Chapter 33: Ma Hongjun Arrives in Heaven Dou City, Sweeps Through the Imperial Arena, and Demands Sword Wine Face Him

(Comprehending the Dipper: Li Zhexian)

Outside Soto City.
Shrek Academy.

Grandmaster and Flender were locked in a dispute.
"The Elite Spirit Master Tournament begins in eight months."
"The Heaven Dou Imperial Academy has two entry slots. Let Xiao San and the others join the Imperial Dou Academy as exchange students until the tournament concludes."
"I do not agree!"
Flender slammed his hand on the table, glaring at Grandmaster, and said:
"The children belong to Shrek!"
"Grandmaster, do not forget that Shrek is my life's work of twenty years!"
Grandmaster’s rigid face remained devoid of emotional fluctuation.
"Flender, can you provide Xiao San and the others with a mimetic cultivation environment?"
"Does Shrek Academy have the qualifications to enter them into the Elite Spirit Master Tournament?"
"Furthermore, what makes you think that by entering the Imperial Dou Academy, they will no longer belong to Shrek?"

Flender was left speechless by these questions.
Grandmaster calmly continued:
"A mimetic cultivation environment can greatly accelerate the cultivation efficiency of Xiao San and his team."
"You should know what the rewards for the Elite Spirit Master Tournament are and how important they are to them."
"Therefore, all seven must go to the Imperial Dou Academy."

There was another reason buried deep in his heart, one he did not voice.
He wanted to let those who looked down on him, those who questioned his martial spirit theories, see clearly!
The students trained by Yu Xiaogang!
Would inevitably shake the entire spirit master world!
And cause the whole continent to turn its gaze toward them!

In the faculty dormitory area.
Inside a low, single-story bungalow.
Zhao Wuji was rudely stuffing his clothes into a travel bag.
Just then, Ma Hongjun’s rotund body squeezed in, his face plastered with a smile.
"Teacher Zhao, what are you doing?"
Zhao Wuji did not even look up.
"Can’t you see I’m packing?"
"Several Shrek teachers will be going with you all to the Imperial Dou Academy."
"I am going to Heaven Dou City first to scout the location and find a nest that can hold all of us."
Upon hearing this, Ma Hongjun’s small eyes instantly lit up with greed.
"Take me with you, Teacher Zhao!"
"Hmm?"
Zhao Wuji’s thick brows knitted into a knot, and he eyed him suspiciously.
"What kind of scheme are you cooking up, kid?"
"Why are you in such a hurry to go to Heaven Dou City?"
Ma Hongjun let his chubby face fall.
"Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing have gone to the Star Dou Forest for training."
"Third Brother and Boss Dai are being put through special training by Grandmaster every day; it’s just me and that sausage-hawker Oscar left."
"Teacher Zhao, let me go to the Imperial City with you. I can hone my skills at the Imperial City Spirit Arena."
Zhao Wuji rubbed his prickly stubble.
"If Grandmaster and the Dean agree, I have no objections."
"Thank you, Teacher Zhao!"

In the student dormitory.
As soon as the door closed, Dai Mubai took a step forward, his evil eyes locked onto Ma Hongjun.
"Fatty, is it done?"
"Absolutely!"
Ma Hongjun nodded triumphantly, a trace of lewdness appearing on his chubby face.
"However, Boss Dai..."
"Are the girls in the Imperial City really as exciting as you say?"

Dai Mubai let out a scoff.
"Why would I lie to you?"
"Just think about my status."
"Hmph, when I was in the Star Luo Imperial City, when was I ever without two girls in my arms?"
His tone shifted abruptly.
Dai Mubai clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking loudly.
"Fatty, all the money for the girls you find is on me."
"But don’t forget what you promised me..."
Ma Hongjun thumped his chest with a loud sound.
"Don’t worry, Boss Dai. It’s just that 'Sword-Wine' fellow, right?"
"I’ll test him out for you."
"Not a test!"
Dai Mubai narrowed his evil eyes, a fierce, malevolent aura rushing forth.
"If you run into him, deal with him until he’s dead!"
"Better yet... make sure he can never hold a sword again for the rest of his life!"

Ever since that day Zhu Zhuqing went to pursue the Imperial Dou Academy team, he had been keeping a secret worry.
As luck would have it, he had overheard the three girls chatting.
Recalling the shy tone Zhu Zhuqing used when mentioning Sword-Wine, Dai Mubai felt jealous to the point of madness.
He had pressed Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong for answers, but the three sisters were close and refused to say a word.
As for asking Zhu Zhuqing directly, she had not even looked at him properly.
"By the way..."
Dai Mubai recalled what Yu Tianheng had said and warned:
"That Sword-Wine’s strength is not to be underestimated, so be careful."
At this moment, Ma Hongjun’s mind was filled only with the seductive scenery of the brothels in the Imperial City; his drool was almost dripping out, and he could no longer listen.
"Is Sword-Wine’s sword sharp?"
"Just watch how Ma Hongjun’s Phoenix Fire melts his sword into molten iron!"
Dai Mubai nodded with a smile.
He acknowledged Ma Hongjun’s strength.
The latter’s Phoenix Fire was something even he found troublesome.
"You haven’t spoken to Grandmaster or the Dean yet. Will they agree to let you go to the Imperial City?"
Ma Hongjun was righteous, even carrying the superiority of someone who assumed tacit approval.
"Of course they will agree."
"Grandmaster and the Dean tacitly approve of me venting my evil fire."
In the minds of Grandmaster and the Dean, it was the glory of a commoner woman to be favored by the genius spirit master they taught.
And this twisted perception had taken root in Ma Hongjun’s heart as well.

One day later.
Heaven Dou Imperial City.
"Once you finish registering, get back to the inn immediately!"
Zhao Wuji glared with his copper-bell-sized eyes, urging Ma Hongjun.
"Got it, got it."
Ma Hongjun responded absent-mindedly, his eyes already glued to the bustling street scenes of the Imperial City, especially the gaudily dressed women.
The moment the two parted ways, Ma Hongjun dove headfirst into the largest den of iniquity in the Imperial City.

Half an hour later.
Ma Hongjun, his face glowing, was gigglingly ushered out by two heavily powdered women, smacking his lips in satisfaction:
"Comforting! Tch, now to get down to business!"
Arriving at the Imperial City Spirit Arena, Ma Hongjun stood before the towering structure, his mind shaken by the fierce, bloody atmosphere.
He took a deep breath, a malevolent aura rising on his chubby face, and strode inside.

"I will make the name of the Evil Fire Phoenix echo throughout the Imperial City Spirit Arena!"
"Sword-Wine?"
"Heh..."
For several consecutive days, Ma Hongjun lingered between dens of pleasure and bloody arenas.
In all fairness, putting aside his character and focusing solely on talent, Ma Hongjun was indeed a phoenix rising from a pile of weeds.
Three spirit battles a day.
Each one crushing his opponents with overwhelming force.
And because of his Silver Badge record at the Soto City Spirit Arena, the spectators at the Imperial City Spirit Arena soon learned that this arrogant fatty came from a small, backwater town.
Being so thoroughly humiliated by an "outsider" on their home turf, the Imperial City audience was undoubtedly slapped hard in the face.

Finally, after much clamor, a significant spirit master, Yufeng of the Imperial Dou Team, stepped out to fight.
Boom—!
With a dull impact, Yufeng, his body charred like charcoal and his robes tattered to rags, slumped onto the cold arena floor like a pile of mud.
Ma Hongjun stood proudly in the center, his Phoenix Wings blazing with raging flames, his body wreathed in violet fire, looking like a King of Flames.
He stepped his right foot onto Yufeng’s chest, surveyed the deathly silent audience, and smacked his lips with contempt:
"Is that it?"
"Is that it?"
"Is that all the Imperial City Spirit Arena has to offer?"
Humiliated to such a degree, Yufeng gritted his teeth tightly, his arms trembling as he tried to stand.
Ma Hongjun folded his arms and stomped down again.
Crack—
Accompanied by the sound of ribs shattering, Yufeng spewed blood from his mouth.
At this moment, even the bloodthirsty spectators felt a piercing humiliation.
"Don't be arrogant! The Imperial City still has Yu Tianheng, and even more, the undefeated Sword-Wine!"
"Sword-Wine will split you, this fat turkey, in two with a single strike!"
"Where is Sword-Wine! Why hasn't he made a move yet!"
The curses below the stage were like a tide.
With his face pressed against the cold ground and blood spilling from his mouth and nose, Yufeng struggled to say:
"Cap... Captain has returned to the sect for training..."
"And the strongest, Sword... Sword-Wine, hasn't even appeared..."
"You winning against me... counts for nothing..."
Ma Hongjun narrowed his eyes, slowly grinding his right foot down, listening to the painful wails of Yufeng beneath him.
He scanned the furious crowd below with wanton eyes, his arrogant voice laced with provocation, exploding in everyone’s ears.
"Yu Tianheng? Just another one of my defeated foes."
"As for that coward Sword-Wine..."
"Tell him to come out and face me."

At this time.
At the Icefire Yin Yang Well.
After countless failures.
Li Zhexian had finally brewed the Ice-Flame Immortal Dew...

(The foolish boss caught me. I will write this book well, little author, and strive to write it full-time and with focus...)
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