Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 284: The Invincible Shrek Squad

Mu Yunyu approached him and said, "But they've already shown enough strength to handle themselves, haven't they? I have confidence in Tang San. He's always been mysterious, but you must admit he has never disappointed us. The mayor's absence is probably due to his confidence in him."

Guan Longjiang said, "But he won't say what's happening with Tang San. I don't know how he teaches them. And I don't know where those array discs came from. Did headquarters give them? Those are very precious! Having them makes us targets. I'm worried they'll run into trouble outside. Should we ask Old Si to follow and protect them secretly?"

Mu Yunyu replied, "That won't be necessary. The security in Kali City is guaranteed. A few array discs aren't worth the intervention of a god. And with opponents below the tenth tier, I don’t really think they need any help. At least Bingji has already shown the capability to face ninth-order opponents. He's only eighteen and look how strong he is! Breaking through to the god level in the future should be no problem. You should be proud to have taught such disciples. They're right; combat with life and death at stake will accelerate their growth."

Guan Longjiang smiled wryly. "In our academy, these few youngsters already make up half of our foundation! What if..."

"No what ifs," Mu Yunyu said with a huff. "Just wait for their victorious return. We're about to have noble disciples. And once they become nobles, they might even attend Kali Academy. Have you thought about that? Except for Bingji, the others are of the right age too."

Guan Longjiang felt a flicker of excitement; Mu Yunyu was right! Kali Academy only accepted noble offspring with specific age and talent requirements. If they achieved noble status through the Great Beast Fighting Arena and their age was suitable, then even as humans, Kali Academy would have no problem accepting them.

While Guan Longjiang was apprehensive, Tang San and his four companions had already entered Kali City, making their way toward the Great Beast Fighting Arena with practiced ease.

Instead of registering directly, however, they first looked for a hotel near the Great Beast Fighting Arena to stay in.

Guan Longjiang was worried that some other people would look for trouble with the team and Redemption Academy, and Tang San naturally took that into consideration as well. Therefore, they chose a decent hotel with hundreds of rooms, one of the largest hotels in Kali City. The cost of accommodation was quite steep; one night was fifty demonshard coins. However, it was well worth it.

Tang San and his group booked three rooms. He shared one with Du Bai, Gu Li shared another with Wu Bingji, and the only girl, obviously, had a room to herself.

"Isn't this a bit too expensive?" Wu Bingji commented after they had checked into the hotel and put down their things.

Not only was the price high, but given their status as human vassals, they were basically subjected to an interrogation before they could check in. Hotels of this caliber rarely hosted human vassals.

"Eh, I think it's worth the money," Tang San said. The rooms were not cheap, but they were indeed excellent. The finest Tang San had stayed in since arriving in this world.

Each room was sixty square meters and had a private bathroom and various toiletries. The air was fresh, the beds soft and comfortable, and through the large windows, one could see the Great Beast Fighting Arena not far away.

Things were not as financially tight as when Tang San first visited the arena. He didn't know the exact amount they had earned through selling array discs, but he had a rough idea of the scale. Staying at this hotel was just a drop in the ocean.

"Eldest brother, as long as we keep winning, we won’t have to worry about anything. Each person gets a naturae coin for the first victory. After that, the earnings stack with each win. If we win more than five rounds, we can even get a share of the ticket and betting profits," Du Bai explained as he calculated, fingers tapping together.

He had always been a money-lover, especially sensitive to financial matters, and had already done the calculations long ago. Just one win was enough; five naturae coins would make their expenses here completely negligible.

"Let's do it then. Since we're here, we might as well commit. Shall we go register now?" Wu Bingji said.

Tang San nodded. "Let's go."

After just a five-minute walk, the five were at the Great Beast Fighting Arena. Tang San, Wu Bingji, and Du Bai had been here before, so they were already familiar with the place and they knew what to do.

The registration area was as crowded as ever, with a line formed for those wishing to sign up. However, Tang San and his group did not head to the back of the queue but instead made their way to the counter from the side.

"Oi, do you not know what a queue is?"

A thick arm belonging to an elephant demon blocked their way. Towering at five meters, the bulky elephant demon was among the largest of those queued for registration.

"We don't need to queue," Tang San said lightly.

"You don’t need to? What nonsense! Off with you, minor vassals," the elephant demon said as it swung its large hand toward Tang San.

Wu Bingji stepped forward, shielding Tang San. He, too, swiped out with his hand. Just as their disproportionate hands were about to meet, Wu Bingji's palm merely brushed against the elephant demon's arm as he quickly dodged to the side, clearly having no intention of matching the demon's strength.

However, the arm he touched instantly turned rigid and was covered by a white layer of frost.

The elephant demon was taken aback. Tang San and his companions appeared young, and it naturally did not consider such young human vassals signing up for the beast fights to be of any significance. How could it anticipate the formidable power of the ice element that Wu Bingji could unleash?

"No starting trouble here!" a deep voice echoed as a towering figure rose from behind the registration counter.

It stood about eight feet tall, its body was covered in black fur, and its eyes were a terrifying blood red. Its powerful aura instantly filled the registration area with a murderous air. It was a Bloodthirsty Devil Ape, a genuinely fearsome presence.

Tang San said, "We are not the ones starting trouble. This guy here is blocking our way."

"Ever heard of lining up?" the Bloodthirsty Devil Ape said coldly.

Tang San responded, "According to the rules, those registering for team battles have priority, no?"

"Team battle?" The Bloodthirsty Devil Ape and the elephant demon were momentarily taken aback. Indeed, according to the Great Beast Fighting Arena's rules, those registering for team battles did not have to wait in line with the others.

The elephant demon's arm had regained mobility by now, and it suddenly burst into laughter, then stepped aside. "Well then! Go ahead and register! No worries, I won’t stop you. I’ll be right there to watch you die, hahaha!"

The surrounding demons roared with laughter. A few human vassals daring to register for a team battle was nothing short of seeking death. They were practically delivering themselves on a platter. In their eyes, Tang San and his four companions were already dead.

Faced with the intimidating aura of the surrounding demons, Du Bai's face paled, Cheng Zicheng's eyes burned with anger, Gu Li clenched his fists, and Wu Bingji's expression was ice cold. Only Tang San remained unfazed, walking straight to the counter.

"We're signing up for a five-person team battle," Tang San declared to the Bloodthirsty Devil Ape.

The Bloodthirsty Devil Ape tossed a form their way, “Fill out the registration form. Once you've signed up, you have to compete in at least three matches before you can withdraw. Otherwise, you will be executed. Do you understand? These are the rules.”

"Understood." Tang San took the form and started filling it out.

When he reached the section for the team's name, he paused slightly, as if reminiscing something, before finally writing down a name.

Even Wu Bingji and the others were puzzled by the name he wrote, and they couldn’t help but notice that Tang San himself also had a strange expression on his face.

Du Bai couldn't help but ask, "Shrek Squad? Little Tang, what does that mean?"

Tang San smiled faintly and replied, "It means 'invincible,' it’s an ancient term."

Indeed, in his heart, Shrek symbolized being invincible.