"Do I really have to..."
Ma Hongjun hesitated.
But after considering his condition, he finally nodded.
He couldn't die.
He still had to become a Titled Douluo!
"All right, I'll go try it now."
Ma Hongjun walked out with humiliation written all over his face. His heart brimmed with resentment, but he had no choice. He also began to harbor a trace of bitterness toward Yu Xiaogang.
What a bullshit Grandmaster.
All he does is come up with this nonsense. Once I become a Titled Douluo, I'll have to teach him a proper lesson.
After watching Ma Hongjun leave,
Yu Xiaogang finally turned to Flender, who had lost an arm, and couldn't help asking, "Flender, what exactly happened to Shrek Academy?"
"And your arm?"
Flender sighed and recounted what had happened.
"What? It was him!"
Yu Xiaogang's expression changed drastically, anger creeping into his voice. "I know this Ji Hongchen too. I never imagined he was that kind of person!"
"Back then, I exposed the flaws in his theory, and he held a grudge against me. He's been looking for a chance to get revenge ever since. I never thought he'd do something like this!"
Even as he turned black into white, Yu Xiaogang couldn't resist putting himself on a pedestal. Then he continued, "But it doesn't matter. Now that I'm here, I naturally have ways to give the little monsters a better education."
Flender breathed a sigh of relief as well.
"With you here, I can rest easy."
Yu Xiaogang was, after all, the Horn of Wisdom of their Golden Iron Triangle.
Flender trusted him one hundred and fifty percent.
Yu Xiaogang, meanwhile, looked utterly confident. After all, he had already assessed Shrek Academy's situation.
Including his own disciple, Tang San,
the others all had good martial souls and talent. As long as he trained them properly, he would surely make his name resound across the continent.
"Oh, and pick two students from ordinary academies. We have to complete the Shrek Seven Devils. Once I've trained them, I'll take them to the Soul Fighting Arena in Suotuo City to gain experience through soul fighting."
Yu Xiaogang couldn't help reminding him.
Shrek Academy only had five students, nowhere near enough to form a proper team. They had to select another two.
"That won't be a problem."
"Our Shrek Academy still has what it takes to recruit students."
Half a month later.
Heaven Dou City, the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace.
"Has Ji Hongchen really not written me a single letter this whole month?"
Qian Renxue puffed out her cheeks in displeasure.
Beside her, Pufferfish trembled with apprehension and dared not speak, afraid of provoking her wrath.
Qian Renxue snorted coldly.
"Damn it, that scoundrel."
"When he comes back, I'll lock him in a secret chamber and make him reflect on his behavior."
It was actually the Qian Family's divine technique: Secret Chamber Confinement!
Pufferfish shivered. He thought the Young Master's current state was rather strange. She seemed less like a crown prince and more like a young girl who wasn't getting any attention from her boyfriend.
Gasp...
Could the Young Master have fallen for that Ji Hongchen?
This is bad!
If the Great Enshrined finds out, he'll skin me alive.
Pufferfish dared not dwell on it.
Just then, the door was pushed open.
Snake Lance walked in, carrying a brocade box and a letter. "Young Master, this is a letter Ji Hongchen sent you."
Qian Renxue's sulky little face instantly lit up with joy. She swiftly took the brocade box and letter, then waved them away. "You may leave now."
She had no intention of sharing this joy with anyone else.
Snake Lance and Pufferfish exchanged a glance, then withdrew with helpless expressions.
Qian Renxue had now fallen headlong into love.
She no longer bothered with the struggle for the crown prince's position or worried about factional strife. Every day, she hid in her secret chamber, tending to her makeup and waiting for Ji Hongchen's letters.
Inside the secret chamber.
With only Qian Renxue left, she eagerly opened the letter and read it carefully.
"Xue'er, a day apart feels like three autumns. These are the pills I prepared for you. To avoid what happened last time, I've made a children's version this time. You can take them without worry."
"Oh, and... Xue'er, I..."
The stream of syrupy endearments left Qian Renxue blushing scarlet, a little deer bounding wildly in her heart. She pressed the letter to her chest, the corners of her lips rising of their own accord.
"Hmph, what a fickle-hearted fellow."
She carefully put the envelope away. He was the first person to whisper sweet nothings to her, and aside from her grandfather, he also treated her better than anyone else.
At that thought, warmth filled Qian Renxue's heart.
"Oh, right, Hongchen also needs lots of mineral resources. I remember there are quite a few in the Heaven Dou Treasury. They're useless sitting there anyway, so I might as well give them to Hongchen."
Qian Renxue also thought of Spirit Hall's treasury.
She immediately summoned Snake Lance.
"Snake Lance, write a letter to my grandfather. Tell him I need some extremely rare mineral resources right now. Ideally, have him send over the materials our ancestral goddess left behind."
Back when the Angel God forged her divine artifact,
some scraps had remained, and they were now stored in Spirit Hall's treasury.
Since her Brother Hongchen needed them now, of course she had to take them out and use them. Leaving them there was a waste, after all. Better to put everything to good use.
Naturally, Snake Lance dared not refuse.
He accepted the order and left. Once he stepped out of the room, Pufferfish sidled over and asked curiously, "Snake Lance, do you think the Young Master is in love?"
Snake Lance rolled his eyes at Pufferfish.
"No shit. Any man could see that. But let's not go blabbing, or we'll upset the Young Master."
"What about the Great Enshrined?"
Snake Lance snorted coldly.
"Do you have a death wish? Once the Great Enshrined finds out someone has stolen his granddaughter away, the two of us can wait to be skinned and have our tendons torn out."
"Keep it from him for now."
"One look at Ji Hongchen tells me he has the makings of a peerless figure. Once he's grown strong, it'll be too late for the Great Enshrined to stop them, even if he wants to."
Pufferfish nodded.
"All right, that's what we'll do."
The Soul Fighting Arena in Suotuo City.
"Ugh, this doesn't take any skill at all, does it?"
Yu Feng lounged in a chair, his face full of disdain.
"With Brother Ji and Sister Yan here, no opponent can last even a single exchange against us."
"Exactly. There's no challenge at all!"
Osler calmly chimed in.
Ever since Ji Hongchen, Ning Rongrong, and the others had joined the team, they had never lost again. There was no challenge whatsoever.
Nearby, Yu Tianheng listened to their conversation, a flicker of jealousy crossing his brow. All of this should have been his life.
But now, because Ji Hongchen had appeared,
it was gone. Everything was gone.
He was supposed to be the core of this team, its captain.
"We're fighting this team called Shrek Academy tonight. Aren't they way too weak? Their strongest member is only rank thirty-seven. Far too weak."
"Two of them only have rank twenty-one soul power, too. Will fighting a team like this really put any pressure on us? Having all seven of us fight Brother Ji alone would be more challenging."
As everyone chattered,
Qin Ming walked in with anticipation written on his face. He had also learned that tonight's opposing team was actually from his old alma mater, Shrek Academy!
Naturally, Qin Ming had been utterly shocked by the news, but he was also full of anticipation. This was his alma mater, the place that nurtured monsters.
He had also looked over the information on the Shrek Seven Devils.
Although they seemed average, they were still young. In terms of talent, they were even a little stronger than Yu Feng and the others. They were true geniuses.
The only issue was this:
The two children whose soul power was barely above rank twenty dragged down the team's overall level. Otherwise, this team's future would surely have been limitless.
Before you continue