"Stop staring. That beautiful, wealthy teacher has gone far away!"
Flender silently walked up beside Lin Feng, folded his arms, and teasingly remarked in a ghostly tone.
"What, can't bear to part with her? Understandable. I wouldn't be able to either. She's beautiful and rich, and she handed over fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins right off the bat. Where else could you find a teacher that good?"
"What beautiful, wealthy teacher? Headmaster, is that really the kind of person you think I am? It was Teacher's astonishing talent and strength that won me over."
Lin Feng rolled his eyes speechlessly. As he looked toward the horizon, a trace of reluctance flashed through his eyes.
It still wasn't time. Heaven Dou City was a chaotic place where all sorts of forces were intertwined. As for going to Spirit City, unless he never used his soul skills, Bibi Dong would notice him for sure.
That woman was both a love-crazed lunatic and completely insane. If she set her sights on him, she might swallow him whole without even leaving bones behind.
He needed to lie low and build his strength. He didn't yet have the capital to wander around recklessly. In the future, the sea would be wide enough for fish to leap, and the sky high enough for birds to fly!
Zhao Wuji stepped up beside him and exchanged a glance with Flender. Then, in perfect unison, they both spat "Pah!" at him, their faces full of disdain.
"Xiao Linzi, if you've got the guts, swear that if even half a word you just said was false, every Godly Gear unlock from now on will cost ten times more. No, a hundred times more!"
Lin Feng immediately felt guilty. He quickly coughed twice and forcefully changed the subject.
"Headmaster, Uncle Zhao, we've been out for so long. I miss Xiao Ao already. Hurry up, let's head back to Suotuo City."
That was far too vicious. If such an oath really came true, even selling the entire Spirit Hall might not be enough for him to unlock his Godly Gear.
Flender felt incomparably depressed.
He had originally planned to take Lin Feng as his personal disciple once they returned this time. Who would have thought that Qian Renxue would appear halfway through and steal him away?
He sighed softly.
"In the end, we just weren't fated to be master and disciple."
But on second thought, that kid would have a much broader future following such a wealthy and well-connected teacher than he would following him. At least he wouldn't have to stay cooped up in Suotuo City with him.
Thinking that, the faint bitterness in his heart gradually faded.
Zhao Wuji saw through his thoughts completely. He heavily slapped Flender on the shoulder, suppressed a laugh, and solemnly comforted him.
"Flender, look on the bright side. Sure, that brat got himself a beautiful, wealthy teacher, but he didn't get you, Shrek's dirt-poor headmaster. That's his tremendous loss!"
"Get lost, get lost, get lost!"
Flender's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He irritably slapped Zhao Wuji's hand away and snapped,
"I think you've been hanging around that brat too long. You're spouting nonsense all day with no sense of propriety. You're getting more and more abnormal."
"Hey! Headmaster, why are you suddenly attacking me personally? You say that as if you're normal."
"I've had it. From now on, we need another necessary condition for accepting students. Abnormal people aren't allowed to join."
"Hah, you made me laugh. You still claim you're normal? This is called a monster academy. What monster is normal? It should be changed to: normal people aren't allowed in."
Three months later,
Suotuo City
Gilded wings tore through the sky as Qian Renxue hovered in midair. She lowered her eyes to the address written on the paper in her hand, then looked at the decrepit cluster of buildings below, falling into a long silence.
Even though the intelligence report had already described the place as "extremely crude and dilapidated," she had never imagined it could be this dilapidated.
Crooked wooden fences enclosed a few plank houses. There wasn't even a proper academy gate. Vegetables and rice were planted along the ridges of the fields. There was not the slightest resemblance to a Soul Master Academy. It was clearly just a village masquerading as some backwater school.
Her brows furrowed slightly. She put away the letter and flew toward the academy grounds.
"Where is he..."
Inside the office,
Flender, who was holding a teacup and enjoying afternoon tea, suddenly sensed that familiar, sacred aura in the air. He curled his lips sourly and muttered sarcastically,
"Heh, someone's beautiful, wealthy teacher is here."
Elsewhere,
Qian Renxue landed above a small two-story wooden house.
Through the open window, she immediately spotted Lin Feng sprawled over a desk, writing and drawing. Her tightly furrowed brows unconsciously relaxed, and a faint smile tugged at her lips.
"Xiao Linzi, I finally found you."
She lightly tapped the ground with the tip of her foot, landing as soundlessly as a falling leaf, then gently pushed the door open and walked inside.
Lin Feng, inside the room, noticed nothing at all. He remained sprawled over the desk, twirling a pen in his hand as he sighed and muttered to himself.
"Ah, what a pity. I forgot to ask when my bargain teacher's birthday was. I have to remember to ask next time we meet."
"It's already been three months. Why hasn't she sent me any funding yet? My Angel investor didn't really run off, did she?"
As he muttered, his nose suddenly twitched. He caught a familiar, delicate fragrance, and it smelled rather nice.
He scratched his head and muttered in confusion.
"Strange. Why does this scent smell exactly like my bargain teacher? It smells so good. Next time, I have to ask where she bought her perfume."
Behind him, a faint blush instantly spread across Qian Renxue's stunning face. Her formerly gentle gaze turned cold in an instant, and she gritted her teeth as she spat out two words.
"Ungrateful disciple!"
So, in this guy's heart, she had no authority as his teacher at all? Fine. Fine...
Lin Feng shuddered all over and abruptly turned around. When he saw Qian Renxue standing behind him, radiating a frosty aura, he looked at her as if he were about to cry.
"T-Teacher? When... when did you get here?"
"Wasn't I your bargain teacher?"
Qian Renxue snorted coldly, narrowing her phoenix eyes as she repeated his earlier form of address word by word. The chill in her tone grew even heavier.
"Bargain teacher? Xiao Linzi, you're really something."
"Teacher, listen to my argu—no, listen to my explanation!"
Lin Feng was so anxious that he even misspoke. He stared at her with a deathly pale face, his mind racing wildly.
It's over, it's over. Respected Teacher really seems angry. How am I supposed to calm her down?
Qian Renxue ignored his nonsense and turned toward the door, saying indifferently,
"Follow me."
Lin Feng drooped his head and hurriedly followed after her, answering guiltily,
"C-Coming!"
The two walked along Shrek's dirt paths, stopping now and then. Earthen houses and crooked wooden fences filled the way, and after taking it all in, Qian Renxue's furrowed brows never relaxed.
At last, she stopped and asked in confusion,
"Where is your academy's training ground or Soul Fighting Platform?"
Lin Feng immediately felt a little awkward. He scratched the back of his head and gave a dry laugh.
"Uh... Teacher, you can see it yourself. Shrek is this poor. How could we afford high-end things like a Soul Fighting Platform or a training ground?"
Not even possessing the most basic standard facilities of a Soul Master Academy, Qian Renxue instantly fell silent, a faint headache forming at her temples.
She finally understood completely. What proper Soul Master Academy was this? It was clearly just a makeshift school Flender and his old friends had thrown together after retiring, casually taking in a few students. To put it bluntly, it was no different from a retirement home.
"Forget it. Find me somewhere more open."
"Sure thing, Teacher. Follow me."
Lin Feng hurried ahead to lead the way, while still remembering to put in a few good words for the academy.
"Teacher, although Shrek's cultivation facilities are a bit lacking, the Headmaster has never shorted us even a bit when it comes to cultivation resources. We don't have to worry about soul rings either. For me, that's enough."
Oscar had an innate defect in the original story, yet his cultivation had not fallen behind by much. That alone showed Flender had done everything within his ability to help Oscar grow. What more could anyone ask for?
Hearing that, Qian Renxue's tightly furrowed brows finally eased somewhat. She no longer dwelled on the matter and asked,
"Have you practiced swordsmanship before?"
Lin Feng honestly shook his head.
"No."
Before you continue