The First Lesson

Ma Hongjun leaned closer, his face miserable. "Wang Xingyu, haven't you noticed? In all of Shrek, we're the only two commanders without any troops!"

Wang Xingyu's fan came to an abrupt halt.

What?!

He snapped his fan shut and swept his gaze across the field again, quick as lightning.

Tang San and Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong and Oscar, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing.

Wang Xingyu glanced at Ma Hongjun again. The little fatty looked back at him innocently.

The little fatty would have Bai Chenxiang later. Things had been rocky in the original story, but they ended up together, even though he hadn't brought her to the Divine Realm. Still, as long as Wang Xingyu gave him a push...

And now-

"Damn," Wang Xingyu muttered. "This is bad. How did I get left out?"

Tang San noticed his expression. "What's wrong?"

Xiao Wu came closer too, tilting her head as she looked at him. "Xingyu, why did you suddenly go so pale? You look so dejected."

"Nothing." Wang Xingyu opened his fan again. "I just suddenly realized there's a very serious problem."

"What problem?" Tang San asked.

"I miscalculated," Wang Xingyu said.

Xiao Wu said she didn't understand, and Tang San didn't understand either.

Wang Xingyu sighed and looked away. "Forget it. I won't think about it for now. The boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge."

Beside him, Ma Hongjun muttered, "What are you even talking about?" Wang Xingyu ignored him.

The field fell quiet. Flender came over from the other end, with Zhao Wuji following behind him, the bruises on his face a little more noticeable than yesterday. Flender stood before the group with his hands behind his back, smiling.

"My name is Flender. Starting today, I'm your dean. Your first lesson-"

He paused.

"Running away. It's a skill every Soul Master must learn. Run twenty laps around the village. Start now. No resting until you finish."

Dai Mubai was the first to set off, with Zhu Zhuqing behind him. Ma Hongjun let out a yowl and chased after them. Ning Rongrong lifted her skirt and ran a couple of steps before slowing down, with Oscar keeping her company.

Xiao Wu set off at an easy pace. She looked back at Wang Xingyu and asked curiously, "That's it?"

She'd thought the school Wang Xingyu recommended would have some profound teaching method.

Wang Xingyu followed behind her, his breathing steady. "You don't understand."

"Understand what?"

"This is a training technique passed down for ten thousand years. Handed down from our ancestors."

They were still using it in Douluo II and Douluo Dalu III: The Legend of the Dragon King, so he could count this as experiencing it for himself.

Xiao Wu didn't understand, but she couldn't be bothered to ask again. She picked up her pace and ran alongside Tang San.

Before long, the group had spread out. As Wang Xingyu ran, he noticed Ning Rongrong was gone. He didn't pay it much mind. He ran for a while longer, but still didn't see her. Oscar kept looking back as he ran, his steps growing slower and slower.

Ning Rongrong had probably slipped away into the city, just like in the original story.

The sun rose from behind the treetops and climbed overhead. Wang Xingyu's clothes were soaked with sweat, and his legs ached. Tang San and Xiao Wu's strides remained steady throughout.

The porridge he'd eaten that morning hadn't been very nutritious, and his stomach was already starting to growl. He remembered that in the original story, after Grandmaster came to Shrek, he seemed to have made the group nutritious meals.

He actually missed Gangzi a little. Making them run without giving them the nutrition to strengthen their bodies-this theory wasn't even as good as Gangzi's.

Finally, they finished twenty laps.

The group stopped. Dai Mubai bent over and caught his breath, while Zhu Zhuqing stood nearby, her face flushed. Ma Hongjun collapsed flat on the ground, only for Zhao Wuji to kick him back up.

Tang San and Xiao Wu stood side by side, their breathing fairly steady. Wang Xingyu braced his hands on his knees and panted for a while before straightening up.

Oscar was out of breath as he looked at Ning Rongrong beside him.

Flender nodded at the group, then glanced at Ning Rongrong. She stood in the middle of the crowd, her face clean and hardly a drop of sweat on her.

"Ning Rongrong, did you finish your laps?"

Ning Rongrong nodded and smiled. "I did, Dean."

Flender didn't smile. He turned to Oscar.

"Oscar, did Ning Rongrong finish?"

Oscar lowered his head, his lips moving. "She did."

His voice was very quiet.

Flender looked at Oscar, who didn't raise his head.

"Run again. Keep running until I tell you to stop."

Oscar didn't argue. He turned and ran off, his retreating figure soon disappearing down the village road.

The field fell silent for a moment. Wang Xingyu stood at the back, tapping his fan lightly against his palm. He knew what would happen next. This was another of the original story's most famous scenes.

Flender turned to face Ning Rongrong.

"You didn't run. You went into the city, had a big meal, wandered around the shopping street, then just came back and found Oscar. Am I right?"

"You were spying on me!"

"As dean, I'm responsible for every student. You left school without permission, disregarded the academy's instructions, and even got someone to lie for you. Your offenses are unforgivable!"

Ning Rongrong's face flushed red. "It was just a run! Flender, you're only a Soul Saint. What gives you the right to be so arrogant? Believe it or not, I can have someone tear down this rundown school of yours!"

Several of them looked surprised. Ma Hongjun said quietly, "Is Ning Rongrong really that formidable?" Wang Xingyu nodded. The cultured Sword Douluo was practically Ning Rongrong's grandfather, after all.

"Every student here is better than you. If you look down on them, please leave."

Ning Rongrong raised her chin. "I broke through level twenty before I turned twelve. I'm the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's greatest genius in a century. How dare you belittle me?"

Flender wasn't angry. He even smiled. He stretched out a hand and pointed at the people present.

Here it comes, here it comes. Wang Xingyu watched expectantly.

"Look closely. Dai Mubai, fifteen years old, a level thirty-seven Soul Elder."

Dai Mubai folded his arms and said nothing.

"Xiao Wu, Tang San, and Wang Xingyu-never mind their Soul Power Levels. Just look at their thousand-year Second Soul Rings. How can you compare?"

Wang Xingyu waved his fan. That felt good.

"Oscar-have you ever seen a Food-type Martial Soul with Innate Full Soul Power? And then there's Ma Hongjun, with a top-tier Beast Martial Soul, the Evil Fire Phoenix."

"As for Zhu Zhuqing... Zhu Zhuqing, why did you come here?"

"To become stronger!"

Flender lowered his hand and looked at Ning Rongrong. "Every student here is better than you."

Ning Rongrong stood where she was, her lips trembling. She looked at the others.

Not one of them stepped forward to speak for her.

She turned and ran, not toward the dormitories, but out of the village.

Flender watched her go and added, "Think it over before tomorrow. If you stay, follow the rules. If you leave, I won't stop you."

Then he waved them away. Before leaving, he told them to gather that evening.

After Flender left, Dai Mubai was the first to speak. "Raised by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and her temper's bigger than her abilities."

Zhu Zhuqing spoke up for once. "She's never known hardship."

Ma Hongjun scratched his head. "So is she staying or not?"

Tang San said nothing. Xiao Wu pursed her lips. "She's a pampered young lady, that's all."

Wang Xingyu closed his fan and tapped it against his palm. "That's up to her. If she sees sense, one night is enough. If she doesn't, even a lifetime probably won't do it."

But according to the original story, the young lady wouldn't leave. She'd even provoke Dai Mubai that evening.

The group dispersed.

Oscar ran for more than another two hours before he was told to stop. When he returned, his legs were trembling, his lips were cracked, and it was impossible to tell whether the moisture on his face was sweat or something else. He braced his hands on his knees and panted for a long while before raising his head. His first words were:

"Where's Ning Rongrong?"

Wang Xingyu handed him a cup of water. "She left."

Oscar's hand paused as he reached for the water. He lowered his head, and several seconds passed before he took the cup and had a sip.

"What do you mean, she left?"

"Flender scolded her, and she ran off," Wang Xingyu said. "She might come back, or she might not."

Oscar nodded and said nothing more. He sat down at the edge of the field, slowly finished the cup of water, then returned it to Wang Xingyu.

That evening, Flender gathered everyone and led them to the Soul Fighting Arena in Suotuo City, saying, "Monsters should have their own way of cultivating."

Wang Xingyu didn't even have the strength to complain. Then what was the point of Shrek?

Suotuo City's Great Soul Arena was bigger than Wang Xingyu had imagined.

The circular building resembled a giant beast crouching on the ground. People streamed in and out of the entrance, and fluctuations of Soul Power spilled from within, mingling with a clamor of shouts. Flender led the seven inside and registered them with practiced ease.

"Each of you will fight a one-on-one match first, to get familiar with the rules. Don't even think about graduating until you get a Silver Soul Badge." Flender pointed at the big screen on the wall. "After that, you can sign up for two-on-two matches. You can choose your own partners, but there's one condition-"

He glanced at Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Wang Xingyu.

"You three aren't allowed to team up."

Xiao Wu was the first to erupt. "Why not?"

Flender held his hands behind his back. "Your Second Soul Rings are all thousand-year rings. Practically no one in the Soul Grandmaster division can match you. There'd be no point in winning."

He paused, his tone softening a little. "Besides, this is a team. Sooner or later, you'll have to work with other people. You can't just rely on the three of you sticking together."

Xiao Wu wanted to say more, but Tang San put a hand on her shoulder. He glanced at Wang Xingyu, who nodded.

"All right," Tang San said.

Xiao Wu pursed her lips but said nothing more. Wang Xingyu opened his fan and waved it a couple of times.

Flender was right. If the three of them teamed up for two-on-two fights, their opponents really wouldn't stand a chance. Besides, he knew what came later in the story-the Soul Fighting Arena wasn't just about fighting; it was also a chance for the Shrek Seven Monsters to learn to work together.

"Then how do we pair up?" Ma Hongjun scratched his head.

Flender didn't answer, leaving them to discuss it among themselves.