Xuan Zi had always let drinking get in the way of important things.
Once he started drinking, not even ten bulls could wake him.
The teachers of Shrek Inner Court were at their wits' end.
No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't wake Xuan Zi, who was sleeping like a dead pig.
They would have to resort to some extreme measures.
Otherwise, given Xuan Zi's current state, if he was teleported to the arena, he wouldn't just be going there to get himself killed—he would also bring shame upon Shrek Academy.
But Xuan Zi's status was extraordinarily exalted.
The only person in all of Shrek Academy who could handle Xuan Zi was Mu En.
Never mind a lowly Inner Court teacher, who wouldn't dare do anything to Xuan Zi.
Even the other members of the Sea God Pavilion wouldn't dare offend Xuan Zi lightly.
Just as the Shrek Inner Court teacher was caught in a fierce inner struggle, a hunched figure suddenly appeared without a sound.
Smack...
A crisp slap rang out.
Mu En slapped Xuan Zi hard across his big face.
That's right, the person who had arrived was none other than Mu En, the pillar of Shrek.
At that moment, Mu En was utterly exasperated with Xuan Zi.
After the first two Arena Tournament matches, anyone with a brain could tell that the tournament's schedule reset every week.
So Mu En had issued orders well in advance to be on high alert on the day the Arena Tournament began.
The contestants in the Arena Tournament were matched completely at random.
The first two matches had both involved the Holy Spirit Cult, but there was no guarantee that the battles to come would continue to feature the Holy Spirit Cult.
To prepare for any eventuality, Mu En had made arrangements early, in case a Shrek member was selected without warning.
He had thought that issuing his orders in advance would ensure everything went smoothly.
But he hadn't expected that Xuan Zi, that unreliable deadweight, would drop the ball again.
He had actually gotten blackout drunk on the very day the third Arena Tournament match began.
Mu En was so furious that he couldn't hold back any longer!
He slapped Xuan Zi awake.
"Bastard!"
"Who dares to sneak up on this old man!"
Xuan Zi had taken a slap from Mu En.
Though he was still dazed, his eyes were full of fury and resentment.
He was a dignified Super Douluo, yet someone had slapped him on his own turf!
This was an utter disgrace!
Xuan Zi quickly scanned his surroundings.
He wanted to find the culprit who had disturbed his beautiful dream.
The next moment...
When Xuan Zi's gaze landed on Mu En, he jumped in fright.
"Uncle-Master, what brings you here?"
"Has something serious happened?"
Xuan Zi was no fool.
The moment he saw Mu En's gloomy old face, he realized something was wrong.
Normally, Mu En wouldn't show himself unless something important had happened.
Now Mu En had come in person, and his expression looked as grim as a funeral.
Even though Xuan Zi was dead drunk, he could tell how serious the situation was.
"Do you know what day it is today?"
Mu En suppressed his anger and demanded an answer.
Xuan Zi was at a loss. He shook his head.
"I don't know!"
Xuan Zi had always been carefree. How could he remember things like that?
Besides, he was an unreliable deadweight.
Expecting him to answer correctly was pure fantasy.
"Look up at the Heavenly Ranking!"
Seeing that Xuan Zi couldn't answer a single question, Mu En was so angry he wanted to give him another beating.
He had been far too lenient with Xuan Zi all this time.
Xuan Zi did as he was told.
When he saw the matchups posted on the Heavenly Ranking, he froze in place, his mind roaring.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"Am I seeing things?"
Xuan Zi hoped he had read it wrong.
But after rubbing his eyes, he saw the matchups hadn't changed at all, and realized he was in trouble.
"Damn it!"
"Why did I have to be picked right now?"
Xuan Zi was filled with regret.
His head was still spinning.
If he really had to fight in the Arena Tournament, he wouldn't be able to bring out his full strength.
"Uncle-Master, what should I do now?"
Xuan Zi looked at Mu En pleadingly.
In his current state, he was at a huge disadvantage!
The Second Worship of Spirit Hall was no pushover.
Even if Xuan Zi were at full strength, he wouldn't be confident of beating him, let alone in his current drunken state.
"I've already gathered some information about Golden Crocodile Douluo. It may help you in the fight ahead."
"As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."
"We're people from a later era, so we have a natural advantage when it comes to information."
"We know everything about our opponent, while he knows nothing about us."
"That gives us the upper hand before the fight has even begun."
"Also, your hangover soup is on its way."
"You absolutely must not lose this fight."
Though Mu En was angry that Xuan Zi was useless as mud, he had still prepared everything for him.
After all, Xuan Zi was the successor he had chosen!
No matter how unreliable Xuan Zi was, he would have to take charge of Shrek's future.
Besides, this fight concerned Shrek's reputation.
Xuan Zi could not lose, no matter what.
A warm feeling welled up in Xuan Zi's heart.
Sure enough, Mu En still cared about him!
Just as Xuan Zi was about to thank Mu En properly, the Arena Tournament's teleportation gate forcibly sent him away.
Mu En hadn't even had time to tell Xuan Zi about the information he'd prepared.
And Xuan Zi hadn't gotten to drink the hangover soup, either.
Mu En stood rooted to the spot, his face full of bitterness.
"I was still a step too late!"
This wasn't because anyone was deliberately targeting Xuan Zi or denying Shrek time.
It was because Xuan Zi had wasted too much time!
A full hour had passed since Golden Crocodile Douluo stepped onto the arena.
Meanwhile, Xuan Zi was still dragging his feet.
If they kept waiting, even the daylilies would have wilted.
That was why the teleportation gate had forcibly sent him over.
On the arena...
A flash of white light passed!
Xuan Zi's figure finally appeared before the crowd.
Golden Crocodile Douluo looked at Xuan Zi, who was just as burly as he was.
A fierce battle intent immediately blazed in his eyes.
"No wonder you were matched with me!"
"Looks like this is going to be a thoroughly satisfying duel."
Golden Crocodile Douluo braced himself for the fight.
Xuan Zi looked at Golden Crocodile Douluo and quickly raised a hand.
"Wait!"
"I'm still drunk. Could you give me some time to prepare?"
"As the dignified Second Worship of Spirit Hall, surely you wouldn't take advantage of someone in a vulnerable position?"
Xuan Zi asked to delay the fight.
If they started now, he would definitely be at a disadvantage.
Golden Crocodile Douluo frowned and fell into thought.
"I never would have guessed!"
"This dignified Taotie Douluo, a Level 98 Super Douluo, would resort to such a petty trick."
"He wants to use drunkenness as an excuse to make me lower my guard."
"If I actually believed him, I'd fall right into his trap."
"Looks like this man isn't just powerful—he's also deeply calculating."
Golden Crocodile Douluo didn't believe a word of Xuan Zi's claim that he was drunk.
No one who had cultivated to their level could be a fool.
The Arena Tournament's start time was fixed.
Xuan Zi knew that perfectly well, so how could he have happened to get drunk right at this exact moment?
That was obviously just a lie meant to make him careless.