Borrowing a Chicken to Lay an Egg? Ye Qiong Draws Cards Again

"Dean, I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

In the Shrek rest area, Flender spoke with a look of exhaustion on his face:

"Speak."

Qin Ming took a deep breath, his expression serious as he said:

"Dean, you must have seen today's soul fight involving Amphoreus Academy. That Caesar of theirs toyed with all seven members of Imperial Fighting single-handedly."

"To be honest, our Imperial Fighting team simply cannot withstand them in the short term."

When these words were spoken, Qin Ming did not expect Flender to merely grunt in acknowledgment, his face devoid of expression.

Seeing this, Qin Ming felt his heart tighten and continued:

"I presume you have already crossed paths with that Amphoreus Academy?"

Flender let out a mournful sigh: "Sigh, indeed we have. We were no match for them at all. Not only were our students defeated, but we were nearly bankrupted by them financially as well."

Qin Ming frowned: "How did that happen?"

Flender briefly recounted the previous events to Qin Ming.

After listening, Qin Ming clenched his fists.

"They actually went that far?"

Flender sighed once more.

"If not for the assistance of the Dragon Duke, I fear I would not have made it through that ordeal."

Qin Ming fell silent for a moment, his expression turning resolute:

"Dean, rather than fighting separately, why don't we join forces?"

"You could bring all of Shrek into our Imperial Fighting, sharing resources, faculty, and training the students together."

"Imperial Fighting has abundant resources and guidance from high-level soul masters, while Shrek possesses practical combat experience and a foundation forged through life-and-death trials. Our strengths complement each other; once combined, we might just be able to go toe-to-toe with Amphoreus."

Flender suddenly looked up, staring at him in disbelief:

"What did you say? You want me to hand Shrek over to Imperial Fighting on a silver platter? You want me to become your subordinate?"

Qin Ming's expression remained unchanged as he calmly explained:

"This isn't a surrender, it's a partnership. Shrek will still be Shrek; it would simply be affiliated under the Imperial Fighting name. You lack resources and environment, while Imperial Fighting lacks your practical combat capabilities. By complementing each other, the children can go much further."

Flender stood up and slammed a fist onto the table:

"I've spent my whole life running a school, and the thing I loathe most is your lot's rigid, stifling hierarchy! Back then, I would rather pay out of my own pocket to build shacks in a village than suffer that kind of treatment, yet now you're asking me to deliver my students to you?"

Qin Ming sighed:

"I know."

"And you still try to persuade me knowing that?"

The atmosphere in the rest area instantly turned icy.

Just as Flender was about to say more, Xiao Gang stepped forward.

He walked to Flender's side and pressed down on his shoulder:

"Old Flender, come out for a moment."

Once the door closed, Xiao Gang led Flender to the end of the corridor before letting go.

"Old Flender, don't be so hasty."

Flender panted heavily:

"How can I not be hasty? He wants me to lead the children into a place like Imperial Fighting!"

"Listen to me first."

Xiao Gang immediately interrupted him:

"Imperial Fighting Academy is run by the Heaven Dou Empire royal family. Yes, there are many rules, but think about it—who holds the best resources and the highest-level training grounds in all of Tiandou City?"

Flender fell silent.

"What you can't let go of is your pride, but what San and the others need isn't pride."

"Once they enter Imperial Fighting, they will have a more comfortable environment and better cultivation. How is that not a good thing?"

"Besides, we would only be using the name; it's not as if we would truly cease to exist."

Flender was already struggling internally, but he remained stubborn:

"With the way those people act, I'm afraid they'll lead San and the others astray."

"Lead them astray?"

Xiao Gang shook his head:

"Don't you know the nature of San and the others by now? It's not certain who would be leading whom astray."

"For the sake of the children, we can set aside our pride for a moment. Borrowing a hen to hatch an egg is not an unreasonable strategy."

The corridor fell silent for a few moments.

Flender took a long look at Xiao Gang, then finally revealed a trace of a smile.

"Fine. Since it's borrowing a hen to hatch an egg, then let's hatch it."

The two exchanged a smile, then pushed the door open and returned to the lounge.

Flender walked back to his seat and sat down, looking at Qin Ming opposite him as he spoke:

"We will do as you suggested."

Upon hearing this, a happy smile immediately appeared on Qin Ming's face.

"Then congratulations, Dean. May we have a pleasant cooperation."

That night, in Ye Qiong's room at Amphoreus Academy.

Ye Qiong lifted Mimi from his arms and placed her by the bedside.

Mimi sat there, her long tail swaying behind her, and her round eyes blinked as she looked at Ye Qiong.

"Mi, mi?"

Ye Qiong rubbed her furry head.

"Stay here and be good. I'm going to pull some cards first; you go to sleep."

"Mimi!" Mimi nodded immediately and lay down obediently.

Ye Qiong then opened his system inventory.

Stellar Jades balance: 21700

Looking at the massive amount of Stellar Jades he had saved for so long, the corners of Ye Qiong's mouth nearly curled up to the M78 Nebula.

He hurriedly opened the Warp interface.

Mimi lay on the bed, her breathing gradually becoming steady.

"Mi... mi..."

Ye Qiong rubbed his hands together and began selecting consecutive pulls.

One ten-pull, two ten-pulls, three ten-pulls...

Ye Qiong stared at the interface, tapping rapidly as golden light exploded one after another, flashing repeatedly across the screen.

Finally, he exhausted all his Stellar Jades in one go before slowly letting out a breath.

Pulling cards is just like doing handicrafts.

Doing it every day is tedious and boring.

But leaving it alone and suddenly finishing it all at once one day is quite satisfying.

After finishing the pulls, Ye Qiong opened his inventory to see a row of golden cards neatly arranged.

Ye Qiong scanned them one by one, his mood excellent.

Three Chrysos Heirs and two Soul Bones.

He carefully examined the three Chrysos Heirs and discovered that one of them was actually in Tiandou City.

The other two were currently somewhere in Suotuo City.

"Then, before heading to Tiandou City, I'll wait for those two to arrive."

Ye Qiong turned his gaze toward the two Soul Bones.

"One wing bone, one leg bone..."

These two Soul Bones consisted of one ten-thousand-year External Soul Bone and one hundred-thousand-year leg bone.

Both were adaptive, universal Soul Bones that could be integrated into any Martial Soul without the need for matching.

"Damn, these are truly good things!"

Ye Qiong closed his inventory, suppressing the excitement in his heart.

He planned to reward these two Soul Bones to those who performed the best in the future.

At this moment, Mimi woke up, though it was unclear when.

"Can't sleep?" Ye Qiong looked at her with a smile.

She flew in front of Ye Qiong and glared at him with some dissatisfaction.

"Mi, mimimi."

Ye Qiong chuckled and pulled her into his arms.

"Alright, alright, I'll hold you while I sleep."

Early the next morning, outside the gates of Amphoreus Academy.

Two carriages pulled up to the entrance at the same time.

The curtains on both carriages were drawn back one after the other.

A blonde girl stepped out first, wearing an exquisite white gown. Her emerald eyes were exceptionally bright in the morning light.

She stood there with an elegant air, like a noble golden peony.

Immediately after, a pink-haired girl stepped down from the other carriage. She wore a red hat, and two slightly curled ponytails rested behind her head.

She was dressed in a red frock with white stockings on her legs, and a pair of small, delicate red leather shoes.

Ye Qiong had already been waiting at the gate for some time.

Seeing the two of them, a joyful smile instantly appeared on his face:

"Welcome to Amphoreus Academy."