When Flender and the others saw the ongoing matches, they refrained from intervening. After witnessing Zhu Zhuqing's earlier assessment, they believed that Meng Bei had no intention of abusing his authority for personal grudges. Reassured, they allowed Ma Hongjun to step up for his challenge.
What followed, however, was an unprecedented one-sided beating.
Tyrone, with his Great Strength Gorilla spirit, charged through Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Flames and grabbed him. What ensued was a relentless barrage of slams, punches, and kicks!
Despite the ferocity of Tyrone's attacks, he demonstrated excellent control, ensuring that Ma Hongjun, though battered and bruised, only suffered superficial injuries.
The final test was assigned to Oscar, who had to heal Ma Hongjun as part of the challenge.
As a result, Ma Hongjun, already swollen from the beating, found his mouth stuffed with sausages.
Oscar's Recovery Sausages were primarily designed to restore spirit power, but they also provided some relief to Ma Hongjun's injuries.
With the tests completed, Meng Bei announced that all four members of Shrek Academy had passed the assessments. However, due to Zhu Zhuqing and Ma Hongjun's relatively lower spirit power levels, they were assigned as reserve members for now.
Dai Mubai and Oscar, on the other hand, were officially inducted as core members of the Shrek Team.
Regarding Flender and the other staff, Meng Bei was generous and promised to recommend them as honorary teachers to the dean of Blue Tyrant Academy.
With this, the Shrek contingent finally settled into Blue Tyrant Academy.
Everyone was overjoyed, and they even went out together for a celebratory meal.
Even the Grandmaster found himself impressed by Meng Bei's broad-mindedness and thought of him as a rare and promising young man.
Tang San, naturally, joined the celebration.
Seeing the Grandmaster again, Tang San felt a bit awkward. After all, he had unhesitatingly chosen Xiao Wu over his teacher, leaving the Grandmaster behind. He hadn't expected the two to reunite so soon.
Despite the awkwardness, Tang San didn't believe he had made the wrong decision. He had simply prioritized staying with Xiao Wu. What was wrong with that?
On the other hand, the Grandmaster deeply resented Tang San's actions.
For the sake of a woman, Tang San had abandoned his mentor!
Had Tang San been an ordinary disciple, the Grandmaster would have angrily expelled him long ago.
But Tang San wasn't ordinary.
He possessed twin spirits, innate full spirit power, and unparalleled talent—rivaling even the current Pope.
No one understood Tang San's potential better than the Grandmaster.
The Grandmaster saw Tang San as his ticket to fame across the continent. Reluctantly, he suppressed his displeasure and reconciled with his disciple, restoring their teacher-student relationship.
Though outwardly harmonious, a deep rift had formed in their hearts—one that would never truly heal.
The celebratory meal ended on a high note, with everyone in good spirits. Flender, known for his frugality, even offered to foot the bill.
Afterward, they returned to Blue Tyrant Academy to rest.
The day after.
Through persistent efforts, Meng Bei secured arrangements for Flender and the others with Liu Erlong's approval.
Flender, Zhao Wuji, and Shao Xin, as Spirit Saints, were appointed honorary vice deans, while the remaining staff were made honorary teachers with generous benefits—enough to guarantee a comfortable retirement.
Flender was delighted with Meng Bei's efficiency.
He, along with the Grandmaster and others, began planning to train the newly formed Shrek Team. They had spent the previous night drafting a detailed training regimen.
With the addition of members like Tyrone and Huang Yuan, Flender believed the Shrek Team's strength had greatly improved. He was confident they could qualify for the main competition of the Spirit Master Tournament!
However, when Flender and his group went to find the Shrek Team, they discovered that the team was missing.
They searched the academy thoroughly, asking several Blue Tyrant teachers, but no one knew the Shrek Team's whereabouts.
Finally, they located the teaching director, who provided a vague answer:
"Oh, Vice Dean Flender, the Shrek Team, led by Captain Meng Bei, left early this morning for special training outside the academy."
Flender's expression darkened.
"What's going on with Meng Bei? How dare he take the Shrek Team for training without informing me!"
The teaching director shook his head in disapproval.
"Vice Dean Flender, that's unreasonable. Captain Meng Bei is the team leader. Why would he need to report to you about training the team?"
Flender's eyebrows twitched in anger.
"I'm the founder of Shrek Academy! Shouldn't I be informed when students are taken out for training?"
The teaching director was momentarily stunned but then replied with a shrug, "Shrek Academy? I've never heard of it. I only know about the Shrek Team, which Captain Meng Bei established before you came to Blue Tyrant Academy. What does it have to do with you?"
Flender's eyes widened in shock as the realization hit him like a hammer.
"What do you mean Meng Bei established it? I created Shrek Academy! I spent half my life building it!"
The teaching director looked puzzled.
"I wouldn't know about that. All I know is that the Shrek Team was formed under Captain Meng Bei's leadership before you arrived. He has full authority over it."
Flender slumped into a chair, stunned.
It all made sense now. His beloved Shrek Academy—his life's work—had effectively been taken over by Meng Bei.
He had been sidelined, reduced to an honorary vice dean with no real responsibilities.
Meanwhile
Meng Bei led the Shrek Team to the Great Spirit Arena for training, planning to start with two battles.
Meng Bei understood that the Shrek Team needed an optimal cultivation environment, such as one with a simulated training field, to enhance their spirit power. For a spirit master, spirit power was the foundation of everything.
However, Meng Bei had a different agenda.
What he needed was for the Shrek Team to encounter frequent events and triggers that activated the system's side quests. Completing these tasks would grant him rewards and significantly boost his strength.
Thus, instead of finding a simulated training ground, he brought the Shrek Team to the Spirit Arena, already envisioning the system's rewards beckoning to him.