"What?"
The middle-aged man looked surprised, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. But when he saw the young man nod, he immediately broke into a wide grin and took the badge from him with great joy.
"Alright, take a break. I'll go collect your bonus and record your points. Leave it to me!"
Awesome!
If he could recommend this young man, he might be transferred from this local Spirit Arena branch to the main Spirit Arena, and with that a promotion, a pay raise, and status!
Thinking about that bright future, the middle-aged man laughed out loud and sprinted off, unable to contain his excitement.
"That guy..."
Ma Hongjun watched the man disappear into the distance, smiling as he shook his head.
"Hey, Brother Hongjun, where's the host going?"
A soft breeze carried a delicate fragrance as a pretty girl walked over. Her bright eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked at the red-haired boy.
"He's keeping score for me. By the way, where are the others?"
Ma Hongjun asked casually, frowning as he looked around.
Even Oscar, who was normally glued to Ning Rongrong's side, was nowhere to be seen.
"Xiao Wu got called up for a match. Tang San and Qing Qing were also paired as opponents. Dai Mubai went to watch them. As for Oscar..."
She paused, feigning innocence. "I'm not sure."
She lightly counted on her fingers, a sly glimmer in her eyes.
In truth, she had already made up an excuse to send Oscar away before the match ended.
Hmph! Now it's just me and Brother Hongjun!
"Is that so? Well, I'm heading over to watch the others. Are you coming?"
Ma Hongjun turned toward the arena.
Ning Rongrong:
Ugh, how could I forget that! Of course he wants to watch the match!
"I—I'll come with you."
She pouted slightly, trying to sound reluctant.
But there was no way she'd let him go alone.
Two hours later, the seven Shrek members walked along the road back to the academy, having just left the Great Spirit Arena.
"Hahaha! I told you, Fatty—tonight we were invincible!"
The moon hung high in the sky. The stars shimmered faintly above, and the countryside was quiet and peaceful. From a distance, Oscar's smug laughter echoed along the road.
With a bulging money pouch tied around his waist, "Uncle Big Sausage" was on cloud nine.
He'd originally just wanted to keep Fatty from teaming up with Ning Rongrong, but Fatty had turned out to be ridiculously strong.
Two matches. Two easy wins. Each under twenty minutes!
Oscar barely did anything, and still walked away with a clean profit of twenty gold soul coins.
"We've got to come back again next time!"
He laughed and reached out to pat Fatty on the shoulder—only to freeze under a deathly glare from the side.
"Hey!"
Ning Rongrong's voice was cold.
"Is it my turn now?"
Her beautiful face was frosty, and her bright eyes looked like they could eat Oscar alive.
He gulped under her icy stare. He wanted to explain that there were other strong offensive teammates, but in the end, he couldn't get a word out.
"...Fine."
He gave in, weakly.
"That's better."
Her expression instantly flipped from frost to sweetness. She turned toward Ma Hongjun with a soft smile.
"Then I'll need your guidance next time, Brother Hongjun."
Ma Hongjun:
He twitched slightly at the corners of his mouth.
"You're too kind."
This girl really lived up to her nickname—the "Little Witch." Her ability to switch moods was terrifying.
Zhu Zhuqing looked like she wanted to speak, but in the end, she just sighed.
An agility-type pairing with a power-type wasn't as effective as with a support-type. The dean probably wouldn't approve it anyway.
"Oh no! We forgot to call Teacher Zhao!"
Dai Mubai had been laughing along with the others when he suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed in shock.
Everyone had been riding high from their victories—except Zhu Zhuqing, who had lost to Tang San—and they'd finished their assigned task early. In all the excitement, they had completely forgotten about Zhao Wuji, who had accompanied them to the arena.
"What's the big deal? Teacher Zhao's a Soul Saint. No one in Soto City can touch him."
Oscar didn't seem concerned.
Tang San and Xiao Wu nodded in agreement.
Even if he were asleep, it was doubtful anyone could break through his defenses.
"That's not what I meant."
Dai Mubai sighed. "He's going to hold this over our heads."
"Noobs..."
A sinister voice came from up ahead. Dai Mubai immediately froze, then turned with a strained smile.
"T-Teacher Zhao..."
Standing in the middle of the road was none other than Zhao Wuji.
"Tsk. I just arrived, and already I'm hearing you lot talking behind my back."
He crossed his arms with a dark expression. "And you—how dare you all leave me alone at the Spirit Arena?"
We knew no one could hurt you...
The students grumbled inwardly but said nothing.
"As your teacher, being abandoned by my students has caused me great emotional pain. Naturally, I expect some compensation."
He snorted coldly and looked at Dai Mubai.
"Dai Mubai, you start."
"Understood, Teacher..."
Looking thoroughly miserable, Dai Mubai pulled out his pouch and handed over all the prize money from the evening's matches.
The others stared, eyes wide.
Is that even allowed?!
"What, got a problem?"
Zhao Wuji glared at the group, eyes full of menace.
"I'm not giving it up!"
Xiao Wu snapped, her eyes fierce.
She clutched her purse tightly. "I earned this by fighting hard in the arena. Why should I give it to you?"
"Oh?"
Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes, clenched his fists, and stepped forward, his towering frame casting a shadow over her.
"What's the matter, little rabbit? Got a problem with compensating your teacher?"
He growled, two jets of air flaring from his nostrils.
"Or do you want to see what happens when a student disobeys their teacher, hmm?!"
Tang San frowned. He was about to speak when an idea struck him.
If I can win over the teachers, maybe I can expel Ma Hongjun or at least cause him trouble.
Especially since Zhao Wuji was a Soul Saint.
He turned to Xiao Wu and said, "Just give it to him. Teacher Zhao's right—we were the ones who left him behind."
"No!"
Xiao Wu shook her head, holding onto her purse tightly. She looked at Tang San with a disappointed expression.
"This is blatant extortion. Why should I hand it over?"
"It's just a few gold soul coins. I'll give you the money back later."
Tang San grew impatient. He kept giving her desperate looks, trying to get her to cooperate.
If we take advantage of this moment, we can use it to reach to Teacher Zhao, and even—
"It's not about the money at all!"
Xiao Wu's voice rose in sudden anger. She stared at Tang San, her bright eyes filled with disappointment.
"Tang San, what happened to you?!"
Her outburst startled everyone. Even Zhao Wuji, who had started all this, felt uneasy.
Damn... I didn't think it would blow up like this.
Flander, this is all your fault!
But things had gone too far to backtrack now.
He braced himself to step forward—but before he could say anything, a red-haired boy calmly stepped in front of him.
"Teacher Zhao, that's enough."