After Li Chang'an and his group stepped off the stage, Dai Mubai's duel had also come to an end. But now, both Ma Hongjun and Tang San were looking at Li Chang'an with noticeably changed expressions.
Knowing something is one thing—but experiencing it personally is another. Tang San and Ma Hongjun had always believed they wouldn't lose to someone like Li Chang'an, who only had two spirit rings. But the truth proved them dead wrong—and not just a little wrong, wildly wrong.
Especially Tang San. The Tang Sect techniques he took such pride in looked like child's play before Li Chang'an. It was as if Li Chang'an had seen through his every move. The blow to his pride was heavy.
Once outside, Li Chang'an glanced around and asked curiously, "Where's the Dean?"
Dai Mubai replied helplessly, "Who knows? He just told us to head back after our duels were over."
Li Chang'an shrugged. "Alright then. Let's all head back together."
With Flender absent, it naturally fell to him to look after everyone's safety.
Even as they exited the Spirit Arena, the echoes of the cheering crowd still rang in their ears. Today's duels might not have brought massive rewards, but the real combat experience was valuable in itself. And Li Chang'an had earned over a hundred thousand points, leaving him thoroughly pleased.
Of course, as his strength continued to grow, the number of points he'd need would jump into the hundreds of thousands, even millions. Still, with what the Gods at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had contributed to him, along with today's earnings, he had more than enough for now.
Then again, once he reached the level of a Title Douluo, showing off in front of a crowd of tens of thousands probably wouldn't be enough anymore. He'd need to think of new ways to make an impression by then.
"You guys go on ahead. The Dean asked me to drop by his place real quick," Ma Hongjun suddenly said, his small eyes flashing with a gleam of excitement.
Li Chang'an couldn't help but feel a bit speechless.
'So Flender was really taking Ma Hongjun to that kind of place, huh…'
Which raised the real question—what exactly was Flender planning to do while Ma Hongjun was enjoying himself? Was he planning to indulge a little too?
Dai Mubai gave a half-smile that wasn't quite a smile. "Alright then, we'll go back first. Take it easy."
"Boss Dai, aren't you coming?" Ma Hongjun asked.
"Nope. Quit the nonsense and get going," Dai Mubai snapped, giving him a glare—but the corner of his eye flicked over to Zhu Zhuqing.
Li Chang'an frowned slightly at that, though he didn't say anything. He was confident enough to compete with Dai Mubai if it came to that. But honestly, Ma Hongjun had just shoved Dai Mubai into a pretty awkward spot.
Fatty, for his part, was slow to pick up on Dai Mubai's glare. His chubby face was slightly flushed with excitement. "Come on, let's go together. Didn't you say women aren't people, they're resources?"
Dai Mubai couldn't take it anymore. "Get lost! I don't have such trashy taste!"
Ma Hongjun gave a disgruntled snort, but when he saw the dangerous glint in Dai Mubai's Eyes, he opened his mouth—then shut it again, not daring to argue. He turned and left.
"Boss Dai, where's that lecherous fatty off to now?" Xiao Wu asked innocently.
Dai Mubai let out a hearty laugh. "You called him lecherous—so what do you think he's doing? His evil fire's acting up again."
Xiao Wu wrinkled her nose. "Off to harass more poor girls, huh? I swear, his spirit mutation must be connected to his perverted nature."
Dai Mubai shrugged. "You say 'harass,' but not everyone sees it that way. Haven't you ever heard of a place called a pleasure house?"
Tang San looked skeptical. "Wait… you're saying the Dean actually took him to a brothel?" He'd heard of such places in his past life, so he knew exactly what they were.
Dai Mubai replied, "It's not ideal, but there's really no other choice. Ma Hongjun's spirit, apart from its flaw, is one of the most powerful beast spirits out there. He's also the Dean's personal disciple. What else can they do—let him give up cultivation? Let him explode from his own spirit energy?"
Then, for once, Zhu Zhuqing spoke. Her voice was icy and dismissive: "Men are filthy."
Li Chang'an almost spoke up to defend himself—his own conduct was perfectly clean—but decided to hold back, especially since Xiao Wu stepped in for him.
Xiao Wu giggled. "Come on, Zhuqing, don't lump everyone together. My brother's super clean. He's nothing like those two."
Li Chang'an gave Xiao Wu a silent thumbs-up. At the moment, he only had one spirit beast girlfriend—Xiao Wu. Clean as a whistle.
Surprisingly, Zhu Zhuqing glanced at him and didn't refute Xiao Wu's words.
Dai Mubai scowled. "Alright, alright—your man is as pure as snow, and the rest of us are filthy. Fine. But at least my taste is better than that fatty's."
Xiao Wu immediately put on an expression that basically said, "Obviously." That look made Dai Mubai silently fume. Deep down, he had the sense that Li Chang'an was operating on a whole other level. But he didn't know how to refute it—and besides, he couldn't beat Li Chang'an in a fight either.
As Dai Mubai stole another glance at Zhu Zhuqing, he saw she was already looking at him—but her gaze was colder than ever. With a chilling snort, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly walked up to him and said, "You think your taste is better than his?"
Dai Mubai was stunned for a moment, unsure how to respond. "Zhuqing, I…"
Only then did he realize what a mistake his words had been. Saying his taste was better than Fatty's was still admitting he had a taste for that kind of woman—whether high-class courtesans or back-alley girls, what did it matter?
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes were full of scorn and contempt. "You're fifteen? You disgust me." With that, she turned and walked away.
Since coming to Shrek Academy, Dai Mubai had always been restraining himself. But now, the proud and arrogant youth couldn't hold back his fury anymore. "Stop right there!"
Zhu Zhuqing didn't even glance at him. Instead, she sped up and walked away even faster.
"You—!" Dai Mubai suddenly raised his right hand, white light surging around his palm. He had never been known for a good temper—in fact, he was notoriously hot-headed.
But just then, a figure silently appeared in front of him.
"You planning to hit her?" Li Chang'an asked calmly.
That tone alone was enough to make Dai Mubai lower his hand. The white light flickered once and disappeared, and he let out a heavy breath like a roaring tiger.
"I don't know what kind of past you two share," Li Chang'an said, "but Dai Mubai, remember this—if you want to be a man, you need to carry yourself like one. If you can't even keep your own conduct in check, you don't have the right to lose your temper."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Also, I really hate guys who raise their hands against girls. If you can't control your temper next time—don't blame me for stepping in."
With those words, Li Chang'an turned and walked off with Xiao Wu. He had never intended to play the role of a gentle teacher. And as far as he was concerned, Dai Mubai had no right to posture, not when he couldn't even walk the line himself.
After Li Chang'an left, Dai Mubai stared at his back. His fists clenched… then slowly relaxed. His expression grew complicated. He had never been spoken to like that before—but with Li Chang'an's strength and presence, he found himself unable to deny a single word of it.
Meanwhile, as Li Chang'an walked ahead with Xiao Wu, he suddenly noticed Zhu Zhuqing standing by the roadside, as if she'd been waiting.
"Zhuqing? Is something on your mind?"
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