"Dean, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
In the Shrek rest area,
Flender spoke, looking exhausted:
"Go ahead."
Qin Ming took a deep breath, his expression solemn.
"You must have seen Amphoreus's Soul Fighting match today, Dean. Their Caesar toyed with all seven members of the Imperial Fighting team single-handedly."
"To be honest, our team can't hold up against them in the short term."
At this, Qin Ming hadn't expected Flender to merely say, "Mm," without changing his expression.
Seeing that, Qin Ming's heart tightened, but he continued:
"I assume you've already faced Amphoreus Academy too?"
Flender let out a weary sigh. "Alas, we have. We were no match for them at all. Not only could our students not beat theirs, but they nearly brought us to ruin financially, too."
Qin Ming frowned. "What happened?"
Flender briefly explained what had happened before.
After hearing him out, Qin Ming clenched his fists.
"They actually did that?"
Flender sighed again.
"If not for the help of the Dragon Duke, I'm afraid we wouldn't have made it through that ordeal."
Qin Ming fell silent for a moment, then his expression grew resolute.
"Dean, rather than each of us fighting alone, why don't we join forces?"
"Bring all of Shrek under the Imperial Fighting banner. We'll pool our resources, share our teachers, and train our students together."
"The Imperial Fighting team has plenty of resources and advanced Soul Masters to guide them. Shrek has practical experience and a foundation forged through life-and-death trials. We each have our strengths. By complementing each other, we might be able to take on Amphoreus after all."
Flender abruptly raised his head and stared at him in disbelief.
"What did you say? You want me to hand Shrek over to Imperial Fighting? And go work as your lackey?"
Qin Ming's expression didn't change. He explained calmly:
"This isn't handing it over. It's a partnership. Shrek will still be Shrek; it'll simply be affiliated with the Imperial Fighting Academy. You lack resources and facilities, while Imperial Fighting lacks your combat experience. By working together, we can help the children go further."
Flender stood up and slammed a fist down on the table.
"I've spent my whole life running an academy, and the thing I hate most is your kind of rigid hierarchy! Back then, I'd rather pay out of my own pocket to throw up a shack in a village than put up with that. And now you're asking me to hand my students over to you?"
Qin Ming sighed.
"I know."
"If you know, why are you trying to persuade me?"
The atmosphere in the rest area turned tense.
Flender was about to say more when Yu Xiaogang stepped forward.
He went to Flender's side and patted his shoulder.
"Boss Fu, come outside for a moment."
Once the door had closed, Yu Xiaogang led Flender to the end of the corridor before letting go.
"Boss Fu, don't get worked up just yet."
Flender panted, his breath ragged.
"How can I not? He wants me to lead the children into a place like Imperial Fighting!"
"Just hear me out."
Yu Xiaogang cut him off at once.
"Imperial Fighting Academy was founded by the royal family of the Heaven Dou Empire. They have plenty of rules, sure, but think about it: who controls the best resources and the most advanced training grounds in Heaven Dou City?"
Flender fell silent.
"You can't let go of your pride, but what Tang San and the others need isn't pride."
"If they join Imperial Fighting, they'll have a more comfortable environment and better training. How could that be a bad thing?"
"Besides, we'll only be affiliated with them. It's not as if we'll cease to exist."
Flender was already struggling with the idea, but he still stubbornly protested:
"I'm afraid their ways will lead Tang San and the others astray."
"Lead them astray?"
Yu Xiaogang shook his head.
"You know what Tang San and the others are like. It's not certain who'd lead whom astray." (That's absolutely right. Well said, Yu Xiaogang.)
"For the children's sake, we can set aside our pride for now. We can borrow a hen to lay eggs; there's nothing wrong with that."
The corridor fell silent for a few moments.
Flender gave Yu Xiaogang a long look, then finally smiled a little.
"Fine. If we're borrowing a hen to lay eggs, then let's do it."
The two exchanged smiles and went back into the rest area.
Flender returned to his seat and looked across at Qin Ming.
"We'll do as you suggested."
Qin Ming's face immediately lit up with a happy smile.
"Then congratulations, Dean. I look forward to working with you."
That night, in Ye Qiong's room at Amphoreus Academy,
Ye Qiong lifted Mimi out of his arms and set her down by the bed.
Mimi sat there, her long tail swaying behind her. She looked up at Ye Qiong and blinked her round eyes.
"Mi, Mimi?"
Ye Qiong rubbed her fluffy head.
"Stay right there and be good. I'm going to do a few pulls. You can go to sleep first."
"Mimi!" Mimi immediately nodded and obediently lay down.
Ye Qiong opened the system inventory.
[Stellar Jades: 21700]
Looking at the enormous stash of Stellar Jades he'd saved up, Ye Qiong's grin nearly stretched all the way to the M78 Nebula.
He hurriedly opened the Warp screen.
Mimi lay on the bed, her breathing gradually becoming even.
"Mi... mi..."
Ye Qiong rubbed his hands together and started pulling, one ten-pull after another.
The first ten-pull, the second, the third...
Ye Qiong stared at the screen, tapping rapidly as golden light burst forth again and again, flashing across the display.
At last, he used up all his Stellar Jades in one go and slowly let out a breath.
Pulling on a gacha was like doing crafts.
Doing it every day could get dull and tedious,
but if you left it alone and then finished everything in one go someday, it felt surprisingly satisfying.
After he finished pulling, Ye Qiong opened his inventory and saw a neat row of golden cards.
His gaze swept over them one by one, and his mood lifted.
Three Chrysos Heirs and two Soul Bones.
He took a closer look at the three Chrysos Heirs and realized one of them was in Heaven Dou City.
The other two were somewhere in Suotuo City.
"Then I'll wait for those two to come before I head to Heaven Dou City."
Ye Qiong turned his attention to the two Soul Bones.
"One wing bone and one leg bone..."
One of the Soul Bones was a ten-thousand-year External Soul Bone, and the other was a hundred-thousand-year leg bone.
Both were universal, adaptive Soul Bones that could merge with any Martial Soul without needing to be matched.
"Holy crap, these are incredible!"
Ye Qiong closed the inventory and tamped down his excitement.
He planned to give the two Soul Bones to whoever performed the best in the future.
At some point, Mimi had woken up.
"Can't sleep?" Ye Qiong asked with a smile, looking at her.
She flew in front of Ye Qiong and glared at him, a little annoyed.
"Mi, Mimi."
Ye Qiong smiled and gathered her in his arms.
"Alright, alright. I'll hold you while you sleep."
Early the next morning, outside the gates of Amphoreus Academy,
Two carriages stopped at the entrance at the same time.
The curtains on both carriages were drawn back one after the other.
A blonde girl stepped down first. She wore an exquisite white dress, and her jade-green eyes shone brilliantly in the morning light.
She stood there with an elegant air, like a noble golden peony.
Then a pink-haired girl climbed down from the other carriage. A red hat sat atop her head, and two slightly curled ponytails fell behind her.
She wore a red dress, white stockings, and a pair of dainty red leather shoes.
Ye Qiong had already been waiting at the gate for quite some time.
When he saw the two of them, a delighted smile appeared on his face.
"Welcome to Amphoreus Academy."