—"

Xiao Wu clapped a hand over his mouth. "Shut up!"

The words "my love" were smothered back down his throat.

He blinked at Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu let go and put her hands on her hips. "Third Brother, if you tell me to resurrect you while I'm still alive again, I really will go and die just to show you."

Tang San hurriedly said, "No, no, I won't say it again!"

Xiao Wu nodded, satisfied. "That's more like it."

Then she turned and left. After taking two steps, she glanced back. "Oh, I'll make you braised pork tonight. Don't overthink it."

Tang San stood where he was, watching Xiao Wu's retreating figure, his heart warm.

He wanted to say, "Resurrect, My Love," but held it in.

Tang San took a deep breath, held his head high, and headed toward the training ground.

He decided that starting today, he would try to be a little less annoying.

He'd start by not saying "resurrect."

On the training ground, Shi Hao was fighting Dai Mubai.

Xiao Yan watched from the side, criticizing as he went. "Your punches are too slow. You're not strong enough. Did you even eat?"

Shi Hao roared as he fought, "Arbitrary Eternity! Arbitrary Eternity! Arbitrary Eternity!"

Dai Mubai was driven back step by step, cursing, "Can't you use a different phrase?"

Shi Hao thought for a moment. "Suppress everything!"

Dai Mubai: "...Better stick with Arbitrary Eternity."

Tang San stood at the edge of the training ground, watched the scene, then silently turned and walked away.

He suddenly felt that, compared with those four weirdos, the Shrek Seven Monsters' rejection didn't seem so hard to bear.