Flender asked, "Little friend, what are you doing?"
"Senior, my name is Ma Hongjun. I wish to become your disciple. Would you be willing to be my teacher?" Ma Hongjun asked. In his previous life, he was Flender's disciple and respected Flender as his master. Now that he has been reborn, he naturally wants to become his disciple again.
"I'm overjoyed that you're willing to become my disciple. Get up, you don't need to kneel on the ground."
Flender laughed, "A genius with a ninth-level Innate Soul Power Phoenix Martial Soul, if properly nurtured, has an 80% chance of breaking through to the Titled Douluo in the future. If such a genius child wanted to become his disciple, he'd have to be out of his mind to refuse."
"A teacher for a day is a father for life; you deserve my homage."
Ma Hongjun respectfully kowtowed three times to Flender. In his previous life, he had joined the Tang Sect and served as Tang Sect vice sect leader, so he was naturally familiar with the Tang Sect's etiquette.
"A teacher for a day is a father for life. Very well, I, Flender, have wasted half my life, and now I have a disciple."
Flender was deeply moved and looked at Ma Hongjun with great gentleness. Since Ma Hongjun had already become his disciple, he no longer needed to prepare himself mentally and persuade Ma Hongjun to go to the Shrek Academy. However, he still had to say something.
"Hongjun, now that you've become my disciple, I won't hide anything from you. I'm not from the Spirit Hall. I'm here to help the children of your Grass Chicken Village awaken their Martial Soul just because... I've been a bit bored lately. Actually, I'm the dean of a school called Shrek Academy. Shrek Academy hasn't started yet, and since I'm free, I came to see... any of you kids who might be able to study at the Shrek Academy in the future."
Listening to Flender's somewhat disjointed words, Ma Hongjun secretly scoffed at this greedy, lying teacher. Earning extra money was one thing, but he made it sound like he was doing a good deed.
After finishing his lie, Flender's tone turned proud, "My Shrek Academy is an Advanced Soul Master Academy that only accepts elites and cultivates monsters. And every student who successfully graduates from my Shrek Academy is a well-known figure on the continent."
"With your talent, you are more than qualified to join Shrek Academy, but the entrance age for the Shrek Academy is twelve. As my disciple, Flender, and as the headmaster of the Shrek Academy, I can take you there to study right now. Are you willing?"
"Yes, yes!"
Ma Hongjun nodded hurriedly. "Shrek Seven Devils, my brothers and sisters, I, Ma Hongjun, am ready. We'll be together again in six years. And Xiangxiang, this time I will definitely cultivate diligently, inherit the position of the God of Fire God, and take you to the Divine Realm, living a shameless and carefree life!"
Flender said, "Alright, say goodbye to your family properly. Your teacher will come to pick you up after dealing with the other villages that need to awaken their Martial Soul."
Two days later.
Flender led Ma Hongjun toward the Shrek Academy. In the distance, the village where Shrek Academy was located came into view. The village was surrounded by a wooden fence, which seemed to be used to keep out wild animals.
At the village entrance, a somewhat tattered wooden archway hangs above a plaque bearing the simple five characters: Shrek Academy. In front of these characters is a green head, resembling the head of a humanoid monster—a rather cute green. The old man behind the table also wears a similar green circular badge on his chest; it's likely the Shrek Academy emblem.
To the surprise of both Flender and Ma Hongjun, a woman with shoulder-length orange hair was standing in front of the village entrance. Her back was to them, so they couldn't see her face, but from her back, they could tell that she had a slender waist, a pert and rounded bottom, and long, straight, and plump legs.
Just that silhouette alone is enough to captivate countless people; her figure looks as lithe as a fox's.
The woman's head was slightly tilted back, presumably gazing at the gates of the Shrek Academy. Her right toes were touching the ground as she rotated her ankle repeatedly, suggesting she was deep in thought.
This woman was Hu Liena, who had come to Suotuo City to enroll in the Shrek Academy on Yu Xiaogang's recommendation. It wasn't Shrek Academy's registration period yet; Hu Liena just wanted to take a look around, and after making some inquiries, she came here.
Seeing Shrek Academy's dilapidated gate, which looked much like any other small village on the mainland, Hu Liena seriously doubted whether she had come to the wrong place.
Although she wasn't very knowledgeable, she knew that Advanced Soul Master Academy, in terms of both area and building appearance, far surpassed Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy, while Shrek Academy was completely inferior to the Notting Junior Academy in appearance.
"Teacher, who is that? Does Shrek Academy have such a person?"
Ma Hongjun showed no reaction to Hu Liena's alluring figure; his heart was only for Bai Chenxiang, the person he loved most and owed the most in his life. Bai Chenxiang was the only one he loved in his life.
Flender sized up Hu Liena's attire, which didn't resemble that of an ordinary person living at the Shrek Academy, and asked, "Little girl, this is Shrek Academy. Who are you looking for?"
Hearing the voice, Hu Liena turned around and looked at Flender, exclaiming in surprise, "This really is Shrek Academy?"
Then, a bitter look appeared on Hu Liena's face. "Is the Grandmaster trying to trick me?"
"Did the Grandmaster recommend you to come here? Little girl, are you called Hu Liena?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ma Hongjun's pupils widened suddenly. After decades, he saw Hu Liena again, still the twelve-year-old Hu Liena who had not yet fully grown up. At first, he only felt that she looked familiar and did not recognize her. After all, in the final battle of Jialing Pass, Hu Liena's strength was only Soul Saint, and her presence was not very high. She was not Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue, the two women who became gods and fought against his third brother.
Only when Flender called out Hu Liena's name did he recall and recognize her: Hu Liena, the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall in this era, Bibi Dong's disciple.
Holy crap, what is this guy doing here!?
Ma Hongjun's body trembled uncontrollably, and cold sweat poured down his face. Hu Liena a disciple valued by Bibi Dong a daughter. There must be powerful figures from the Spirit Hall protecting her. If that Spirit Hall Soul Master were to attack him, wouldn't he regretfully perish before he could even make amends?
Hu Liena nodded. "Yes, sir, do you know me?"
Flender was overjoyed. Although he was extremely dissatisfied with Yu Xiaogang's abandonment of Bibi Dong and reconciliation with her, he would not hold a grudge against Hu Liena. First, he could not afford to offend Bibi Dong, even if she left the Spirit Hall. Second, he already knew that Hu Liena was a super genius.
If she joins Shrek Academy, he can definitely train Hu Liena into a super monster, further enhancing Shrek Academy's reputation.
He could also leverage Hu Liena's backing against Bibi Dong, and then Bibi Dong's backing against the Spirit Hall, forming a powerful alliance with the Baroque Royal Family. With the Spirit Hall as their backing, would they still dare to bully Shrek Academy?