"Barely Becoming a Titled Douluo, and the Counterattack System Arrives

"Brother Fan, you're my boss now! I was wrong!"

Ma Hongjun, seeing the situation clearly, immediately put aside his pride and rushed over to Lin Fan.

"From now on, I'm your most loyal little brother! I'll follow you wherever you go—please look after me, Brother Fan!"

He dramatically hugged Lin Fan's leg, groveling on the ground.

Dai Mubai and Oscar were left dumbfounded, staring at him as though they were meeting Ma Hongjun for the first time.

Still clutching Lin Fan's leg, Ma Hongjun smugly shot them a triumphant look, completely unashamed of clinging to a Titled Douluo.

Lin Fan, of course, didn't take offense. He hadn't planned to fuss over a 12-year-old child's innocent words anyway.

Besides, now that Ma Hongjun was hugging his leg, he was even less likely to make a big deal out of it.

After all, he had come to Shrek Academy just to mess around for a while—it was inevitable that there'd be a few jokes between them.

Still, being shamelessly hugged like this left him feeling a bit awkward.

So, Lin Fan calmly warned,

"If you don't let go right now, I'll kick you away."

"Got it, Brother Fan!"

Ma Hongjun wisely let go and returned to his spot, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

At the very least, he thought he'd managed to smooth things over with this mysterious Titled Douluo—and save his own life in the process.

Of course, Flender was utterly embarrassed for his disciple.

After all, Ma Hongjun was his student.

"My apologies, Sword Shadow Douluo. My disciple Ma Hongjun can be a bit mischievous," Flender said apologetically once Ma Hongjun had returned to his place.

"No need to apologize, Dean Flender," Lin Fan said indifferently.

"I'm now part of this academy, too. A little teasing between fellow students is perfectly normal."

"Truly broad-minded," Flender remarked sincerely.

He then turned to address the students:

"You all see that, don't you? Students should be tolerant toward one another."

"Cultivating as soul masters is no easy feat. Sword Shadow Douluo's humble attitude is something we can all learn from."

Flender took the opportunity to use Lin Fan as a teaching example.

"Dean, you're giving me too much credit," Lin Fan chuckled modestly.

"Not at all," Flender replied.

"Your character is admirable—especially the fact that you don't abuse your strength to bully others."

"This Titled Douluo does have a strange personality, but his temperament isn't bad at all," Tang San whispered to Xiao Wu, sharing his thoughts.

"Brother San, did you forget that he casually beat you up and made you cough up blood yesterday?" Xiao Wu whispered back in disbelief.

"It's strange indeed," Tang San muttered, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Yesterday, I was thinking about it… It seemed like he deliberately provoked me into attacking first."

Tang San's sharp instincts had picked up on Lin Fan's intentional behavior.

But he still couldn't figure out why.

What could a Titled Douluo possibly gain from provoking a mere Grandmaster-level soul master like him?

"It must've been because of me," Xiao Wu guessed anxiously.

"He was testing us—but with his strength, if he wanted to kill us, he could've done it easily. Why would he need to 'test' us?"

Xiao Wu couldn't shake her growing unease.

Should I just run away tonight? she wondered.

But Brother San finally got into Shrek Academy, and his teacher specifically arranged for him to join. If I leave without a good reason, he probably won't leave with me easily.

And if I run away on my own, will Lin Fan take out his anger on Brother San and kill him instead?

Xiao Wu's heart was in deep turmoil.

Meanwhile, Flender stepped forward again.

"This year, we've welcomed four more little monsters. On behalf of the academy, I officially welcome you."

"Support-type soul masters—on the battlefield, if no one protects you, you'll be in great danger. That's why your first essential lesson is how to run away."

"Oscar, Ning Rongrong—twenty laps around the academy. Oscar, you lead."

"Yes, sir!"

Oscar and Ning Rongrong obediently stepped out and began running, leaving through the academy's worn-out wooden gate.

"As for the rest of you, your first lesson will begin tonight," Flender continued.

"Dai Mubai, explain the academy's rules to the new students."

"Tang San, come with me," Flender said, motioning for Tang San to follow.

"Sword Shadow Douluo, please feel free to do as you wish," Flender said politely to Lin Fan before leaving with Tang San.

"Take care, Dean," Lin Fan replied with a nod.

After watching Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing walk away, Lin Fan remained standing in place, deep in thought.

Perfect. Everything's following the original storyline.

If I recall correctly, Oscar will soon suffer a setback at Ning Rongrong's hands, which will push him into intense training overnight and let him break through to Rank 30.

Then Tang San and the others will accompany him to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for soul beasts, where Tang San will also break through—and by sheer coincidence, they'll encounter the Human-Faced Demon Spider.

My mission is almost complete.

Since Tang San needed to find the exact Human-Faced Demon Spider that would drop the Eight Spider Lances, Lin Fan had no intention of interfering.

With such a perfect plan in place,

Lin Fan returned to his dormitory for a nap.

At the Titled Douluo level, simple meditation wasn't very effective anymore—what mattered more was spiritual insight.

Insight into nature, the heavens, and the essence of his martial soul.

Meanwhile, at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan:

"Reporting to the Clan Master: The young miss has been admitted into Shrek Academy."

"How is the situation at Shrek Academy?" the Clan Master asked.

"At minimum, they have one Soul Saint and several Soul Emperors holding down the fort."

"I wasn't able to fully investigate, but I delivered your letter to their dean as instructed."

"However…" the subordinate hesitated.

"However, what?"

"However, on the same day the young miss entered the academy, a strong individual suspected to be a Titled Douluo appeared there."

"Though I didn't enter the academy myself, I could sense their teachers were terrified of him."

"He goes by the name Lin Fan."

"Lin Fan… I see."

Ning Fengzhi's expression shifted as he dismissed the subordinate.

"Why would 'Heaven's Secret' (天机) suddenly appear at Shrek Academy—and at such a coincidental time?"

"Does Shrek Academy have something that draws his attention? His words from back then…"

As Ning Fengzhi fell into deep thought, a powerful gust blew the hall doors open.

"Fengzhi, you trust Rongrong to stay out there all alone?"

A sword-wielding man who bore a striking resemblance to Lin Fan flew into the hall atop his sword.

"You think that Shrek Academy can teach her better than we can?"

It was Sword Douluo Chen Xin.

"Uncle Sword, don't you remember the mysterious man who once visited the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan?"

"He claimed to see the 'Heaven's Secret' and foretold that the clan's rise would be linked to Shrek Academy—specifically, through Rongrong herself."

"She wasn't even a year old at the time," Ning Fengzhi said seriously.

"Hmph! That was just a con artist trying to scam us out of cultivation resources," Sword Douluo Chen Xin scoffed coldly.

"Uncle Sword, it's better to believe than to dismiss such things outright."

"These past years, I've quietly investigated that man. Very little is known about him—only that his name is Lin Fan."

"And according to our spies, he appeared at Shrek Academy the very day Rongrong enrolled."

"After all these years in hiding, Heaven's Secret has resurfaced," Ning Fengzhi explained.

"Hmph! Then we should take Rongrong back immediately, before she gets deceived," Sword Douluo Chen Xin said, unmoved.

"Uncle Sword, when Heaven's Secret left back then, he specifically warned us not to interfere in Rongrong's growth, lest we ruin everything."

"So please, Uncle Sword—trust me. Rongrong won't be in any danger at Shrek Academy."

"I've already sent a special letter to Flender, leader of the Golden Iron Triangle, to ensure her safety," Ning Fengzhi reassured him.

"Hmph! If anything happens to Rongrong, I'll hold you personally responsible," Sword Douluo warned.

Meanwhile, at the Spirit Hall:

"Ghost Douluo, have you found any trace of Heaven's Secret?"

A cold voice echoed—Bibi Dong herself was speaking.

"Your Majesty, ever since Heaven's Secret left Spirit City, the only lead we had was that he briefly visited the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."

"But after that, he vanished without a trace," Ghost Douluo replied respectfully.

"Leave," Bibi Dong said with a frown, visibly frustrated.

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