Barak Kingdom, Soto City.
The Soto Grand Hotel is one of the most luxurious hotels in Soto City and even the entire Barak Kingdom. Its scale is magnificent and vast, comparable to the Spirit Hall of Soto City.
The zuzong had bet nearly 300,000 gold coins on the final group battle between the Royal Fighters and Shrek Academy.
Since everyone was determined to rip off someone from their clan, their zuzong wouldn't be stingy, spending 10,000 gold coins just to book a super luxurious private room at the Soto Grand Hotel.
Since not everyone had arrived yet, the zuzong simply sat on a nearly 15-meter-long animal-skin sofa, cuddling a kitten, the two lovers whispering sweet nothings.
As for those who arrived early, they were indebted to the zuzong and kept quiet, munching on sunflower seeds and watching with envy, choosing not to disturb the clan leader and his companion. Even Xiao Wu was kept occupied by Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, whom the zuzong had paid a hefty sum to do.
Holding Zhu Zhuqing's soft, boneless, white hand, Zu Zong was secretly delighted. It was a pity they would be separated for a while, and he felt a pang of reluctance.
Zu Zong said softly, "Zhuqing, I'm going back to Tiandou tomorrow. I'll miss you."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, "Mmm."
"Zhuqing, will you miss me?"
"Mmm."
"Zhuqing, why don't you stay tonight?" At this point, Zu Zong was already bracing himself for a shove of high heels.
However, Zhu Zhuqing's answer was completely unexpected. She blushed and nodded, whispering, "Mmm."
Zu Zong was stunned, his heart clenching with excitement. Could it be that tonight, his man was really going to shed his boyish ways and become a real adult?
What Zu Zong didn't know was that in the past, Zhu Zhuqing would have absolutely refused, even though she didn't object to having a relationship with him. She was a conservative girl and knew that men don't cherish things they get easily. Although she believed that zuzong wasn't the kind of person to betray her, she still hoped to wear her most beautiful wedding dress on her wedding day and give him her most precious possession.
But now things were different; Zhu Zhuqing sensed a crisis.
No one knew better than her how outstanding her man was. Both his appearance and talent were the best she had ever seen. In the Douluo Continent, strength was paramount, and the strong were admired. Zuzong undoubtedly had the potential to become the strongest. She believed that any girl of his generation who had never experienced worldly desires would inevitably be moved by him.
Excluding Xiao Wu, a girl who arrived even earlier than herself, even the aloof girl named Ye Lingling was now looking at Clan Chief with a strange expression. Others might not notice this look, but Zhu Zhuqing remembered it vividly. She herself had seen that same look in the cave in the Star Dou Great Forest, and now she was Zu Zong's girlfriend.
Seeing the zu zong's bewildered expression, Zhu Zhuqing smiled. "Don't overthink it, I won't be sharing a room with you."
"Uh..." The zu zong's face stiffened, his smile abruptly ending.
He then returned to normal; sharing a room didn't matter, as long as he could stay.
A senior from Blue Star in his previous life had once said...
well, someone in our clan is destined for great things.
Things should be done step by step.
While the zuzong and Zhu Zhuqing were enjoying their time together, the members of Huang Dou and Shrek Academy had gradually arrived.
The zuzong glanced at Qin Ming, Yu Xiaogang, Flander, and Zhao Wuji out of the corner of his eye, noticing they seemed to be discussing something.
Yu Xiaogang also glanced at the clan leader from time to time.
Unsurprisingly, they were discussing "Shrek Academy using a 'chicken to lay an egg'"—borrowing a spot from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's "All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Competition" to help Shrek Academy achieve its goals.
In the original story, Flander wasn't happy about this! They felt it was unfair to give half the honor to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy for nothing. Later, upon entering the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, beating up Xue Beng was one thing—after all, their clan leader had done it too.
But the key issue was that they continued to mock and ridicule the Heaven Dou teachers in front of everyone, ultimately leading to Xue Xing having Dugu Bo intervene and kick them out.
It can only be said that Shrek Academy's principle of "those who dare not cause trouble are mediocre" is problematic; frankly, it's "bullying the weak and fearing the strong."
However, it seems the situation has changed somewhat. Shrek Academy suffered a crushing defeat against the Royal Academy, and they no longer have the arrogance they had in the original story.
The banquet was quickly prepared, and everyone took their seats.
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"Cheers!" Everyone raised their glasses in celebration.
zuzong swirled his glass, glanced around, and noticed that everyone from Shrek Academy was present except for Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Meng Yiran.
Seeing this, Zu Zong chuckled inwardly: "Looks like Tang San's mental state has collapsed this time. Could it be that he suffered a setback like in the original story's Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament and decided to switch to cultivating the Clear Sky Hammer? We'll see if Yu Xiaogang can persuade him this time. Meng Yiran should have gone back with Tang San. As for this Eunuch Dai, hmm! He's acting all effeminate now; I don't understand him."
zuzong looked at Yu Xiaogang and Flander, feigning confusion, and asked, "Master, Dean Flander, where are Tang San and Eunuch Dai—Young Master Dai? Why aren't they here?"
—Oops, I bit my tongue; I almost called him Eunuch Dai.
Yu Xiaogang's already stiff face turned pale, and his brows furrowed slightly. He knew Tang San, his prized disciple, very well. On the surface, Tang San seemed very easygoing and unassuming, but in reality, he was more arrogant than anyone else. This major setback must have been a blow to his pride.
If it weren't for discussing joining the Heaven Dou Royal Academy with Qin Ming, Yu Xiaogang would probably have already gone to comfort his disciple.
Yu Xiaogang said, "Although Xiao San has been cured of the poison, his body hasn't fully recovered yet, so he went back to the academy first."
Flander also frowned slightly. "Mu Bai... Mu Bai also felt a little unwell, so he went back with Xiao San first."
Dai Mu Bai's departure was completely unexpected by Flander. In the past, Dai Mu Bai loved these kinds of gatherings. But this time was different. Because shortly after the Soul Fighting Competition ended today, many people who knew him started secretly calling him "Miss Dai," "Eunuch Dai," "Sissy," and so on. Most of them were his ex-girlfriends.
Upon learning this, Dai Mubai was filled with shame, as if waking from a dream. He quickly changed back into his original masculine clothes, vowing to become a man again.
Coincidentally, the hotel owner's daughter was one of Dai Mubai's ex-girlfriends, so Dai Mubai naturally chose to stay far away. This was something Flander only learned after asking Ma Hongjun. After
several rounds of drinks and dishes
, everyone started to feel a bit tipsy. The girls were fine, drinking only low-alcohol ale, but the boys were a different story.
Our ZuZong, to "thank" Master Yu Xiaogang, brought out more than a dozen bottles of Hundred-Year Soul Wine that he had stolen from the system a few years ago. This made everyone drool, especially Flander and Zhao Wuji. Usually, the academy's funds were tight, and they couldn't even afford ordinary ale. They were very happy to taste such a fine wine for the first time. Even Yu Xiaogang, the "rigid" and reserved guy, had a few drinks.