Chapter 28: The Price of Luxury
The heavy, suffocating aura of a Spirit Sage pressed down on the dirt plaza. Headmaster Flender stood with his arms crossed, his sharp, predatory eyes glaring through his square glasses at the silver-robed aristocrat.
"I am waiting, Bai Ming," Flender said dangerously. "The groundskeeper said there was a flash of golden light, and when he looked through the window, the academy's property had vanished."
Oscar and Ma Hongjun instantly shrank back. They knew exactly how terrifying the Headmaster could be, especially when it came to money. To Flender, destroying academy property was a crime punishable by endless, brutal physical labor.
Bai Ming, however, was completely unbothered. He didn't even blink against the Spirit Sage's pressure.
"The groundskeeper is entirely correct, Headmaster," Bai replied smoothly, brushing a speck of dust from his silk cuff. "I disintegrated them."
Flender's eyes widened, his face flushing with sudden, intense anger. "You what?! Do you have any idea how much those beds cost?! I don't care if you are a noble, boy, you cannot just waltz into my academy and destroy—"
"It was a biological hazard," Bai interrupted, his voice dropping into a tone of such profound, icy elitism that it actually made Flender pause. "It is a crime against basic hygiene to expect me to sleep on splinters and mildew. The environment was unclean, so I purged it."
"Purged it?!" Flender roared, stepping forward. "Well, where are you supposed to sleep now?! Are you going to sleep on the floor?!"
"No," Bai answered simply. "I replaced the destroyed items with my own furniture."
Flender stopped dead in his tracks. The fiery anger in his eyes flickered, instantly replaced by the shrewd, rapidly calculating gleam of a seasoned merchant. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his hooked nose.
"Replaced them?" Flender repeated slowly, the hostility evaporating entirely. "With your own furniture?"
"Yes," Bai smirked. "Imported memory-foam mattresses, ironwood desks, and silk bedding."
Oscar and Ma Hongjun watched in absolute bewilderment as the Headmaster's terrifying aura completely vanished, replaced by a massive, greedy smile that stretched from ear to ear.
"Well now," Flender chuckled, suddenly looking like Bai's best friend. He rubbed his hands together. "You know, Bai, the academy is entirely committed to the comfort of its students. And, as it happens, the teachers' dormitories, the cafeteria, and my own office are also suffering from... biological hazards. I don't suppose you would be willing to perform this 'purge' for the rest of the campus?"
Bai let out a soft, mocking laugh. "Let me guess. You want me to furnish the entire academy for free."
"You know me so well, Bai! Hahaha!" Flender laughed heartily, slapping his own thigh.
"I can certainly accommodate you, Headmaster," Bai said, his pitch-black eyes gleaming with absolute, multiversal cunning. "However, while I was planning to renovate the ladies' quarters as a courtesy... if you want me to furnish the rest of the academy, it is going to COST you."
Flender physically recoiled.
The word 'COST' hit the stingy owl like a physical blow. He staggered a half-step backward, clutching his chest as if he had just taken a direct strike from a Spirit King. His face paled.
"C-cost?" Flender wheezed. "But... but you are a wealthy noble! A philanthropist! Surely you wouldn't charge your poor, struggling Headmaster?"
"We can discuss the exact terms of our arrangement in private," Bai smiled, radiating the ruthless energy of Lord Shenyuan. "I will meet you in your office shortly. Oh, and Headmaster? The furniture I provide is for the academy to use. If I discover you have secretly sold my high-end beds to a city merchant to buy cheaper replacements and pocket the difference, I will incinerate your office."
Flender groaned, his shoulders slumping as his exact plan was ruthlessly shut down. "Fine, fine. I will be in my office. Don't take too long, my heart can't take this kind of financial stress."
Flender turned and leaped into the night sky, flying back toward the main administration building to prepare for the negotiation.
Once the Headmaster was gone, the girls let out a collective sigh of relief.
"You are the only person on the continent who could threaten Flender's wallet and live to tell the tale," Oscar muttered in awe.
"Stand back," Bai instructed, turning back to the girls' dormitory.
He stepped up to the doorway. The Cosmic Origin Core spun, and the blinding wave of golden Sun-Ape Ki erupted into the room. For five seconds, the cabin glowed like a miniature sun as every splinter, speck of dust, and moldy straw mattress was flash-vaporized.
The light snapped off. Bai walked into the sterilized, empty room and tapped his void-black spatial ring.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Three massive, plush beds materialized, perfectly spaced apart. Next came three beautifully carved ironwood wardrobes, and a matching desk for each girl, complete with spirit-powered crystal lamps. He even added a thick, woven rug that spanned the entire floor.
Bai stepped out of the room, adjusting his silver collar. "It is finished. You may enter."
Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing rushed inside. The moment they felt the silk sheets and smelled the clean, sterilized air, their faces lit up with pure joy.
"It's perfect!" Rongrong squealed, practically diving onto her new mattress. "It's even better than my bed back at the clan!"
Zhu Zhuqing ran a hand over the polished ironwood desk, a rare look of total satisfaction on her usually cold face. Xiao Wu bounced on her bed, her rabbit ears twitching happily.
"Thank you, Bai Ming!" Xiao Wu smiled brightly. "This is amazing!"
"A proper environment fosters proper cultivation," Bai replied flawlessly, offering a polite bow from the doorway. "Sleep well, ladies. I must go have a conversation with an owl."
Leaving Oscar and Ma Hongjun crying tears of jealousy outside the girls' dorm, Bai Ming turned and walked smoothly toward the administration building, ready to completely buy out the Headmaster of Shrek Academy.
Chapter 28: The Price of Luxury (Continued)
The main administration building of Shrek Academy was only slightly more structurally sound than the student dormitories. Bai Ming pushed open the heavy wooden door to the Headmaster's office and stepped inside, the pristine silver silk of his robes contrasting sharply with the dim, cluttered room.
He had expected to find Flender eagerly tallying up potential expenses. Instead, the Headmaster was standing behind his desk, looking deeply stressed. Sitting in a slightly too-small wooden chair beside the desk was Vice Dean Zhao Wuji.
The Vigorous Vajra Bear looked terrible. While Bai had extracted Tang San's poison the day before, Zhao Wuji's face was now sporting a fresh collection of severe, dark purple bruises. One of his eyes was swollen shut, and he was favoring his left side heavily.
As Bai entered, both men immediately snapped their attention to him.
"Ah, Bai Ming," Flender said, forcing a welcoming, albeit strained, smile. "Please, take a seat. We have much to discuss regarding the... renovations."
Bai glided smoothly across the room and sat in the empty chair across from the desk. He crossed one leg over the other, leaning back with perfect aristocratic posture. However, he didn't immediately bring up the cost of imported memory-foam mattresses.
Instead, Bai reached into his void-black spatial ring.
With a soft hum, he produced a perfectly spherical, milky-white pearl the size of a plum. He set it gently on the center of Flender's scarred wooden desk.
The moment the pearl touched the wood, it pulsed with a soft, azure light. A translucent, sound-dampening barrier instantly expanded outward, perfectly enclosing the desk and the three of them in a soundproof bubble of spirit energy.
Flender and Zhao Wuji both stiffened, their combat instincts instantly flaring at the sudden deployment of a high-tier spirit tool.
"Relax, Headmaster," Bai said smoothly, his voice dropping to a calm, calculating register. "It is merely a Sea-Demon Isolation Pearl. It prevents sound and spiritual probing from penetrating the barrier."
"And why would we need that in my own office?" Flender asked, his eyes narrowing defensively.
Bai leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the armrests, his pitch-black eyes locking onto the two Spirit Sages.
"Because my Void Instinct is incredibly sensitive to atmospheric pressure," Bai explained, his tone completely flat. "And since I arrived at this village, I have felt a massive, exceptionally heavy kinetic signature hovering at the edge of the academy grounds. It feels like a mountain trying to hide behind a blade of grass. So, tell me, Headmaster... do you happen to know why a Title Douluo is currently hanging around your school in the middle of the night?"
Dead silence filled the isolation bubble.
Flender's eyes widened in sheer shock. A drop of cold sweat visibly rolled down the side of his sharp face. Zhao Wuji physically flinched, his hand instinctively flying to his freshly bruised, swollen face as if the phantom pain of a massive hammer had just struck him again.
He sensed him?! Flender thought, his heart pounding against his ribs. A twelve-year-old kid sensed a Title Douluo intentionally hiding his aura?! Just what kind of monster is this boy?
Zhao Wuji let out a heavy, rattling sigh, slumping back in his chair. "I told you the kid was a freak, Flender."
"Keep your voice down, Wuji," Flender hissed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He looked at the perfectly composed, silver-robed aristocrat with a newfound layer of profound caution.
"You have very sharp senses, Bai," Flender admitted, his voice low. "But you do not need to worry. That presence is... a concerned parent. He paid us a visit late last night."
"A parent?" Bai raised a single, immaculate eyebrow. He glanced at Zhao Wuji's freshly beaten face. "Judging by the Vice Dean's newly acquired facial remodeling, I assume this 'parent' was quite passionate about his child's education."
Zhao Wuji grunted, looking away in embarrassment. "The bastard hits like a falling meteor."
Flender sighed, leaning heavily on his desk. "It was Tang San's father. He is... highly protective. And he was not particularly pleased with how the entrance exam played out."
Bai's internal King Beast chuckled darkly. Of course it was Tang Hao. The Clear Sky Douluo had been watching his precious hypocrite of a son.
"In fact," Flender continued, looking at Bai very seriously, "you should consider yourself incredibly lucky, Bai Ming. Tang San's father heard every word you said to his son on the training field. He was furious about the humiliation. He was fully prepared to pay you a visit in your dorm room last night to 'teach you a lesson in respect.'"
Bai's dark eyes gleamed with a sudden, dangerous, purely Saiyan excitement that he quickly buried beneath his aristocratic mask. A fight with the Clear Sky Douluo? That would have been the ultimate test for his Sun-Ape Ki and Cosmic Origin Core.
"Is that so?" Bai murmured smoothly. "How unfortunate that I missed him."
"Unfortunate?!" Zhao Wuji barked, wincing as the outburst pulled his bruised ribs. "Boy, you don't understand! If he had come to your room, you would be a smear on the floorboards right now! You might have a ten-thousand-year ring, but you are still just a Spirit Grandmaster!"
"Zhao Wuji and I managed to talk him down," Flender explained, taking credit for saving the young noble's life. "We convinced him that your presence here is ultimately beneficial. Tang San is a genius, but he is rigid. Having a powerful, wealthy, and highly critical rival like you in his class will push him to grow faster. We convinced the Douluo that you are the perfect whetstone for his son's blade."
Bai Ming stared at the two sweating, exhausted men. They genuinely believed they had saved his life. They thought Tang Hao was the absolute apex of the food chain, and that Bai was just an arrogant kid who had almost poked a sleeping dragon.
They had absolutely no idea that the "whetstone" sitting across from them possessed the physical density of titanium, the bloodline of a Star Dou King Beast, and enough multiversal wealth to buy the entire Heaven Dou Empire.
A slow, brilliant, entirely predatory smile spread across Bai Ming's face.
"I see," Bai said, his metallic voice laced with deep, hidden amusement. "I must thank you, then, Headmaster. It seems I owe you a debt of gratitude for mediating on my behalf. Truly, your dedication to your students is commendable."
Flender, misreading the Saiyan's predatory smile as genuine aristocratic relief, immediately relaxed. The greedy glint returned to the owl's eyes behind his square glasses.
"It was nothing, Bai, nothing at all! We protect our own here at Shrek," Flender laughed, rubbing his hands together. "Which, of course, brings us back to the matter of the academy's... renovations. Since we saved you from the wrath of a Title Douluo, perhaps you could see your way to giving the academy a rather steep discount on that new furniture?"
Bai laughed—a rich, echoing sound that filled the soundproof bubble.
"Headmaster," Bai smirked, leaning forward to rest his chin on his steepled fingers. "You can have the furniture. I will renovate the teachers' quarters, your office, and the dining hall. I will even provide the highest quality imported silk and ironwood for free."
Flender's jaw dropped. "For... for free? Really?!"
Chapter 28: The Price of Luxury (Revised Ending)
"In exchange, I want something far more valuable than gold," Bai's eyes narrowed, the terrifying, absolute authority of Lord Shenyuan fully bleeding into the small office. The temperature in the room seemed to drop by ten degrees.
Flender swallowed hard, his greed momentarily eclipsed by the sheer, suffocating presence radiating from the twelve-year-old boy. "What do you want?"
Bai leaned back in his chair, his posture flawless but his pitch-black eyes burning with Saiyan pride and the untameable will of a King Beast.
"I want absolute, unquestioned freedom," Bai declared, his metallic voice ringing with finality. "I will choose my own spirit rings. I will forge my own path. I will not have my cultivation dictated by your academy's standard curriculum, nor will I follow a single command or order from anyone I deem unworthy."
Zhao Wuji frowned deeply, his bruised face twisting. "Bai Ming, this is an academy. You have to learn to work in a team. You can't just—"
"I can, and I will," Bai interrupted smoothly, his gaze cutting to the Vice Dean like a physical blade. "Let me be abundantly clear. If you attempt to force me into a subservient role beneath someone I despise—such as your precious, hypocritical 'whetstone' Tang San, or that cowardly feline Dai Mubai—I will simply pack up my spatial ring and walk out of your gates forever."
Flender's eyes widened. Losing Bai Ming didn't just mean losing a genius student; it meant losing the biggest influx of wealth Shrek Academy had seen in twenty years.
"I require the freedom to train exactly how I want, when I want," Bai continued, ruthlessly laying out his terms. "And my resources belong exclusively to me. I will not share my wealth, my alchemical herbs, or my accommodations with anyone I dislike. The girls and Oscar have earned my tolerance. The other two have earned nothing but my disgust."
Bai leaned forward, resting his chin on his steepled fingers, staring directly into the Headmaster's soul.
"You get your luxury furniture, Headmaster. You get the prestige of having me on your roster. And in return, you stay out of my way. Do we have a deal, or should I go disintegrate the beds I just placed in the ladies' quarters?"
Flender stared at the boy. His mind raced. On one hand, allowing a student such absolute autonomy went against everything he believed about team building. On the other hand, Tang Hao had explicitly wanted Tang San to have a rival—someone to push him. What better rival than a terrifyingly powerful, vastly wealthy noble who fundamentally refused to bow to Tang San's leadership?
More importantly... the sheer cost of the furniture Bai was offering was staggering.
Flender looked at the Sea-Demon Isolation Pearl on his desk, then looked back at Bai Ming. The stingy owl slowly pushed his square glasses up his nose, a massive, calculating grin spreading across his face.
"Absolute freedom to train your own way, and the right to refuse orders from your peers," Flender repeated, holding out his hand across the desk. "You drive a terrifyingly hard bargain, Young Master Bai. But... Shrek Academy is all about fostering monsters. Deal."
Bai smiled—a sharp, victorious expression. He reached across the desk and firmly shook the Spirit Sage's hand.
Bai smiled—a sharp, victorious expression. He reached across the desk and firmly shook the Spirit Sage's hand.
Then, Bai's demeanor shifted entirely. The suffocating, terrifying aura of Lord Shenyuan vanished as if it had never existed, flawlessly replaced by the polite, well-mannered facade of Young Master Bai.
He reached out and picked up the Sea-Demon Isolation Pearl. The azure light faded, and the soundproof bubble surrounding the desk instantly popped.
The sounds of the night—the chirping of cicadas and the rustling of the wind—flooded back into the room. Along with it, the crushing, invisible kinetic pressure of the hidden Title Douluo lurking on the edge of the village subtly brushed against the building.
"Well then!" Bai announced suddenly, his voice projecting loudly and clearly, echoing off the wooden walls of the office. "It is settled! Since I am now officially a student here, I simply must contribute to the academy's growth. I will perform all of the renovations and provide the luxury furniture entirely for free!"
Flender and Zhao Wuji both jumped, completely caught off guard by the sudden shout and the absolute reversal of terms. Flender opened his mouth to ask what the boy was talking about, but Bai smoothly raised a single, immaculate finger to his own lips.
Shh. Bai's pitch-black eyes locked onto the two seasoned Spirit Sages. He gave a microscopic tilt of his head toward the window, his eyes gleaming with profound, calculating intelligence.
Flender's breath caught in his throat. A cold sweat broke out on Zhao Wuji's back.
He's putting on a show, Flender realized, his heart hammering against his ribs. He dropped the sound barrier and is deliberately speaking loudly so the Clear Sky Douluo can hear him acting like a generous, loyal student! This kid... his acting is flawless!
"We are a team, after all," Bai continued loudly, placing a hand over his heart with perfect aristocratic sincerity. "I would never dream of hoarding my wealth while my esteemed teachers and classmates suffer in poverty."
Zhao Wuji coughed awkwardly, quickly catching on. "Ah... yes. Thank you, Bai Ming. Your... generosity is unmatched."
Bai lowered his hand from his lips, pacing smoothly in front of the desk. He kept his voice at that carrying, theatrical volume, perfectly projecting the image of an observant, dedicated peer.
"Furthermore, Headmaster, I believe we must accelerate our schedule," Bai stated, shifting into a highly analytical tone. "During my sparring session with Ma Hongjun this evening, I noticed his internal spirit power fluctuating violently under the pressure of my strikes. His Yang energy has reached a saturation point. He is on the verge of breaking through to Rank 30 at any moment."
"Fatty is breaking through?!" Flender gasped, his surprise entirely genuine this time.
"Indeed," Bai nodded. "And with Oscar having already reached Rank 30, that makes two of our numbers who urgently require a spirit ring hunt. I came to this academy for true, grueling training. I have no desire to sit around waiting for our bedridden peers to slowly heal."
Bai tapped his void-black spatial ring. Two wooden boxes materialized in his hands, which he promptly placed on Flender's desk. He snapped the lids open.
Inside the first box rested a pale, translucent root that pulsed with a faint, cooling mist—a Cleansing-Blood Ginseng. In the second box was a vibrant red flower with petals as hard as iron—a Bone-Knitting Lotus. The sheer, concentrated medicinal energy radiating from the boxes instantly filled the room, proving their immense value.
"Take these," Bai instructed, his tone a mix of noble generosity and impatient pragmatism. "Have the healer brew the ginseng for the hypoc—for Tang San. It will instantly purge any lingering toxins and stabilize his exhausted meridians. Grind the lotus into a paste and apply it to Dai Mubai's chest. It will fuse his fractured ribs by tomorrow morning."
Zhao Wuji stared at the priceless herbs, utterly dumbfounded. "You... you're just giving these away? To the kids you couldn't stand this morning?"
"I am simply removing obstacles," Bai replied smoothly, though the hidden meaning in his dark eyes was clear to the two teachers: I want them out of the infirmary so we can leave this village.
"Heal them tonight," Bai commanded softly. "Because tomorrow, we depart for the Star Dou Great Forest. I have delayed my own progression long enough."
Without waiting for a response, Bai offered a flawless, ninety-degree bow that any listening Title Douluo would find impeccably respectful.
"Goodnight, Headmaster. Goodnight, Vice Dean."
Bai Ming turned and glided out of the office, the door clicking shut behind him.
Inside the office, Flender and Zhao Wuji sat in complete, stunned silence. They looked at the priceless medicinal herbs on the desk, then at the empty chair where the twelve-year-old mastermind had just sat.
Flender slowly took off his square glasses and rubbed his temples, a headache already beginning to form.
"Wuji," Flender whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "Did that boy just completely bypass our curriculum, force a premature expedition to the Star Dou Forest, and buy his own absolute freedom... all in under ten minutes?"
Zhao Wuji groaned, gingerly touching his bruised ribs. "I told you, Flender. He's a freak. Heaven help whoever he decides to target out in that forest."
Chapter 28: The Price of Luxury (Conclusion)
High above the dilapidated rooftops of Shrek Academy, hidden within the dense canopy of an ancient oak tree, a massive shadow crouched in the absolute darkness.
Tang Hao, the legendary Clear Sky Douluo, sat motionless. A worn, tattered black cloak draped over his broad shoulders, concealing the devastating, hammer-like kinetic pressure that radiated naturally from his bones. His deep, weathered eyes were locked onto the glowing window of the Headmaster's office.
For the past ten minutes, the continent's youngest Title Douluo had been experiencing something entirely unfamiliar: complete, absolute sensory deprivation.
He had felt the silver-robed boy enter the office. He had been fully prepared to listen in on the conversation, ready to intervene if the arrogant noble pushed Flender to expel Tang San. But the moment Bai Ming sat down, Tang Hao's spiritual probing had smashed into an impenetrable, azure wall.
A high-tier isolation artifact, Tang Hao thought, his thick eyebrows furrowed in deep suspicion. To completely block the spiritual senses of a Rank 95 Title Douluo... that is no ordinary tool. Not even the imperial families possess something that flawless.
He had waited in the silence, his massive right hand subconsciously gripping the phantom weight of the Clear Sky Hammer.
Then, abruptly, the invisible barrier vanished.
"Well then! It is settled! Since I am now officially a student here, I simply must contribute to the academy's growth. I will perform all of the renovations and provide the luxury furniture entirely for free!"
Bai Ming's voice rang out, crystal clear and brimming with what sounded like absolute, unshakeable sincerity. Tang Hao blinked, his tense muscles relaxing slightly.
He listened as the boy casually deduced Ma Hongjun's impending breakthrough, accelerating the academy's schedule. But what truly gave the Clear Sky Douluo pause was what happened next.
Even from his perch fifty yards away, Tang Hao's sharp senses picked up the sudden, overwhelming burst of pure medicinal energy wafting from the opened boxes on Flender's desk.
A Cleansing-Blood Ginseng? And a Bone-Knitting Lotus? Tang Hao's breath caught in his throat.
He was a master blacksmith and a veteran of the continent. He knew the absolute rarity of those herbs. They were the kind of priceless alchemical treasures that major clans fought bloody wars over. Yet, this twelve-year-old boy was casually tossing them onto a desk just to heal a rival and speed up a hunting trip.
Tang Hao watched through the leaves as the door opened and Bai Ming stepped out into the night, gliding smoothly toward his newly renovated dormitory.
The Title Douluo focused his terrifying, invisible gaze entirely on the boy.
He is hovering right around Rank 33, Tang Hao analyzed, trying to gauge the boy's true strength. But... what is that feeling?
Usually, a Spirit Master's internal energy flowed like a river—visible, readable, and bound by the laws of their Martial Soul. But when Tang Hao tried to probe Bai Ming's meridians, his spiritual force slipped away, as if hitting the event horizon of a black hole. The boy's spirit power was impossibly dense. It didn't feel like a normal beast or tool spirit; it felt heavy, ancient, and terrifyingly compressed. It was a completely alien sensation that made Tang Hao's battle-hardened instincts flare with a subtle, biological warning.
Tang Hao leaned back against the thick trunk of the oak tree, his mind racing.
A twelve-year-old boy with a ten-thousand-year black ring. A boy possessing isolation artifacts that could blind a Title Douluo. A boy whose casual pocket change consisted of world-class healing herbs.
Just what kind of monstrous power is standing behind this child? Tang Hao thought, a rare drop of cold sweat prickling the back of his neck.
Tang Hao was arrogant. He possessed the Clear Sky Hammer, the undisputed strongest tool spirit in the world. But he was also a realist. He knew the Douluo Continent was vast, and there were hidden, ancient powers—like the monsters lurking on Sea God Island or hermit clans dating back thousands of years—that operated far beyond the reach of Spirit Hall or the upper three sects.
If this "Young Master Bai" was the sole heir to one of those hidden factions, assassinating the boy in his sleep to avenge Tang San's bruised ego would be a catastrophic mistake.
Tang Hao looked down at his own scarred hands, a bitter, self-deprecating sneer crossing his face.
He was currently a fugitive. His internal injuries from fighting the Supreme Pontiff years ago had never fully healed. More importantly, he had zero backing. His relationship with the Clear Sky School was at an absolute breaking point. His reckless actions had indirectly caused the death of his father, the previous Sect Master, and forced his clan to seal their mountain and hide like cowards.
If Tang Hao provoked an ancient, hidden superpower by killing this boy, he wouldn't be able to turn to his brother or his clan for help. In fact, given how much the elders currently hated him, if this mysterious faction demanded justice, the Clear Sky School might personally hunt Tang Hao down and offer his head on a silver platter just to avoid being dragged into another war.
Flender and Wuji were right, Tang Hao conceded silently, the crushing kinetic pressure around his body slowly dissolving into the night air. Little San is too rigid. He relies too heavily on Xiaogang's theories and his hidden weapons. He needs a wall he cannot easily climb. He needs a rival who cannot be intimidated.
Tang Hao looked toward the infirmary, where he knew his son was currently sleeping, soon to be completely healed by the very boy who had humiliated him.
Let him be your whetstone, Little San, Tang Hao thought, pulling the dark cowl of his cloak over his head. Survive him. Surpass him. But until you are strong enough to carry the hammer... I will not provoke the monster hiding behind him.
With a silent rustle of leaves, the Clear Sky Douluo faded seamlessly into the shadows, leaving Shrek Academy entirely in the hands of the multiversal King Beast.