Flender

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Flender (弗兰德)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Shrek Academy 1
Occupation/Role	Dean of Shrek Academy; Martial Soul awakening instructor; Ma Hongjun’s personal master 1 12 14
Martial Soul	Four-Eyed Owl 2
Cultivation Rank	Seven-ring Soul Saint 1 31
Innate Soul Power	Level seven 3
Family	Adoptive father of Fu Wen and Oscar 5 6
Status	Alive; waiting for Fu Wen at Shrek Academy in the finale 80
First Appearance	Chapter 1 1

Background / History

Raising Fu Wen and Oscar

Flender adopted the orphans Fu Wen and Oscar, who grew up together as brothers. After awakening Oscar’s Martial Soul, he sent him to Shrek Academy to study under its teachers. Fu Wen remained with Flender until his own awakening at six years old 1 2 5 6.

Despite being a seven-ring Soul Saint, Flender lived in poverty. When Fu Wen challenged him about their living conditions, he explained that he preferred freedom to being bound by rules and regulations 1.

Fu Wen’s Awakening and First Soul Ring

Flender personally conducted Fu Wen’s Martial Soul awakening. The resulting energy shockwave knocked him back, an unprecedented occurrence in his experience awakening children’s Martial Souls. He then tested Fu Wen’s Soul Power and discovered that his son possessed Innate Full Soul Power at level ten 1 2.

Initially proposing that they consult Yu Xiaogang about a suitable first Soul Ring, Flender accepted Fu Wen’s choice of a Bone-Splitting Giant Crocodile. He weakened a beast over four hundred years old and guarded Fu Wen during absorption 2 3 4.

Recognizing the danger of exposing Fu Wen’s exceptional talent, Flender helped conceal the China Divine Crocodile under the name “Mutated Sea Crocodile.” He also warned that powerful factions might assassinate a genius who refused recruitment, and that his own strength would not suffice against Soul Douluo or Titled Douluo attackers 4 5 7.

Clearing the Academy’s Debts

After Fu Wen earned money, Flender used the available funds to settle overdue teacher salaries rather than spend them on himself. His obligations included Zhao Wuji, Shao Xin, Li Yusong, and Lu Qibin; Zhao Wuji received seventy-two Gold Soul Coins covering three overdue months and the current month 7.

Flender then visited the surrounding village, repaying land rent and labor fees household by household. The debts had weighed on his conscience, and Fu Wen’s respect for him deepened after watching him repay the villagers 8.

The later sale of Oscar’s Flying Sausages gave the academy a reserve fund. Flender earmarked this money for medicinal herbs and equipment as enrollment expanded 24.

Taking Ma Hongjun as a Disciple

During a visit to Grass Chicken Village to awaken children’s Martial Souls, Flender discovered Ma Hongjun’s Evil Fire Phoenix. He explained its dangerous impurity, offered him free tuition and full room and board, and took him as his personal disciple 12 13 14.

Ma Hongjun’s first Evil Fire backlash damaged the academy grounds. Flender intervened when Fu Wen could no longer contain the flames, suppressed the outbreak, and convened the staff to discuss treatment. He subsequently shared responsibility for Ma Hongjun’s cultivation with Fu Wen 15.

After researching the academy library, Flender selected a Dawn Light Spirit Crane for Ma Hongjun’s first Soul Ring because its light attribute possessed purification properties. The ring initially stabilized the Evil Fire, but later outbreaks showed that suppression was not a permanent cure 17 18 19 33 35.

Flender continued seeking stronger light-attribute beasts. He eventually chose an eighteen-hundred-year Sacred Light Luan for Ma Hongjun’s third ring, which further suppressed the Evil Fire through Luan-Phoenix Harmony 64 67.

Ning Rongrong’s Enrollment

Ning Fengzhi wrote to Flender requesting that his six-year-old daughter, Ning Rongrong, receive strict training without preferential treatment. His proposal included double tuition and long-term purchases of Flying Sausages at one hundred Gold Soul Coins each 37.

Flender was initially shocked and suspicious. After Fu Wen identified the offer as an investment in Shrek Academy’s future, he agreed to enroll Rongrong. His reply promised appropriate reprimands and punishment while leaving financial details for later discussion 37 38.

At Shrek, Flender required Rongrong to obey teachers, cooperate with classmates, and undertake physical training. He gave her no exemption from difficult tasks, but acknowledged her endurance and progress as she adapted 38 39 41 43.

Expanding Shrek’s Training

Flender and Zhao Wuji continued leading Soul Ring hunts, including Fu Wen’s Iron-Spine Giant Crocodile and Bronze Dragon Crocodile hunts. For the latter, Flender led the group to Barren Stone Gorge in the Sunset Forest rather than the previously announced Star Dou Great Forest 30 31 59 60.

As the academy’s reputation grew, Flender made its existing students examiners for new applicants. Dai Mubai passed their practical test and broke through to level thirty immediately afterward; Flender then guided his third Soul Ring hunt 65 66.

When Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing arrived after the older students’ three years of bounty hunting, Flender recognized that the two groups needed different levels of challenge. He assigned the older students to rotate responsibility for the newcomers’ basic and practical training without holding back their own development 73 74.

Appearance

• Glasses: Frequently pushes up or adjusts his glasses while speaking, boasting, or considering a decision 6 7 37 64.
• Advancing age: Describes himself as “getting on in years” when discussing his remaining cultivation prospects 3.

Personality

Flender is playful, proud, and openly boastful about his students. He repeatedly displays Fu Wen’s talent to colleagues and celebrates breakthroughs with communal meals. His lighthearted manner gives way to seriousness during Martial Soul awakenings, dangerous ring absorption, and student emergencies 1 6 7 12 15 32.

Although characterized as stingy, he keeps track of his debts and feels guilty about leaving teachers and villagers unpaid. Once he has money, repayment takes priority over personal comfort. His willingness to educate Ma Hongjun without charging tuition also shows that his concern for talent is not limited to financial gain 7 8 13.

His protectiveness does not mean sheltering students indefinitely. He promises to support Fu Wen even if his awakening fails, yet later insists that the children learn to venture out without hiding behind him. He values solid foundations, endurance, teamwork, and experience over complacency or cultivation speed alone 1 43 49 50 58 59.

Abilities & Skills

Four-Eyed Owl Martial Soul

• Uses Martial Soul Possession to activate his Four-Eyed Owl Martial Soul 2.
• Can fly and carry Fu Wen, allowing rapid travel to the Soul Hunting Forest 2.

Soul Saint Combat Power

• Weakens a four-hundred-year Bone-Splitting Giant Crocodile so Fu Wen can deliver the killing blow 3.
• Cooperates with Zhao Wuji to restrain Soul Beasts for students’ ring hunts 18 31 60.
• Uses his Soul Power to forcibly suppress Ma Hongjun’s uncontrolled Evil Fire 15.
• Acknowledges that he cannot protect Fu Wen against assassination by Soul Douluo or Titled Douluo 5.

Martial Soul Awakening and Assessment

• Has awakened Martial Souls for many children and performs village awakening visits 1 12.
• Controls awakening stones with Soul Power and activates the awakening array 1.
• Tests Soul Power with a crystal ball or Soul Testing Orb 1 2 4.
• Identifies the Evil Fire Phoenix and explains its defect to Ma Hongjun 13.

Soul Ring Selection

• Researches purification-oriented Soul Beasts for Ma Hongjun rather than automatically choosing a fire-attribute ring 17 64 67.
• Accepts Fu Wen’s recommendation to replace Oscar’s proposed Moon Shadow Spirit Fox target with a Sharp-Tailed Rain Swallow, prioritizing flight and survival 20.
• Evaluates Fu Wen’s physical endurance before approving unusually old Soul Rings, including his proposed ten-thousand-year fourth ring 59 68.
• Chooses a Vajra Bear for Oscar’s third ring to give him direct combat capability beyond speed-based attrition 67.

Teaching and Team Development

• Teaches Ma Hongjun meditation and initially limits his workload while he adapts to cultivation 14.
• Defines team roles and organizes a coordination exercise requiring four students to force Zhao Wuji back three steps 49.
• Praises arena performance while warning that early victories came against weak opponents 58.
• Adjusts training to individual weaknesses, including Ma Hongjun’s close-range reactions and Fu Wen’s control of a newly acquired soul skill 63 64.
• Personally spars with Ma Hongjun, emphasizing that enemies will not wait for him to prepare a soul skill 64.

Equipment / Items

• Glasses — His most frequently mentioned personal accessory 6 7.
• Storage Soul Tool — Worn at his waist and used to carry money, including the bags distributed as teacher salaries 7.
• Awakening stones — Seven differently colored stones used during Fu Wen’s awakening ceremony 1.
• Soul-measuring crystal ball / Soul Testing Orb — Used to assess Fu Wen’s innate and post-absorption Soul Power 1 2 4.

Relationships

• Fu Wen — Adoptive son. Flender protects his identity, supports his Soul Ring hunts, and increasingly relies on his judgment in academy affairs 4 5 24 37.
• Oscar — Adoptive son. Flender awakened his Martial Soul, arranged his education at Shrek, and guided the selection of his later Soul Rings 2 5 20 67.
• Ma Hongjun — Personal disciple. Flender provides his education and works to suppress the Evil Fire Phoenix’s defect 13 14 17 64 67.
• Zhao Wuji — Vice-dean and close teaching partner. They jointly protect students during hunts and discuss training plans and the academy’s future 31 36 64 74.
• Shao Xin — Old friend and academy teacher. He shares Flender’s household meals and helps care for the children 6 12.
• Li Yusong and Lu Qibin — Academy teachers whose overdue salaries Flender repays; both participate in discussions about Ma Hongjun’s condition 7 15.
• Ning Fengzhi — Entrusts Rongrong’s education to Flender and proposes financial support through tuition and Flying Sausage purchases 37 38.
• Ning Rongrong — Student. Flender combines strict discipline with recognition of her persistence and improvement 39 41 43.
• Dai Mubai — Student admitted through Flender’s practical assessment system; receives his guidance during third-ring acquisition 65 66.

Notable Quotes

“Don't worry, you are my son. Even if your martial soul isn't great, or even if you have no soul power, with me here, you will be able to live a life without worry.” 1

“I would rather have nothing than settle for less; if they aren't monsters, I won't accept them!” 14

“Only with a solid foundation will the road ahead be easier to walk.” 59

“They’re monsters, and I’ve raised them by monster standards. What you’re seeing now is the result, but the process was ten times harder than you can imagine.” 74