At this moment, Dai Mubai heard the commotion and rushed over from a distance.
When he saw the small cuts all over Ma Hongjun's body and Su Ming's cold expression, along with the frowns on the faces of the three girls, he had a bad feeling. Could it be that the fat guy had provoked Su Ming?
Dai Mubai knew Ma Hongjun well since they were roommates. It was typical for Ma Hongjun to lose control when he saw beautiful girls like Xiao Wu and the others.
Quickly, Dai Mubai approached Su Ming and Oscar and asked, "Su Ming, Oscar, what's going on here?"
Oscar sighed and reluctantly explained the situation to Dai Mubai. After hearing it, Dai Mubai immediately understood. Fatty deserved the beating.
Dai Mubai chuckled and said, "You can't really blame Fatty. It's mainly due to his… mutated martial spirit."
Ma Hongjun, hearing this, shouted angrily, "It's not a chicken! It's a phoenix! Phoenix!"
Dai Mubai, still smiling, responded, "Alright, alright, phoenix! Su Ming, the headmaster told us that Fatty's martial spirit is a rare mutation. It transformed from a regular chicken into a phoenix, so the headmaster, recognizing his potential, took him in as a disciple."
"Though it's a positive mutation, the Evil Fire Phoenix has a downside—its evil fire, or 'burning fire.' Because of his martial spirit, Fatty is frequently overwhelmed with desire and needs to relieve it."
Su Ming gave a sly smile and asked, "Oh, needs to relieve it? Come on, we're all men here. Can't he handle it on his own?"
Ma Hongjun couldn't help but blurt out, "It's much more enjoyable with a woman than doing it alone..."
Dai Mubai, trying to help, added, "Though Fatty goes looking for women to deal with his urges, he never forces anyone."
Xiao Wu, unable to hold back, retorted, "Not forcing? We all saw what just happened!"
Ma Hongjun's face flushed red, and Dai Mubai felt a bit embarrassed.
Su Ming continued, "And where does he get the money to find women? He's just a commoner. Don't tell me someone's sponsoring him?"
At this, Ma Hongjun couldn't help but glance at Dai Mubai.
"I don't mind him relieving his urges, but can't he do it through more appropriate channels? Going to brothels for it—aren't you worried about diseases?"
Ma Hongjun's expression darkened. With his looks, how could he find a proper girlfriend to help him with his problem? Meanwhile, Dai Mubai's face stiffened slightly, realizing he'd also been subtly called out.
Ma Hongjun grumbled, "If I had a face like Dai's or Oscar's, I'd have multiple girlfriends too! Dai can get three women in one day with his looks alone!"
Dai Mubai's evil eyes flashed as he quickly glanced around to make sure no one else was listening. He lowered his voice, "Fatty, you can't just say things like that. Be careful, or I'll teach you a lesson!"
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing, who had been listening coldly, turned and walked away. Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong gave Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun disdainful looks before leaving as well—it was almost time for school.
Dai Mubai regretted coming over; Fatty had really put him in a bad spot.
Ma Hongjun chuckled, "What's wrong, Boss Dai? You used to take pride in this!"
Dai Mubai glared at Ma Hongjun. "Shut up. From now on, don't go around talking nonsense, or I'll beat you myself!"
Just then, the distant sound of a bell rang out. Dai Mubai quickly told the group, "That's the headmaster summoning us. Let's head to the main field."
As they walked toward the field, Oscar quietly moved closer to Su Ming and asked, "What do you think of Ning Rongrong?"
Su Ming raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Oscar grinned mischievously and whispered in Su Ming's ear, "Look, Dai clearly has his eyes on the cold Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu is obviously yours. That leaves me with only Ning Rongrong. You're not going to compete with me for her, right?"
Su Ming inwardly sighed. People here really mature fast. But he asked, "Oscar, aren't you only fourteen? You're already thinking about this?"
Oscar replied without hesitation, "What's wrong with that? My dad had me when he was my age. So, are you going to answer my question?"
Su Ming couldn't help but be impressed. Wow, that's something. He then firmly said, "No, I'm definitely going to compete with you."
Oscar immediately deflated. If Su Ming was going to compete, he didn't stand much of a chance. Still, he asked hopefully, "Why?"
Su Ming decided to crush Oscar's hopes completely. "First, I like beautiful women too, but I don't force them. Second, I'm stronger than you. Third, Ning Rongrong is from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, and she's already at level 34 at just twelve years old. She's the daughter of the sect leader, and she'll likely inherit the clan. You, on the other hand, have no combat ability and can't protect her. I can, so give it up."
Oscar, still unwilling to give up, argued, "You said it yourself—my potential is to become a Title Douluo, and a food-type Title Douluo has never existed before. Isn't that impressive enough? I think we should compete fairly and let Ning Rongrong decide who she likes."
Su Ming sighed. "Fine, I'll be honest with you. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan has a rule that the partner of the clan leader must be an offensive-type soul master. You're just a food-type. No matter how strong you are, how are you going to protect her? But if you insist on competing with me, I'll give you a chance. Just know that I'm confident I'll win. What about you?"
Oscar fell silent. The rule about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was indeed a hard obstacle. As a food-type soul master, he could never have the offensive strength needed. On top of that, Su Ming was far more charming than he was. Oscar realized he stood no chance.
As they continued walking, they soon arrived at the academy's main field.
Meanwhile, Su Ming was pondering whether or not to accept Oscar as a subordinate. After all, the last thing he needed was a potential rival for Ning Rongrong's affections. (What do you guys think? Should I recruit Oscar or not?)
A moment later, a middle-aged man walked across the field toward them. Tang San was surprised—it was the shopkeeper from Soto City.
The man, Flender, stopped in front of the eight students. With his signature raspy, magnetic voice, he said, "This year looks promising. We've gained five more little monsters. I am the headmaster, Flender. My martial spirit is the Owl, and I am a level 78 Soul Saint. Welcome to Shrek Academy. You won't be disappointed."