Flender's Stirring Heart
Jiang Lan stuffed the remaining Ju Zi segments into her mouth, her cheeks bulging, and mumbled, "Then what do you suggest? I can't just lose on purpose, can I?"
"No need to deliberately lose." Zhu Zhuqing put down her teacup. "Just play normally, don't go too far."
"Don't worry, I've been very discreet in my approach." Jiang Lan grinned. "I'll throw ten punches at them, and deliberately miss nine. That's called tactical probing."
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing both sighed at the same time.
In the days that followed, Jiang Lan shuttled between Honey Snow Ice City and the Body Sect's headquarters.
During the day, I would go to the hilly area in the north of the city to inspect construction sites, and at night I would return to Honey Snow Ice City to draw blueprints and Pill.
Guga One, along with a group of robots, spends their days moving bricks and digging foundations at the construction site. Although progress is slow, at least nothing has gone wrong.
Meanwhile, a major event occurred at the Shrek Academy.
"Ahhh--"
A scream came from Dai Mubai's room.
Flender was eating porridge in the canteen when his hand trembled, and the bowl almost fell off the table. Zhao Wuji was squatting on the threshold eating a steamed bun when the shout startled him so much that the bun rolled onto the ground.
"Dai Mubai?" Flender pushed up his glasses and exchanged a glance with Zhao Wuji.
The two put down their things and ran towards the dormitory area.
Reaching Dai Mubai's door, Flender knocked twice. "Dai Mubai, what happened?"
The door wasn't open, but there was a rustling sound coming from inside, like someone frantically searching for something, or like someone pacing back and forth in front of a mirror.
"N-nothing!" Dai Mubai's voice came from inside, "Dean, don't come in!"
"What's wrong?" Flender knocked twice more. "Open the door."
A few moments of silence followed.
Then the door opened a crack.
Dai Mubai's face peeked out from the crack in the door, only half of it visible. Flender and Zhao Wuji glanced at him simultaneously, and both were stunned.
Although Dai Mubai's face looked much softer yesterday, at least it was still recognizable as Dai Mubai himself.
Today her face is completely different. Her features are so delicate, it's as if she's been re-sculpted. Her skin is so white it's translucent, and her lips have a natural, light pink color without the need for lip balm.
"Dean." Dai Mubai forced a smile through the crack in the door, a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"Open the door wide," Flender said.
Dai Mubai hesitated for a while before slowly opening the door.
Flender and Zhao Wuji scanned each other from top to bottom.
The light blue dress was cinched at the waist, highlighting her slender and well-proportioned figure. Her curves were more defined than yesterday. The neckline was slightly open, revealing her collarbone and fair neck.
"No." Zhao Wuji took a half step back, forgetting to pick up his steamed bun. "Dai Mubai, you..."
"I know." Dai Mubai turned his face away.
"Behind you," Zhao Wuji pointed.
Dai Mubai turned his head to look behind him, then fell silent.
Looking at myself in the mirror, I had long hair down to my waist, a slender figure, and a skirt that reached my ankles. From any angle, I looked like a perfectly normal girl.
"I practiced the fourth level last night," Dai Mubai said in a muffled voice. "The Grandmaster said the fourth level would finish adjusting everything that wasn't adjusted before. I practiced it three times, and this is how it looked this morning."
Flender took off his glasses, wiped them, put them back on, and looked at them carefully twice.
"What level are you at now?" Flender asked.
"Forty-three," Dai Mubai said, "A breakthrough last night."
Flender opened his mouth, unsure whether to offer congratulations or condolences.
"Where are Ma Hongjun and Oscar?" Zhao Wuji asked.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the door to the next dormitory room opened.
Ma Xiaohong walked out, her light red skirt swaying in the breeze. Her face was much more delicate than yesterday, with curved eyebrows and eyes, exuding a natural charm. She looked like a crabapple blossom in full bloom.
"Good morning, Dean." Ma Xiaohong greeted him with a smile, her voice soft and clear, completely unlike Ma Hongjun's former gruff voice.
Behind her followed Ao Xiaoya, who had changed from her pale yellow dress to a moon-white one. Her hair was tied up with a silver hairpin, and her features were delicate and gentle, with a faint scholarly air about her.
"Good morning," Ao Xiaoya greeted softly.
Flender and Zhao Wuji stood in the corridor, looking at the three delicate girls in front of them, and remained silent for a long time.
"Old Flender," Zhao Wuji began with difficulty, "Shouldn't our academy be renamed?"
What name should I change it to?
Shrek Soul Master Academy
Flender didn't reply, and turned to walk towards Yu Xiaogang's hut.
"I'll go find Xiaogang and ask him what's going on."
In Xiaogang's small room, Yu Xiaogang sat at the table with his back to the door, flipping through his notebook.
"Xiaogang." Flender pushed open the door and went in.
"Dean." Yu Xiaogang turned around.
Flender bumped into the door frame, and his glasses tilted to one side of his nose.
He straightened up, leaning against the door frame, and carefully looked at Yu Xiaogang sitting at the table through his glasses.
Today, Yu Xiaogang wore a light purple robe, the material of which was much better than his usual drab gray cloth robe.
Her appearance had become somewhat beautiful, which gave Flender a strange feeling of attraction.
If Dai Mubai and the other two only changed in appearance and build to resemble girls, then Yu Xiaogang's transformation even changed his temperament.
"Flender, you've come at the right time." Yu Xiaogang stood up and put the booklet on the table. "I practiced the fourth level last night, and the results were better than expected. Look at me now, my Soul Power has broken through level 30."
Yu Xiaogang was puzzled, wondering why he had become a woman.
However, being able to break through to level 30, this side effect is not a big problem; she can gradually modify the cultivation method later.
To be honest, she still doesn't understand the side effects of the cultivation technique.
He spent a lot of resources to modify the cultivation technique to its current form, and he even contacted his father.
The father provided some criminals, who then practiced the modified techniques he had created until they achieved the desired effect.
When his father saw that the practice was effective, he began to support him wholeheartedly.
He took two steps forward, the hem of his long robe swaying gently with each step.
Flender's gaze unconsciously followed him, sliding from the collar to the waistline, and then from the waistline to the ankle peeking out from under the skirt.
He snapped back to reality and blinked hard.
When Flender walked out of Yu Xiaogang's hut, his steps were still a little unsteady.
He stood for a while, leaning against a pillar in the corridor, took off his glasses, wiped them clean, put them back on, took a deep breath, and then exhaled.
"Old Flender, what's wrong?" Zhao Wuji walked over from the dormitory area, holding half a fresh steamed bun in his hand. "What did the Grandmaster say?"
"Xiaogang said the technique is fine, and the side effects are within a controllable range." Flender's voice was a little dry. "He also said that it won't change from the fifth level onwards; it's basically finalized now."