The next day, they gathered on the training grounds.
This time, however, a weather-beaten middle-aged man stood beside Flender. It was none other than Gangzi.
"Allow me to introduce my friend, Yu Xiaogang."
"He's also hailed as the foremost authority on Martial Soul Theory. You can call him 'Grandmaster.'"
Hearing Dean Flender's introduction, Dai Mubai stared at Yu Xiaogang in disbelief and exclaimed:
"So the legendary Grandmaster is the dean's friend!"
Pfft—
At those words, Tang San's mouth twitched wildly, as if he'd just heard a joke.
Don't laugh.
Hold it in. You have to hold it in...
After six years of study, and with Tang Wu's reminders, Tang San already knew just how much hot air there was behind Gangzi's theories.
The so-called Ten Great Martial Soul Theories were nothing more than common knowledge dressed up in different words, tweaked here and there, and given a fancy name so they could be claimed as his own.
At their core, they were just old wine in a new bottle.
Seeing the astonishment in the eyes of Dai Mubai, Oscar, and the others, Gangzi was thoroughly pleased.
He clasped his hands behind his back, leaned slightly backward, and struck a pose befitting a grandmaster.
A barely audible "Hmm" rumbled in his throat.
Gangzi stepped forward, picking up where Flender had left off. His gaze swept over the students, lingering on Tang Wu for a second or two.
"From now on, I'll be in charge of all your training."
"I expect you all to follow my orders without question. Don't refuse to cooperate—especially a certain someone..."
Right from the start,
Gangzi forcefully took over Zhao Wuji's position, acting as though he had every right to command them.
He even pointedly turned his gaze toward Tang Wu. The implication was clear.
Tang Wu didn't care in the slightest. Gangzi was nothing but a clown; no matter how loudly he squawked, it wouldn't change what he was.
Still, he was unhappy with Gangzi picking on him, and immediately fired back:
"Oh? Then what exactly is this 'Grandmaster's' training supposed to be?"
"Don't tell me you're going to make us run all the way around Suotuo City?!"
Gangzi hadn't expected his plan to be guessed, and panicked for a moment.
But Gangzi was still Gangzi. He'd make a case for himself even when he had none—and with Flender backing him, he was all the more ready to twist the facts.
"What would you know? Running builds your physique and trains your endurance..."
"Yeah, right—" Tang Wu scoffed without mercy. "After all that talk, it still comes down to running, doesn't it?"
"Student Tang Wu, if you're really not interested in my training methods, you don't have to take part."
"But don't disrupt the class. You may not want to grow stronger, but the other students do."
His authority as a teacher had been questioned time and again, and he'd reached the end of his patience.
This time, he dragged Dai Mubai and the others into it, pointing fingers at Tang Wu from the moral high ground.
"Hey, Xiao Wu, does Grandmaster have some kind of grudge against Tang Wu? They look like they're about to start fighting."
Ning Rongrong quietly sidled up to Xiao Wu and whispered in her ear.
The tension between Tang Wu and Yu Xiaogang was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Anyone could see they were about to blow up at each other.
"That's a long story..."
Xiao Wu nodded and whispered the story to Ning Rongrong.
Watching the two of them square off, Flender, their dean, remained cold-eyed and unmoved.
Given the choice between a student and his friend, he didn't hesitate to side with his friend.
Neither Tang Wu nor Yu Xiaogang would back down.
Tang Wu thought Gangzi's running regimen was utterly pointless.
Instead of wasting time, they'd be better off training through real combat. At least that would sharpen their ability to react in the moment.
"That's enough. If you don't want to train, you can train on your own."
In the end, Gangzi lost patience and kicked Tang Wu out of the group.
"Fine. You said it, not me..."
That was exactly what Tang Wu had been waiting for Gangzi to say.
Then he turned and left the group without the slightest hesitation.
Seeing his own little brother get pushed around was more than Tang San, the devoted big brother, could stand. He spoke up at once:
"Wait. If we're not welcome here, then we're leaving too."
Tang San immediately jumped in to back him up.
He declared that he was joining Tang Wu and had no intention of taking part in this so-called running training.
Since Tang San had chosen to leave, Xiao Wu naturally wouldn't stay behind either.
"This..."
Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun—the three old Shrek students—looked at each other, at a loss as to what they should do.
But out of trust in Flender, they ultimately chose to stay where they were.
Zhu Zhuqing looked from one side to the other and hesitated for a moment. In the end, she chose Dai Mubai's group, which had the stronger teaching staff.
Her first priority was to grow stronger.
Tang Wu might be powerful, but she couldn't give up an opportunity to improve for something so uncertain.
But one person's choice surprised everyone present.
"What's wrong? Surprised that I'm joining your side?"
Seeing the astonishment on Xiao Wu and the others' faces, Ning Rongrong smiled sweetly.
"Anyway, as a support-type Soul Master, those exercises wouldn't do me much good."
"But your group's different. Tang Wu's always coming up with all sorts of ideas. If I can benefit from one of them someday, that'll make this an early investment."
"So to you, I'm just some kind of ever-refreshing skill database? Give me back my warm, fuzzy feelings!"
"You could put it that way~~ But I refuse!"
At Tang Wu's complaint, Ning Rongrong gave a mischievous blink and replied with righteous conviction.
And so, the Shrek Seven Devils of the original story split into two groups.
Tang Wu led one group, joined by Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong.
The other group was led by Gangzi and included Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing.
But with Gangzi's talent for not breaking through to level fifty until he was nearly thirty, could he really teach them well?
The answer wasn't exactly certain...
Tang Wu chose Back Mountain as their meeting spot. It was open and refreshing, with room both to train and to spar.
Most importantly...
They could avoid seeing Gangzi's corpse-like face, keeping it from ruining their good mood for the day. Out of sight, out of mind.
"Bro, when you got your Soul Ring yesterday, I thought of a great idea."
"Now, let's start experimenting..."
Tang Wu gazed intently at Tang San, looking just like a big bad wolf who'd spotted a little kid.
Tang San knew all too well what that expression meant.
He couldn't help edging backward, trying to calm Tang Wu down with words. His voice even cracked:
"L-Little Wu, calm down... You have to calm down."
"I can't calm down! Come on, let's go all out!"
"Ahhh—!!!"
Watching the scene unfold, Ning Rongrong raised a small hand to her mouth, covering her lips, which had fallen open in shock.
"Xiao Wu, have those brothers always been like this?"
"It's fine. You get used to it."
Xiao Wu had long since grown accustomed to it.