The next day, Meng Bei prepared to leave with a few others to hunt for his fifth spirit ring. Naturally, this meant he didn't have time to continue leading the Shrek team.
Meng Bei was very clear about priorities.
He himself was the priority, and Shrek was secondary.
In his view, the only purpose of the Shrek team was to help him trigger various missions to boost his own strength.
Thus, when it was time to focus on his cultivation, the Shrek team had to take a back seat.
However, just as he was preparing to leave, a well-dressed man arrived.
"Mister Meng Bei, I am an envoy of His Highness, Prince Xue Xing. His Highness cordially invites you and your team of geniuses to the royal residence for a gathering."
Ding! Side quest triggered!
[Side Quest: A Royal Invitation]
Objective: Lead the Shrek team to the prince's mansion and demonstrate the team's glory.
Difficulty: Hard
Reward: One random ten-thousand-year spirit bone
"Oh, Prince Xue Xing?"
Meng Bei raised an eyebrow. He had heard of this prince but couldn't recall any prior connection with him.
"I'm not going."
Meng Bei refused outright.
A mere ten-thousand-year spirit bone was as meaningless to him as the decade-old spirit bone he had discarded before. Why waste his time?
Turning to Dai Mubai, Meng Bei asked, "Mubai, I heard this Prince Xue Xing humiliated you all before. Is that true?"
Dai Mubai immediately nodded.
"It's true!"
"In that case, let's give him a good beating and settle the score!"
Ding! Side quest triggered!
[Side Quest: Humiliate the Prince]
Objective: Beat up the prince's envoy and defend Shrek's honor against any subsequent retaliation.
Difficulty: Hard
Reward: Two random ten-thousand-year spirit bones
Before Meng Bei's words even finished, Ma Hongjun was the first to act.
The prince's envoy turned pale and quickly pleaded, "Wait—!"
But Ma Hongjun didn't listen, launching a Phoenix Fireline straight at the envoy.
The envoy, realizing he couldn't reason with them, unleashed a surge of powerful spirit energy. A black, round shield appeared in his hand, effortlessly neutralizing Ma Hongjun's attack. Five spirit rings rose around him—he was a Spirit King.
The group was momentarily stunned, but Meng Bei acted swiftly, unleashing an Ice Beam that instantly froze the envoy's shield.
Despite being a Spirit King, the envoy couldn't withstand even a single move from Meng Bei.
"What are you waiting for?" Meng Bei called out. "This isn't the time for chivalry—get in there!"
Spurred on, the team activated their martial spirits and charged in.
With Meng Bei's ice sealing the envoy's weapon and hand, he was unable to resist. Before long, the envoy lay beaten and battered.
"Alright, stop now. No need to kill him," Meng Bei said as the group backed off.
Afterward, they returned to Blue Tyrant Academy.
Meanwhile, back at Prince Xue Xing's mansion, the prince waited for his envoy to return. Hours passed, and even the gray-robed elder by his side grew impatient.
"I'll go myself," the elder said.
"Don't be rash," Xue Xing cautioned, holding him back. "I heard this boy has ties to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. We can't act recklessly."
The elder hesitated at the mention of the clan, whose Seven Kill Sword was notorious across the continent, and held off for now.
Eventually, the battered envoy limped back into the mansion, crying as he recounted his humiliation.
"Your Highness, that Meng Bei is unreasonable! He attacked without warning, and they ganged up on me…"
Humiliated, Prince Xue Xing waved for his men to take the injured envoy away for treatment, already contemplating how to exact revenge on Meng Bei.
The gray-robed elder, however, began walking toward the door.
"Wait!" Xue Xing stopped him again. "I have another plan!"
The elder's patience was wearing thin.
"What plan? Let me drag him to my mountain. With my mountain's protective array, even Sword Douluo won't be able to touch him!"
The prince shook his head. "That would be too overt. Let me lure him out first and take my time humiliating him!"
Back at Blue Tyrant Academy, Meng Bei had just returned when Flender came to confront him.
The moment they met, Flender's voice rose in anger.
"Meng Bei, what do you think you're doing? Are you trying to undermine me as the headmaster?"
Meng Bei nodded bluntly. "Yes."
"You!" Flender's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected Meng Bei to admit it so directly. His fury was palpable. "You're dreaming!"
Flender roared, "Shrek is my life's work! I've personally overseen every member's training, battles, and growth. I am the one responsible for this academy—not you!"
Meng Bei shrugged.
"That may have been true before, but now I'm in charge."
"This is impossible!"
Flender slammed the table and stood up, trembling with rage. "I would rather take my students back to Soto City than hand Shrek over to you!"
Meng Bei silently shook his head.
In his mind, Shrek was his tool for completing quests. He couldn't let Flender jeopardize that. Besides, he knew the current Shrek team was beyond Flender's control. Even if Flender left for Soto City, few students would follow him.
That said, Meng Bei respected Flender as the former headmaster and didn't want to outright humiliate him.
Placing his hands gently on Flender's shoulders, Meng Bei tried to calm him.
"Flender, listen to me. Don't get so worked up."
But Flender stubbornly resisted.
Meng Bei increased the pressure, and to his shock, Flender realized he couldn't physically overpower Meng Bei's raw strength. Only by channeling spirit energy did he manage to hold his ground.
Seeing Flender's defiance, Meng Bei relented, sitting back down and speaking calmly.
"Flender, you're destroying Shrek's future. The team is far better under my guidance than it ever was under yours."
Flender's eyes flared with anger at the insinuation.
"You mean to say you're a better teacher than me?"
Meng Bei nodded without hesitation. "Exactly."
Furious, Flender bellowed, "Nonsense! My students—"
"Enough!" Meng Bei interrupted.
"If you don't believe me, let's settle this with a contest…"
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