Douluo Dalu 1: The Tang Family Rebel

Among soul masters, spirit rings are the ultimate symbol of authority. Seeing the three rings on Dai Mubai, including one that was a thousand years old, the boy's father turned pale, muttered something about bad luck, and hurriedly dragged his son away.

Dai Mubai returned to his seat, his evil eyes sweeping coldly over the remaining youths and their parents in line. The threat in his gaze was unmistakable.

The pressure exuded by three spirit rings was not something ordinary people could withstand. At this moment, Dai Mubai seemed less like a wayward noble and more like a hired enforcer.

This scene was enough to make a third of the waiting crowd leave immediately. No one wanted to waste their money, especially since the dilapidated appearance of Shrek Academy hardly inspired confidence.

Another young boy approached the elderly man at the registration desk, his parents accompanying him. The boy's mother confidently placed ten gold coins in the wooden box, and the boy obediently stretched out his hand.

The old man pinched the boy's hand and glanced at him with his yellowish eyes. "Just twelve years old. Release your martial spirit and let me take a look."

The boy nodded, releasing a faint green soul power. A hundred-year yellow spirit ring hovered up and down around him, its aura strong and unmistakable. His martial spirit appeared as a thick vine, winding protectively around his body.

This vine-like martial spirit bore some resemblance to Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, except it was not a grass but an actual vine, similar to Tang San's second spirit ability, the Ghost Vine, though without the toxin.

The old man shook his head and said, "Not qualified. You may leave."

The boy's parents, initially full of confidence, froze at the words. The boy's mother couldn't help but protest. "Why? My son is one of the top students at his elementary academy. Didn't you see his spirit ring is a hundred years old? It's rare for a spirit master to have that!"

The old man replied flatly, "A first spirit ring being a hundred years old is commendable, but he's just an ordinary person."

The boy's father frowned. "I don't understand what you mean."

Growing impatient, the old man stood up from behind the desk, addressing not only the boy's parents but the entire line. "Before coming to register at Shrek Academy, you should know our rules. Otherwise, you're just wasting your registration fee. There's still time to back out. Do any of you know the meaning of the word 'Shrek' in our academy's name?"

Most of the applicants looked at him blankly. The old man continued coldly, "Shrek is a kind of monster, an exceptionally rare and bizarre creature even among soul beasts. At Shrek Academy, we're known as the Monster Academy. This means we only accept monsters, not ordinary people. If you're over thirteen years old or your soul power hasn't reached level 21, don't waste your time here."

To reinforce the academy's authority, the old man released a powerful aura. One white, one yellow, three purple, and one black—six spirit rings emerged from his feet. Though far from the optimal spirit ring configuration, in the remote Barak Kingdom, a soul emperor above level 60 was a rare and powerful existence.

"Not over thirteen years old and already at level 21? That's basically only accepting prodigies." As everyone was marveling at the old man's power, Yun Chuan, who had been standing nearby, couldn't help but comment.

"Exactly. Another word for monster is genius. Shrek Academy is an academy that only accepts geniuses," the old man admitted openly.

"Then why don't these geniuses just go to one of the four elemental academies or a royal academy? Why come to this backwater place to suffer? Can this dump even be called a soul master academy?" Yun Chuan retorted.

In the original story, every member of the Shrek Seven Devils was extraordinarily talented, with several having innate full soul power. They were undisputed prodigies in any faction. Given that, what was the point of Shrek Academy? Turning geniuses into geniuses? They were already geniuses—what teaching was needed? Most importantly, the academy lacked even the most basic simulation training grounds. Without Tang San, the protagonist of the original story, wasn't it just wasting talent?

"Brat, I've tolerated you long enough. Stop with the sarcasm!" The old man, already irritable from dealing with endless applicants, finally snapped. His earlier calm demeanor was merely a façade, and Yun Chuan's comments lit the fuse.

"What sarcasm? Am I not stating facts?" Yun Chuan spread his hands, feigning innocence.

He admitted that Flender and Zhao Wuji were excellent teachers, but even so, Shrek Academy was a subpar institution. The lack of infrastructure couldn't be made up for by a few strong teachers.

"You…" The old man was furious, looking ready to make a move.

"Don't! Calm down, both of you!" Dai Mubai rushed over to mediate. He already knew Yun Chuan was the academy's new teacher, so he couldn't let the two fight in public. It would damage the academy's reputation.

Personally, Dai Mubai sided with the old man, but he couldn't deny that Yun Chuan's words had some truth. Shrek Academy was indeed dilapidated. If he hadn't been forced to flee his homeland, he wouldn't have ended up in such a remote place, let alone joined Shrek Academy by chance.

"Move aside, Mubai. I must teach this brat some respect today!" The old man was relentless, clearly passionate about defending the academy.

From the sidelines, Xiao Wu whispered to Tang San, "Brother, is that guy really a Shrek teacher? But if he's a teacher, why did he beat that pervy tiger, Dai, so badly the other day? And why didn't he seem to recognize him then?"

"I don't know. Maybe there's something we don't understand," Tang San replied, equally puzzled. There wasn't enough information to figure it out.

"Brat, dare to have a soul master duel with me?" The old man, now blinded by anger, challenged Yun Chuan directly.

"You want to fight me? Are you sure? Did you forget my level?" Yun Chuan extended his hand, revealing a Blue Silver Grass in his palm. Around him appeared seven spirit rings: two yellow, two purple, and three black—the optimal configuration.

Of course, this was merely an illusion created by Yun Chuan. He altered the colors of his rings to appear more conventional. His real configuration—seven black rings—was too shocking. Most would assume it was fake since it defied all logic. Normally, only the fifth ring could be ten thousand years old. Having ten-thousand-year rings from the very start was beyond belief and would be dismissed as a trick.

"Gasp!" The crowd collectively sucked in their breaths.

Looking at Yun Chuan's youthful face and his seven terrifyingly powerful spirit rings, the shock and pressure he exerted were leagues above the old man's.

"Damn! I forgot this brat is a soul saint!" The old man, his anger suddenly doused by cold reality, realized he had been challenging a young soul saint. Regret and dread set in.

"Where did this monster come from?"

The elder had only wanted an excuse to teach Yun Chuan a lesson, but now he was stuck. How could a six-ring Spirit Emperor fight a seven-ring Spirit Sage? Was he supposed to fight with his head? Moreover, Yun Chuan was younger and more vigorous. If they fought, the elder would likely end up beaten.

"This fight absolutely can't happen! If I lose, I'll lose all my dignity as an elder!" He was desperate, and his eyes inadvertently fell on Dai Mubai, who was also shocked by the revelation that the new teacher was a Spirit Sage. The elder quickly signaled him.

Dai Mubai understood instantly, returning a knowing look. The elder felt reassured, thinking, "Out of everyone, Mubai is still the most reliable."

But then, the next words out of Dai Mubai's mouth left his face stiff.

"Don't worry, Teacher! I'll go prepare the grounds immediately!" Dai Mubai said enthusiastically. After all, this was a battle between a Spirit Sage and a Spirit Emperor—how could he not be excited to witness it? As for the venue, there was plenty of open space in Shrek Academy. After all, it was so poor!

This was precisely why Yun Chuan said Shrek was dilapidated. The place was tiny and mostly empty lots. The housing was so shabby it made people want to cry, and the meals were even worse. Yun Chuan had stayed just one night after joining the academy before fleeing.

Back at the academy, Dai Mubai had only learned there was a new teacher. He hadn't realized this teacher was a seven-ring Spirit Sage until now.

He recalled how Ma Hongjun had wanted to test the new teacher, saying only "old monsters" could teach "little monsters." That fool should be thankful the teacher wasn't around at the time. Otherwise…

Thinking of how the teacher's summoned wooden figure had beaten him to the brink of collapse, Dai Mubai shivered. "Fatty, I hope you behave. Otherwise, you're doomed."