A Refusal to Join Yun Ming

A Refusal to Join Yun Ming

The night was dark and heavy, with no stars or moon in the sky.

In a lavishly decorated bedroom, Leng Yaozhu sat on the bed and asked with a smile,

"Wuji, would you like a teacher?"

"A teacher?" Qiangu Wuji tilted his head in confusion. "Mom, can't you teach me with your abilities?"

Leng Yaozhu simply shook her head, her expression growing solemn.

"If you had ordinary talent, I could teach you myself without any problem. But..."

She trailed off, her expression gradually turning complicated.

As the esteemed Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, one of the beings standing at the very pinnacle of the world, she had never before felt that her abilities were inadequate.

But today, as she watched her son's Awakening Ceremony reveal his extraordinary potential, she doubted her own abilities for the first time.

A Three-Life Martial Soul, with a weapon, beast, and body soul—all top-tier talents. Could she really teach him well?

After much consideration, she made a difficult decision: to find her son a more suitable teacher.

So, when the Awakening Ceremony ended that day, she went to visit someone.

"Mom, there's no need. You're so amazing. I'm sure you can teach me just fine."

Qiangu Wuji shook his head and spoke with complete seriousness.

Seeing her son's earnest expression warmed Leng Yaozhu's heart. Without thinking, she took his hand and pulled him closer, affectionately ruffling his hair as she smiled.

"Don't you want to know who I found to teach you? You should know that countless people on our continent would do anything to become his disciple."

Qiangu Wuji gave an unhappy shake of his head.

Only after transmigrating into this world had he realized just how different some things were from how they'd been described in the original story.

Take Leng Yaozhu, for instance. In the story, she was a noble, aloof woman, but in reality, she doted on her son and was always hugging and kissing him. It was enough to make him feel embarrassed.

Hearing her, he replied indifferently,

"Whoever it is, they definitely won't teach me as well as you can, Mom."

"Hehe, all right. Then at least meet him first."

Leng Yaozhu wasn't upset. She simply took out her Soul Guidance Phone and dialed a number.

Qiangu Wuji watched from the side, confused, but didn't ask anything. He stood straight and waited obediently.

Before long, the call was answered. The voice on the other end sounded like a man. As soon as he picked up, Qiangu Wuji faintly heard the following exchange.

"Mm, I understand."

"Don't worry. Leave him to me. I promise I won't disappoint you."

"How about this? Give him the phone and let me speak with him personally."

When the man finished speaking, Leng Yaozhu smiled, lowered the phone, and handed it over.

"Your uncle wants to talk to you. Remember to be polite."

Qiangu Wuji stared at the Soul Guidance Phone she'd handed him, puzzled, but took it anyway.

Before the other person could speak, he greeted him first.

"Hello."

"Hello, little guy. You're quite polite."

The man's voice came through the phone again. He sounded fairly young, and very cheerful.

Qiangu Wuji said nothing more, waiting for the man to speak.

"Little guy, you probably don't know who I am yet, do you? Let me introduce myself. My name is Yun Ming."

"If that name doesn't ring a bell, you should at least know the president of Shrek Academy, right?"

What? Yun Ming?

Qiangu Wuji's hand trembled slightly as he held the Soul Guidance Phone. He nearly cried out in surprise.

Could this be the very master of the Sea God Pavilion whom Leng Yaozhu had found to teach him?

Good grief!

No wonder she'd been so sure he would accept this teacher.

Indeed, if the teacher was the mighty Qingtian Douluo, it would be hard to refuse.

In truth, Qiangu Wuji was having a hard time deciding.

He hesitated.

With a quasi-god as his teacher, it was certain he would avoid many detours on the path of cultivation.

More importantly, Yun Ming's support would mean having access to all of Shrek's resources, making it much easier to develop a second profession later on.

But there was one problem. In the original story, Shrek would be destroyed by the Holy Spirit Cult in about ten years, and the Qingtian Douluo would die in the campaign to eliminate them.

If he agreed to become Yun Ming's disciple, there was no guarantee the Holy Spirit Cult wouldn't target him too.

Even with the Spirit Pagoda's protection, nothing was certain.

So, should he refuse?

"Little guy, your mother told me about you. With your talent, you could enter Shrek Inner Court directly without any problem. Come here. With me teaching you, I can have you touching the threshold of Titled Douluo within thirty years at most."

As Qiangu Wuji wavered, Yun Ming spoke again. He didn't sound as if he were asking; it was as though he was certain the boy would agree.

Indeed, who in the world could refuse a personal invitation from the president of Shrek Academy?

Leng Yaozhu watched from the side, feeling conflicted.

She was glad her son could have a better teacher, but as his mother, she still regretted that she wouldn't be the one teaching him herself.

But such regrets meant nothing compared to her son's future prospects.

A place like Shrek was, after all, devoted to educating people. With Yun Ming as his teacher, Wuji would surely be better off there than by her side.

Wuji must feel the same way, right?

That was what she thought.

But just then, she heard an apologetic voice.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Yun Ming, but I don't plan to enroll at Shrek."

Leng Yaozhu froze, then came to her senses and stared at Qiangu Wuji in astonishment.

"Wuji, what did you say?"

Qiangu Wuji calmly glanced at his mother and repeated himself.

"Mom, I said I don't plan to join Shrek."

Leng Yaozhu froze. After a long moment, she rubbed her forehead, looking rather troubled.

"Why? You have to give me a reason. Otherwise, I won't let you carry on like this."

Qiangu Wuji nodded and slowly gave the explanation he had prepared earlier.

"Mom, I think that as the successor to the Spirit Pagoda, I should start from the bottom like ordinary Soul Masters. If I've never experienced what Soul Masters at the bottom go through, how can I know what they need? And how can I help the Spirit Pagoda grow stronger?"

Such grand words coming from a six-year-old left Leng Yaozhu silent. Even Yun Ming was quiet on the other end of the phone.

Qiangu Wuji didn't think much of it. After speaking, he held the phone and apologized to Yun Ming.

"Uncle Yun Ming, thank you for your kindness, but I really can't agree to become your disciple right now. You won't be angry, will you?"

"Haha, little guy, what kind of person do you take me for? Would I get angry over something like this? It's rare to see someone so clear-minded. Why would I stop you?"

"All right, give the phone back to your mother. I have something to discuss with her."

Qiangu Wuji glanced at Leng Yaozhu and obediently handed her the phone.

She looked at him with a complicated expression, sighed, and took the phone.

"Yun Ming..."