Flender

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Flender (弗兰德)
Alias(es)	Dean Flender; Headmaster Flender 4 10
Gender	Male 1
Affiliation	Shrek Academy 1
Occupation/Role	Dean of Shrek Academy; Ma Hongjun’s master; soul master instructor 4 10 15
Cultivation Realm	Seven-ring Soul Saint 3 10
Martial Soul	Four-Eyed Owl 8 10
Soul Ring Configuration	Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black 3
First Appearance	Presiding over the awakening ceremony in Caoji Village 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Third soul ring	8	Retrospectively identified as the point when his Four-Eyed Owl martial soul gained true flight. The acquisition itself is not depicted.
Seven-ring Soul Saint	1 3	Already holds this realm at his debut; displays all seven rings while suppressing Ma Hongjun’s Evil Fire. No subsequent breakthrough is documented.

Background / History

Shrek Academy and Early Recruitment

Flender maintained Shrek Academy despite severe poverty and extremely restrictive admissions. He had adopted Oscar as a young child, and Oscar was the academy’s only student before Ma Hongjun arrived. Its standard—accepting only “monsters,” not ordinary students—left it without a reliable tuition income 10.

The academy’s teaching staff consisted of Flender and Zhao Wuji, both Soul Saints, alongside Soul Emperors Li Yusong, Lu Qibin, and Shao Xin. Flender remained committed to producing outstanding soul masters even when the buildings, equipment, and meals were inadequate 10 29.

Taking Ma Hongjun as His Disciple

At Caoji Village’s awakening ceremony, Flender initially expected little from the children. Ma Hongjun’s Evil Fire Phoenix changed that, but its immediate backlash forced him to intervene. He suppressed the flames, explained the martial soul’s dangers, and acknowledged that he had no complete cure 1 2 3.

After testing Ma Hongjun’s innate full soul power, Flender formally accepted him as his disciple, waived his tuition, and promised his parents personal instruction. He then agreed to investigate Ma Hongjun’s proposal to use light-attribute soul rings to purify the Evil Fire 4 5.

Soul Ring Expeditions

Expedition	Flender’s Contribution	Outcome
Ma Hongjun’s first soul ring	Searches the Soul Hunting Forest and captures a Holy Light Sparrow; supervises absorption and tests the resulting ability 5 7 8 9	Ma Hongjun gains Wings of Light, which also alleviates his Evil Fire 8 9.
Oscar’s second soul ring	Coordinates the capture of a Vajra Bear and, after Ma Hongjun urges patience, allows Oscar more time to complete absorption 18 19	Oscar obtains his second ring and an External Soul Bone; Flender warns him to conceal the bone 19 20 21.
Ma Hongjun’s second soul ring	Organizes separate search teams and restrains an approximately 800-year-old Holy Light Falcon with Wind Binding 25 26	Ma Hongjun’s martial soul undergoes further purification, and he gains Light Pierce 27 28.
Students’ third soul rings	Approves the Sharp-Tailed Rain Swallow target for Oscar, participates in its capture, and proposes using Flying Sausages to accelerate the search 54 58 59	Oscar reaches level 33. The group later identifies a roughly 4,000-year-old Light Saint Falcon for Ma Hongjun, and Flender orders preparations to attack 58 62.

Financial Recovery and Academy Reform

With his savings nearly exhausted, Flender accepted Ma Hongjun’s proposal to auction Shao Xin’s Candy Beans and Oscar’s sausages. He had considered hunting commissions and bodyguard work, but those would take time away from teaching. Selling food-type soul skill products offered an income source compatible with the academy’s daily work 30.

The auction brought in 46,300 Gold Soul Coins. Flender celebrated with a lavish dinner and divided the earnings among the contributors and the academy 31 32.

Recipient	Share
Shao Xin	20% 32
Ma Hongjun	10% 32
Oscar	10% 32
Academy public account	50% 32

Flender subsequently arranged repayment to the villagers who had supported Shrek, giving each household ten Gold Soul Coins along with supplies. He approved an initial renovation budget of roughly ten thousand Gold Soul Coins and adopted Ma Hongjun’s uniform, emblem, and infrastructure proposals 36 37 38.

He also reconsidered the rule he had established in his reckless youth: “A soul master who doesn’t cause trouble is a mediocre one.” After Ma Hongjun challenged its consequences, Flender approved a replacement prohibiting deliberate provocation and bullying, made the revised regulations effective immediately, and assigned Ma Hongjun to oversee enforcement 39 40.

Dai Mubai’s Admission

Flender continued attending every enrollment day despite a year without successful recruitment. When Dai Mubai arrived, he assessed the boy’s age, White Tiger martial soul, and level-29 soul power; learning that Dai Mubai was a Star Luo prince did not disturb his professional demeanor 42 43.

After practical tests against Ma Hongjun and Oscar, Flender consulted the teachers and admitted Dai Mubai. Shrek’s student body increased to three 44 46 47.

Appearance

Flender appears to be in his forties, with a lean build, stern face, and narrow eyes 1 10.

• Initial clothing: A grey-blue robe; his later-described everyday robe is faded, with frayed cuffs 1 29.
• After financial recovery: Purchases a modest dark blue robe without patches 36.
• Academy uniform: Wears Ma Hongjun’s dark blue, stand-collar design with double-breasted brass buttons, shoulder boards, collar tabs, and cuff decorations 42.
• Bearing: Walks with a measured rhythm and habitually maintains an expressionless or severe demeanor 1.

Personality

Flender is blunt and demanding, but his care usually appears through actions rather than reassurance. He slows his walking pace for six-year-old Ma Hongjun, protects students during soul ring hunts, and teaches cultivation with unusual patience. His high expectations also lead him to double Ma Hongjun’s training load immediately after the boy obtains his second ring 6 15 29.

His loyalty extends beyond his disciples. He endures poor living conditions to keep Shrek operating and prioritizes repaying the villagers once money becomes available. Although attached to the academy’s exceptional admission standards, he accepts student-led changes to its finances, facilities, and rules 10 29 30 36 40.

His protectiveness can be ruthless. When Oscar gains an External Soul Bone, Flender warns that outsiders learning its secret could endanger him; his warning escalates to saying that anyone who discovers it must be killed to prevent leaks 20 21.

Abilities & Skills

Four-Eyed Owl

• Grants true flight beginning with his third soul ring 8.
• Provides aerial reconnaissance useful for locating light-attribute soul beasts 25.
• Enables rapid movement; he circles behind the Vajra Bear in a few lightning-fast leaps 18.
• Uses keen vision to assess a soul beast’s size, feather coloration, and soul power fluctuations 62.

First Soul Skill: Wind Binding

• Creates an invisible wind vortex that restrains a target’s body or limbs 18 26.
• Can tighten its hold against a struggling target, as demonstrated on the Vajra Bear 18.
• Travels quickly and silently, with enough control to curve around a tree trunk and branches 26.
• A direct lock-on is nearly impossible against the exceptionally fast Sharp-Tailed Rain Swallow, requiring careful timing 58.

Evil Fire Suppression

• Uses cyan wind vortices to contain Ma Hongjun’s newly awakened Evil Fire 3.
• Activates his second ring and increases his output when the initial restraint proves insufficient 3.
• Provides only temporary relief: external suppression cannot remove evil rooted in the martial soul, and stronger suppression can produce more violent future backlash 3.

Cultivation Instruction and Martial Soul Knowledge

• Teaches the Advanced Soul Power Guidance Method, explaining meridian routes and complete circulation cycles 15.
• Describes the method as suitable up to the seventieth-level Soul Saint realm; further cultivation becomes increasingly inefficient. He does not possess a top-tier method for advancing toward Soul Douluo and Title Douluo 15.
• Advises on soul ring ages, elemental compatibility, beast habitats, and the mutual reinforcement of rings from related species 5 25 26 28.
• Supplements physical training with lessons at Suotuo City’s Ink Fragrance Library 33 35.

Tactical Leadership

• Coordinates restraints, frontal attacks, and flanking positions during beast captures 18.
• Splits hunting parties while arranging protection appropriate to each student 25.
• Suppresses his soul power fluctuations and conceals his rings while approaching a wary Holy Light Falcon 26.
• Evaluates both a beast’s combat danger and a student’s ability to withstand its ring before committing to an attack 62.

Equipment / Items

• Awakening instruments — Sets up an awakening formation with Soul Tools and an Awakening Stone 1 2.
• Soul power testing crystal ball — A pale blue, palm-sized instrument used to measure Ma Hongjun’s innate soul power 3 4.
• Storage Soul Tools — Carries valuables rather than leaving them in the impoverished academy 25.
• Signal-flare Soul Tool — Gives Zhao Wuji a bamboo-tube-shaped device so separated search teams can rendezvous 25.
• Wine flask — Carries one during the journey to the Soul Hunting Forest 6.

Relationships

• Ma Hongjun — Personal disciple. Flender takes responsibility for his Evil Fire condition and increasingly trusts his judgment on cultivation and academy reform 4 5 38 40 62.
• Oscar — Adopted in childhood and educated at Shrek. Flender supports his development beyond pure support and guards the secret of his External Soul Bone 10 16 20 21 54.
• Zhao Wuji — Vice dean and fellow Soul Saint; a longstanding colleague in teaching, hunting, and rebuilding the academy 9 18 25 38 40.
• Li Yusong — Academy instructor whose combat assessments help Flender evaluate Oscar’s growth 10 24 36.
• Lu Qibin — Soul power control and tactics instructor; assists Flender during coordinated beast captures 10 18 26.
• Shao Xin — Food-system instructor and colleague. Flender recognizes his contribution through the auction earnings and entrusts him with delivering aid to villagers 10 32 36.
• Dai Mubai — Student admitted after ability assessments and practical tests; Flender evaluates him without deference to his royal status 42 43 46.
• Academy villagers — Supporters whose tolerance and assistance helped Shrek survive; Flender repays them once the academy’s finances improve 36.

Notable Quotes

“As long as I’m here, Shrek Academy will continue operating. One day, the strongest Soul Masters on the continent will emerge from this place.” 10

“Since you proposed these rules, you will be the one to oversee their enforcement.” 40

Trivia

• Shrek’s redesigned emblem places a wing-spread Four-Eyed Owl around golden flames containing a phoenix outline—a tribute to Flender’s martial soul and Ma Hongjun’s cultivation path 37.
• Flender obtained the calligraphy for the renovated academy gate by spending two bottles of fine wine 40.