Different People and Matters

Next.

Dai Mubai, as the senior student, led the group as they officially stepped into Shrek Academy.

As they walked, Tang San asked, "Senior Dai, why don't we see any other students at Shrek Academy? Are there really only the two of you left?"

"Sigh, that's a long story..." Dai Mubai sighed upon hearing this.

He then explained the philosophy of Shrek's Dean, Flender.

Adhering to the principle of preferring quality over quantity, the academy currently had only three enrolled students.

Afterward.

Xiao Wu invited the two girls to stroll around Soto City to bond.

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had no resistance to such an invitation and readily agreed.

Soto City.

After wandering around for half a day, the bond between Xiao Wu and the others had improved, and they were no longer as distant as they had been at the start.

Sure enough...

Shopping really is the best way for girls to accelerate their friendships.

Just as they were passing by a restaurant, they saw a little fatty inside gorging himself.

Watching the way the little fatty was stuffing his face, Xiao Wu couldn't help but remark, "That little fatty can really eat!"

"What's wrong with being fat? Did I eat your family's rice?"

As if a keyword had been triggered, the little fatty instantly sprang up from his stool and glared over.

He didn't call it fat; he called it "sturdy."

Do you understand what sturdy means?

The little fatty put down his bowl and chopsticks, swallowed the food in his mouth, and said to the three girls, "I don't change my name when I stand or sit; I am Ma Hongjun of Shrek. If you've got guts, state your names..."

The drawbacks of the Evil Fire Phoenix forced Ma Hongjun to consume large amounts of food, which was the only way he could barely suppress the evil fire within his body.

Over the years, his physique had become increasingly rounded.

"Xiao Wu, you're back so soon? And who is this..."

Tang San looked at Ma Hongjun with some confusion.

"Are you the new juniors? Hello, I'm Ma Hongjun, your senior."

Ma Hongjun was a naturally outgoing person and felt no awkwardness upon meeting them: "Don't look at me just because I'm a bit round; actually, I'm very agile..."

When Tang Wu saw this silly-grinning Ma Hongjun, he immediately recognized the other's identity.

Good grief!

If I'm not mistaken, this isn't the Ma Hongjun from the original work at all, is it?!!

What is this? First, there was the comic version of Oscar, and now here comes a comic version of Ma Hongjun.

Could it be that this is a fused world?

Tang Wu had been suspicious before; clearly, Gangzi was still that same pathetic loser, yet some people were completely different.

After a brief moment of shock, he felt a surge of anticipation for what would happen next.

The collision between characters from the original work and the comic version—what kind of sparks would that ignite?

The next day.

"The bed boards in this dormitory are way too hard. My back hurts from sleeping on them for one night."

Tang Wu stretched his sore shoulders, complaining about the living conditions at Shrek Academy.

There was a faint dark tint under Tang San's eyes; clearly, he hadn't slept well last night either.

Upon hearing his younger brother's complaint, he nodded in agreement.

Walking into the cafeteria, the girls were even faster than the two brothers and were already sitting on the stools waiting.

Looking at Xiao Wu's haggard face, Tang Wu chuckled, "Xiao Wu, why is your face so dark? Did you sleep hugging a pot of soot last night?"

"Oh, don't even mention it~~~" Xiao Wu let out a frustrated, Kun-like cry: "With that environment, I couldn't sleep at all last night. I only started to feel sleepy when dawn broke."

It was Shrek's old traditional culture; the living conditions from ten thousand years ago to ten thousand years later were always just as terrible.

I guess the ancestral laws cannot be changed, right?

As the group chatted and complained about the academy, a bell suddenly rang out.

"What's that sound?" Xiao Wu asked.

"That's the bell," Dai Mubai explained from the side. "It means the Dean is summoning us to gather on the playground."

Everyone hurriedly packed their things, and by the time they reached the playground, Flender had already been waiting for quite a while.

Seeing the man, Tang San couldn't help but exclaim:

"You're that shopkeeper from before! I never expected you to be the Dean of Shrek Academy!"

Just the day before, following the historical trajectory, he had indeed obtained the Crystal Board.

However, this time the Dragon Whisker Needle never got a chance to make an appearance, as Zhao Wuji had been blindsided and taken out by Tang Wu.

On their first day at Shrek, Flender didn't begin any actual teaching.

Instead, after a few words of reprimand, he announced that they were dismissed.

Except for the two pure support Spirit Masters, Ning Rongrong and Oscar, who were ordered to run ten laps around the playground, the rest were told to meet at Soto City that night.

At night, upon arriving at the Soto City Spirit Fighting Arena, Tang San frowned deeply.

Looking at the arena floor, he felt a strong resistance to the idea of being put on display like a monkey.

"Brother, look on the bright side. There are free sparring partners here, and we can even earn some money on the side."

Tang Wu advised Tang San at this moment.

Out in the real world, it was incredibly difficult to find a place for spirit fighting that was both this safe and effective for gaining combat experience.

One had to remember that on the Douluo Continent, blood and carnage were the norm, and a fair environment for combat like this was the exception.

Hearing Tang Wu's words, Tang San realized the key point and no longer felt so resistant:

"You're right, Xiao Wu. For the sake of practical combat, this is actually a pretty good venue."

Not long after receiving his Spirit Fighting Badge, Tang Wu's first opponent was matched.

Standing on one side of the arena, his opponent was a man who looked to be in his thirties.

The man had thick, sturdy arms, and his palms were covered in dense calluses—he was clearly a veteran of the Spirit Fighting Arena.

As the referee gave the order, the spirit fight officially began!

A broadsword instantly appeared in the opponent's hand, wide at the top and narrow at the base, designed for maximum leverage.

Zheng Huaqiang's spirit was the Vine-Slaying Blade, and having spent many years in the Soto City Spirit Fighting Arena, his mastery of the Vine-Slaying Blade Technique was nothing short of supernatural.

Because of this, those who knew him respectfully called him: Brother Qiang!

Tang Wu made the first move to probe his opponent, but before his Blue Silver Grass could get close, it was shredded to pieces by the Vine-Slaying Blade.

"It's useless. Your Brother Qiang isn't good at much, but when it comes to chopping, no one can compare."

"Because, that is exactly what I was born for..."

"What the hell? How is there a spirit suppression effect?"

In all his time since debuting, this was the first time Tang Wu had encountered a situation where his spirit was countered.

Unwilling to give up, he activated his abilities again, but even with the Blue Silver Grass accelerated to maturity, it still couldn't get near Zheng Huaqiang.

Before it could even get close, it was sliced into mincemeat in mid-air.

Just kidding, it wasn't quite that chunky.

"This isn't an ordinary opponent; I have to go all out!"

With the situation turning against him, Tang Wu instantly shifted his tactical approach.

The Blue Silver Grass around him rose up, forming a massive patch of tall grass.

The grass was three people tall, easily enough to conceal not just one person, but three grown men with room to spare.

Tang Wu hid himself within it.

The enemy was in the light, while he was in the dark.

Zheng Huaqiang charged into the thicket, swinging his long blade, and the grass before him was decimated.

However, Tang Wu had long since slipped away to parts unknown, leaving no trace behind.

He had started a game of hide-and-seek.

"Hide-and-seek? A child's game," Zheng Huaqiang scoffed disdainfully.

"Let's see how long you can keep hiding..."

So saying, every patch of grass that appeared before him was thoroughly cleared away.

He kept moving, grass clippings flying everywhere, refusing to stop until he found exactly where Tang Wu was hiding.