Qi Lin clapped his hands and smiled, squinting as he looked at Flender. "Dean Flender, I believe this little fatty has now learned what it means to respect his teachers."
The truth was, Qi Lin had been harsher on Ma Hongjun than usual—and not without reason. His personality didn't typically lead him to dislike someone based on first impressions alone. Even in his previous life, despite the poor online reputations of Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, Ma Hongjun, and Dai Mubai, he'd never outright hated them. If anything, he'd simply been curious about their characters in the book.
But after actually meeting them in person, their deep-rooted flaws began to surface, slowly shifting Qi Lin's feelings from curiosity to contempt.
Yu Xiaogang was greedy for fame and profit—arrogant and self-important.
What truly left Qi Lin speechless, though, was that even now, with him already being over level 40 as a Soul Ancestor, Yu Xiaogang still hadn't given up the idea of making him a disciple. His persistence was so unshakable that even Qi Lin had to admire it.
As for Tang San—he wore a kind face but hid a ruthless heart. Outwardly, he acted like a brother and a friend, but Qi Lin never once saw genuine warmth in his eyes. So while he didn't go out of his way to avoid Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, he had no intention of getting close to them either.
Then there was Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun.
One was cowardly and incapable, completely lacking in responsibility.
The other was arrogant and brainless, only daring to bully the weak while cowering before the strong.
Although his time spent with them had been short, both had left Qi Lin with terrible impressions.
Barring any surprises, once the group headed to the Imperial Capital with Shrek Academy, that would be his cue to leave.
Not far off, Flender's mouth twitched after hearing Qi Lin's words. But he could tell Ma Hongjun wasn't seriously injured—most of the damage was superficial. Only that last kick might have hit his internal organs.
So Flender didn't look worried. In fact, he seemed pleased.
Hopefully, after this lesson, Fatty would wise up. That stupid head of his really needed some fixing.
"Haha! Well done. That kid's the perfect example of someone who needs a beating every few days or he'll start tearing the roof off."
"You giving him a thrashing today might finally hammer some sense into him."
Flender laughed heartily, showing no change in attitude toward Qi Lin.
"Just a small matter," Qi Lin replied with a shrug. Still, he was a little surprised by Flender's reaction. After all, Ma Hongjun was his direct disciple. Yet Flender wasn't even slightly upset by the brutal beating.
That alone made Qi Lin think a little more highly of him.
The other teachers, meanwhile, were still in awe of Qi Lin's display. Several stepped forward to praise him, though none were foolish enough to ask how a support-type soul master like him could wield such terrifying strength.
Elsewhere, Flender turned to glance at Dai Mubai and Oscar. His gaze lingered on Dai Mubai for a moment, then he looked to Oscar and said meaningfully:
"Little Ao, get Fatty two recovery sausages."
"Oh! Right!" Snapping out of his shock at watching Qi Lin beat Ma Hongjun senseless, Oscar quickly chanted his signature incantation with a lewd grin.
"I, your father, have a big sausage!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, two sausages appeared in his hand. He jogged over to Ma Hongjun.
"L-Little Ao… hurry up and feed me the sausage…" Ma Hongjun groaned in pain, his body still twitching.
Oscar looked at Ma Hongjun's face, now swollen like a pig's head, and shuddered as he recalled the harmless look Qi Lin had worn earlier.
Holy crap… That contrast is terrifying!
Still, Oscar shoved the sausages into Ma Hongjun's mouth in time.
As soon as the sausages were swallowed, Ma Hongjun's pained moans began to subside, though the swelling on his face didn't go down much.
With that little scene concluded, Qi Lin officially became a teacher at Shrek Academy.
As the crowd dispersed, Qi Lin, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing were just about to leave when a familiar voice called out behind them.
"Zhu Zhuqing!"
At the sound of Dai Mubai's voice, Qi Lin and Xiao Wu turned to look at Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing paused slightly, then shook her head. "Ignore him. Let's go."
Without sparing Dai Mubai another glance, the three continued walking.
Seeing this, Dai Mubai frowned, then strode forward to block their path.
"Zhuqing, can we talk?" he asked. "You crossed half the continent from the Star Luo Empire's capital just to find me, didn't you?"
"Well, here I am. So why won't you even acknowledge me?"
Zhu Zhuqing sneered. "What's there to talk about? Shouldn't you be busy sleeping with that pair of twin sisters instead of standing here trying to block my way?"
At that, realization dawned on Dai Mubai's face. "So it was you three outside the boutique yesterday…"
The memory of her catching him red-handed, arms wrapped around the twins, made Dai Mubai silently curse his bad luck. But he kept his face earnest.
"Zhuqing, that was a misunderstanding. I don't have any real relationship with them. It was just… playing along, nothing serious."
Zhu Zhuqing let out a cold laugh. "Do you take us all for fools?"
"You expect me to believe that kind of pathetic lie? Dai Mubai, you're hopeless."
Dai Mubai's expression darkened. "Zhu Zhuqing, must you go this far?"
"We were supposed to—"
"There's no 'supposed to!'" she cut him off coldly.
"From this day forward, you and I are nothing to each other."
Her voice was resolute, leaving no room for argument.
Dai Mubai's eyes flickered with a trace of rage. His face turned stormy.
"Zhu Zhuqing, are you sure about this?"
"Without me, how do you expect to fight Zhu Zhuyun and Davis?"
At his words, Zhu Zhuqing staggered slightly, her face turning pale.
Dai Mubai noticed this detail. A smirk crept onto his face.
Hah. Let's see you act tough now.
But just as he was about to gloat, a voice came from beside Zhu Zhuqing.
"That's easy. She just needs to become a Titled Douluo."
The moment those words landed, both Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai turned to stare at Qi Lin in shock.
"Hahaha!"
"She? A Titled Douluo?"
"Don't be ridiculous."
Although Dai Mubai had never seen Zhu Zhuqing in person before their engagement, he knew her innate soul power was only level seven. At that level, reaching even Soul Douluo was a stretch—let alone Titled Douluo.
But while Dai Mubai was sneering, Zhu Zhuqing looked at Qi Lin, eyes filled with confusion—and a flicker of longing.
"Do I… really have a chance to become a Titled Douluo?"
Qi Lin smiled warmly and spread his arms. At that moment, he seemed like a god who held the fate of all lives in his hands.
"Hard work and perseverance are the answers you give yourself."
"And fate will favor all who hold firm to their convictions."
"Take a bold step forward—the path lies at your feet!"