Flender's Recruitment, Heading to Shrek

Flender landed three meters in front of Xiao Qing, a distance that signaled no hostility while remaining within his absolute control.

Oscar retreated behind Flender, poking his head out to curiously size up Xiao Qing and the two soul beasts beside him.

Flender's gaze swept over A'Man and Xiao Feng first; although neither was a thousand-year soul beast, their combination of offense and defense was perfectly complementary.

Flender believed that with their coordination, they would have no trouble challenging most soul beasts under two thousand years or even four-ringed soul masters.

His gaze then landed on Xiao Qing's face. Xiao Qing's expression was calm, but his wrist was slightly angled inward—a posture ready to strike or parry at a moment's notice.

Flender couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly; this kid's vigilance was higher than many seasoned soul masters, likely a habit formed from long-term survival in the Star Dou Forest.

"But kid, are you aware that not long ago, a One-Eyed Dragon brought seven or eight men to the town at the entrance of the Star Dou Forest, introducing you to everyone he met? They've handed out stacks of bounty posters, so I imagine the vast majority of soul masters entering the forest now know who you are."

Flender asked Xiao Qing with a hint of curiosity. He had seen the bounty on Xiao Qing, and as for the reason behind it, Flender could only suggest that anyone who believed it should consider being reborn.

He didn't believe for a second that a six-year-old child could trigger a soul beast riot, and besides, how could a village near the Star Dou Forest possibly scrape together one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins?

In all likelihood, Xiao Qing had offended some big shot or spoiled brat from the Martial Soul Hall, and having successfully escaped their clutches, he had been slapped with a bounty.

Xiao Qing's pupils constricted; he hadn't expected the One-Eyed Dragon to use such a method.

This was no longer a simple act of revenge; this was turning him into bait and tossing him into a pool filled with sharks!

Yet, one thing puzzled Xiao Qing: wasn't the One-Eyed Dragon interested in the bounty on him to begin with? Now that the waters had been thoroughly muddied, how could the One-Eyed Dragon guarantee he would be the one to capture him?

Just as Flender said, the soul master teams entering the Star Dou Forest to hunt for soul rings, the mercenaries hunting soul beasts, and even some desperate outlaws would all be lured by the one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, joining the hunt for him.

Why would the One-Eyed Dragon believe he could get a slice of the pie?

"Isn't he afraid that someone else will claim the bounty first?"

Xiao Qing asked Flender calmly, hoping to glean more information to analyze why the One-Eyed Dragon felt so confident.

Flender curled his lips into a cold sneer.

"Heh, what does he have to fear? Once the news spreads, you become the target of everyone's arrows, and in the Star Dou Forest, you can't guard against every open attack or hidden blade!"

"He hides in the shadows, watching you and others fight to the death. Once you are exhausted or severely wounded by some team, he and his men will emerge to clean up the mess. It's the lowest cost with the highest return."

"Even if you are caught by someone else, he can still claim a 'finder's fee' for providing the information to the bounty office. No matter how you calculate it, he doesn't lose."

As expected, the One-Eyed Dragon's move was an open conspiracy; regardless of whether he personally caught him, it was merely a choice between a big win and a small win.

"Then you're telling me all this, surely not just to warn me?"

Xiao Qing met Flender's gaze. Flender was a Soul Saint and notoriously money-hungry; he could easily capture him to claim the bounty.

"I said I wouldn't lay a hand on a child for one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins. Of course, I'm not telling you this just to warn you, either."

Flender admitted his ulterior motives quite bluntly.

"Then what for?"

Xiao Qing moved imperceptibly closer to Xiao Feng; if Flender made a move, his only hope was to take the child beside Flender as a hostage.

"Because of you. I'm curious how a child not even ten years old managed to escape from the One-Eyed Dragon's group and even force them to use such a 'drive the tiger to eat the wolf' tactic."

"What makes me even more curious is, are you really eight or nine? The child beside me is the same age as you; despite having Innate Full Soul Power, he has only just broken through to level twenty after training until now, yet you are already at level twenty-two!"

Xiao Qing was shocked; he hadn't been circulating his soul power, yet Flender had still sensed his soul power level!

"Did you kill their men, or destroy their camp? Or both?"

Flender continued to ask, his tone tinged with inquisitive interest. "I have some impression of that One-Eyed Dragon's group. They hang around this area and have a foul reputation, but they aren't weak. They have a Soul Ancestor leading them, several Soul Elders, and the rest are all Soul Grand Masters. For you to escape them and force them to use this trick, kid, you're not simple."

"Just self-preservation."

Xiao Qing didn't explain in detail. Facing an old fox like Flender, the more one said, the more flaws one might reveal.

Flender didn't press the issue; everyone had secrets, especially those who could survive in such a treacherous environment.

"After this 'self-preservation' of yours, your trouble is only going to get bigger. The One-Eyed Dragon has scattered the news to the winds; it won't be long before this area is crawling with people looking for you. You, alone, with two soul beasts—can you handle the One-Eyed Dragon's team, and can you handle the endless stream of hyenas sniffing out the scent of money?"

Xiao Qing fell silent; he knew Flender was speaking the truth.

The One-Eyed Dragon's move had minimized his escape routes and options.

The forest had become dangerous, and in the towns outside, there were likely many people waiting for the bounty target to walk right into their trap.

"I can take you away," Flender stated his purpose directly. "To Shrek Academy. It might be a bit... well, rustic, but it's safe enough, and no one dares to run wild and snatch people on my turf."

"You are a genius, that is beyond doubt. A level twenty-two Soul Grand Master under ten years old, plus this... special summoning ability? At the academy, you can receive systematic guidance and a safe environment to grow, without having to live in fear of being hunted down every day."

Oscar couldn't help but chime in from the side, his tone sincere:

"Yeah, Xiao Qing. Although the Dean is... uh, quite concerned with economic efficiency, he is very good to his students. There are other classmates at the academy; training together is much safer than being out here alone."

Xiao Qing looked into Flender's eyes. Behind those lenses, there was a glimmer of shrewd calculation.

A level twenty-two genius student under ten years old was a massive asset and a signboard for any academy. But beyond that, Xiao Qing truly didn't see any greed or malice. At the very least, he had proposed the most viable path forward for now.

"I have conditions."

Xiao Qing spoke, his voice low but clear.

Flender raised an eyebrow: "Speak."

"I need real combat—real combat against soul beasts. Every so often, someone must take me to a place where I can find suitable soul beasts to fight."

Xiao Qing stated his requirements.

Whenever his Soul Power Level broke through, he would need to hunt new spirit beasts for spirit rings, and Xiao Feng and the others required combat to increase their age; therefore, battles were absolutely indispensable.

However, this request itself was not particularly outrageous for a spirit master pursuing strength.

The cultivation of many combat-oriented spirit masters could not be separated from actual combat, only that the ones Xiao Qing would be battling were spirit beasts.

Flender was indeed somewhat surprised; he had assumed Xiao Qing would bring up specific demands regarding remuneration, benefits, or safety guarantees.

Flender would have felt a pang of heartache over those conditions, but he had not expected Xiao Qing to propose such a seemingly simple, yet actually rather troublesome, condition.

Regularly leaving the safety of the academy to head into areas where spirit beasts roamed inherently carried risks.

Moreover, he was curious about the reason Xiao Qing was so fixated on battling spirit beasts. Was it to hone his combat techniques? Or did his martial soul require specific combat stimulation to grow?