I don't want to come up with a funny book title anymore.

"Ahem, you know, even though I'm this age, I haven't really seen much of the world."

Seeing Xie Fengnan's sly look, Xu Dingguo picked up his water glass and took a sip, using it to hide the smile he couldn't suppress.

Some people at the meeting still had doubts about Xie Fengnan's current rank, but for Xu Dingguo, it didn't matter as long as his combat strength was up to par.

If Xie Fengnan were truly at the seventh level, he would be even happier, but if they were at the same level, Xu Dingguo didn't think he would let Jian Xiaoxiao escape.

Ye Jingtang was numb at this point. She had previously considered whether she could fight back if a fight broke out.

They've already faced a seventh-tier opponent and escaped unscathed, so for them to easily defeat me would be a piece of cake.

Although there was an element of trickery involved—this most powerful seventh-tier ability was useless against him.

But this does not negate Xie Fengnan's prowess.

Chu Jiaoyang and the others didn't ask about the specific details afterward, but now they're listening to the story along with them.

With the boss being so formidable, when will I ever become number one in the world? Chu Jiaoyang felt a bit like the tragic figure of "Why did the heavens create both Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang?"

"So you didn't catch that big-headed doll?" Xie Fengnan asked, puzzled.

Otherwise, you could just ask Jian Xiaoxiao directly. Why do you need to come here to confirm the situation?

Aren't you afraid I'll make things up?

Mentioning this, Xu Dingguo's expression darkened. "The empire is a very complex place."

This was the second time Xie Fengnan and his group had heard this sentence.

It seems that even with external enemies surrounding them, internal strife will not cease.

Xu Dingguo's attitude reaffirmed Xie Fengnan's belief that someone within the empire was turning a blind eye to these things, but what good would it do for a cult to stifle geniuses?

"So you still need to be careful of them," Xu Dingguo advised.

There was someone secretly preventing them from killing the cult's leaders, but if Xie Fengnan had killed them himself, no one could have criticized him.

Xie Fengnan's lips twitched. Well, in the end, he still had to rely on himself.

"In short, because of this incident, the original individual plan has been changed to forming a squad with you at its core."

Xie Fengnan: "?"

Why are they forming a team? Aren't the prestige of the Three Musketeers enough?

Upon hearing this, Ye Jingtang understood why Xu Dingguo had said he could listen.

This means she wants to join Xie Fengnan's team.

No wonder they were put in the same dormitory.

However, since Xu Dingguo hadn't explicitly stated it, and Xie Fengnan hadn't invited him either, it wouldn't be appropriate to refuse on the spot.

"No procedures whatsoever? Just a rigid setup?" Xie Fengnan felt like he had jumped into some kind of deep pit.

If you don't even know anyone, where are you going to recruit people?

After looking Ye Jingtang up and down, I felt that he didn't seem like someone who would get involved in this kind of thing.

"Of course, I'm not asking you to build the team right now," Xu Dingguo said with a kind smile. "I just need you to start paying attention to future team members from now on."

Xie Fengnan thought to himself, "That's more like it."

"Look, the school has already arranged the venue and procedures, and is just waiting for you all to arrive."

As Xu Dingguo spoke, he handed Xie Fengnan a document. The title on the first page was written in large letters: "Proposal for the Welcome Activity: Xie Fengnan Against All Freshmen".

Xie Fengnan suddenly felt like he couldn't read anymore: "I feel like I've suddenly become illiterate. Is this still written in Imperial Language?"

"What did it say? Let me see." Chu Jiaoyang leaned closer. "Xie Fengnan against all the freshmen?"

As he read the sentence aloud, Xie Xingmo and Ye Jingtang couldn't help but glance at him.

Goodness, in the past, the school would divide the freshmen into several camps to see who could last until the end.

This year, they're letting Xie Fengnan take on everyone single-handedly. Is that even possible?

"How many freshmen are there this year?" If the number isn't large, then it's okay to have some fun.

"Ten thousand eight hundred and twenty-four."

"Young Master Duo!?" Chu Jiaoyang was dumbfounded.

"Listen to this, is this reasonable?" Xie Fengnan was about to cause a scene.

The combat department alone admitted nearly four thousand students this year, and when you add students from other departments, the total number has indeed exceeded ten thousand.

Even if Xie Fengnan's combat strength is outstanding and no one can defeat him in a single blow, with this many enemies, it would be exhausting for him to be eliminated even if he stood still.

"Ahem, Xie Xingmo and Chu Jiaoyang were originally going to be assigned to your team, and the three of you would go and play with the freshmen, but after what happened with Jian Xiaoxiao, we all agreed that you alone are enough."

Xu Dingguo tried to make the arrangement sound reasonable.

"I... I'm not?" Xie Fengnan felt his usually eloquent mouth go limp. "You even canceled the teammates I was supposed to have?"

"Hey—it's just about ten thousand people. You can easily eliminate more than half of them with a single move," Xu Dingguo comforted Xie Fengnan.

Xie Fengnan: "..."

Xu Dingguo made it sound easy, but 10,000 people—they can run and jump—would be utterly exhausted both physically and mentally if they actually fought.

"What will happen to the loser?" Xie Fengnan pondered the feasibility of directly conceding defeat.

Instead of struggling, it's better to just give up.

"It's nothing much. I just need to dress up as a very funny clown, go to the central square of the academy, walk like a duck, and greet the people around me in a very funny way. After walking around once, I have to stop and say 'I'm a little idiot.' The whole process will be recorded and posted on the academy's bulletin board for everyone to enjoy for a few days."

Xu Dingguo did not intend to hide anything, and he emphasized the pronunciation of the four words "very funny" twice.

Xie Fengnan imagined the scene and exclaimed in amazement.

"Your school is really something else..."

In the past, the welcome punishments were never this elaborate; at most, it would just be a trip to Truth or Dare.

However, this year's punishment was designed for Xie Fengnan, in order to reduce the possibility of him choosing to surrender directly.

It must be said that they did indeed anticipate and have a firm grasp on Xie Fengnan.

A person can die from being too cool, or from laughing too hard, but they can't die from being too social.

"That's too cruel! Who came up with this idea?" Chu Jiaoyang imagined Xie Fengnan going to receive punishment and couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

But I'll probably be the one punished...

The thought flashed through Chu Jiaoyang's mind, and he almost jumped up on the spot.

This won't do. If I don't side with the boss, I might actually end up in the spotlight when things get too exciting.

"Dean, I don't think we can let our boss fight alone!" Chu Jiaoyang decided to advocate for himself.

Xu Dingguo cast an inquiring glance his way.

"Everyone knows about my relationship with the boss, Lao Mo and I. If we're going to select team members, we'll definitely be included."

"When the boss goes to find new members, we should definitely go with him. What if the boss takes a liking to someone, but they're not compatible with us?"

Chu Jiaoyang believed that his argument was very reasonable and well-founded.