Ma Hongjun was still sitting in the stands when Dai Mubai stepped onto the stage to begin his soul battle.
When Du Feng approached, Ma Hongjun immediately asked about the result of his match.
Du Feng replied calmly, "I won. My opponent didn't have much combat experience. When I broke through his first soul skill—Entanglement—enhanced by his second skill, he froze for a moment. I seized the opportunity and ended the fight instantly. He didn't even have time to use his third soul skill before admitting defeat."
"Brother Feng, that's amazing!" Ma Hongjun said excitedly. "Are you going to fight another match?"
Du Feng shook his head.
"Not today. My soul power level isn't particularly advantageous, and the last match consumed a lot of my soul power. Fighting another battle now would be too risky—it's not worth it."
He then glanced toward the arena and asked, "Mubai has been fighting for a while now. Why isn't the match over yet?"
Ma Hongjun shrugged.
"He ran into an agility-type Soul Master. After the first exchange, the opponent realized he wasn't a match for Mubai, so he stopped fighting head-on. Now he's just running around the arena, trying to find an opening."
Du Feng turned his attention to the battlefield.
Dai Mubai stood calmly in the center of the arena, while the agility-type Soul Master circled around him continuously, searching for a weakness to exploit.
Suddenly, the opponent seemed to spot an opening.
He immediately accelerated and unleashed his second soul skill, charging toward Dai Mubai with explosive speed.
But Dai Mubai reacted instantly.
With a quick sidestep, he easily avoided the attack. Before the opponent could even turn around to defend himself, Dai Mubai's tiger claw struck his waist with tremendous force.
The agility-type Soul Master was sent flying across the arena.
He struggled to stand up for a few seconds but ultimately failed.
Seeing this, the host quickly stepped onto the stage and announced Dai Mubai's victory.
After leaving the arena, Dai Mubai saw Du Feng and Ma Hongjun waiting for him.
Curiously, he asked Du Feng, "Did you win or lose?"
Dai Mubai knew Du Feng was strong, but since his opponent had also been a Soul Master, he wasn't completely sure of the result.
Du Feng simply repeated the explanation he had given Ma Hongjun earlier.
At the same time, he congratulated him.
"Mubai, congratulations on your victory."
Dai Mubai laughed.
"Come on, you won too, didn't you?"
The two of them began praising each other modestly.
After all, friends should support one another.
Standing to the side, Ma Hongjun's lips twitched slightly as he listened to their mutual compliments.
These two are truly shameless, he thought to himself.
Seeing Ma Hongjun's expression, Du Feng immediately guessed what he was thinking.
A mischievous idea suddenly came to his mind.
He said casually, "Ah, I finally won a match today and earned ten Gold Soul Coins for free. I really don't know how I should spend them."
Dai Mubai immediately understood Du Feng's intention and joined in.
"Exactly! These ten Gold Soul Coins are so troublesome. I can't seem to get rid of them no matter how hard I try. Fatty, why don't you teach us how to spend them?"
Hearing their exaggerated remarks, Ma Hongjun felt deeply wounded.
After all, he was genuinely poor.
Aside from the monthly subsidy he received from the Spirit Hall, he had no other source of income—unlike these two wealthy guys.
Ma Hongjun was about to retort angrily.
But when Du Feng saw the chubby boy's indignant expression, he suddenly lost interest in teasing him.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop joking," Du Feng said with a smile. "Let's go. Dinner is on me tonight."
Ma Hongjun's expression instantly changed.
The anger on his face disappeared completely, replaced by an eager grin.
"Brother Feng, you're the best!"
Du Feng couldn't help but laugh at the sudden transformation.
Nine-year-old Ma Hongjun was surprisingly adorable.
In a few years, this kid would grow into the infamous and shameless Ma Hongjun everyone knew.
It was a pity there were no cameras here. Otherwise, Du Feng would have loved to record this moment and preserve it as embarrassing evidence for the future.
Just as Du Feng was joking around with Ma Hongjun, Flender suddenly descended from above.
He looked at Du Feng and Dai Mubai with clear satisfaction in his eyes.
"Alright," Flender said calmly. "Today's lesson is over."
"You two can return to the academy on your own."
"Ma Hongjun, come with me."
Flender was clearly in an excellent mood.
Earlier that night, he had placed quite a large bet on the two of them.
And the results had been very profitable.
These two students had earned him several thousand Gold Soul Coins.
Seeing that Ma Hongjun had to leave, Du Feng said casually,
"Fatty, don't say I didn't think of you. You still need to deal with your evil fire problem anyway, right? I won't keep you any longer. Mubai, let's go."
Ma Hongjun followed Flender reluctantly, feeling extremely annoyed.
After all, he had just missed the chance to take advantage of the wealthy Du Feng.
Led by Dai Mubai, Du Feng went to a fairly decent restaurant in Soto City.
The two ordered a large table full of dishes and enjoyed a hearty meal together.
After finishing their meal, they also packed some food to bring back for Oscar and Ma Hongjun.
By the time they returned to Shrek Academy, it was already quite late.
On their way back to the dormitory area, they knocked on Oscar's door and handed him the food. Oscar was extremely grateful.
Since Ma Hongjun had not returned yet, they simply placed his portion inside his dorm room.
After finishing everything, Du Feng returned to his own dormitory.
He washed up, sat cross-legged on his bed, and began his nightly meditation.