"Shortsighted" Flender

"Sure. The cultivation environment at Heaven Dou Royal Academy really is better than Shrek's!"

Hearing Lu Yi's words, Flender understood his choice and could only nod.

"By the way, Uncle-Master, you must have made quite a bit of money stockpiling Whale Rubber back then. Why are you still keeping the academy tucked away in a village?"

Seeing Flender fall silent, Lu Yi seemed to think of something and asked him.

After Tang San successfully absorbed his thousand-year Soul Ring, Lu Yi had Yu Xiaogang publish his research on Whale Rubber so that the members of their sect would not seem too shocking.

Back then, Flender had used the information gap to stockpile quite a lot of Thousand-Year Whale Rubber. Now, Thousand-Year Whale Rubber had been driven up to three thousand Gold Soul Coins per tael. By all rights, Flender should have made a considerable profit.

That money should have been enough for Flender to buy land in the city and build an academy. Lu Yi just did not know why Flender insisted on keeping his academy in a tiny village. With the place in such a run-down state, it was hard enough for him to even scam people out of registration fees.

"Ahem, Xiao Yi, it's not that I want to lecture you, but a person can't forget where they came from just because they have money."

"What's wrong with staying in a village? We've been here for so many years. We've long grown attached to it!"

Hearing Lu Yi's words, Flender coughed twice and replied.

"You didn't listen to me and sold the Whale Rubber early, did you?"

Seeing Flender act like that, Lu Yi asked tentatively.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem..." Hearing Lu Yi's words, Flender coughed wildly, seemingly trying to skip over the subject with his coughing.

"How many Gold Soul Coins did you sell it for?" Seeing Flender cough so frantically, Lu Yi was already certain that this guy had not listened to him.

"O... one hundred Gold Soul Coins per tael!"

Hearing Lu Yi's question, Flender answered haltingly.

"How much?"

"Didn't Thousand-Year Whale Rubber rise to one thousand Gold Soul Coins per tael in less than two months?"

Hearing that, Lu Yi stared at Flender in disbelief. He had emphasized countless times that Flender should hold onto his Whale Rubber for at least three months before selling it.

There was so little of the stuff, yet there were so many Soul Masters across the continent. Its price was bound to keep climbing. Lu Yi truly had not expected Flender to sell it for only one hundred Gold Soul Coins per tael.

Good grief. His Martial Soul was clearly a Four-Eyed Owl, so how had he developed such a shortsighted habit?

With that thought, Lu Yi gave Flender a strange look.

"What kind of expression is that?"

Seeing Lu Yi's face, Flender said in embarrassment and annoyance.

"Nothing. I just think Uncle-Master, you're quite... quite decisive!"

Hearing Flender's words, Lu Yi finally came up with a relatively tactful term and said it to him.

"You can't blame me, right? I bought it for eighty Bronze Soul Coins per tael, then it shot up to one hundred Gold Soul Coins per tael. The price increased by more than ten thousand times. It's normal that I couldn't resist, isn't it?"

Hearing Lu Yi's words, Flender could not help defending himself.

"Yeah, yeah."

Hearing Flender's explanation, Lu Yi did not say anything more. He simply nodded along, then changed the subject and began discussing their plan for hunting Soul Beasts.

After a day of travel, Lu Yi and his group once again arrived at the small town outside Star Dou Great Forest.

"Let's go to the Golden Armored Flame Dragon first. Its location is closer than Xiao Yi's Dark Tide Ink Scale Turtle. We'll get Xiao Shu's second Soul Ring first, then yours, Xiao Yi!"

As they walked through Star Dou Great Forest, Flender spoke to Lu Yi.

"Alright. Since the Golden Armored Flame Dragon is closer, we'll get Xiao Shu's Soul Ring first."

Hearing Flender's words, Lu Yi nodded.

"Thank you, Brother Yi. Then I'll be relying on you, Dean Flender!"

Hearing Lu Yi's words, Wang Shu first thanked him, then spoke to Flender.

"It's no trouble. Let's go!" Flender waved a hand at Wang Shu and strode forward.

The Golden Armored Flame Dragon was a draconic Soul Beast with a relatively high-quality bloodline. It usually lived near volcanic craters.

Flender had accidentally discovered the Golden Armored Flame Dragon they were hunting this time while hunting Soul Beasts for Ma Hongjun. Since Yu Xiaogang had said he was about to break through Rank 30, Flender had remembered the creature's location and planned to use it as Yu Xiaogang's third Soul Ring after he broke through.

But who would have thought that Yu Xiaogang had somehow acquired three pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber and eaten them? His physical condition had improved drastically, so this Golden Armored Flame Dragon was no longer old enough. In order not to waste what little potential his good brother had left—

Flender had instead found Yu Xiaogang a 5,500-year-old Vast Sea Azure Dragon Soul Beast for his third Soul Ring. Perhaps it was because Luo Sanpao had evolved, or perhaps because Yu Xiaogang had broken through the Rank 30 bottleneck.

After absorbing his third Soul Ring, Yu Xiaogang did not gain another farting Soul Skill. Instead, he gained an offensive Soul Skill called Raging Sea Azure Dragon Top.

Lu Yi could only say that it was fortunate it had not been another fart-related Soul Skill. Otherwise, if the water-attributed Vast Sea Azure Dragon had granted a farting Soul Skill, wouldn't the farts come out with both liquid and solids? The image was so beautiful that Lu Yi did not dare imagine it for a moment.

As Flender used Martial Soul Possession and released the pressure of a Soul Beast to drive away the Soul Beasts along the road, Lu Yi and Wang Shu finally got to experience what it was like to race through the forest at full speed.

Relying on the travel speed provided by Splash—Explosive Step, Lu Yi and Wang Shu barely managed to keep up with the traveling pace of Flender, a Soul Saint. Because of that, in just two short hours, they had ventured deep into Star Dou Great Forest and arrived near a canyon filled with the smell of sulfur.

"You two wait here. I'll go in and catch that Golden Armored Flame Dragon for you. We'll absorb the Soul Ring right here afterward."

"There's a thirty-thousand-year Fire Tiger in the canyon. If you absorb the Soul Ring in there, I might not be able to protect you."

On a small hill near the canyon, Flender looked down at the canyon below and cautioned Lu Yi and Wang Shu.

"Got it, Uncle-Master. You be careful too!"

Hearing Flender's words, Lu Yi nodded with some concern.

"Stay safe, Dean Flender!" Wang Shu also said sincerely.

"Don't worry. That Fire Tiger isn't my match. You two stay here and don't run around!"

Seeing the concern on Lu Yi and Wang Shu's faces, Flender said with a smile.

With that, Flender leaped into the canyon below and vanished from Lu Yi and Wang Shu's sight in the blink of an eye.