"You... who are you?" Tang San looked at Tianlin's face, feeling a sense of familiarity. However, six years had passed, and their encounter back then was brief. He couldn't quite recall, but when his eyes fell on the blue sword in Tianlin's hand, the memory struck him. "That sword... Are you the one who saved my teacher and me in the Soul Hunting Forest six years ago?"
Tianlin nodded. "Not bad. At least you remember your savior. Allow me to introduce myself—I am Jun Tianlin."
"Xiao San, you know him?" Dai Mubai withdrew his martial soul and asked. He wasn't injured—Tianlin had held back—but using three spirit abilities in succession had drained his soul power. He only needed a brief meditation to recover.
"Yes, I owe him a favor. But how did you two end up fighting?" Tang San admitted candidly. While he was one to repay grudges, he also remembered kindness. Whether or not he repaid a favor, however, depended on whether the person had value to him.
Coincidentally, Tianlin thought the same. Tang San still held some value to him for now. One of Tianlin's purposes for coming here was to obtain some of the treasures in Tang San's possession.
"It's just a misunderstanding," Tianlin stepped forward to explain. "He only heard me call this academy 'shabby' and couldn't hold back his temper. But what he didn't realize is that a place's greatness doesn't lie in its outward appearance but in the kind of talents it produces. After all, isn't it said that water becomes spiritual when dragons reside within it?"
"Shrek Academy has the Four-Eyed Owl Flender, the Immovable King Zhao Wuji, and one of the top five food-type Soul Masters on the continent, Shao Xin. In terms of faculty strength, it is indeed outstanding."
"Damn it, why didn't you say that earlier? I thought you were here to cause trouble, and I took a beating for no reason!" Dai Mubai couldn't help but complain. If he had understood Tianlin's intentions earlier, he wouldn't have made a move.
"Since it's a misunderstanding, let's consider it a case of not fighting, not befriending," Tang San said, stepping in as the mediator. Seeing as he couldn't defeat Tianlin anyway, Dai Mubai wasn't the type to stubbornly refuse to admit defeat. He agreed to let the matter go.
Hearing this, Tianlin sheathed his sword. Tang San approached him and asked, "Brother Tianlin, may I ask why you've come to Shrek Academy? If you're here to apply, the enrollment period has already ended. However, given your talent, the dean might make an exception. If that's the case, I'd be happy to introduce you!"
"I must decline your kind offer for now. I've already joined Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. I came here this time to find my family's runaway little troublemaker." Tianlin smiled.
As soon as he finished speaking, a beautiful girl in a green dress came running over—it was Ning Rongrong, who had arrived just after Tang San.
"Sword Brother!" Ning Rongrong leaped into Tianlin's arms, her excitement uncontainable. "Why are you here?"
Seeing this, Oscar's heart completely shattered. Ning Rongrong's excitement upon seeing this young man was unmistakable. She truly had someone in her heart. It seemed that his first love had ended before it even began.
"Why am I here? Of course, I came for you. Running away from home—do you know how worried I was?" Tianlin stroked Ning Rongrong's hair, his tone gentle despite his words of reproach.
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong suddenly remembered something. She quickly broke free from his embrace, turned her back to him, and crossed her arms. "Hmph, Sword Brother, why did you even come looking for me? Don't you have plenty of pretty senior sisters to keep you company?"
Still jealous, this girl... Tianlin sighed helplessly. "That's all a misunderstanding. Even if you add up all the senior sisters in the academy, none of them are as important to me as you are. Didn't I drop everything, even my team's tasks, just to come find you?"
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong's face lit up with joy. The fact that Tianlin had come so quickly proved how much he cared for her, which made her very satisfied.
In truth, the moment she saw Tianlin, her anger had already dissipated. But as a girl—especially one spoiled since childhood—she needed to be coaxed. Ning Rongrong was no exception.
Tang San and the others overheard their conversation and finally understood that Tianlin was the "Sword Brother" Ning Rongrong often mentioned. They also realized that Ning Rongrong's reason for coming to Shrek Academy wasn't really to grow stronger but out of jealousy, leading her to run away from home. Truly, the mindset of a pampered young lady was hard to grasp.
As a guest, Tianlin was invited into the academy. The interior of Shrek Academy was even more rudimentary than its exterior. Apart from a central open space and a few sleeping quarters, there were no teaching facilities to speak of. It was hard to imagine that this was the place where seven gods would emerge in the original story.
Of course, the pivotal rare immortal herbs in their paths to godhood had already been intercepted by Tianlin. Most of the people here likely no longer had the chance to become gods.
The only ones with any hope were Tang San, Ning Rongrong, and Oscar.
Tang San's talent was top-notch even without the immortal herbs. Though he might not achieve dual godhood like in the original story, inheriting a single ordinary god's position was still within the realm of possibility.
Ning Rongrong's immortal-grade pill was still safeguarded by Ning Fengzhi. When she returned home to take it, her talent would likely surpass even that of the original story.
As for Oscar, while he lacked immortal herbs, he still had the potential to become the Food God. After all, he was the only food-type Soul Master on the continent capable of reaching the Title Douluo level. However, compared to the original story, his path to godhood would likely be delayed and much more difficult.
The remaining four were a different story. Xiao Wu, being a soul beast, faced nearly insurmountable challenges in becoming a god, as the rules of the Divine Realm made it nearly impossible. Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, meanwhile, were destined to remain ordinary Title Douluos. As for Ma Hongjun, without the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, he wouldn't just fail to become a god—he might one day die from the backlash of his Evil Fire. Alternatively, he might succumb to his desires and become an Evil Soul Master.
Tianlin's purpose for coming here wasn't just to see Ning Rongrong. He also had plans for several individuals. Some, like Tang San, needed to be suppressed. As the protagonist of the original story, Tang San's fate and luck were far too strong. While Tianlin didn't view him as an enemy, he couldn't allow him to grow to the level he reached in the original. Otherwise, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect might once again become marginalized like in the original timeline.
Though Tianlin was confident that his potential far exceeded Tang San's, he disliked taking risks.
Thus, while Tang San could become strong, it had to be within Tianlin's control. Dual godhood like in the original story? Forget it.
Tianlin already had a plan to limit Tang San, and this visit was the beginning of its execution.
Meanwhile, there were others he intended to recruit. If they were willing to follow him, he had no issue granting them the immortal herbs he had taken.
As they entered Shrek Academy, they encountered a middle-aged man with glasses reclining in a chair. It was Flender. Since the Shrek Seven Devils' class was scheduled for the evening, Flender had nothing to do and was resting.
"Dean Flender, greetings. I am Jun Tianlin. I've long admired the Golden Iron Triangle's reputation!" Tianlin stepped forward to greet him.
Flender opened his eyes and turned his head. "Oh, you're the Sword Prince, Jun Tianlin. You're here to see Rongrong, aren't you? The academy is simple—make yourself at home."
He made no effort to properly host Tianlin, his stinginess on full display. But Tianlin didn't mind such trivial matters.
"Dean, this is a letter from our sect master for you. Please take a look." Tianlin retrieved a letter from his pocket.
As in the original story, Ning Fengzhi had sent Flender, instructing him to treat Ning Rongrong as any other student without regard for her status.
After reading the letter, Flender nodded. "Understood. You can tell Sect Master Ning to rest assured. Since Rongrong is my student, I will fulfill my duties as her teacher."
"Thank you, Dean!" Tianlin replied with a smile.