Chapter 93: Shrek's Situation (Part 2)
After being thoroughly beaten, Xue Beng quickly went to complain to his uncle, Prince Xue Xing.
However, Dugu Bo had already severed ties with Prince Xue Xing, leaving the prince with no one to maintain order. The Soul Douluo offerings of the royal family could only be mobilized by Emperor Xue Ye. If a mere prince dared to involve them in a personal matter, Emperor Xue Ye would be the first to send him to his grave.
Prince Xue Xing had heard of the famous Four-Eyed Owl Flender and Unmovable King Zhao Wuji, both of whom now possessed high-level Soul Saint cultivation. The soul masters under the prince's command wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.
What? Did Xue Beng think that because he had been beaten, his uncle should go and offer his own face for a few more slaps?
But who was Prince Xue Xing? Together with Xue Beng, they had managed to keep both Qian Renxue and Ning Fengzhi in the dark. With a quick turn of his mind, the prince came up with a devious plan.
Since he couldn't openly challenge Shrek, as the person in charge of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, he could make things difficult for them behind the scenes. He could reduce Shrek's faculty and students' benefits, arrange for them to live in poor conditions, and incite unruly students to cause trouble during Shrek's lessons.
The most important tactic was to instigate the Imperial Academy students to harass the Shrek Seven Devils.
What? You say the Shrek Seven Devils are too strong, and no one can beat them? Well, can't you get outside help? Many of the senior graduates are nobles of the Heaven Dou Empire and have familial connections. Surely, they can be convinced to lend a hand.
As a result, the students of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy and the Shrek Seven Devils were fighting small skirmishes every three days and larger battles every five days. The campus was in chaos, with everyone getting injured.
Among the Shrek Seven Devils, Ma Hongjun suffered the most. With the lowest soul power among the seven and his frequent need to vent his "evil fire" by running out, he often got ambushed. Adding to his troubles, he wasn't exactly discreet, often ogling female students regardless of whether they were accompanied by men, which sometimes led to fights even without someone deliberately seeking trouble.
Next was Dai Mubai. His soul power had reached level 38, and even Yu Tianheng, the strongest in Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, wasn't confident he could defeat him. As the young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Dai Mubai wasn't someone Prince Xue Xing could easily command.
But the sheer number of Imperial Academy students made up for their lack of individual strength. If one couldn't do it, they sent ten; if ten couldn't, they sent a hundred. They might not beat you, but they could wear you out.
Sometimes, the students even sought outside help. The worst beating Dai Mubai received was when a troublemaker enlisted the help of a senior at level 48, turning the mighty tiger into a battered kitten. He had to rest in bed for three days before recovering.
Oscar, Tang San, and Xiao Wu were more evenly matched. Oscar, as a food-type soul master, was mostly targeted in group fights, though bullying a lone food-type master didn't reflect well on those who participated.
Tang San and Xiao Wu, on the other hand, were feared because of their vicious fighting style. Tang San's hidden weapons always aimed for critical joints, and Xiao Wu's soft skills didn't stop until her opponent had suffered a fracture or two. Even a Soul Elder would struggle to win against the two of them combined, so most students preferred to face Dai Mubai rather than challenge them.
At worst, you'd end up with a black eye from Dai Mubai, but Tang San's attacks were ruthless. One student had been poisoned by Tang San's hidden weapon, writhing in agony. Though Tang San eventually detoxified him out of respect for his teacher, the student remained weak for nearly half a month and still suffered from nightmares at night.
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, the two girls, remained unscathed. Zhu Zhuqing cherished the rare opportunity to cultivate, spending most of her time in seclusion to seek a breakthrough. Her soul power was already approaching level 30.
As for Ning Rongrong, that was a joke. Who in Heaven Dou City didn't recognize the little witch of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan? No student dared to risk having Sword Douluo or Bone Douluo come knocking at their door with a "family annihilation" package.
Flender, being proud and arrogant, couldn't tolerate such treatment for long. He had wanted to leave Heaven Dou Imperial Academy over a month ago, but was persuaded by Yu Xiaogang to stay.
Yu Xiaogang was different from Flender. Ever since his martial soul, Luo Sanpao, awakened, he had endured no shortage of mockery. While he was also proud, his tolerance for hardship was far greater than Flender's.
For Yu Xiaogang, the most important thing now was his disciple, Tang San. As long as Tang San could shine in the upcoming Soul Master Tournament and prove his invincible theories, all the grievances suffered would be worth it.
Shrek Academy had many advantages, but it didn't have the credentials to participate in the tournament. For the sake of his grand ambition, Yu Xiaogang had to bear the humiliation and remain at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
After a bit of moral persuasion from Yu Xiaogang, Flender reluctantly suppressed his anger and stayed.
However, due to his displeasure, Flender would frequently head into Heaven Dou City for a few drinks.
As the saying goes, "There is no story without coincidence." By chance, Flender ran into his dream goddess—Liu Erlong.
The two hadn't seen each other in twenty years, and upon this unexpected reunion, they immediately sat down to catch up.
During their conversation, Liu Erlong learned that both Flender and her first love, cousin Yu Xiaogang, were currently at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy and had been facing a great deal of difficulty and mistreatment.
With her fiery temper, befitting someone known as the "Slaughter Horn," Liu Erlong slammed the table in anger, ready to seek justice for them.
Flender was terrified. No matter how unreasonable Prince Xue Xing was, he was still the emperor's younger brother. While Liu Erlong, backed by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, had nothing to fear, Flender, being a powerless nobody, would undoubtedly bear the brunt of Xue Xing's retaliation if she stirred up trouble.
Though Flender managed to calm Liu Erlong down, she was still fuming. Revealing her wealthy side, she proposed that Flender and the others resign from Heaven Dou Imperial Academy and leave. She even offered to rename her own Blue Tyrant Academy to Shrek Academy and hand it over to Flender.
Flender was overjoyed upon hearing this. Why stay at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, where they had to constantly endure mistreatment, when they could live comfortably at their own academy? Without hesitation, he agreed.
After returning, he immediately discussed the matter with Yu Xiaogang, Zhao Wuji, and the others. Of course, to prevent Yu Xiaogang from running away again, Flender kept Liu Erlong's true identity a secret, only mentioning that an old friend was helping them.
Flender knew Yu Xiaogang's personality all too well. Right now, Yu Xiaogang's entire focus was on his disciple, Tang San. As long as Tang San was settled at the academy, Yu Xiaogang wouldn't leave.
One could say that our "Boiling" Flender was racking his brains to ensure his goddess's wish to be reunited with her first love. His efforts could make any love-struck fool from later generations feel ashamed.
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