Training Arrangements

Dai Mubai set down his bowl and turned to Ma Hongjun. "Fatty, didn't you say you had no way to suppress the Evil Fire? I happen to have an idea."

Ma Hongjun looked up, a glimmer lighting his eyes. "What idea?"

Dai Mubai smiled. "Train with me. Push yourself to complete exhaustion every day, until you don't even have the strength to think about that sort of thing. The Evil Fire will naturally be suppressed."

Ma Hongjun's mouth twitched. "Huh?! I... can I refuse?"

"Up to you. But I should remind you that as your strength gradually grows, if you still can't find a way to suppress it, you'll explode and die. When that time comes, don't blame me for not making it clear today. Unless you give up cultivation from now on—that might still save your life."

Dai Mubai's tone was calm.

But Ma Hongjun's face instantly turned pale.

Dai Mubai paused, his tone softening somewhat. "As long as you train with me, I guarantee I'll help you find a way to completely resolve the Evil Fire someday."

Ma Hongjun stared at Dai Mubai. "Boss Dai, are you telling the truth?"

"Since you call me Boss Dai, I naturally keep my word."

"Alright! Boss Dai, I'll follow you from now on!" Ma Hongjun slammed his bowl onto the table and declared decisively.

Dai Mubai nodded, then turned to Oscar and said bluntly, "And Little Ao, I'll take all the Super Recovery Sausages you make from now on."

Oscar froze. "Huh?"

Dai Mubai pulled a Gold Soul Coin from his storage ring. It landed in front of Oscar with a ding.

"One Gold Soul Coin a day. Whenever I'm training, you come when called. Do we have a deal?"

Oscar's eyes immediately lit up. One Gold Soul Coin a day was practically a windfall from heaven for someone from a poor background like him.

He picked up the Gold Soul Coin and scratched his head. "Boss Dai, didn't you used to really dislike the chant for my soul skill?"

Dai Mubai's mouth twitched. He took a deep breath. "Uh... just keep your voice down when you chant from now on."

Oscar was overjoyed and pounded his chest in assurance. "No problem! Since Boss Dai is so generous, I, Oscar, will serve you faithfully from now on!"

Seeing the eager looks on their faces, Dai Mubai picked up his bowl and drained the porridge in one gulp.

"Eat quickly. Once we're done, we'll go find the dean and arrange our training."

Shrek Academy's teaching style had always been relaxed.

For most of the day, students cultivated on their own. They could ask teachers for guidance if they had questions, and in the evening, they went to the Soto Great Soul Arena to participate in spirit battles.

At an ordinary academy, this kind of "free-range" teaching would be called irresponsible. But at Shrek Academy, Flender treated it as a defining feature.

After breakfast, Dai Mubai took Oscar and Ma Hongjun to Flender's dean's office.

The dean's office was the innermost room in the teaching building. A wooden plaque hung on its door, bearing the words "Dean's Office" in handwriting identical to that on the sign at the academy gate.

Knock, knock!

Dai Mubai knocked twice.

Flender's lazy voice came from inside. "Come in."

When they pushed open the door, Flender was sitting behind the chipped desk with one leg crossed over the other.

Zhao Wuji sat imposingly in a chair beside him. When he saw Dai Mubai enter with Oscar and Ma Hongjun, curiosity flickered in his eyes.

"Oh? Mubai? Coming to see me so early—this must be important?" Flender adjusted his glasses and examined the youth before him, who was usually unruly but seemed exceptionally composed today.

Dai Mubai stopped before the desk and got straight to the point. "Dean, I'd like to discuss cultivation."

"Go ahead."

"I want to increase the intensity of our training. Our current daily cultivation is too loose and does little to improve Soul Power. I hope the academy can support us in creating a more systematic training plan." Dai Mubai's tone was steady.

Hearing this, Flender leaned back in his chair, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "That's a good thing. As the dean, of course I support students who actively cultivate. I couldn't be happier that you have such ambition. Tell me, how does the academy need to cooperate?"

Dai Mubai nodded and said directly, "I want to improve our meals. High-intensity training requires sufficient nutritional supplements. The current porridge and steamed buns can't sustain the expenditure. We'll also need some basic medicinal baths."

Flender's expression stiffened slightly.

He lowered his crossed leg, cleared his throat, and quickly put on a troubled expression. "Well... Mubai, you've seen Shrek Academy's circumstances. Our operating funds... are indeed rather tight. Look at this courtyard, this cafeteria—everything costs money. I'm even two months behind on the teachers' salaries!"

Zhao Wuji snorted heavily beside him and turned his face away, clearly having heard Flender's spiel countless times.

Dai Mubai did not beat around the bush.

He took out a golden card from his robes, placed it on the desk in front of Flender, and gently pushed it over.

"Dean, there are thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins on this."

Flender's words came to an abrupt stop. His shrewd eyes fell on the card, his pupils contracting slightly as his Adam's apple bobbed.

"I'm not asking the academy to pay. I'll pay for it myself. This is enough to cover a year's expenses and improve the meals and basic medicinal baths for the three of us. When it runs out, I'll add more," Dai Mubai said.

He had no desire to haggle with this shrewd dean. Flender was the sort who only cared about money.

Still, Dai Mubai believed that Shrek Academy was genuinely poor.

Flender hurriedly put away the Gold Soul Coin card. The troubled look on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a warm, spring-breeze smile. "Easy, easy! Mubai, now that's exactly the right attitude! The academy may be poor, but we will absolutely give our full support to ambitious students! I'll arrange things with Shao Xin and raise the meal standards right away! We'll provide medicinal baths as well!"

Zhao Wuji could not help rolling his eyes at how quickly Flender had changed his expression.

Flender pretended not to see it.

The corner of Dai Mubai's mouth lifted slightly. Then he turned to Zhao Wuji, his expression serious. "Vice Dean Zhao, there's one more matter I'd like to ask for your help with."

Zhao Wuji replied, "Go on."

"I remember that you have a soul skill called Gravity Enhancement. We want to conduct our daily training under the coverage of that soul skill."

Zhao Wuji raised a brow, intrigued. "You?"

"Yes, the three of us." Dai Mubai nodded. "I've studied it. Training under high gravity consumes several times more physical strength than usual, and the muscles and meridians endure greater pressure. The results are far better than ordinary training—it's twice the result for half the effort."

"Heh, kid, you're quite good at finding solutions." Zhao Wuji thought for a while before agreeing. "Alright! Since you have this drive, I, Zhao Wuji, have no reason not to support you!"

"Thank you, Teacher Zhao." Dai Mubai bowed slightly.

With that, Zhao Wuji stood and led Dai Mubai and the other two toward the training field.