Flender stood rooted in place, feeling everyone's eyes on him. His fists clenched, then slowly loosened, only to clench again. This happened several times.
He looked at his old friend Zhao Wuji, who had weathered so many storms by his side. His face was full of support and understanding.
He looked at Qin Ming, the outstanding student he had personally taught—the child who once followed behind him, calling him teacher, and had now grown into a Soul Master who could stand on his own.
Then he looked at Xiao Qing, Tang San, and the others. These young people had boundless futures ahead of them. They shouldn't be trapped in this little place.
Flender's lips moved. He wanted to speak, but several times, just as the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back.
It felt as though something were lodged in his throat. A thousand words churned in his chest, yet he couldn't find a fitting way to let them out.
At last, all those tangled emotions became a single sentence. It left his mouth in a slightly hoarse voice, yet rang out with unusual clarity.
"Qin Ming, thank you for the invitation!"
"I—I accept!"
After speaking the final word, Flender felt as if most of his strength had been drained away.
He stood there, his gaze somewhat unfocused. Shrek Academy was something he had built with his own hands, brick by brick, when he was young.
From choosing the site to overseeing construction, from recruiting students to teaching them, he had poured his heart into every part of it.
Now, to simply disband it—it felt like sending the child he had raised to live in someone else's home.
In that moment, he suddenly felt that he really was getting old. Old enough to start reminiscing about the past, old