Shrek on the Rise

On the other side, Flender sat opposite Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Wuji sat there in a relaxed, sprawling manner, yet his eyes flickered with the light of wisdom.

Although this guy looked like a simpleton, his mind was as clear as a mirror; he was actually quite clever.

Otherwise, after offending Martial Soul Hall and being hunted by the Strength Clan, he wouldn't have been able to live so comfortably.

"Wuji..."

Flender glanced at Zhao Wuji, but not knowing what to say, he could only reach for the teacup on the table to ease the temporary awkwardness.

"Now you know it doesn't feel good? What were you doing before? If you had cared even a little more about Oscar, would he have ended up suffering from cultivation deviation?!"

Zhao Wuji slammed the table, his brows furrowed.

He was truly wronging Flender by saying this; although Flender had become increasingly strict with Oscar, it was only to spur the child on.

Over these years, Flender had practically treated Oscar like his own son; he cared for him deeply.

The reason he didn't let Oscar call him father was out of fear that the boy would become arrogant due to being spoiled; it was for the child's future. No one knew how terrifying a Food System soul master with Innate Full Soul Power would be once he grew up.

But one could imagine, as long as the wars between empires expanded, Oscar only needed to stand on the battlefield to be worth endless supplies and millions of troops!

Once this child failed to cultivate properly and flaunted his talent, if the enemy nations found out, even a Title Douluo might cast aside their dignity to come and assassinate him!

"I was wrong all these years, but the problem now is how to save the child's foundation. I can't ruin his entire life."

As the tea went down, bitterness spread from his stomach throughout his entire body.

No one could have imagined that he would push the child to this point, to the extent of suffering from cultivation deviation and nearly dying. Flender felt nothing but self-reproach now.

"Go find Yu Xiaogang. Doesn't he always brag about being the number one in theory?"

Zhao Wuji snorted coldly. He didn't care about Flender's face; taking this opportunity, he had to draw a line and get Flender to stay away from that piece of fly dung.

"Wuji..."

Having spent so much time with Yu Xiaogang and even running a Soul Master Academy together, how could Flender not know what kind of character Yu Xiaogang had?

He had kept in touch with Yu Xiaogang all these years not just for the sake of brotherhood, but more so because Shrek's financial situation had been dire, and he wanted to use Yu Xiaogang's background in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to gain some opportunities.

"Our Shrek is currently lacking high-quality students. A while ago, he told me he had taken on a disciple—a Blue Silver Grass soul master with Innate Full Soul Power."

"Blue Silver Grass? Innate Full Soul Power? Just listen to his bragging. If such a soul master really existed, I, Zhao Wuji, would personally tear down Martial Soul Hall for you to see."

"He wouldn't use this to lie to me. We've agreed that in six years, he will bring his disciple here to teach."

Flender stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the night scene before him, and said to Zhao Wuji.

"You can't be serious, letting him teach students? He's a level 29 soul master. Even if he has compiled the strongest theories, they haven't been tested. Are you going to use the children as test subjects?"

Zhao Wuji's brows locked together, his tone growing harsher. If Flender weren't his boss of many years, he would have stood up and fought Flender right then and there to help him clear his head.

"Yu Xiaogang is my brother, that's true, but Ma Hongjun is my only disciple, and Oscar is my only foster son. Do you think I would joke about them?"

Flender turned back to glare at Zhao Wuji and sighed.

"Your mind is quite sharp, but that's only petty cleverness.

If Yu Xiaogang were truly a useless piece of trash with no ability, do you think I would keep in touch with him?"

Flender sat back down in his chair, signaling for Zhao Wuji to sit as well.

"Over these many years, I have come to understand him well. Although he only researches theory and lacks much practical foundation, he has conducted many experiments at a primary soul master academy, which is enough to lead the children in basic training.

Of course, I wouldn't feel at ease handing Oscar and Ma Hongjun over to him with just that.

What puts me at ease is that he possesses important information from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and Martial Soul Hall!

We are all commoner soul masters; you should know how much this information can help the children!"

Hearing this, Zhao Wuji fell into deep thought, the disdain on his face fading bit by bit.

If that was the case, then having Yu Xiaogang teach here would be of immeasurable benefit to the children.

"Boss, don't worry. Once he gets here, I will treat him with respect."

But there was one thing he didn't say: if this Yu Xiaogang tried to influence the children with his hypocritical personality, he would never let it slide.

Flender stood up and patted Zhao Wuji on the shoulder, a smile appearing on his face.

"That's more like it. You truly are the brother I can trust with my back. Yu Xiaogang has helped me a lot, and this is also something I owe him. My talent is limited, and I can't help Erlong much, but the knowledge Yu Xiaogang brought out from Martial Soul Hall is of great help to her. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let go so easily..."

The two talked late into the night in the small cabin, and it was this night that they washed away the discord they had accumulated over the years.

Meanwhile, in a dark room, Ma Hongjun tossed and turned, unable to sleep until dawn.

There was no other reason; what Oscar had said was just too tempting for him!

That was the solution to his Evil Fire!

Once the Evil Fire was resolved, he would be a proper Fire Phoenix, not some damn Grass Chicken Phoenix.

As soon as dawn broke, he hurried to knock on Shao Xin's door, dark circles under his eyes.

"Cough, cough, Teacher Shao, um, is Oscar feeling any better?"

Shao Xin saw at a glance that Ma Hongjun hadn't slept all night and smiled, inviting him in.

"Although Oscar is doing better now, don't be too rowdy, lest you aggravate his injuries, understand?"

Shao Xin said to Ma Hongjun with a stern face.

"Master, I'm fine."

Oscar propped himself up; although his face remained pale, a hint of color had returned to it.

At this moment, he was looking at Ma Hongjun, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Fatty, coming to visit me so early, did you bring any treasures to help me recover?"

Ma Hongjun scratched his head in embarrassment; he was only six years old, what kind of good things could he possibly have?

Seeing Ma Hongjun's awkward appearance, Oscar laughed out loud, putting away his mischievous desire to tease his younger brother.

"I told you to come find me in three days, and you couldn't even wait one night? What I told you before wasn't just for fun."

Shao Xin watched as Oscar suddenly turned serious and felt a bit curious, pulling up a stool to sit nearby, ready to see what little secrets these two little guys had.

Ma Hongjun glanced at Shao Xin, then looked back at Oscar.

"You fatty, that is my master, do you really need to hide it from him?"

Oscar frowned and scolded Ma Hongjun.

The inheritance had always had a rule: the Dao should not be taught lightly, and there must be a proper method for transmission.

Ma Hongjun was not bad by nature, and as long as he kept a close watch after the inheritance, he would surely become a decent person in the future. Shao Xin was gentle and kind-hearted; neither of them were wicked, and both met the standards for inheritance.

Furthermore, what he was passing on now was the Taiji Mental Method. This mental method was widely circulated in the other world for the purpose of casting a wide net to screen for geniuses with the right temperament.

Moreover, the entry requirements for the mental method were extremely difficult; the prerequisite was to reach a certain level in Quiet Meditation. Without a master's guidance, it would be hard to glimpse the true mysteries even after decades, and once one entered the path of Quiet Meditation, they would inevitably become a person of mild temperament and good intentions.

People like this who learned the Taiji Mental Method, even if they didn't join Wudang, would still be people dedicated to the Dao, which could be considered building a legacy for Wudang.

This was also the greatest difference between orthodox Daoist arts and certain crooked, evil paths!