At dusk on the outskirts of Suotuo City, beneath the sign of Shrek Academy, the air seemed to congeal into thick, sticky mud.
The sounds of vomiting, cursing, and sighing mingled together, forming a scene called disillusionment.
Tang San crouched on the ground. The aura that had once seemed balanced and peaceful from cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill was now as tangled as a ball of yarn mauled by a cat.
He looked at the half a sausage on the ground, and his stomach lurched again. It wasn't just a physical aversion to the sausage's taste. He was also overwhelmed by shame at how pathetically he had begged for help just moments ago.
Su Yun slowly folded his fan. Holy golden light swirled around his fingertips, making him seem like an exiled immortal walking among mortals.
He didn't even glance at Tang San on the ground. Instead, his gentle, jade-like gaze fell on Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing stood with her head bowed, her fair, jade-white hands clenched tightly around the hem of her clothes.
She thought of how she had crossed the Star Luo Empire and risked death at every turn to get here, all to seek that faint, elusive hope. And what had she found?
She had seen her fiancé, reeking of alcohol and embracing a pair of twins;
she had seen a classmate who fought with underhanded sneak attacks and ate disgusting sausages;
she had seen a teacher beaten like a dead dog, one who had once been hunted by Spirit Hall.
"Miss Zhu."
Su Yun spoke, his voice clear and bright, carrying a reassuring magic.
"What about you? You've been watching for so long. Haven't you seen enough? You crossed a thousand miles to get here. Was it really so you could bury yourself in this foul-smelling quagmire and cling to a coward who didn't even dare face his own fate?"
Su Yun gestured toward Suotuo City in the distance, his tone carrying an unquestionable authority.
"Dai Mubai is probably still indulging in the soft warmth of the Rose Hotel, drowning himself in pleasure. And this Shrek Academy—do you really think it can give you the future you supposedly want?"
Zhu Zhuqing jerked her head up. In her cold eyes, a flame called resolve now burned.
She looked at Dai Mubai, cowering in the distance and not even daring to look at her. Then she looked at Tang San and Oscar, sprawled on the ground.
"No."
Zhu Zhuqing's voice trembled slightly, but every word rang clear and firm.
"I see it now. This isn't a cradle for the strong; it's a playground for those who run from their problems. Dai Mubai is dead. He died in my heart. And Shrek... I, Zhu Zhuqing, hereby officially announce that I'm dropping out!"
With that, she turned to Su Yun, and a hope she had never felt before appeared in her eyes.
This man had predicted everything in his diary.
He didn't just have eyes that could see the future; he also had the strength to crush everything in his path.
"Su Yun... Your Highness the Holy Son, if you don't mind, I'd like to leave this place."
Su Yun smiled with satisfaction, his expression a mix of knowing amusement and approval.
"A wise choice. Come with me, and you'll see the true peak."
After dealing with Zhu Zhuqing, Su Yun turned to Ning Rongrong, who was scowling with a conflicted expression.
Ning Rongrong was in the depths of a serious sulk. She had thought the world outside would be exciting, but her very first stop had brought her one miserable mess after another.
Seeing Oscar's sleazy appearance and Tang San's dirty sneak attack had especially dealt a crushing blow to the dignity of the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
Su Yun waved his fan, smiling like a wolf luring Little Red Riding Hood.
"Where are you going? Back to the sect to complain to Ning Fengzhi? Or will you keep rooming with this bunch of freaks in a village where even the toilets are drafty, waking up every day to the chant 'I Have a Sausage'?"
"You... shut up! Don't mention that chant again!"
Ning Rongrong covered her ears, her face turning red all the way to her neck.
"Come with me."
Su Yun took a step forward. His voice dropped, taking on a magnetic, seductive quality.
"I bought a private estate in the best part of Suotuo City. It has top-class chefs, a dedicated cultivation chamber, and beds woven from Heavenly Silkworm Silk. Most importantly, there are no perverts or despicable villains there."
Ning Rongrong might have been haughty and used to a life of luxury, but deep down she knew that if she really ran away from home and ended up on the streets, she probably wouldn't even make it through the first night.
Besides, she was intensely curious about the Diary Copy in Su Yun's hands. She wanted to know what other secrets this man was hiding.
"Hmph."
Ning Rongrong raised her chin, trying to hold on to the last shred of her pride.
"I just don't want to live in a pigsty like this! Since you're begging me to go with you, I'll graciously come take a look. If it's not better than this place, I'll have Grandpa Sword turn you into a pincushion!"
"Don't worry. It's a hundred times better than this place."
Su Yun smiled, looking as pleased with himself as a man basking in a spring breeze.
And so, under everyone's watchful eyes, the three most talented female students of this year's Shrek Academy—the ones who should have become the academy's core strength—were all poached by Su Yun before they had even officially taken the entrance test:
Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong.
They didn't even look back as they left, their faces full of disdain.
Just as they turned away, Su Yun once again pulled out the black diary that made every holder of a copy's heart race.
He walked along, writing with great enthusiasm.
[Done! That's a wrap. Total victory on every front!] [Today's record: Defeated Zhao Wuji, dismantled Shrek Academy, and snatched away three heroines.] [Watching Tang San sitting on the ground vomiting, I almost burst out laughing. So this is the Son of the Plane? So this is the future of the so-called 'Shrek Seven Devils'?] [Little San, without those three outstanding girls, I think your so-called 'Seven Devils' will have to settle for being the 'Four Shrek Bros.' Guard that sausage-peddling Oscar of yours, that cowardly sneak attacker Yu Xiaogang, and Zhao Wuji twitching in a mud pit, and keep dreaming your grand dream of restoring the academy.] [This little cat, Zhu Zhuqing, has awakened completely. She's no longer a weak girl clinging to trash to escape her fate. She's my sword, and the wings of my future Judgment Angel.] [Ning Rongrong, this walking ATM and super healer, has also moved into my fishpond. The resources of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will be an asset to me in the future, too. As for Ning Fengzhi... Heh. Just wait until he sees Rongrong break through the nine-layer limit under my guidance. He'll be begging to marry his daughter off to me.] [Major Law of Causality determination: Shrek Academy has lost 60% of its fortune! Tang San's personal fortune has been cut in half! The host receives the following rewards: three consecutive Soul Power level-ups, one divine-grade Soul Bone—Angel Feather, and a permanent 50% increase to all attributes!] [Next stop: Soto Grand Arena. Let those so-called powerhouses see what a true dimensionality strike looks like.]
After writing that, Su Yun closed the diary with a smooth flourish and stored it in the System Space.
Farther away, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had read the last lines of the diary about the "Angel Feather" and "three consecutive level-ups." The tremor deep in their souls made them quicken their pace without realizing it. This man really was getting stronger—and at a pace that made no sense!
The crowd gradually dispersed.
Night had fallen over the entrance to Shrek Academy, and darkness began to envelop the dilapidated village.
Li Yusong sighed and helped the unconscious Zhao Wuji up. His eyes were full of desolation. Flender still hadn't returned, but his academy had already become a hollow shell.
Tang San remained alone at the edge of the pit.
He lowered his head and stared at the half a sausage in his hand. It was already dirt-stained and limp. The wind blew past, sweeping up a few withered leaves that struck his pallid face.
He had once thought that coming to Shrek would be the starting point of his legendary life.
But now, he only felt like a joke abandoned by the entire world.
"Teacher... were we really wrong?"
Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang, his voice frighteningly hollow.
Yu Xiaogang didn't answer. He only stared fixedly in the direction Su Yun had left, his murky eyes filled with jealousy—and, more than that, a fear as deep as an unfathomable abyss.
The Douluo Continent of this life had fallen into utter chaos.
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