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"Dean, have you forgotten something important?"

Seeing that Yan Shaozhe had made no mention whatsoever of compensating him, Lin Yan had no choice but to remind him himself.

"Oh, there is indeed one more thing I forgot to mention."

"From now on, Wang Yan will take over as the homeroom teacher of your Freshman Class One. You should have met him this morning."

"That's it?"

Seeing Yan Shaozhe playing dumb and answering an entirely different question, Lin Yan raised a brow and asked in return.

"That's it."

Something was off. Could Yan Shaozhe, that miserly old cheapskate, really be planning to renege on his "compensation"?

Judging by his previous attitude, he shouldn't be!

"Since the dean has nothing else to discuss, I'll take my leave first. If I delay any longer, I'm afraid I won't make it to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect branch before nightfall."

Yan Shaozhe's face instantly darkened upon hearing that. Was this never going to end? Did this kid really want to join the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect that badly?

No, it seemed he had to take some necessary measures today. If he remembered correctly, the young sect master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was in the same year as Lin Yan. If that little girl really lured Lin Yan away, the elders of Sea God Pavilion would skin him alive!

"Get back here!"

"I haven't forgotten about your compensation, but before I give it to you, you need to honestly answer a few questions."

So that was it!

Yan Shaozhe clearly knew something and was deliberately trying to hold it over him.

However, Lin Yan had no intention of indulging him!

He had figured it out now. As long as he was not dead set on leaving Shrek, Yan Shaozhe would never truly fall out with him.

Sure enough, when Yan Shaozhe saw Lin Yan turn around and leave without another word, completely ignoring him, he immediately caved.

"Fine, fine, fine! I'll give it to you directly, all right?!"

Lin Yan paused, then smoothly turned back around, his face instantly breaking into a smile. "Oh my, Dean, why are you shouting so loudly?"

"I was only joking with you. I absolutely love Shrek. Why would I ever go join the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect?"

"Although the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect branch is located at No. 85, Third Street, West District of Shrek City, I definitely won't go there."

At first, Yan Shaozhe felt a weight lift from his heart. But when Lin Yan rattled off the precise address of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect branch with such fluency, his vision went dark. It felt as though a flock of crows were flying over his head, cawing all the way.

Taking a deep breath, Yan Shaozhe forcibly suppressed his speechlessness and frustration. Pretending not to hear the latter half of that scheming brat's words, he bluntly said, "The academy has prepared a top-grade thirty-thousand-year fire-attribute Soul Bone for you. In the outside world, this Soul Bone would be worth at least five million Gold Soul Coins."

Five million Gold Soul Coins!

The Lin Family had worked diligently for nearly two hundred years, yet excluding its fixed assets, the total value of all the treasures and Gold Soul Coins it had accumulated was less than five hundred thousand. This single Soul Bone was worth ten times the Lin Family's entire fortune!

As expected of Shrek, a school with a legacy spanning ten thousand years. Anything it casually handed out was a supreme treasure beyond the reach of ordinary people!

Although he was somewhat tempted, Lin Yan still asked, "Dean, can I exchange it for another form of compensation?"

After all, while a thirty-thousand-year Soul Bone was a supreme treasure to others, it was somewhat useless to him.

Absorb it directly? Its age was too low.

Keep it? It had no use for the time being.

So, it would be better to exchange it for other resources that could help him more right now.

A sharp glint flashed through Yan Shaozhe's eyes as he asked in a deep voice, "Then tell me. What sort of compensation do you want?"

"I hope the academy can provide me with living thousand-year and even ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts that possess Beast Fire over the long term."

Just as expected!

When Lin Yan had suggested changing the compensation earlier, Yan Shaozhe had already formed a suspicion. Hearing those words now merely confirmed it.

Yan Shaozhe's eyes shifted as he put on the airs of a dean and deliberately drew out his words. "It's not impossible to change it to that form of compensation, but... you must first tell me why you need so many Soul Beasts with Beast Fire."

Lin Yan was not surprised by the question. He had never intended to hide it, and in any case, he could not conceal it.

After all, Shrek was not stupid. If he wanted to use Shrek's resources to continuously obtain Beast Fire and evolve his Emperor Flame martial soul, the effects of his first soul skill would certainly be impossible to hide.

Moreover, he did not believe Shrek had not investigated his past. With even a little verification, they would surely discover that the Lin Family had been purchasing Soul Beasts with Beast Fire for more than four years.

At that thought, Lin Yan suddenly understood everything.

The matter Yan Shaozhe had wanted to ask him about before was probably this!

Having figured out the key point, Lin Yan stopped beating around the bush. "Dean, this should be what you wanted to ask me all along, right?"

Yan Shaozhe was not surprised that his thoughts had been exposed.

With how sharp and calculating Lin Yan was, it would have been strange if he had failed to catch on. Yan Shaozhe simply admitted it frankly. "That's right."

"Since you thought to ask that question, Dean, you must have already made some guesses about my circumstances. I'm curious how you came to those conclusions. Could you tell me?"

That was right, Lin Yan intended to strike after his opponent moved!

He guessed that the subtle shift in Yan Shaozhe's attitude toward him during this meeting most likely stemmed from that very speculation.

Therefore, only by finding out exactly what Yan Shaozhe and the others had imagined could Lin Yan decide how to "introduce" his circumstances in a way that would benefit him most.

Hearing Lin Yan ask this, Yan Shaozhe did not think much of it. Instead, somewhat excitedly, he launched into a lengthy stream of analysis and laid out all two of their previous guesses.

Seeing how readily Yan Shaozhe took the bait, Lin Yan felt that perhaps, maybe, possibly, Yan Shaozhe wanted to show off his intelligence and wisdom in front of him, then win him over...

"Well? Little Lin, were you born with Ultimate Fire, or did you evolve and transform later in life?"

"Ah?!"

Hearing Yan Shaozhe's question, Lin Yan immediately composed himself and put on an astonished expression. "Oh my! Dean Yan, you're incredible. Your guess was spot-on!"

"That's right, my martial soul did indeed mutate, and it was also because of the special effects of my first soul skill that it ultimately transformed into Ultimate Fire!"

"My original martial soul was only about as powerful as an ordinary flame. Many members of the Lin Family witnessed that with their own eyes."

Your guess is correct!

Now it's mine!

He even had an explanation now for why every one of his soul skills was so powerful, so far beyond the norm.

You don't know?

Maybe that's just the effect of my mutated martial soul!

Why are you asking so many questions? If you have any questions, go ask my mutated martial soul!

After all, this was the Douluo Continent, not some cultivation world where people casually tore out tendons, dug out bones, and refined humans into pills.

Here, martial souls could only be inherited by one's descendants. There was no such thing as stealing another person's martial soul!

Wait! This was bad!

Could Yan Shaozhe, with that honest-looking face of his, really have his eyes on Lin Yan's little brother?!

Looking at Yan Shaozhe's excited expression, the more Lin Yan looked, the more convinced he became of his own guess.

It seemed he would have to be more careful from now on. A honey trap would be one thing.

What he feared was Yan Shaozhe getting some crooked ideas. He did not want to end up like Huo Yuhao and gain a grown son out of thin air without lifting a finger!