This Rotten Shrek Isn't Worth Attending!

The dust around the clearing had yet to settle, and the oppressive silence hung heavy in the air.

Dai Mubai and the other three were still sprawled on the ground, their groans rising and falling one after another.

Flender's long face had turned black as the bottom of a pot.

Flender was, after all, capable of being a dean. His throat bobbed twice as he forced down his anger, then raised a hand to adjust his crystal glasses.

"Ahem... Ning Ze is exceptionally strong. Since he won, I will keep my word and waive the punishment for leaving without permission."

Then his tone shifted, and his gaze swept toward Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu, who were cheering and hopping about at the edge of the field.

"But the three of you cannot escape punishment."

Ning Rongrong froze for a moment, then instantly exploded. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she jumped out and pointed at Flender's nose.

"Why?! Old man, have you gone senile? You said it yourself—so long as Ning Ze won, the matter of the four of us going out would be wiped clean! Now that he won, why are you still punishing us?"

"I was talking about those who took part in the match!"

Flender did not even blink, too lazy to pretend he felt guilty.

"Ning Ze alone overturned the entire field just now. He alone is exempt from punishment. The three of you never lifted a finger from beginning to end, so you are not included."

At those words,

Ning Rongrong trembled with fury.

Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu were stunned as well.

Could he really be this shameless?

Flender clasped his hands behind his back and announced from on high,

"Considering this is your first offense, I will be lenient. Run ten laps around the outskirts of Shrek Village. You may not use Soul Power, nor may you receive outside assistance. You may rest only after finishing. Otherwise, no rest!"

Shrek Village might have been run-down, but its grounds were truly not small. One lap was at least a kilometer.

Ten laps meant ten kilometers, with their Soul Power sealed.

Two agility-attack Soul Grandmasters and one support-type Soul Grandmaster girl could run themselves to death and still fail to finish.

This was not tempering their will at all. It was clearly a display of authority meant to punish them.

"Ten kilometers, and we can't use Soul Power?"

Ning Rongrong laughed angrily, hands on her hips as her young miss temper flared in full.

"In your dreams! Why should I put up with this humiliation? I refuse to accept this punishment!"

"Refuse?"

Flender's gaze darkened, and a trace of a Soul Saint's pressure seeped out.

"Shrek's rules are as immovable as a mountain! As long as you remain in this academy, my words are iron law! Defy my orders, and pack your things and get out right now. Do not think of setting foot in Shrek again!"

The moment the words "drop out" landed, the air turned cold.

With Ning Rongrong's family background, she did not think much of this dump in the first place and was not afraid in the slightest.

But Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu's faces went pale.

Drop out...

The two had traveled all the way to Suotuo City. If they were really driven out, where could they go?

Someone sucked in a breath and struggled up from the muddy ground.

Tang San's face was bruised and swollen. Holding his stomach, he was helped upright by Dai Mubai, then looked toward Xiao Wu, whose eyes had reddened.

"Xiao Wu... listen to the dean. He is doing this for your own good, to temper your character."

Xiao Wu's entire body stiffened, and her voice took on a tearful edge.

"For my own good? Third Brother, what exactly did I do wrong? I went shopping before school started—which rule did I break? Why should I be punished like this?"

Tang San furrowed his brows, his tone hardening.

"Xiao Wu, what did you promise me when you insisted on coming with me? Now you won't even listen to Third Brother?"

Tears welled in Xiao Wu's eyes.

"But I really did nothing wrong... Third Brother... instead of speaking up for me, you're forcing me to admit I was wrong?"

Tang San seemed not to notice her tears. His voice remained flat and cold.

"If you still acknowledge me as your Third Brother, then do as the dean says. We came to Shrek to cultivate, not to enjoy ourselves. If the dean says you were wrong, then you were wrong."

Xiao Wu opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Her head slowly lowered, and her shoulders began to tremble.

Dai Mubai was not idle either. Enduring pain that felt as though his bones were broken, he softened his voice toward Zhu Zhuqing.

"Zhuqing... I know you came to Shrek because of me. I can't give you a promise right now, but you have to believe me! Don't forget the marriage agreement between our families, forged over generations, and our Martial Soul Fusion Skill! We are the ones meant to be together!"

The more Dai Mubai spoke, the more anxious he became.

"If you really leave, how can a girl like you withstand your family's pursuit out there? Don't you want revenge? Don't you want to go back and make those who looked down on you shut their mouths? Stay. Give in a little. It's all for our future!"

Every word stabbed precisely at Zhu Zhuqing's weak spots.

Her fists clenched as the color slowly drained from her face.

She had barely escaped the Star Luo Empire alive and treated Shrek as the place where she could change her fate.

If she were truly expelled, the world outside might be vast, but where else could she go?

Seeing the two of them growing flustered under their back-and-forth act, nearly being dragged into accepting the punishment—

Clap, clap, clap.

Three slow, unhurried claps rang out.

Ning Ze clapped his hands, a smile of amusement on his face.

"Wonderful, wonderful. What a splendid performance of moral blackmail!"

He glanced at Tang San and Dai Mubai, whose expressions had subtly changed.

"When you lack the ability yourselves, you wave banners like 'for your own good' and 'for the mission,' forcing others to hand over their dignity and choices? You take generosity from others and call it devotion, call it righteousness. Aren't you ashamed?"

Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing raised their heads to look at him almost simultaneously.

Flender's expression instantly darkened.

"Ning Ze! I waived your punishment, but that does not mean I dare not touch you! Know when to stop!"

"Know when to stop?"

Facing the pressure of a Soul Saint, Ning Ze did not retreat a single step.

"You cannot distinguish right from wrong, you twist black and white, and when students have committed no offense, you fabricate charges to suppress them and uphold a teacher's dignity—an academy like this is not worth attending!"

The clearing fell silent for a moment.

Flender froze, his small eyes widening round.

He had never expected a twelve-year-old brat to dare throw a tantrum in his face and quit the academy?!

"Good!"

Ning Rongrong was the first to recover. She jumped three feet into the air and sprang to Ning Ze's side.

"If Ning Ze isn't attending, then neither am I! I've been sick of staying in this rotten village for ages. Who cares about attending this lousy academy?!"

With that, Ning Rongrong grabbed the stunned Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing.

"Are you two idiots? Are you really going to run those ten laps?"

"They are clearly being unreasonable, making things difficult for you and forcing you to admit to crimes you never committed! If you lower your heads today, will you spend the next three years living like this every day?"

Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing immediately came to their senses at her words.

That was right!

They had only been at the academy for two days, yet even going out freely got them dragged out for punishment?!

If they truly stayed, how many peaceful days could they possibly have over the next three years?!

"Rather than staying here and working like oxen and horses for them..."

"Why not come with us! There are plenty of advanced Soul Master Academies across the Douluo Continent. Wouldn't switching to another be better?"

Light returned to Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu's eyes.

That was right.

What they had feared was never that there would be nowhere to go without Shrek.

The Douluo Continent was so vast. With their talents at level twenty-nine and level twenty-seven, what academy would not treat them like treasures?

Why should they suffer in this backwater corner?

The two turned and looked cautiously at Ning Ze.

"Ning Ze... is that... really possible?"

Ning Ze smiled, his tone utterly steady.

"Of course."

"As long as you are willing to leave, I will take care of finding whatever academy you want to attend."

"This rotten Shrek isn't worth attending."