Oscar's face darkened the instant he heard the name Grandmaster.
In the Inner Scene, he'd seen exactly what this Grandmaster was really like.
He wanted to take him as a disciple?
Who did he think he was?
"Come on. We're going to see the dean."
Oscar led Ma Hongjun across the academy and pushed open the door to the dean's office.
A waft of tea drifted out from inside. Oscar looked up and saw Zhao Wuji, Flender, and Shao Xin sitting around a table, each holding a cup.
The fragrance of tea was coming from those three cups.
"Xiao Ao, you're back! Did Hongjun tell you that Grandmaster wants to take you as his disciple?"
Flender looked delighted to see Oscar.
"Let's put that aside for now. The Sky Net plan has been finalized. Dai Mubai will be heading this way, toward Suotuo City. We can consider recruiting him into Shrek Academy when he arrives. If his personality and other qualities meet Sky Net's requirements after he studies the Classic of the Supreme Response, we can let Sky Net decide whether to bring him in."
"Mm, I know. Li Jianqiu already sent me a letter about it." Flender nodded slightly. "Now, let's talk about Grandmaster."
Shao Xin and Zhao Wuji looked displeased, but both kept their mouths shut as they held their tea.
"I know why you want me to become Yu Xiaogang's disciple," Oscar said with a slight nod. "You want me to learn enough theoretical knowledge from him to make up for what Sky Net lacks in that area."
Flender nodded slightly. Oscar had become more and more impressive over the past two years.
He'd thought Oscar would resist. After all, with Sky Net's powerful intelligence network, they'd long since investigated Yu Xiaogang's sordid past in detail.
Flender even felt ashamed to associate with him!
What kind of person was this? He'd deceived an innocent young woman, then shamelessly moved on to someone else. He'd even gone back to the very woman he'd wronged and asked her to get him Spirit Hall's records.
And as Sky Net's investigation grew more thorough, they discovered that Yu Xiaogang had obtained a great deal of information from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
With all that information in his hands, was it possible that Yu Xiaogang hadn't studied the clan's Mutated Martial Souls?
Could he really have failed to realize that Liu Erlong was from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?
A Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon that mutated into something like Luo Sanpao might be one of a kind, but surely there were plenty of Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragons whose Martial Souls mutated into something like Liu Erlong's. Surely she couldn't have been the only example.
Zhao Wuji had gained an even deeper understanding of Grandmaster's "character"!
He hadn't written to Boss Fu for so long, but had suddenly started contacting him again. Could it be that news of Shrek Academy's growing reputation in Suotuo City had finally reached him?
Had he heard about Oscar's impressive victories?
Now that he'd realized Oscar was a genius, he wanted to reap the rewards. Yu Xiaogang, did you have no shame at all?
Still, they both had to admit that although Yu Xiaogang was a problem as a person, all of his theoretical knowledge—aside from the parts he'd made up himself—came from Spirit Hall and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
That information was all too important to Sky Net.
So, asking Shao Xin and Oscar, his master and disciple, to endure this for the time being and letting Oscar become Yu Xiaogang's disciple to obtain the knowledge in his records was an extremely important decision for both Shrek and Sky Net.
Shao Xin's fingers tightened around his teacup. Only then did he look up, forcing a smile more miserable than a grimace.
Oscar was Shao Xin's only disciple! He really couldn't accept this!
But he understood all too well that his own theoretical knowledge was nothing compared to what Grandmaster had acquired. Perhaps letting go was the only way for Sky Net to grow stronger—
and for Oscar to have a better future!
Oscar's gaze lingered on Shao Xin for a long while before he turned to Flender.
"As it happens, my master is here too. We can settle this today..."
Oscar spoke softly. Shao Xin immediately lowered his head, his expression turning ashen.
He didn't want to hear the rest. Holding his teacup, he rose and headed for the door.
"Grandmaster has knowledge about many Soul Beasts, and he also knows a great deal about how Soul Masters should develop..."
Shao Xin opened the door and stepped through with one foot.
So his disciple wanted that knowledge so badly? Maybe he'd have a better future this way. Shao Xin's back slumped even further. Over the past two years, he hadn't just treated Oscar as his disciple; he'd come to think of him as his own son. Now it felt as if he were forced to watch his son become someone else's!
His heart trembled, as if a small knife were scraping back and forth across it.
"But don't forget what we're trying to accomplish. If our goals don't align, what do we need him for?"
Shao Xin's ears twitched. Something didn't sound right. Clutching his teacup, he hurried back and sat down beside Zhao Wuji.
Oscar had to talk this over properly with his adoptive father today. Uncle Li was a good man whom Flender had brought in, but Yu Xiaogang was another matter.
Even if his adoptive father asked him to become Grandmaster's disciple, without any intention of recruiting him into Sky Net, Oscar would still find the idea sickening.
Flender stopped him and took a sip of tea.
"I've already repaid him for what he did for me. I don't owe him anything.
"And he treats his own people reasonably well. He wants to prove his theories, too.
"If you become his disciple, he'll wholeheartedly help you build a solid foundation and reach the peak of the Soul Master world. At the very least, you'll avoid a lot of detours.
"I won't let Sky Net be the reason you sacrifice your future."
Oscar shook his head slightly and looked at Flender.
"Actually, there's no need for this. Don't forget, Sky Net is still investigating Tang San. He's Yu Xiaogang's disciple, and Yu Xiaogang's cultivation is only what it is. When Tang San needs to hunt a higher-level Soul Beast to advance in the future, Yu Xiaogang will definitely bring him to Shrek.
"When that happens, he'll come along too.
"Given his character, he definitely won't give us all that information for free, but once he's here, there'll be plenty of ways to handle it.
"There's no need to use me becoming his disciple as a way to steal his information.
"I don't care about my reputation, but this would still be shameful. If I did it, I really wouldn't be any different from Yu Xiaogang."
Hearing this, Zhao Wuji and Shao Xin nodded slightly. Flender, the person who'd come up with the plan, felt especially ashamed.
"Alas..." Flender sighed. "Let's leave it at that for now. We'll think of something else later."
Ma Hongjun had been listening quietly the whole time, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
See? How could someone with no talent, no virtue, and no ability possibly be his senior brother's teacher?
What his senior brother had said today was so cool. That was how it should be!
What kind of morality was there in stealing knowledge behind someone's back? They should exchange it openly!
He wanted his disciple to study at Shrek Academy and help him hunt Soul Beasts? It wasn't going to be that easy. Even hired thugs had to pay protection money. Did he really think they were suckers?!
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