Some pain can only be understood after experiencing it firsthand.
"Brother, now I finally understand why Shuang'er and her sister avoided you.
And, it turns out you really had your reasons!"
The little devil Ning Rongrong was also afraid. For a pampered princess like her, pain was the worst thing.
So she took the initiative to suggest that Ma Hongjun find her a few more sisters-in-law.
Everyone has a strong possessive desire, especially in love.
However, there are exceptions, and Ma Hongjun is an exception.
"Sister Chengxian is already with Boss Dai, and Yuanyuan and Uncle Big Sausage are also in love.
Only Zhuqing is left.
Zhuqing is so old, she must be...
Brother, what do you think of Zhuqing?"
Ning Rongrong said thoughtfully. As expected of a unique little devil, her ideas were always bold. After understanding her brother's pain, she realized that she couldn't help Ma Hongjun alone.
Ning Rongrong's change of heart was not an exaggeration at all; Ma Hongjun knew it all too well.
Looking back at Ma Hongjun's early romantic experiences in the original story, Cuihua loved him, but why did she break up with him? And Cuihua was just one example of his many ex-girlfriends.
"My dear sister!"
Ma Hongjun looked at Ning Rongrong with pity; she was truly a sensible sister.
"Hmph, I know what you're thinking."
Ning Rongrong glared at Ma Hongjun, feeling a surge of resentment she couldn't vent.
"I also want to help Zhu Qing. She's working so hard to cultivate so she can quickly improve her strength.
Brother, I can help you pursue Zhu Qing, but if she doesn't like you, we can't force her. After all, Zhu Qing's personality is too cold."
"Don't say anymore, Rongrong, I understand your good intentions."
...
The second phase of training, unsurprisingly, will take place in Soto City, at the Great Soul Arena.
Having been constantly consuming gold soul coins, it's time to start earning some, and Soul Battles are undoubtedly a quick way to make money, as long as one is confident in their strength.
They will need to stay in Soto City for the next period. With the support of Boss Xiang Chengxian, the entire third floor of the Rose Hotel is reserved for the Shrek Academy members.
The third floor houses VIP suites, each luxuriously decorated with a different theme and unique ambiance, all named for couples.
This is a rare treat.
The four teachers arrived, splitting into two rooms: Zhao Wuji and Shao Xin stayed in the green "Farewell," while Grandmaster and Flander stayed in the yellow "Sincerity."
Among the female students, the usually aloof Zhu Zhuqing, who always stayed alone, was invited to share a room by Ning Rongrong due to limited space; the two chose the red "Ocean."
Xiang Chengxian and Xiao Yuanyuan chose the pink "Tenderness."
Dai Mubai and Oscar stayed in the blue "Enchantress."
Tang San and Ma Hongjun had no choice but to stay in the white "Pure Innocence"!
After settling everyone in, Grandmaster called the eight to the yellow "Sincerity" room.
"Now you can freely form groups to decide which Soul Battle competition to participate in. The Grand Soul Arena usually starts with one-on-one and two-on-two matches. Team battles, although separate from the former two, start later and are considered the most attractive battles in the Grand Soul Arena.
Staggering the times also helps generate more ticket revenue. You must participate in one team battle each day; the other is optional. I don't object to you participating in three, provided you have a good grasp of your soul power."
The main purpose of Soul Battles is to hone your skills and improve your combat experience; making money is secondary.
The Master's requirement for team Soul Battles is precisely for team cohesion.
"You can decide on other Soul Battle methods yourselves, but the premise is that it cannot affect the team battles. Your team name will be Shrek Team."
The Master said, sizing up everyone.
Among the eight, Ma Hongjun naturally had the most experience in team battles. Back in Musu Town, under the tutelage of the devilish Chu Tianye, Ma Hongjun and the others had their team combat abilities consciously cultivated.
Later, he led the Xiang family's Soul Battle to victory, and with his own strength, he now possesses strong leadership qualities.
He is the only choice for captain.
In team battles, the role of control-type Soul Masters is core; generally, control-type Soul Masters are the soul of a team.
Tang San, as the only control-type Soul Master in the team, and having been influenced by Grandmaster's theories, has a deep understanding of team battles. In addition, his meticulous personality and careful thinking make him a key figure in command.
Therefore, he will assume the position of vice-captain.
Although the two are young, they are more mature than the others. Although Xiang Chengxian is the oldest, he is too cold, like Zhu Zhuqing.
"Hong Jun and Xiao San are the captain and vice-captain of the team. You two will discuss and command the team battles."
As he spoke, Grandmaster took out eight pre-prepared masks from his Soul Guidance Bracelet.
Everyone was familiar with the appearance of the masks; they were the symbol of Shrek Academy, the green monster image of Shrek.
Ma Hongjun took a mask and put it on. The mask's craftsmanship was average, but it fit his face well, revealing his eyes, mouth, and nose, which wasn't a problem.
"When participating in team battles, you'll compete as members of the Shrek Academy team. For individual spirit battles, you'll choose your own titles for two-on-two matches. For one-on-one matches, each of you will choose a nickname. Use your nicknames for the matches. As long as you state this when you register, your real names won't appear in the arena."
Everyone understood the Grandmaster's meaning. They were all too young, especially Ma Hongjun, who had reached the Soul Master/Soul Venerable level at Tang San's age.
Although it was inevitable that they would attract attention, it was best to keep a low profile.
For example, after Ma Hongjun and the others returned from the Star Dou Great Forest with their third and fourth spirit rings, they didn't register with the Spirit Hall. This
was to avoid attracting attention.
The others were fine, but Ma Hongjun's spirit ring configuration was so outstanding that he couldn't remain low-key even if he wanted to.
Huang Zizi was alright before; although her spirit ring configuration exceeded the optimal range, it was still within people's acceptable understanding.
The current combination of yellow, purple, and black will definitely attract attention if it appears.
After all, Soul Masters are already a mainstay of the Soul Master world.
Therefore, wearing a mask is the best way to minimize his appearance and at least prevent others from knowing his age.
Ma Hongjun is going to participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament, so honing his teamwork is essential.
Attracting attention from various forces is unavoidable; some things cannot be avoided.
"What nicknames should we use?"
"A spirit is often a spirit master's most prominent identifier; it can't be hidden.
I think we should name our nicknames after our spirits."
"Mu Bai already has one, Evil-Eyed White Tiger, that's pretty good."
"Cheng Xian also has one, I think it's called Black Rose."
"That's a nickname someone else gave me, I don't like it, I don't want to use that nickname."
"Let me think, let's match Mu Bai, let's call it Demonic Black Tiger, which is exactly the same as your fourth spirit skill."
"Okay!"
"Rongrong and Zhu Qing, let's call them by their spirits, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile and Netherworld Cat."
"That sounds good, suitable for the two girls!"
"Xiao San's Blue Silver Grass spirit is too common, not imposing enough. I think Xiao San's hidden weapons are the most powerful; his throwing speed is so fast, and the hidden weapons are so lethal, how about calling him Thousand-Handed Asura?"
"Hmm, not bad, that sounds imposing."
"It sounds very powerful!"
"He's a ruthless person."
"What should we call Xiao Ao and Yuanyuan?"
It's worth mentioning that because Ma Hongjun joined early, the academy wasn't short of money. Oscar also met Xiao Yuanyuan early on, so he didn't sell sausages, and his nickname "Sausage Specialist" was meaningless.
Ma Hongjun thought of Xiao Yuanyuan's round shape, plus the fact that her bread was mostly round.
Ma Hongjun chuckled and said, and everyone else lowered their heads and laughed embarrassedly. Xiao Yuanyuan blushed
. Dai Mubai followed up,
"The nicknames are descriptive and fitting, but they're a bit..."
Before Dai Mubai could finish, Xiang Chengxian pinched him.
"You guys discuss it slowly, and tell me when you've decided."
The master couldn't stand it anymore; he realized he might be getting old and couldn't keep up with the young people. He
pushed open the door and walked out.
"I don't want to, boss!"
"Me neither, boss!"
Oscar and Xiao Yuanyuan protested.
"How about this, we eight people vote by raising our hands. Raise your hand if you disagree," Ma Hongjun said.
Oscar and Xiao Yuanyuan were the first to raise their hands.
The other six looked at each other, the three girls blushing slightly but ultimately not raising their hands.
The other five avoided looking at Oscar and Xiao Yuanyuan, secretly laughing behind their backs, looking rather gleeful.
Only Ma Hongjun openly displayed his mischievous intent.
Generally, in voting situations, unless there's a particularly strong demand, most people won't raise their hands if it doesn't concern them, finding it too troublesome.
So Ma Hongjun used this clever voting method, making those who disagree raise their hands.
Actually, it wasn't really clever, because apart from Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing being uncertain, the other four were experienced.
"You guys..."
Oscar and Xiao Yuanyuan were too shy to speak.
At this point, the support role was in a difficult position, having no say.
"Okay, now it's Hongjun's turn. He's already given us nicknames, so I think we seven should decide his nickname,"
Oscar said to the group. He seemed to have an idea and was now trying to recruit people.
Before Oscar could speak, Dai Mubai began his analysis.
Oscar continued:
"Golden Spear, Silver Thief!
How about this? Hongjun's fourth soul skill is the Golden Spear, plus he's a Silver Thief. Hehe!"
"Mubai, Oscar, what do you two mean? When did I become a Silver Thief? Have I ever cheated on you?"
"Hmph!"
Dai Mubai snorted. He wasn't blind; he could see Ma Hongjun making advances on his fiancée.
"Hmph!"
Oscar also snorted. He wasn't blind either; he could see Ma Hongjun frequently glancing at his Yuanyuan.
At this moment, Tang San, who had been silent, spoke up.
"Golden Spear, Silver Thief doesn't sound right, and I don't think it suits Hongjun's temperament."
Ma Hongjun rolled his eyes at Dai Mubai and the other man, then put his hand on Tang San's shoulder.
"Little San is the most reliable, good brother!"
Tang San pushed Ma Hongjun away embarrassedly and continued.
"I think 'Unbreakable Golden Spear' sounds better. Didn't you say Hongjun's martial soul mutated and developed special abilities?"
Upon hearing "Unbreakable Golden Spear," Dai Mubai and Oscar exclaimed in delight, while Ning Rongrong quietly lowered her head, her face flushed red to her neck.
She deeply understood the fitting nickname and dared not stand up to refute Ma Hongjun.
The other three women also watched the four men insulting each other with shame.
Ma Hongjun said angrily,
"Little San, I misjudged you. You are no longer the pure and innocent Tang San Shao."
His lifelong reputation might be ruined.
It seemed that Tang San and Dai Mubai had not forgotten the grudge he had caused by that needle.
Tang San suddenly remembered that in his previous life, there was a powerful martial art called "Unbreakable Golden Spear," which was why he blurted it out. Although he understood that it had two meanings, he still felt that this nickname was very suitable for Ma Hongjun.
"No, I disagree!" " Let's vote
by raising our hands!" "Those who agree, raise your hands." "Whoosh!" Five hands went up, and Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong quickly followed suit. "You guys!" Ma Hongjun sighed helplessly. Finally, the nicknames were decided. "Evil-Eyed White Tiger, Dai Mubai;" "Demon-Slaying Black Tiger, Xiang Chengxian;" " Round Bread, Xiao Yuanyuan;" "Big Sausage, Oscar;" "Seven Treasure Glazed Tile, Ning Rongrong;" "Netherworld Spirit Cat, Zhu Zhuqing;" "Thousand-Handed Asura, Tang Sanshao;" "Unbreakable Golden Spear, Ma Hongjun!" (End of Chapter)