In a nameless town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
The travel-worn Shrek party finally arrived. Everyone hurried eagerly toward the inn they had agreed on with Zhao Wuji. They had eaten so many of Oscar's sausages along the way that they were close to throwing up, but fortunately, with a walking granary like Shangguan Hong in their party, they could occasionally treat their stomachs to something better.
That did not stop them from ordering a whole table of dishes at the inn. Shangguan Hong's appetite seemed to know no bounds. Oscar had been in a weakened state all this time; he could not help it, having made far too many sausages. On the bright side, his wallet had grown fat, and his Soul Power had increased a little, too. He had Shangguan Hong to thank for that.
Over their days together, everyone had grown much closer. The relationship between Shangguan Hong and Tang San had advanced by leaps and bounds, with Shangguan Hong at one point becoming the person closest to Tang San besides Xiao Wu.
Or rather, Shangguan Hong got along very well with everyone. With his carefree manner, he looked like someone pure of heart, and his habit of saying whatever was on his mind made it even less likely that anyone would suspect him of harboring hidden schemes.
Everyone chatted and laughed around the table. Before long, the inn's doors were pushed open again, revealing the Blue Sunshine Academy party led by Ye Zhiqiu. Their haughty demeanor rubbed many people the wrong way, but after seeing the "Blue Sunshine" badges on their chests, the diners did not dare say anything, however displeased they were.
After all, Blue Sunshine Academy was qualified to participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament. Even if it placed near the bottom every year, it was far beyond what Soul Masters of common birth like them could afford to provoke.
"Who are those people? They look awfully full of themselves."
The arrival of Canghui Academy also drew the Shrek group's attention, and Xiao Wu quietly asked the people beside her.
Perhaps because his good brother had gone missing, compounded by Zhu Zhuqing's rejection a while earlier, Dai Mubai had been in a terrible mood lately. Hearing Xiao Wu's question, he seemed to find an outlet, and answered in a voice dripping with disdain:
"Full of themselves, my ass! They're just some piddling Blue Sunshine Academy! Barely any strength, but their noses are high enough to scrape the sky!"
Dai Mubai's voice was anything but quiet. At the very least, everyone in the inn could hear him clearly! Even the Shrek group had not expected such a strong reaction from him. Anyone who could swallow such a public insult to Canghui Academy must have been a turtle in their previous life.
Sure enough, hearing Dai Mubai's brazen provocation, the academy group could no longer sit still. Led by their supervising teacher, Ye Zhiqiu, more than a dozen people surrounded the Shrek Seven Devils so tightly that not a gap remained! Seeing trouble brewing, the other guests scrambled to flee. In an instant, only the trembling waiter and innkeeper remained, hiding behind the counter and watching the confrontation between the two academies with anxious hearts.
"Boy, you and I have never met. Why have you insulted my Canghui Academy?"
Ye Zhiqiu's face was icy, and a Soul King's presence radiated from him. Several students beside him even revealed their Soul Rings outright, though the lone white Soul Ring beneath each of their feet looked truly pitiful.
"What? Was I wrong? Blue Sunshine Academy is nothing but a garbage academy!"
In front of his fiancée and companions, Dai Mubai absolutely could not lose face, even though he had already sensed the powerful presence radiating from the middle-aged man before him.
The other Shrek members also backed Dai Mubai up. Perhaps some of them disapproved of his behavior, but they were a single unit.
Shangguan Hong was among them, too. He had no interest in Dai Mubai's character. The only thing that interested him was the old turtle before him, whose Soul Power exceeded rank fifty! Now they stood on opposing sides, and this was the Star Dou Great Forest, too...
A heaven-sent opportunity!
Shangguan Hong instinctively licked his lips. Combined with his purple hair and purple eyes, he looked as sinister and uncanny as could be.
"Boy, you've got some fat, plump guts! We'll have to show you a thing or two today!"
"Oh, quite a few girls here. Big brother will go easy on you later!"
"And you, what are you staring at? A whole head of purple hair-what are you, a purple sweet potato that gained sentience?"
Ye Zhiqiu's expression darkened, and the students beside him could no longer hold back. After all, in their eyes, their teacher possessed Soul King-level cultivation, while these people before them looked even younger than they were. Even if they were Soul Masters, how strong could they possibly be?
Then one of them pointed straight at Shangguan Hong's nose and began cursing.
A purple sweet potato that gained sentience...
Shangguan Hong froze. He could hardly believe his ears. How many years had it been? How many years had passed since anyone had dared point at his nose and curse him! Back when he first enrolled at Nuo'er Junior Soul Master Academy, his good looks had made him a target for many noble children. One of them had pointed at his nose and cursed him.
Afterward, throughout Shangguan Hong's six years at school, that person's ten fingers had remained broken.
"Beat them up!"
Smack! Smack! Smack!
The Blue Sunshine Academy group rushed forward as one, but the violence-loving Xiao Wu was faster! Three slaps sent three students flying. Her movements were the very picture of effortless flair, and two hundred-year Soul Rings pulsed beneath her feet. In the eyes of the others from Blue Sunshine Academy, she looked as though a goddess of war had possessed her.
"Want a fight? Just what I like!"
With Xiao Wu's attack, the smell of gunpowder between the two sides grew even stronger. Ye Zhiqiu's pupils contracted when he saw the Soul Rings beneath her feet. A genius whose first Soul Ring was already a hundred-year one! In their Blue Sunshine Academy, she would be a genius nurtured as a core talent.
Could they be from some major power?
Blue Sunshine Academy stood above the lesser powers but fell short of the greater ones. Thus, Ye Zhiqiu instinctively sought an indirect way to probe the Shrek group's background. But before he could speak, a flash of gold streaked past, followed by a hand flying into the air, its index finger extended!
"I hate it most when people point at me!"
Shangguan Hong rested an enormous shovel on his shoulder, his smile unchanged, but his eyes were cold to the extreme! A little blood stained the battle-axe version of the Golden Spatula on his shoulder, while the fellow who had just called him a purple sweet potato was now lying on the floor, clutching his arm and howling in pain.
"What a vicious brat!"
Veins bulged on Ye Zhiqiu's forehead. Wonderful. Now, no matter what power Shangguan Hong and the others came from, there could be no peaceful end to this! Severing a student's hand right in front of his teacher was practically squatting on Ye Zhiqiu's head and taking a shit.
"Don't be so nervous, uncle. We're only sparring!"
Dai Mubai revealed his three Soul Rings, his expression mocking. The instant he saw Shangguan Hong strike, he knew they had this in the bag!
The other Shrek members gathered around as well, Soul Rings pulsing beneath their feet. Each and every one had two hundred-year Soul Rings, a dazzling sight.
"Sparring, is it? Good, good, good. Then this old man will have a proper spar with you!"
"Black Tortoise, possess!"