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"First soul skill, Phoenix Fire!"
The first spirit ring on Ma Hongjun's body lit up. As his soul power surged, he opened his mouth wide to unleash a blazing torrent of phoenix flames toward Chu Chengzhou.
Though Ma Hongjun's movements were quick, in the eyes of Chu Chengzhou—who had exceptional mental strength and lightning-fast reflexes—they still appeared sluggish.
With a flicker of his body, Chu Chengzhou bent his right knee and delivered a swift kick that struck Ma Hongjun squarely under the chin.
Thud—!
The heavy blow to his jaw forced Ma Hongjun to swallow the unmanifested flame energy back into his body. He was sent flying through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
Without missing a beat, Chu Chengzhou pivoted, grabbed the dazed Ma Hongjun from the ground, and unleashed a flurry of punches onto his chubby face.
The speed was so fast that it created a series of afterimages.
Ma Hongjun endured the pain, but Chu Chengzhou thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.
However, considering they would soon be classmates, Chu Chengzhou decided to leave him some dignity. Judging that he'd done enough, he switched from punches to a palm strike, sending Ma Hongjun flying into the nearby rice paddy.
Boom—!
The 'heavy object' landed with a splash, stirring up mud and water.
This time, Ma Hongjun didn't roll like a gourd, but he sank deep into the muddy field, which was flooded with water, crushing some crops in the process.
Who knows if the owner of the damaged crops would dare seek compensation from Flender at Shrek Academy?
"Just this much strength and you dare act like a thug?"
Chu Chengzhou sneered dismissively after finishing the fight.
"Brother, is this what they call a 'hero saving a beauty' in those storybooks?"
Blinking innocently, Xiao Wu asked Chu Chengzhou with a look of admiration.
Chu Chengzhou: "…"
After a brief silence, Chu Chengzhou replied, "You can't handle being an ox or a horse, and offering yourself as repayment is too childish for me—I'm not interested! By the way, stop reading those storybooks; your already dull brain will only get worse."
"You—how dare you~! Big Sister Xiao Wu is going to fight you!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu lunged at Chu Chengzhou with claws bared and teeth gritted.
---
Setting aside the playful scuffle between the two, Ma Hongjun, now wallowing in the muddy paddy, was left utterly miserable and on the verge of tears.
Who could have imagined that the seemingly ordinary pretty boy was actually a soul master stronger than him?
All he did was flirt verbally with that bunny-eared girl—he didn't even touch her! Was it really necessary to beat him up so badly?
Just look at his face! It was bruised blue and purple, swollen all over!
They say you shouldn't hit someone in the face or expose their weaknesses, yet this pretty boy was ruthless, targeting his face specifically. If he didn't get revenge, how could he, Ma Hongjun, live up to his title as the "Prince of the Red-Light District"?
Immediately, Ma Hongjun crawled out of the paddy, shot a hateful glance at the retreating figures of Chu Chengzhou and Xiao Wu, then sprinted along the ridges of the fields, taking a shortcut back to Shrek Academy to call for reinforcements.
He may not be able to beat that pretty boy, but Dai Mubai was a three-ring Soul Elder—surely he could handle him!
Knock knock knock—!
A rapid pounding on the door woke Dai Mubai, who was still fast asleep.
"Who is it? Can't a person even sleep in peace?"
Glancing at the sky outside the window, Dai Mubai muttered irritably.
Doesn't anyone know that I worked hard in Suotuo City until the early hours of the morning? I've only been asleep for two or three hours! Do these people have no sense of decency?
"It's me, Boss Dai!"
Ma Hongjun's voice came from outside.
"Damn fatty, hurry up and spit it out. Don't waste my sleep!"
Dai Mubai grumbled impatiently.
"Boss Dai, I have something important to tell you. Open the door first!"
If he had any other choice, Ma Hongjun wouldn't have sought out Dai Mubai. After all, because of his own martial soul's appearance—and the insatiable hunger caused by its defect—the self-proclaimed "Flamboyant Prince" often looked down on him.
But he had no other options. Including himself, there were only three students in the academy, and Oscar, being a food-system soul master, had no combat ability. The only backup he could turn to was Dai Mubai.
As for telling the teacher?
If he had been bullied by someone older, asking the teacher for help would have been normal. But that pretty boy looked about the same age as him.
After being beaten up by a peer, admitting defeat was one thing—but going to the teacher? Would Ma Hongjun still have any face left?
"Wait a minute!"
Muttering irritably, Dai Mubai got out of bed and opened the door for Ma Hongjun.
"Holy cow~, damn fatty, we haven't seen each other for a day, and you've turned into a pig's head?"
As the door opened, Dai Mubai nearly jumped back in shock. Standing before him was a "big pig" covered head to toe in mud and water.
"Boss Dai, you have to stand up for me!"
Seeing his "big protector," Ma Hongjun's nearly squeezed-shut eyes reddened, and he nearly shed tears.
"Hahaha!"
After sizing up Ma Hongjun's new look, Dai Mubai couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Boss Dai, I've been beaten up like this, and you're still laughing?"
A flash of anger crossed Ma Hongjun's eyes.
You damn tiger, you keep calling me your brother, but now that I've been beaten to a pulp, you're still laughing?
"Alright, alright, I won't laugh anymore! Fatty, don't worry—your big brother will definitely help you get revenge!"
Dai Mubai put on a show of being the boss who would stand up for his subordinate.
However, the occasional twitching of his cheeks revealed that he couldn't suppress his amusement.
In truth, this was normal. Even though he was a fallen prince, he was still the noble third prince of the Star Luo Empire.
On top of that, Ma Hongjun, with his insatiable hunger and commoner origins, was someone Dai Mubai looked down on before they shared hardships.
It wasn't just Ma Hongjun—even Oscar, a food-system soul master with full innate soul power but vulgar incantations, was treated the same way.
For a noble to set aside their pride and genuinely befriend a commoner was no easy task, let alone for someone of Dai Mubai's royal lineage.
Still, even if it was a superficial brotherhood, it was still a brotherhood.
Now that Ma Hongjun had been beaten so badly, as the big brother, Dai Mubai naturally had to step up. Otherwise, who would follow him in the future?
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