Flender

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Flender (弗兰德)
Alias(es)	Dean Flender; Headmaster Flender 29 52
Gender	Male 72
Affiliation	Shrek Academy; Golden Iron Triangle 40 53 94
Occupation/Role	Founder and dean of Shrek Academy; Ma Hongjun’s teacher 65 89
Status	Alive and serving as Shrek Academy’s headmaster at the five-year reunion 148
First Appearance	Chapter 21

Background / History

Shrek Academy and the New Students

Flender treats Shrek Academy as his life’s work and insists that it admit exceptional “monster” students. When Zhao Wuji warns that his raised admission standards could bankrupt the academy, he refuses to lower them, arguing that unsuitable graduates would damage its reputation 21 65.

A letter bearing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s seal informs him about the incoming students. After witnessing Ye Xingchen’s abilities, Flender regards their arrival as an opportunity for Shrek Academy and urges Zhao Wuji to teach them properly. Despite his strict admission policy, he permits flexibility in the dormitory rules, telling Dai Mubai that people should not be constrained by inflexible regulations 21 29 30.

During the students’ visit to Suotuo City, he agrees to carry their purchases in exchange for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect covering half a year of food expenses. Zhao Wuji later states that the sect’s contributions are already sufficient to support the academy for two or three years 35 40.

Powerful Patrons and Student Conflict

Chen Xin visits Flender with a bag of gold and warns him that Spirit Hall’s Ci Xue has been prowling nearby. Alarmed that several Douluo-level figures have taken an interest in his small academy without his knowledge, Flender nevertheless declares that the Golden Triangle will defend the children 40.

He initially welcomes Yu Xiaogang’s arrival as a teaching opportunity. Their friendship complicates discipline when Tang San returns from the Star Dou Great Forest after committing serious misconduct: Flender states that punishment is required, but struggles to enforce it against Grandmaster’s intervention. Other students openly question the academy’s fairness 41 52 53.

Flender also sends people to investigate Ye Xingchen’s background. They uncover only superficial information about his marriage before a Titled Douluo stops their inquiries with a warning. During their private discussion, Ye demonstrates that he already knows Tang San’s parentage and rejects the suggestion that he should fear Tang Hao. Impressed, Flender promises not to interfere further in Ye’s affairs 55.

After the conflict, Flender tells Grandmaster that the other students no longer require his guidance and asks him to concentrate on Tang San 60.

The Failed Heaven Dou Transfer

Grandmaster proposes merging Shrek Academy into Heaven Dou Royal Academy to obtain better cultivation resources. Flender reacts angrily to the idea of surrendering his life’s work, but ultimately leaves the choice to the students. Their unanimous refusal moves him, and Ye Xingchen’s promise of continued Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect support reassures him 65 66.

A later recruitment offer, coupled with Grandmaster’s use of Liu Erlong to persuade him, leads Flender to accept the journey to Heaven Dou City. He leaves the original academy reluctantly and warns Grandmaster not to hurt Erlong 68 69.

The visit ends in humiliation when the royal representatives refuse to admit the Shrek group. Flender directly asks Grandmaster whether he brought them there merely to watch them be insulted. Shrek leaves and settles at Erlong’s academy, where the students prepare to reclaim their dignity in the Advanced Soul Master Tournament 70 71 72.

Relationship with Liu Erlong

After Grandmaster publicly rejects Erlong, Flender declares that her feelings for another man do not prevent him from loving her. He announces that he will actively pursue her rather than remain passive. Encouraged by the students, he brings a rose to her room and later flies to the back mountain to find her 71 72.

Their relationship subsequently becomes openly affectionate. Flender jokes that he would not have needed so many years to win her over if he had been as handsome as Ye Xingchen. By the later Soul Beast expedition, he says that Erlong is his sole romantic concern and regards Grandmaster as part of the past 75 80 85 86.

Soul Ring Hunting and Tournament Management

Flender and Erlong help capture the Ghost Shadow White Tiger whose Soul Ring Zhu Zhuqing absorbs. They also reluctantly rescue Grandmaster from pursuing Soul Beasts 87.

Before Ye Xingchen attempts to obtain a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring, Flender warns him that both its benefits and its dangers are much greater than those of ordinary rings. He then helps fight the Cave Spider, leaving two other ten-thousand-year beasts to Zhao Wuji 90.

For the tournament, Flender arranges two uniform sponsors. Ye negotiates a redesign while agreeing to retain the advertisements. After Shrek’s opening victory, Flender seeks further deals at twenty thousand gold coins per person and uses the students’ visibility to promote the sponsors 93 94 96.

He enthusiastically welcomes Dugu Bo’s request to join Shrek Academy. After the team’s successful Heaven Dou campaign, Flender and Erlong prepare a celebratory feast for the returning students 106 109.

Five-Year Reunion

Flender greets the returning Shrek Seven Devils with candy and fruit, surprising Erlong with his generosity. He explains that he is stingy with outsiders, not his own people—then asks Ye Xingchen to film endorsements so that he can charge advertisers more. Ye declines because he must return immediately to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect 148.

Personality

Flender combines institutional pride with an unabashed interest in money. He refuses to compromise Shrek’s admission standards even under financial pressure, yet readily carries shopping bags for funding and turns tournament exposure into advertising revenue 21 35 96.

His attachment to the academy is deeply personal. Grandmaster’s merger proposal wounds him because it dismisses his lifelong work, while the students’ loyalty brings him close to tears. He wants Shrek to surpass Heaven Dou Royal Academy rather than remain permanently inferior to it 65 66 67.

He is cautious about powerful outsiders and the consequences of student rivalries, but becomes increasingly supportive of Ye Xingchen. His romantic behavior also changes: after years of hesitation over Erlong, he pursues her openly, although the students’ teasing still embarrasses him 40 55 72 86.

Abilities & Skills

Martial Soul and Flight

• Summons his Martial Soul and flies to the back mountain while pursuing Erlong 72.
• Releases his Soul Rings and undergoes Martial Soul possession during the Soul Beast hunt 87.
• The provided passages do not identify his Martial Soul by name; the blue-black dragon in the same scene is associated with Erlong, not Flender 87.

Combat and Soul Beast Hunting

• Coordinates with Erlong to defeat the Ghost Shadow White Tiger for Zhu Zhuqing 87.
• Uses repeated Soul Skills to draw several ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts away from the group 90.
• Joins Erlong and Ye Xingchen against the Cave Spider while delegating the other beasts to Zhao Wuji 90.

Academy Administration

• Sets admission standards and authorizes exceptions to academy rules 21 29.
• Makes masks for the Shrek Seven Devils to conceal their identities in the Soul Fighting Arena 62.
• Secures sect funding, uniform sponsorships, and advertising contracts 35 40 93 96.

Relationships

• Liu Erlong — Fellow Golden Iron Triangle member and romantic partner. Their shared Soul Beast hunts show both combat coordination and open affection 72 87 89 94.
• Zhao Wuji — Trusted colleague and friend. Zhao supports him during the relocation and offers to return with him to the old academy if the move fails 69.
• Ye Xingchen — Student whom Flender increasingly trusts and supports. Ye defends his dignity during the merger dispute and promises lasting sect support for Shrek 55 65 66 86.
• Yu Xiaogang / Grandmaster — Longtime friend and Golden Iron Triangle associate whose protection of Tang San and transfer arrangements strain their bond. Flender later considers him part of the past 52 69 70 86.
• Ma Hongjun — His disciple. Erlong specifically describes Ma as Flender’s “last disciple” while discussing the Soul Ring she found for him 89.
• Ning Rongrong — Student whose financial resources directly benefit the academy; her offer persuades him to carry the group’s shopping 35.
• Chen Xin — Powerful sect patron who provides funding, warns him about Ci Xue, and discourages him from underestimating Ye Xingchen’s future achievements 40 55.
• Qin Ming — Former Shrek student with whom Flender remains in contact; Flender praises Shrek’s current team while watching them defeat Qin Ming’s Heaven Dou team 66 67.
• Dugu Bo — Titled Douluo whose decision to join Shrek Academy Flender welcomes enthusiastically 106.

Notable Quotes

“People are alive, but rules are dead. You really don't know how to adapt!” 29

“Shrek Academy is my lifelong hope. How can I just hand it over to someone else? You're insulting me!” 65

“Of course I'm stingy with outsiders. Our own people are back now, aren't they?” 148