Gangzi's Invitation

After knocking for a long while without an answer, Flender, terrified that his disciple might be burned alive by the evil fire, had no choice but to force the door open.

However, the scene that met his eyes was vastly different from what he had imagined.

Ma Hongjun was sitting upright on the bed, and aside from his cheeks being slightly flushed, there were no signs of him being consumed by the evil fire.

"Hongjun?"

"Hey, I told you, Teacher, you're just worrying for nothing. If I really couldn't hold it back anymore, do you think I'd make things difficult for myself?"

Hearing this, Flender breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Still, he remained uneasy, stepping forward to place a hand on the boy's shoulder. He circulated his soul power through Ma Hongjun, and only after confirming there were truly no issues did he finally set his heart at ease.

"What exactly is going on with you, kid?"

"Oh, Teacher, don't worry about it. When the time is right, I'll tell you."

The matter of a deity was far too ethereal; Ma Hongjun feared that if Flender found out, he wouldn't allow him to continue completing the trials.

He figured it wouldn't be too late to tell him about the God of Calmness once he had completed a few more trials, made significant progress in his cultivation, and gained better control over the evil fire.

Flender shook his head, ultimately deciding not to press for further details.

"I need to head out for a trip, probably for a few dozen days."

"During this time, if you have any evil fire that needs resolving, just go to the Red Light Street yourself."

"Oh? Where are you going, Teacher?"

"It's nothing, just an old brother I haven't seen in years invited me, so I need to make a trip to Fasinuo Province."

Not long after Flender left, the information for the second trial arrived in Ma Hongjun's mind, which immediately made the fatty beam with joy.

The second trial Lu Xian released for the fatty was still to persist in not going to the Red Light Street.

The only difference was that the time limit had increased from one week to ten days.

In any case, simply adjusting the number of days for the trial was equivalent to increasing the difficulty, and as the difficulty of the wish increased, the rewards would become even more generous.

He was also spared the trouble of racking his brains to design other trials.

He would just have to turn up the intensity on the little fatty when it came to the tenth trial.

Thanks to the existence of the Luck Domain, Lu Xian had never experienced a shortage of money.

He hadn't gone to collect his subsidies from Martial Soul Hall for a long time, which greatly ensured that his rate of soul power growth wouldn't be noticed by the outside world.

If someone didn't go to register and collect subsidies for six years after awakening their martial soul, they would already be at level 20 by the time they entered a branch hall again.

If he were to go and collect Soul Elder subsidies every few months, he would surely be captured and treated as an evil soul master.

With Gold Soul Coins as support, Lu Xian had no intention of mistreating himself.

Aside from that broom shop on the Red Light Street, he had also bought a detached small courtyard not far away.

It was more convenient for him to practice his increasingly powerful soul skills there.

Through his mental connection with the brooms, Lu Xian discovered that Tang San had already raised his cultivation to level 20.

While this was partly due to Tang San's own diligence, the vast majority of his cultivation had been gained through the trials of the Jinx.

It had to be said that Lu Xian's appearance had, to a large extent, saved Tang San, who had been delayed for several years by Gangzi.

A few days later, Flender arrived in Nuoding City, full of anticipation.

He hadn't expected that Gangzi, whom he hadn't seen in years, would be living in seclusion in such a place.

Heading to the faculty dormitory within Notting Academy, Flender used his spiritual power to investigate and discovered that Gangzi was teaching a young boy.

Realizing this must be the genius disciple mentioned in the letter, he didn't disturb them.

He waited until Gangzi's lesson ended before Flender knocked on the door.

The moment the door opened, an infinite sense of bromance spread through the air.

Both of their eyes were filled with the weight of time and sighs of nostalgia.

"You've grown old."

"Indeed, who can avoid growing old? Aren't you the same?"

Inviting Flender into the dormitory, Gangzi began to introduce his prized student.

"This is Tang San, a genius with Innate Full Soul Power. He's only eight years old this year and has already cultivated to level 20. He only needs one soul ring to become a Soul Grand Master."

"Oh?"

Sure enough, upon hearing that this was a true genius, Flender's eyes lit up instantly.

His greedy nature was exposed without a doubt at this moment.

"Tang San, is it?"

"I have known your teacher for several decades. You've heard of the Golden Iron Triangle, right?"

"I am the Horn of Flight."

"Back in the day..."

"Ahem, just get to the point."

Yu Xiaogang's face turned livid as he coughed twice, cutting Flender off.

He was terrified that the other man would spill the beans about him courting his cousin, further damaging his already shattered reputation.

Flender paused for a moment, giving him enough face not to continue, and instead shifted the topic.

"I wonder if student Tang San would be interested in enrolling in the advanced Soul Master Academy I founded after graduation?"

Suddenly receiving an invitation, Tang San was slightly stunned, then looked toward Gangzi with an inquiring gaze.

"Mm, Flender is a genuine Soul Saint expert; the academy he founded is quite formidable."

"Is that so? Then I shall attend your academy after I graduate."

Upon hearing that Flender was a Soul Saint, Tang San made the sensible choice to accept the invitation.

Having lured a super genius in just a few sentences, Flender was grinning from ear to ear.

His tone became noticeably lighter.

"Xiaogang, is there anything you need help with since you called me here?"

"Mm, as I just mentioned, Little San needs a second soul ring."

"Of course, while you're at it, find a suitable third soul ring for me as well."

"No problem, leave this to—"

Flender, who had originally thought it was a trivial matter, suddenly froze, then looked at Gangzi in disbelief.

"Xiaogang, your cultivation has broken through?"

"That's right. I had a stroke of luck and have now broken through to the Soul Elder stage; I require a soul ring."

"That's fantastic! When shall we set off?"

Although Flender was stingy, he still valued their friendship deeply, and he was genuinely happy for Gangzi upon hearing of his breakthrough.

But while Flender was sincere, Gangzi was constantly racking his brain.

Gangzi intended to use his disciple, Tang San, to prove his own path and validate himself.

The Soul Master Tournament was the perfect platform; as long as Tang San could shock the world, he could prove his own wisdom and teaching prowess.

Having Tang San enroll in Shrek Academy also had his own considerations.

After all, only within Shrek Academy could he maintain full control over the students' instruction.

Otherwise, if they went to any other advanced Soul Master Academy, who would pay any mind to a Soul Elder who could only "fart"?

If another instructor were assigned to Tang San, and Tang San performed well, wouldn't all the credit go to someone else?

He wouldn't engage in such a losing business deal.

"The sooner the better; let's set off tomorrow!"

"Good, let's head to the Star Dou Great Forest; there will be more suitable soul beasts there."

If it were only to add a soul ring for Tang San, a Soul Grand Master, the Soul Hunting Forest would have sufficed.

But since there was also Gangzi, the prospective Soul Elder, Flender intended to put in the effort to find a truly suitable soul ring for him.

Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang did not refuse; in fact, he had been thinking the same thing.

With an expert like Flender holding the line, the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest was not considered dangerous.

Moreover, the master-disciple duo hadn't triggered an assessment in a long time, and Yu Xiaogang wanted to see if heading to the Star Dou Great Forest might stir one up.

Hearing that he would soon obtain his second soul ring, Tang San also appeared extremely excited.

The master and disciple hadn't received an assessment task for two consecutive months, leaving them feeling somewhat empty; a soul hunt was just the thing to distract them from such anxiety.