Ma Hongjun let out a sigh as he looked around. "This place doesn't look too big, but at least it's got everything. Hopefully the food tastes decent."
Eight people sat around one table, but the atmosphere was far from harmonious. Tension simmered between Lin Jie and Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing wore her usual icy expression, and Ning Rongrong seemed lost in thought, head lowered. Only Ma Hongjun joked and chattered, but even that couldn't lighten the mood—it was a little awkward.
At that moment, the restaurant was about 60–70% full.
Then, the front door opened, and a group of people entered. Leading them was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties. His appearance was unremarkable, but he wore a finely tailored pale-blue Soul Master's robe.
Following behind him were six men and one woman, all appearing around twenty years old, similarly dressed in light-blue robes. Every one of them, including the middle-aged man, had an emblem stitched onto the shoulder of their robes—a circular patch with two characters embroidered inside: 苍晖 (Canghui).
It was clear from their clothing that they were Soul Masters. In contrast, Lin Jie and his group were dressed casually and didn't look much different from ordinary people. The new arrivals, on the other hand, clearly preferred to flaunt their identity—but Lin Jie couldn't care less.
The restaurant owner immediately rushed up to greet the newcomers with a smile and bow, treating them with obvious deference—completely different from how he had treated Lin Jie's group.
That was when Ma Hongjun's lecherous instincts kicked in. "Damn, that chick is hot—great curves, especially there, really tempting." He nudged Dai Mubai. "Boss Dai, these guys must be from Canghui Academy, right?"
The girl was indeed attractive—objectively speaking, her looks were above average. While Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Xiao Wu were all beauties in their own right, they were still in their teens and lacked the mature charm that appealed to someone like Ma Hongjun, who clearly had a preference.
Dai Mubai gave a side glance and grunted in acknowledgment, then turned his face away, still visibly annoyed that Lin Jie was sitting nearby. Just being in the same space seemed to sour his mood.
With a curl of his lip, Dai Mubai muttered, "Tch. Just Canghui Academy. What's there to show off about?"
He and Ma Hongjun hadn't bothered to lower their voices. Though the restaurant was somewhat noisy, these were all Soul Masters—and their enhanced hearing made it easy to catch every word.
The middle-aged man from Canghui Academy turned to look in their direction, his brows furrowing, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he calmly led his students to a table and sat down. However, when Dai Mubai insulted them again—calling Canghui Academy trash—his expression darkened visibly.
Oscar leaned toward Tang San and whispered with a grin, "Heh, things are about to get interesting."
Lin Jie sighed inwardly. This was heading straight for trouble. He had never agreed with the "philosophy" Flender taught their students—something Oscar now repeated.
Oscar whispered, "Dean Flender always said, 'A Soul Master who doesn't stir up trouble isn't a good Soul Master.' After all, picking fights with other academies is the safest kind of trouble—it's just a brawl at most."
What kind of logic is that? Lin Jie thought disdainfully. If you pick on someone weaker, sure, it's fine. But what if you provoke someone stronger? Even if they don't kill you, breaking an arm or leg is well within reason—and if you started it, good luck blaming anyone but yourself.
He had wanted to tell the others to let it go—but before he could say anything, Dai Mubai had already opened his mouth again.
Just like that, conflict erupted.
Dai Mubai and the people from Canghui Academy clashed almost immediately, and the restaurant was thrown into chaos.
Some guests scrambled to flee, while others stayed to watch, eager for a free show. After all, Soul Master battles were normally only seen in arenas—getting one live, and for free, was a rare treat.
Canghui's students couldn't take the insult any longer. All six stood up in unison, eyes blazing. Just as they were about to rush over, the middle-aged teacher held out his hand and stopped them.
His face stern, the man asked coldly, "Which academy are you from?"
Hearing his question, Lin Jie actually felt a touch of respect. He admired that the teacher still showed restraint, even when his students were being provoked.
Unfortunately, Dai Mubai was in no mood for civility.
His pupils gleamed with cold light. "Who do you think you are? Not qualified to 'ask names' here." With that, he casually leaned back in his seat.
The teacher's face grew darker. "What an arrogant bunch of kids."
And with that, the real brawl began.
Xiao Wu was the first to leap into action. With a flash, she darted straight toward the Canghui students, looking almost excited to fight.
The Canghui students hesitated when they saw it was just a girl rushing at them. None of them made the first move.
Oscar turned to Tang San and chuckled. "Aren't you gonna help her? Don't let her get bullied."
Tang San smiled slightly. "Don't be fooled by her looks. Xiao Wu is no pushover. I feel bad for them."
Having trained for years, Tang San had already reached the observational stage of the Purple Demon Eye. He could easily assess the strength of their opponents—and Lin Jie noted this with some surprise.
That Purple Demon Eye really is a top-tier technique. Even without clashing, he can already gauge their power. Lin Jie didn't possess such a technique himself, but if the opportunity arose to learn it… well, that'd be nice. Not likely, though.
Xiao Wu acted fast. In the blink of an eye, she had flipped two of the Canghui students and sent them flying.
Spectators gasped. Who would've thought such a petite girl could fight like that?
The Canghui teacher barked angrily, "Idiots! Use your Martial Souls!"
Oscar wiped his eyes in disbelief. "Damn, that was brutal. Glad I've never pissed her off."
Meanwhile, Lin Jie sat calmly, still eating. His chopsticks moved without pause. Ning Rongrong looked at him, puzzled. "Aren't you going to help?"
He shook his head. "I don't agree with what Oscar said earlier. But with their strength, Xiao Wu and the others can handle it. Besides, we're the ones who started this."
Rongrong thought for a moment, then nodded. "That's true."
Soon, Xiao Wu was called back, and Dai Mubai and Tang San stepped in. The result? An overwhelming win for Shrek.
The Canghui teacher—now thoroughly furious—prepared to retaliate. As they all walked out of the town, his face was still burning with anger.
Stopping in their path, he called out coldly, "This is your last chance. Apologize now, and I'll let it go."
Dai Mubai smirked. "Apologize? What's right and wrong in this world? Whoever has the bigger fist decides what's right. Beat us first, then talk."
For once, Lin Jie agreed with him.
In this world, there was no absolute right or wrong—only what the strong decided.
Finally, the Canghui teacher—now identified as Ye Zhiqiu—lost all patience. "Fine. All of you, come at me. I'll teach you a lesson myself."
Just as a real fight was about to break out, Lin Jie, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing remained seated. They had no intention of joining unless absolutely necessary.
But before fists could fly, Zhao Wuji suddenly arrived and cut through the tension like a blade. "That's enough. Go back and get some sleep."
Without even sparing a glance at the Canghui group, he waved his hand and ordered the Shrek students to return to the inn.
Ye Zhiqiu snapped, "So you're the teacher from Shrek? Your students insulted us. Don't you think we deserve an explanation?"
Zhao Wuji's response? A cold snort and more insults. Left and right, he called them trash.
Lin Jie chuckled to himself. No wonder he teaches people like Dai Mubai—they're cut from the same arrogant cloth.
Eventually, tempers flared and fists did fly. Ye Zhiqiu ended up being sent flying by a slap from Zhao Wuji, much to everyone's shock.
In the end, the Canghui group could only retreat in humiliation.
Because in this world, right and wrong don't matter.
Only strength does.