Speechless, Typical Shrek Thinking

"Did you know? You're going to Skysea City tomorrow."

Wu Changkong stood before the lectern, both hands braced against the desk. His indifferent gaze swept over the four children of Class Zero, and his tone made it sound like he was stating something utterly insignificant.

"Skysea City? Teacher Wu, are we going to observe the Skysea Alliance Grand Tournament?"

Xie Xie was the first to react. He leaned half his body forward and asked curiously.

His eyes sparkled, and his face wore the smug expression of someone saying, "I guessed right, didn't I?"

"Oh... right, I get it. Boss Qi Ji must be coming to participate in the Skysea Alliance Grand Tournament, so that's why he came to inspect our academy, right?"

Xie Xie continued, his tone brimming with the confidence of someone who believed he had everything figured out.

"Of course they're here to participate in the Skysea Alliance Grand Tournament."

Wu Changkong spoke blandly, then abruptly changed direction, cutting straight to the heart of the matter like a cold blade. "But who said they were the only ones participating?"

"They aren't the ones participating... don't tell me we are?"

Xie Xie scratched his head, unable to process it for a moment.

He was still basking in the pride of having "cleverly figured out Teacher Wu's thoughts," completely unaware of the weight behind Wu Changkong's words.

"No!"

The next second, Xie Xie suddenly realized something. The smile on his face instantly froze.

"That's right. Aside from those three, the four of you will also be participating in the Skysea Alliance Grand Tournament."

There was no room for negotiation in Wu Changkong's voice. His words were as concise as an unquestionable order.

"No... Teacher Wu!"

Xie Xie shot to his feet, his voice rising several octaves. "Even the youth division of the Skysea Alliance Grand Tournament is for ages eleven to fifteen! We're only nine this year!"

"Didn't you just say those three would be participating?"

Wu Changkong glanced at him, his tone still utterly flat. "What, it's no problem if those three participate, but it's a problem if you, Xie Xie, do?"

"But... but..."

Xie Xie opened his mouth, yet for a moment, he could not say anything.

He wanted to argue, but he did not know where to begin.

That was right. Qi Ji and the other two were nine as well. If they could participate, why couldn't he?

"Teacher Wu..."

Zhang Yangzi also rose to his feet, his expression carrying an indescribably complicated emotion. "Big Brother Qi, Miss Tang, and Miss Gu... they're all renowned geniuses throughout the Federation. They're... different from us."

He paused, swallowing the rest of his words.

He wanted to say, "We false geniuses," and he also wanted to say something like, "We little fish from a country ditch who only realized how insignificant we were after seeing the real sea."

But after those words circled around his lips, he swallowed them in the end.

"How are they different?"

Wu Changkong's voice suddenly turned cold. His ice-blue eyes locked directly onto Zhang Yangzi. "They're human, and so are you. If you don't even consider yourself human, then get out of my Class Zero!"

He was angry, a rare sight.

Though his tone remained cold, there was a suppressed fury beneath that coldness, making the air in the entire classroom seem to drop several degrees.

Wu Changkong could accept that his students' talents were mediocre, but he could never accept students giving up on themselves and willingly settling for mediocrity.

"I'm sorry... Teacher Wu..."

Zhang Yangzi lowered his head, his fists clenched tightly.

He knew Wu Changkong had expectations for them. He also knew that what he had just said had indeed been self-deprecating, and that he had let down all of Wu Changkong's guidance and efforts.

He felt somewhat ashamed, yet he did not know what he could say to make up for it.

"Um... I think this is unnecessary, isn't it?"

Qi Ji, seated in the back row, could not help but interject.

What Wu Changkong had said certainly made sense, but he seemed to have overlooked something—Shrek's minimum enrollment age was generally twelve, while these Class Zero children were only nine.

Sending a group of nine-year-olds to compete against opponents aged eleven to fifteen was somewhat too hasty, even if the intention was good.

"What does it have to do with you?"

Wu Changkong turned his head, his gaze falling on Qi Ji. His tone was cold and direct, like a basin of ice water dumped over someone's head.

"Hey! Wu Changkong, don't talk nonsense!"

Long Hengxu, seated in the back row, immediately lost his composure. He stood up at once, his face flushed red with anxiety.

He knew that mouth of Wu Changkong's would cause trouble. Sure enough, it had!

That was the Federation's number one genius, Qi Ji, the Seven-Colored Dragon Emperor! Couldn't he think before speaking?

Qi Ji could not help laughing in anger.

He shook his head and thought to himself, Although Wu Changkong was one of the few "normal people" in this Douluo Continent world where everyone was obsessed with romance, he was still from Shrek. Perhaps expecting him to be normal was impossible after all.

That "What does it have to do with you?" and that uniquely Shrek brand of arrogance and condescension practically seeped from his bones.

Before Qi Ji could speak, Tang Wuling was already huffing beside him.

Her fists clenched until they cracked. Her golden eyes stared fixedly at Wu Changkong, and the fierce aura around her had begun to surge.

If Gu Yuena had not reached out and grabbed her arm, she probably would have already smashed her fist into Wu Changkong's cold face.

"Gu Yuena, why are you stopping me?"

Tang Wuling turned back in confusion, her voice filled with obvious dissatisfaction.

Though she and Gu Yuena were usually sworn rivals, they should have been united when it came to defending Qi Ji.

"Be quiet."

Gu Yuena replied blandly, her silver eyes calmly fixed ahead. "Let him handle it himself."

Gu Yuena was curious—when his dignity was offended, what would Qi Ji, the future sovereign, do?

Would he fly into a rage and strike immediately, or would he calmly suppress the other party with words?

She wanted to see for herself what sort of bearing her "child" would display when facing provocation.

"What if I insist on getting involved?"

Qi Ji stood up. His golden dragon eyes calmly met Wu Changkong's, and though his tone was not forceful, it carried an unwavering resolve that would not yield.

"Then defeat me."

Wu Changkong raised a hand and clenched it. An entirely ice-blue longsword appeared in his palm, its blade radiating piercing cold that instantly sent the classroom's temperature plummeting. "Defeat me, and you can decide everything."

Six Soul Rings slowly rose from beneath his feet—two yellow, two purple, and two black—circling his body and exuding a heavy, icy pressure.

The Heavenly Frost Sword trembled faintly. A thin layer of white frost formed over its edge, and a bone-piercing chill filled the air.

"Wu Changkong, level sixty-nine assault-type Battle Soul Master. Martial Soul: Heavenly Frost Sword."

Sure enough, this was typical Shrek thinking—might made right.

When reason failed, strength decided the rules.

In that respect, it happened to align perfectly with the principles Qi Ji had followed all along.

Still... that suited him just fine.

As a former reserve member of the Sea God Pavilion, Wu Changkong's talent and foundation were far beyond that useless showpiece Yu Xiaogang.

Moreover, Yu Xiaogang possessed a Dragon Clan Martial Soul and had been completely incapable of fighting back against Qi Ji. That battle had truly been unsatisfying.

But Wu Changkong before him—with his Heavenly Frost Sword, an ultimate ice-attribute Martial Soul, his cultivation as a level sixty-nine Soul Emperor, and his status as one of Shrek's foremost top geniuses in his day—was undoubtedly a suitable opponent.

"Fine."

Qi Ji took a step forward. The phantom of a colossal seven-colored dragon abruptly appeared behind him, while four pitch-black Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings rose beneath his feet and steadily circled at his side.

Dragon might spread outward, silently colliding with the chill of the Heavenly Frost Sword in the air. The atmosphere in the entire classroom instantly became taut with hostility.

"Qi Ji, level forty-one assault-type Battle Soul Master. Martial Soul: Seven-Colored Dragon."