With Flender's help, Yu Xiaogang quickly dismembered the Thunder Flood Dragon and packed its various parts into his storage Soul Tool as needed.
Flender's strength was truly undeniable. Those hard scales were no match for his level-seventy Wind-type Soul Power as a Soul Saint.
One after another, green wind blades made precise cuts according to Yu Xiaogang's requirements.
Every cut was just right: it avoided damaging any useful parts while ensuring the work was done efficiently.
Yu Xiaogang was in charge of sorting the parts.
The Thunder Flood Dragon's scales, bones, tendons, and flesh all had different uses.
The internal organs, especially those containing the power of lightning, were rare and nourishing delicacies for Luo Sanpao.
In less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, the entire Thunder Flood Dragon had been thoroughly processed.
The parts they wanted to keep had all been packed into the storage Soul Tool, while the unwanted parts were left behind.
"Sanpao, catch."
Flender directed his Wind-type Soul Power with a flick of his finger, cut off a small piece of the Thunder Flood Dragon's flesh, and tossed it to Luo Sanpao, who had been watching eagerly from the side.
The piece of flesh traced an arc through the air.
Luo Sanpao's eyes lit up at once. He kicked off the ground with his four stubby legs, and his round body actually leaped into the air. He opened his mouth and caught the piece of flesh.
After letting out a couple of satisfied grunts, Luo Sanpao stopped holding back and swallowed the piece of Thunder Flood Dragon flesh in one bite.
He barely chewed at all, gulping the chunk of meat down whole.
Afterward, he licked his lips, still wanting more, and raised his head to gaze pleadingly at Flender, making more grunting sounds as he begged for food.
Flender's small eyes stared intently at Luo Sanpao through his glasses, afraid that something unexpected might happen to Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul.
Soon, Flender let out a sigh of relief.
After swallowing such a small piece of flesh, Luo Sanpao had done nothing unusual besides letting out a couple of comfortable grunts.
If anything, he looked as though he had eaten too much and was struggling to digest it.
Luo Sanpao lay on the ground, clutching his round belly with both front paws. His eyes were half closed, and his expression was one of utter satisfaction.
"Looks like Thunder Flood Dragon flesh is indeed quite beneficial to Sanpao's growth."
After observing him for a while, Yu Xiaogang spoke slowly.
His gaze never left Luo Sanpao.
From Luo Sanpao's reaction after swallowing it, it was clear that the Thunder Flood Dragon flesh could only benefit him; it would do him no harm.
"But the flesh of this Ten-Thousand-Year Thunder Flood Dragon contains far too much energy. It'll be much harder for Sanpao to digest than a carrot."
Yu Xiaogang continued as he watched.
Though Luo Sanpao had only swallowed a small piece of flesh, the energy it contained likely surpassed what he could get from eating several baskets of carrots.
Given Luo Sanpao's current cultivation, it would take quite a while to fully digest and convert the energy in that piece of flesh.
Although this was Luo Sanpao's first time eating the flesh of a high-level Soul Beast, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help feeling that his Soul Power bottleneck had loosened a little.
But Yu Xiaogang quickly dismissed the thought.
He was getting too impatient. How could he be having such an illusion?
Even if the method of eating the flesh of high-level dragon-type Soul Beasts really worked,
it would likely take a good while before Luo Sanpao could return that energy to him and help him break through to level thirty.
Luo Sanpao had only just swallowed the Thunder Flood Dragon flesh. He hadn't even had time to digest it yet. How could it already have brought him any improvement?
That slight loosening of the bottleneck he'd just felt had to be an illusion.
Even so, Yu Xiaogang was still in a rather good mood.
After enduring so much despair, he could finally see hope.
"As long as it works."
Flender gently patted Yu Xiaogang on the shoulder.
Naturally, Flender was glad to see Yu Xiaogang filled with hope again.
Even if that hope was no more than a faint spark, it was still better than utter desolation.
As long as the spark kept burning, there would always come a day when it blazed into a roaring fire.
"It's just a pity about this Thunder Flood Dragon."
As he spoke, Flender glanced at the bloodstains and useless bones the Thunder Flood Dragon had left on the ground.
He sighed softly. "If it had produced a Soul Bone and you'd absorbed it, your cultivation might have broken through to level thirty right away!
"Although your Martial Soul underwent a malignant mutation, at its root, it still came from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
"If you could absorb a Thunder Flood Dragon Soul Bone that was so compatible with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, you might have broken through on the spot."
Even the most ordinary Soul Bone could bring about a qualitative leap in a Soul Master's strength.
How much more so when the Soul Bone's attributes were highly compatible with the Soul Master's own Martial Soul?
If this Thunder Flood Dragon had produced a Soul Bone, Yu Xiaogang's Luo Sanpao Martial Soul, which had undergone a malignant mutation based on the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, might have let him break through the level-thirty bottleneck that had troubled him for so many years.
"Soul Bones... You can't force something like that."
Yu Xiaogang chuckled, not fixating on the Soul Bone.
"Even Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts have a very low chance of producing a Soul Bone. There's no need to slaughter Soul Beasts indiscriminately just for one.
"Now that I have a viable method, I'll follow this path to the end and see how it goes.
"After all, I've already waited this many years. I don't mind waiting a little longer."
Yu Xiaogang was taking it all in stride.
Flender paused, then smiled as well.
Xiaogang seemed more mature than he had been back then.
In the past, even knowing the odds were so low, he never would have reacted this calmly.
"All right, now that we're done here, I'll take you back to Notting Academy."
Flender straightened up, dusted off his clothes, wiped his glasses, and put them back on. He stretched his limbs, then unfurled his pair of Cat Eagle wings once more.
Green Soul Power swirled around him, stirring the fallen leaves until they rustled.
Flender smiled. "While we're at it, I'll go see the two students who might one day join my Shrek Academy."
"I want to meet your precious disciple, Tang San, and see what kind of genius Lin Mo is—the one you praise so highly."
"They'll satisfy you!" Yu Xiaogang said confidently.
As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang raised his chin slightly, a long-lost look of pride appearing on his face.
"Calling Lin Mo and Tang San once-in-a-millennium talents across the entire Douluo Continent would be an exaggeration, but calling them once-in-a-century talents is absolutely no exaggeration!"
Lin Mo and Tang San really were exceptional. Once Flender met them, he would understand.