Douluo Dalu 1: The Tang Family Rebel

Just as everyone was having a pleasant conversation, a series of "dong dong dong" sounds suddenly echoed from outside.

Dai Mubai quickly stood up and said, "That's the bell for the dean's meeting. Fatty, take them straight to the training ground. I'll go call Zhu Zhuqing." After speaking, he hurriedly left the dining hall.

Ma Hongjun looked at his retreating figure and muttered, "Big Brother Dai seems a bit different. I've never seen him care so much about a woman before."

Ning Rongrong chuckled and said, "You're still so young, talking about women all the time."

Ma Hongjun snorted proudly, "Although I'm not old, I've still had a few women. Let's go, the dean doesn't like people who are late." He seemed to shiver slightly as he said this, clearly recalling past experiences.

"Teacher Tang, we'll go ahead," the group greeted Yun Chuan before hurriedly heading out.

Yun Chuan nodded and continued eating his breakfast. Although it was initially difficult to swallow, when he focused and tasted it carefully, the simple meal had its own flavor. Anyway, he wouldn't be staying here much longer.

By the time Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Ma Hongjun arrived at the training ground, Oscar, still half asleep, had already arrived. He was munching on a sausage he had made himself.

Oscar looked very different now, especially because the beard he used to have was gone.

When Tang San saw him, he almost didn't recognize him. Without his full beard, Oscar looked like a completely different person. Ma Hongjun had once said that Dai Mubai and Oscar had "bitch faces," but that was clearly a jealous remark. Now, Tang San understood what Ma Hongjun was envious of.

Dai Mubai was already very handsome, especially with his unique eyes, which were naturally attractive. However, in terms of appearance alone, Oscar—now without his beard—was even more striking.

Oscar had deep-set "peach blossom" eyes, giving him a profound aura. His face was like jade, and he wore a playful smirk, looking every bit like a charming noble young man.

Of course, no matter how handsome a nobleman was, holding a sausage while eating it didn't make him look quite as good.

"Your beard?" Tang San walked up to Oscar and pointed at his face.

Oscar grinned and quickly finished the sausage. In a low voice, he said, "Well, there are a few new beauties here. If I don't clean up a bit, how will they notice me? You don't have experience in this area, do you? Big Brother Dai obviously likes that cold girl. Xiao Wu is yours, and Fatty's fiery temper won't attract any girls, so my target is Ning Rongrong. You won't fight me for her, right?"

Tang San smacked his forehead. "How old are you?"

Oscar replied without hesitation, "Fourteen. What's wrong? My dad had me when he was fourteen."

Tang San suddenly realized that if one wanted to test their mental fortitude, coming to Shrek Academy would definitely be a great choice. Forget about the teachers; even the students here were all monstrous talents. Even he himself had skills that didn't belong to this world, like his secret weapon techniques.

Soon, Dai Mubai arrived with Zhu Zhuqing, who kept her distance from him, and Dai Mubai's expression seemed somewhat upset.

Oscar grinned maliciously. "Looks like Big Brother Dai is hitting a wall. His usual methods with women aren't working this time."

While they were talking, a middle-aged man walked from the opposite direction of the training ground. The man appeared to be in his fifties, with a robust build. His face was quite unique, with a slightly protruding chin, wide cheekbones, a flat face, and a hawk-like nose.

If one had to describe him, his face resembled the bottom of a shoe. Despite his eyes being closed, he still had a somewhat crafty appearance. He wore a pair of black-framed crystal glasses with a stiff, square frame.

Oscar introduced him from the side, "This is our dean, the founder of Shrek Academy, the Four-Eyed Cat-Eagle, Flender. A Soul Sage at level 78. He's even more powerful than Teacher Zhao. He has a flying-type beast spirit, which is quite rare among battle soul masters. Fatty is his direct disciple."

Xiao Wu mumbled, "Thank goodness, he's only a level 78. I didn't expect that the famous quote, 'Only monsters, no ordinary people,' actually came from him. Uncle Big Sausage, does our academy have any Soul Douluo-level soul masters?"

Oscar shook his head. "Please call me Sausage Specialist Oscar. Do you think Soul Douluo is something you can just find in a market? There are fewer than a hundred people of that level across the entire continent. They are all supported by the empire or its allied kingdoms. As for Title Douluo, there are only about ten across the two great empires combined. They're not so easy to meet."

Xiao Wu seemed relieved. "That's good."

Tang San glanced at Xiao Wu. "Xiao Wu, what's wrong?"

Xiao Wu shook her head and evasively said, "Nothing."

Tang San could tell she didn't want to say more, so he didn't press further.

At this moment, Flender walked over to the seven students and stopped in front of them. His distinctive hoarse voice rang out, "This year is a good one. We have four more little monsters. I, Flender, the dean of Shrek Academy, welcome you all. Later, each of you will hand in 100 gold coins to Teacher Li, who handles the finances. Mubai."

"Dean," Dai Mubai stepped forward, showing a lot of respect and even some admiration.

Flender continued, "We have four new junior brothers and sisters, so you should tell them the academy rules later. Then, everyone should go back and rest. Try to get yourselves into the best condition possible. The first class will begin tonight. Oscar, Ning Rongrong, you're the exceptions. Follow me."

Oscar's face immediately fell. Reluctantly, he walked over to Flender and saluted. When he saw Ning Rongrong walking next to him, his expression softened a bit.

Flender waved his hand. "The rest of you can go rest. Remember, get yourselves into the best condition before nightfall. Don't say I didn't warn you. Our academy's teaching method is very different from other places. You might even face danger."

Zhu Zhuqing turned and left without a word. Dai Mubai didn't chase after her this time. Ma Hongjun was quick to leave as well, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Tang San wasn't in a hurry to leave; he wanted to observe how the dean taught.

Oscar and Ning Rongrong's martial souls were auxiliary-type, which was likely why they didn't have class tonight. What puzzled Tang San was why the teaching would take place at night.

Tang San wasn't leaving, so naturally, Xiao Wu stayed by his side, quietly watching.

Flender wasn't bothered, and he said to Oscar and Ning Rongrong, "Everyone has their own training methods. Martial souls are different, so the ways to cultivate them vary greatly. On the Douluo Continent, there are almost no identical martial souls, so what our academy will teach you is not how to cultivate your martial soul, but how to use it, how to better preserve yourself in future battles, and how to support your teammates."

Tang San found Flender's words somewhat familiar. After thinking for a moment, he realized that Master had said something similar before, but Master had been more detailed in his explanation.

Oscar seemed to have heard something similar before and nodded without much reaction, while Ning Rongrong nodded deeply.

Flender continued, "Both of you are auxiliary-type soul masters, one adding attributes and the other using food-type martial souls. A soul master like you needs protection from your teammates, both on the battlefield and in daily life, or you won't survive. Oscar, tell me, how can an auxiliary-type soul master better protect themselves on the battlefield?"

Oscar immediately answered, "Try to stay behind your teammates, use all the terrain and buildings around you to avoid risks. Stay as far away from danger as possible."

Flender nodded and said, "That's correct. But there's one thing you didn't mention. As an auxiliary-type soul master, running away is a must-have skill. If you don't know how to run, you're not a good soul master. And running requires what? Stamina. Although as a soul master, your physical fitness is better than an ordinary person's, the enemies you may face could be battle soul masters. Therefore, as an auxiliary-type soul master, you also need to train your physical strength. At a critical moment, maybe just one more step in your escape could save your life."

Oscar understood Flender's point and, after hearing this lecture, secretly thought, "Well, today I'm not escaping this."

Sure enough, after Flender's long speech, he nodded to Oscar and Ning Rongrong and said, "Your lesson today will be physical training. From now on, run twenty laps around the village. If you don't return before lunch, you won't get lunch. You can use your martial souls for assistance. Now, go. Oscar, lead the way."

"Yes," Ning Rongrong responded and immediately ran out, while Oscar, with an unwilling look, glanced at Tang San and the others before following.

The village where Shrek Academy was located wasn't big, but Oscar knew that Flender meant the entire village, including the farmland. One lap was at least three kilometers. Twenty laps was a daunting task. Despite their level 20-odd soul power, finishing this before lunch was going to be grueling for auxiliary-type soul masters. Even for battle soul masters at level 20, it wouldn't be an easy task.

As Oscar and Ning Rongrong ran off, Flender pointed at Tang San and said, "You, come with me."

Tang San nodded and waved to Xiao Wu behind him, signaling for her to stay put. He then followed Flender into the academy.

(End of chapter)