At this point, only the fatty among the Shrek Seven Devils had removed his mask, and among the dozen or so students from Canghui Academy, only two had ever seen them before. So none of them recognized these people.
"Who are you calling a toad?" The first one to leap forward was Tai Long.
"Whoever's wearing that shit-green uniform. Hm, let me think — each of you is still missing a green hat. Put one on and it'd be truly perfect." The speaker was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. Tang San and the others had never seen him before. His complexion was rather pale, his build tall and thin, and his small eyes were filled with disdain and contempt.
"I'll show you who's the toad!" Tai Long's fist was already swinging. He had never been one for patience, and with that provocation, how could he possibly hold back?
"Tai Long, come back." Tang San's voice rang out. Tai Long's fist, which had been about to fly, froze in midair. He turned to look at Tang San. "Third Young Master, I—"
Tang San said calmly, "What good is trash talk? If you want to fight, save it for the ring. Don't you know that brawling between Soul Master academies is forbidden here? Where did this pack of little white dogs come from? Does anyone own them? Better hurry up and leash them before they cause trouble."
Behind his mask, Tang San's expression was perfectly placid, carrying at most a hint of impatience. He didn't even spare a proper glance at the people from Canghui Academy.
"Who are you calling dogs?" The students from Canghui Academy had no composure to speak of. In an instant they surged forward, their auras pressing outward — and they did seem to have a modicum of real strength.
Dai Mubai picked up the thread with practiced ease: "Whoever's barking up a storm here is the dog. A pack of strays at that. Xiao San, we can't start fights here, but self-defense should be fine, right? I wouldn't mind escorting these little white dogs home."
The Canghui Academy crowd was seething with rage. Just then, a vigorous and powerful voice boomed out: "What are you all doing?"
Hearing that voice, the expressions of the Canghui Academy students instantly turned sycophantic. They hurriedly parted to both sides, and from behind them emerged an elderly man of about sixty. He wore the same moon-white Soul Master attire, though the embroidery on his garments was done in gold.
Flandre had been watching coldly from the side, but when he saw this person, his gaze flickered involuntarily.
Ma Hongjun let out a whistle. "Oh, the owner of the little white dogs has arrived. Quick, take your pups and get them out of here. Save them from barking up a storm. If they end up doing their business all over the place and dirty the venue, that would be a real shame."
To the surprise of everyone from Shrek Academy, the old man merely cast a brief, indifferent glance at Ma Hongjun and made no move to retaliate. Instead, he barked a curt command: "Move." With that, he turned and strode off toward the other side of the rest area. The students from Canghui Academy exchanged bewildered glances, but none dared utter another word. They obediently followed him away.
The fatty burst out laughing. "The owner shows up and suddenly they behave. So obedient."
"That's enough, Fatty." Flandre shot Ma Hongjun a glare, and the latter finally shut his mouth, though a rebellious glint still lingered in his eyes.
Flandre furrowed his brows slightly. "I didn't expect that old fox to have ended up at Canghui Academy. It seems the quality of students they've sent to compete this time should be rather impressive. Could that reckless behavior just now have been an act?"
Ma Hongjun was closest to Flandre and quickly asked, "Teacher, who was that old man just now? Do you know him?"
Flandre nodded. "That old fox is called Shi Nian. His Martial Soul is quite unique — it's a special type that has form but no substance. It can generate all manner of illusions, trapping people within them and leading them astray. With his current strength, he can drive opponents lost in his illusions to self-destruct. We call his Martial Soul the Residual Dream. That old fox is extremely sinister. Don't be fooled by his calm exterior — he is the type to settle every grudge, no matter how trivial. All of you, be careful. When I first knew him, his Soul Power was already over rank sixty. By now, it's probably above rank seventy."
Illusions? There was a Martial Soul like that? The Shrek Seven Devils were simultaneously startled, their minds racing to figure out how they might counter it. But most of them wore expressions of blank confusion.
Flandre continued, "That Martial Soul of his is a nightmare to deal with. Even Soul Masters far more powerful than he is generally prefer not to tangle with him. All right, the opening ceremony is about to begin. Get ready to enter. Mubai, Tang San — you two lead everyone in. I'm going to head on ahead. I'll be up in the stands watching you shine."
Without giving anyone a chance to protest, the Academy Head had already slipped away, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Sure enough, staff members from the tournament soon entered the rest area and organized the assembled students to begin their procession in.