First Encounter with Shrek: Ma Hongjun Harasses Wang Qiu'er

Notably, even in the finals, the Shrek Academy Team had cut through every obstacle in its path. After crushing the Star Luo Royal Academy and Five Elements Academy teams, it had become the tournament's greatest dark horse.

The most-watched match, however, had been the clash between two of the three seeded teams: the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team and the Spirit Hall Academy Team. A one-minute victory had laid the Spirit Hall Academy Team's strength bare.

The only disappointment was that the Spirit Hall Academy Team had not faced the Shrek Academy Team in the elimination rounds.

It was the match countless academies had most wanted to see, yet had missed.

After three days of competition, the Shrek Academy Team had defeated every opponent and reached the final. Its opponent was the much-anticipated Spirit Hall Academy Team.

Huo Yuhao had not shown himself throughout that time. In truth, he had been waiting for the final too.

Meanwhile...

In the Star Dou Great Forest, at the Lake of Life.

The Sky Azure Bull Python Da Ming and Titan Giant Ape Er Ming were basking in the sun when two streaks of light, one black and one white, suddenly shot forth. Before the two beasts could react, an invisible force pinned them in place.

They could not move.

The two lights hovered above the Star Dou Great Forest.

Who were the figures within them?

They were none other than the masters of the Star Dou Great Forest: Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena and Black Dragon King Di Tian.

"My lord, have you truly decided to follow Jin Ni into the human world? But your body..." Di Tian asked, his face full of concern.

A long moment passed.

A sigh came from within the white sphere of light. "I've slept long enough. I'm interested in that human's god-making plan, and in the idea those two old acquaintances proposed: borrowing Human-God Power to return to the Divine Realm."

As she spoke, the white divine light drew inward, gradually revealing a graceful figure.

Gu Yuena's long silver hair fell down her back to her ankles. Its strands were not only soft but had the texture of silver crystal.

She possessed a beauty beyond words; no description could do justice to her exquisite face. Her pale skin was faintly pallid, her eyes violet. Most captivating were those eyes beneath her long, curled lashes, clear and luminous. When a trace of bewilderment entered them, she stirred an irresistible urge to cherish her.

"My lord, if you show yourself like this, aren't you afraid those hateful human gods above will discover you?" Di Tian cried in alarm.

"It's all right!"

Gu Yuena smiled and instructed him, "This is only my Origin Avatar. I very much want to meet that boy called Huo Yuhao, and Tang San, who wants to become my father-in-law someday. I must make this trip across the continent. As for the spirit transferring plan the humans proposed, I'll leave the creatures of the Star Dou Great Forest in your hands."

With that said...

Gu Yuena gave Di Tian no chance to ask another question. She turned into a streak of silver light and vanished above the Star Dou Great Forest.

"..."

Back in Spirit City.

The city was packed with people, not only because of the championship match between Shrek Academy and Spirit Hall Academy the next day, but also because many Independent Soul Masters had come after hearing of the Spirit Transferring Hall.

Of course, whether Shrek Academy could win the championship remained the hottest topic in the city.

Its crushing victory over Five Elements Academy in the third elimination round had been too dazzling to ignore. This was the last day of the three-day break, and the Soul Masters in the city were exceptionally excited.

Elsewhere...

Wang Qiu'er, who had left the Star Dou Great Forest ahead of the others, had also returned to Spirit City.

She crossed the streets and headed straight for Spirit Hall Academy. Her striking beauty and bearing drew countless gazes wherever she went.

"Huh? Looks like someone from Spirit Hall Academy."

"Wow, Boss Dai, Oscar, Spirit Hall Academy's beauties are the real deal! She's even hotter than Rongrong and Zhuqing!"

"Tsk, tsk. That bearing really is something!"

At those crude remarks, Wang Qiu'er frowned and stopped in her tracks.

She looked toward the voices.

The three who had made the remarks were Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun, all dressed in Shrek uniforms.

Wang Qiu'er was proud by nature and hated having strangers pass judgment on her appearance. To her, every frivolous remark and every bit of teasing was an insult.

"Shrek Academy?"

Wang Qiu'er's gaze swept across the three, and an intense pressure descended at once. "Not a decent one among you, as expected!"

"Huh?"

Ma Hongjun frowned and curled his lip. "We only made a joke. What's with that attitude?"

"Fatty, that old habit of yours is back, isn't it?"

Even Dai Mubai could not help glancing at Wang Qiu'er a few more times. He teased Ma Hongjun, "Know when to stop. This is Spirit City."

"So what if it's Spirit City?"

Ma Hongjun curled his lip. "What's she acting so high and mighty for?"

Ma Hongjun had always been like his bandit teacher Flender, afraid of neither heaven nor earth.

Shrek Academy's teaching philosophy had shaped him as well.

Those who dared not stir up trouble were mediocrities.

That famous maxim had influenced the Shrek Seven Devils as they grew and had become part of their training. It had helped make Ma Hongjun so arrogant.

Put plainly, Shrek Academy's motto meant bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Faced with someone more powerful, its students could only back down; if they provoked someone with a foul temper, they might even lose their lives. Following that motto, Shrek's students would enter the wider world arrogant and conceited, inevitably stirring up trouble at random like Zhao Wuji. Unless they had the strength to back it up, their ends would be miserable.

Even Spirit City could hardly change Ma Hongjun's nature now.

He habitually used strength to bully the weak: whoever had the harder fists called the shots. This was not unique to Shrek Academy. It was the way of the entire Douluo Continent.

The strong were revered.

It was simply embodied all the more clearly by the Shrek Seven Devils.

"You're asking for death!"

Golden light flashed through Wang Qiu'er's eyes. The Golden Dragon Spear appeared in her hand, and she looked ready to strike.

That drew the attention of everyone nearby.

All eyes turned to Wang Qiu'er. More and more Soul Masters gathered, and within moments they had packed the street so tightly that no one could pass.

Someone was about to fight inside Spirit City. Now there was a spectacle to watch.

"What? Lost your temper?!"

Ma Hongjun still had no idea how serious this was. He grinned as though nothing could touch him. "Soul Fighting is forbidden in Spirit City. That's a rule your own Spirit Hall made. What, are you going to..."

The next second...

Before Ma Hongjun could finish, a pale-gold Faint Light of Destiny flashed in Wang Qiu'er's eyes.

Spiritual Shock struck instantly!

Ma Hongjun, who had been grinning so smugly, felt a buzz explode in his head. His blood surged, and his body stumbled back two steps beyond his control.

"Hmph!"

Seeing Ma Hongjun suffer, Dai Mubai snorted and attacked at once.

The next second...

A streak of white light burst from his palm and shot straight at Wang Qiu'er.

Dai Mubai's movement was swift and cunningly angled. Anyone not watching closely would never have noticed it.

With a muffled bang, Dai Mubai's Soul Power struck as though it had hit a wall, exploding in midair less than a meter from Wang Qiu'er.

It vanished into nothing.

Everyone was stunned.

It was not that Wang Qiu'er had used Soul Power to shatter Dai Mubai's attack. No one had seen when another figure had appeared in front of her.