Qin Ming

At the end of the day, Shrek Academy had recruited students for so many years, yet very few had truly graduated successfully.

Why did they not graduate? Was it because they did not want to? Of course not. In truth, nearly half the students had died during Soul Beast hunts and training in the spirit fighting arena.

If students running into danger while hunting Soul Beasts was a matter of probability, then the most outrageous part was that Shrek's leading teacher was a seven-ring Soul Saint—the Immovable Bright King, Zhao Wuji!

There were only a handful of Shrek Academy students in each class, yet Zhao Wuji still could not protect them.

And this problem had been passed down through the generations. In Soul Land II, Xuan Zi, the Taotie Douluo hailed as the "Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult," was a mighty rank ninety-eight Super Douluo, yet he still repeatedly made negligent mistakes while leading students on training expeditions, resulting in numerous incidents of students dying or being endangered.

Huo Wu of Soul Land I: "Th-this... isn't Shrek Academy a little ridiculous?"

Shui Bing'er of Soul Land I: "Indeed. It would be one thing if a Soul Saint leading students to hunt Soul Beasts got them into danger, but how could even a Super Douluo leading training expeditions let students get hurt? Is this student training, or a death march?"

Xian Lin'er of Soul Land II: "..."

Cai Mei'er of Soul Land II: "..."

Ma Xiaotao of Soul Land II: "..."

When Tang San's group first entered the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt Soul Beasts, they happened to encounter the eight-member group from Canghui Academy. Their leading teacher was merely a five-ring Soul King.

If even a seven-ring Soul Saint like Zhao Wuji faced such danger while leading students into the Star Dou Great Forest, then would Canghui Academy's decision not be sending its students to their deaths?

That was obviously impossible. Canghui Academy was, after all, an advanced Soul Master Academy. This showed that a Soul King leading a team normally would not run into problems. It was enough to prove that Shrek's wildcat teachers had no sense of responsibility whatsoever when it came to protecting students!

And then there was that saying: "A Soul Master who does not cause trouble is mediocre." Because of those words, Dai Mubai took the initiative to provoke others, while Ma Hongjun acted even more recklessly, eyeing Canghui Academy's attractive student uniforms and lecherously harassing their beautiful female students.

What a laughable theory. It was nothing more than bullying the weak while fearing the strong. Even Little Scoundrel's Tang Sect rules were a hundred times more reasonable: "Tang Sect disciples must not stir up trouble," and "You already have a death wish"...

Xue Ke of Soul Land I: "I can barely stop myself from laughing. Does 'you already have a death wish' have a preceding line?"

Dugu Yan of Soul Land I: "Looking at it this way, Shrek really did have a bad atmosphere. They were no good at all. Grandfather was right to drive them away back then!"

The Tang Sect's five core rules were all upright and proper: "Do not betray one's master or ancestors; do not commit rape, plunder, or abduction; do not divulge sect secrets; punish evil and promote good, for that is the Tang Sect's duty; do not deceive others."

To put it bluntly, if not for Ning Rongrong's status as the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Soul Saint Zhao Wuji backing them up, with Shrek's students picking fights for no reason, the grass on their graves would probably have grown two meters tall.

Xue Ke of Soul Land I: "Huh? Sister Rongrong, you were there too?"

Ning Rongrong of Soul Land I: "...Yes."

Ning Rongrong's cheeks burned at that moment. She was so embarrassed that she did not know what to do with her hands, much less what to say.

Xue Ke of Soul Land I: "Sister Rongrong, you... now that Brother Mo Yu puts it that way, Shrek was purely using you as a backer!"

Xue Ke of Soul Land I: "Why not leave Shrek? Our Heaven Dou Royal Academy offers great treatment. It would suit you very well."

Ning Rongrong of Soul Land I: "..."

Later, on the way to the Elite Soul Master Tournament, they were stopped by Chrysanthemum Douluo of Spirit Hall. Everyone from Shrek Academy immediately cowered, meek and submissive, just short of falling to their knees on the spot.

Here is a couplet for Shrek Academy:

First line: Throwing heavy punches at Canghui Academy; second line: meek and submissive before a Titled Douluo.

Horizontal inscription: Bullying the weak and fearing the strong!

Dugu Yan of Soul Land I: "Well said!"

Qian Renxue of Soul Land I: "Well said!!"

Hu Liena of Soul Land I: "Well said!!!"

After all these years of running Shrek Academy, the only person it could truly boast about was Qin Ming, known as the second-youngest Soul Emperor on the Douluo Continent.

As for the other "outstanding figures," Dai Mubai's exact words were: "Dean Flender would rather have none than settle for less. Although Shrek Academy has few students, of the fourteen students who truly graduated, every one of them became a world-renowned figure."

"The most outstanding senior was even the youngest elder in Spirit Hall's history, with authority second only to Pope Bibi Dong."

This was honestly too ridiculous not to laugh at. Shrek Academy had only been founded for a little over twenty years. By that calculation, its oldest graduate would only have been thirty-two.

And the hard requirement for becoming a Spirit Hall elder was being a Titled Douluo. The youngest Titled Douluo in Soul Land I's recorded history was publicly known to be only Tang Hao, at forty-four.

To put it bluntly, boasting only required a draft, while spreading rumors only required a mouth! Flender relied on a "youngest Spirit Hall elder" who did not even exist, deceiving generation after generation.

Throughout the entire story, this Spirit Hall elder never appeared...

As for Shrek's most outstanding graduate, Qin Ming, even his fifth Spirit Ring was merely a thousand-year Spirit Ring.

Who knew which teacher had led him? Did they not know that, for a Soul Master, the age of one's Spirit Rings was not only the foundation, but also the upper limit of future achievements?

Qin Ming had very few shining moments in the novel. The only notable one was when he led Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and the rest of the Heaven Dou Imperial Team to Suotuo City to participate in spirit fighting.

Afterward, he introduced Shrek's teachers and students to the royal academy, allowing Tang San to put on a spectacular show in front of Meng Shenji.

The good news was that, at the critical moment, Dugu Yan appeared with her grandfather, Dugu Bo. Only then was Heaven Dou Royal Academy spared from falling victim to Shrek Academy.

And when his teachers were insulted, Qin Ming resolutely chose to resign and follow Shrek Academy. Meanwhile, Shrek's teachers and students turned around and went to wreak havoc at Liu Erlong's Blue Tyrant Academy...

Ye Lingling of Soul Land I: "Yan, amazing!!!"

Dugu Yan of Soul Land I: "Naturally!"

Xue Ke of Soul Land I: "...What a close call. Heaven Dou Royal Academy nearly got ruined."

Ning Rongrong of Soul Land I: "..."

Xue Ke of Soul Land I: "Sister Rongrong, I wasn't talking about you. I meant Shrek, um... no, not that either. Ah, that's not what I meant..."

Honestly, with his own benefactor and teacher Flender being humiliated like that, anyone would have to react somehow. Qin Ming leaving Heaven Dou Royal Academy was inevitable. Even if he had stayed, the other teachers and students would have looked down on him...

When Qin Ming first appeared, he did so as an instructor at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. By then, he had already broken through to rank sixty-two Soul Emperor. Zhao Wuji had even said at the time that Qin Ming would probably catch up to them before long.

And that was indeed the case. When Qin Ming appeared again, he had already reached Soul Douluo cultivation, while still only in his forties.

I had transmigrated into the animated version of Douluo Continent, and I still remembered Qin Ming's final fate vividly... Sigh, he was such a pity of a genius.

Later, the Heaven Dou Empire and Spirit Hall Empire went to full-scale war. In that chaotic era, warfare raged everywhere. As an instructor of Shrek Academy, Qin Ming still remembered his duty as a teacher and led his students into the Soul Beast Forest to obtain Spirit Rings for them.

Unfortunately, just as this operation was about to end, they encountered an encirclement by Soul Masters from the Spirit Hall Empire.

Only ghostly shadows could be seen, but no Spirit Rings—the one who had arrived was Spirit Hall's elder, Ghost Douluo.

No matter how gifted Qin Ming was, he was ultimately only a Soul Douluo. Against Gui Mei, a rank ninety-five Titled Douluo, he was clearly no match.

Yet even so, there was not the slightest hint of retreat in Qin Ming's eyes. Instead, he told his students to flee first while he alone blocked Ghost Douluo, fighting to carve out a path of survival for them.

Relying on the extreme agility of his Blazing Wolf martial soul, Qin Ming forcibly held back the encirclement of several Spirit Hall Soul Saints. But beneath Ghost Douluo's absolute crushing strength, all struggle seemed incomparably futile.

In the end, Ghost Douluo condensed a Netherworld Ghost Palm, instantly restraining Qin Ming's body. Five fingers clamped tightly around his skull, sealing off every route of escape!

The next instant, icy ghost claws pierced straight through his chest, passing through his heart and soaking his clothes as blood spurted forth!

With his heart and lungs shattered and death looming before him, this iron-blooded teacher still worried only for his students' safety. Qin Ming used the last of his remaining strength to lock both arms tightly around Ghost Douluo's arm.

"Finally... I've caught your true body!"

Blazing flames erupted violently from within him as his eighth soul skill, Azure Wolf Sacred Flame, burst forth at full force.

Raging fire filled the sky and scorched the earth. Ghost Douluo was held fast, unable to evade, and could only forcibly activate a life-preserving soul skill to withstand it.

Qin Ming used his life as the price for his final counterattack, forcibly inflicting severe injuries upon Ghost Douluo.

When the final flicker of fire faded from Qin Ming's eyes, his body crashed to the ground. Yet the spine that had sheltered others remained straight, and his conviction to protect his students endured to the end.

At the moment of his death, "Don't even think of harming my students!" echoed through the forest, passing Qin Ming's will onward. The predecessor had passed, but his spirit lived on.

The diary entry slowly came to an end.

The Myriad Heavens Diary comment section, so boisterous moments earlier, instantly fell into dead silence.

No one mocked Shrek any longer. Everyone fell silent, their hearts filled only with shock.

After a long while, Ning Rongrong of Shrek Academy finally sent a solemn message, breaking the silence.

"Thank you for your service and sacrifice! We salute you!"