Flender

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Flender (弗兰德)
Alias(es)	Flying Horn 49
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Shrek Academy; Golden Iron Triangle 42 49
Occupation/Role	Dean and instructor of Shrek Academy; shopkeeper; Ma Hongjun’s personal teacher 41 42 44 50
Cultivation Rank	Level 78 Soul Saint 36 49
Martial Soul	Cat Owl, also referred to as Owl 48 51
First Appearance	Chapter 41, in his shop; mentioned earlier during Shrek’s admissions 34 41

Appearance

• Horse-like face: Meng Yiran notices his elongated face when the Peerless Dragon and Snake recognize him 49.
• Black-rimmed glasses: He adjusts them when introducing himself and scans his surroundings through them during the forest expedition 42 50.

Personality

Flender is openly money-minded and willing to exploit a wealthy customer. When Ning Rongrong accepts his crystal’s price of one thousand Gold Soul Coins, he immediately doubles it. His colleagues consider him stingy enough that Li Yusong hesitates to waive registration fees without permission 34 41.

His greed has limits where old friendships and students are concerned. Recognizing Yu Xiaogang’s belt on Tang San persuades him to forgo the crystal sale and offer it as a welcoming gift. He later agrees to fund better meals and medicinal herbs, despite visibly resenting the expense 41 42 54.

As an administrator, he delegates routine duties and enjoys asserting his authority. As an expedition leader, however, he is cautious: he restrains his pride around stronger soul masters, keeps students close, and treats avoiding conflict as a practical survival skill 44 45 49 50.

Abilities & Skills

Cat Owl Martial Soul

Flender’s martial soul makes him an unusually rare flying-type soul master 49.

• Flight and escape: He believes he could escape the Peerless Dragon and Snake if alone, but cannot rely on that option while responsible for students 49.
• Night watch: He takes the overnight watch during the Star Dou expedition, using his Owl martial soul’s advantage 48.
• Light-slash attacks: He suppresses an injured Man Faced Demon Spider with four slashes of light, preventing it from fighting back or escaping 51.

Golden Iron Triangle Martial Soul Fusion

Flender shares a martial soul fusion skill with Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong. He considers their combined strength sufficient that he would not fear the Peerless Dragon and Snake if both companions were present 49.

• Requires his partners: His confidence concerns the reunited trio, not his individual combat strength 49.
• Protective value: The forest expedition convinces him that reuniting the Golden Iron Triangle would improve the students’ safety 53.

Expedition Leadership and Diplomacy

Flender combines supervised combat practice with negotiation and threat assessment 48 49 50.

• Allows students to fight weaker soul beasts to build experience and coordination 48.
• Tries to accommodate students’ preferred soul-ring targets rather than choosing any available thousand-year beast 47.
• Uses deferential conversation and Jiang Jiu’s cooperation to disengage peacefully from the Peerless Dragon and Snake 49 50.
• Warns that unfamiliar soul masters can be more dangerous than beasts because violence in the forest may go unwitnessed and unpunished 50.

Background / History

Golden Iron Triangle

Flender belonged to the Golden Iron Triangle alongside Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong. The trio withdrew from public prominence twenty years before the Shrek students meet him. Although the younger students do not recognize his name, Chao Tianxiang immediately identifies him as the Flying Horn 42 49.

Meeting the New Students

Flender is absent from Shrek’s recruitment examinations, spending the day at his shop instead. The new students encounter him while browsing its merchandise. After attempting to charge Ning Rongrong two thousand Gold Soul Coins for a Hair Crystal Board, he recognizes Tang San’s belt as one associated with Yu Xiaogang and gives the crystal to the students 35 39 41 42.

He also permits them to rent academy houses rather than use the dormitories, provided they pay. Jiang Jiu subsequently selects two adjacent rooms to combine into a suite 42 43.

First School Day

Flender punishes Ma Hongjun’s harassment of the female students with twenty playground laps, citing the academy’s prohibition against such conduct. He then formally welcomes the newcomers and directs them to pay annual tuition of one hundred Gold Soul Coins each 44.

Impressed by Jiang Jiu and Tang San reaching level thirty at twelve years old, he changes the opening lesson into a personally supervised soul hunt. He delegates the remaining orientation duties to Dai Mubai 44 45.

Star Dou Forest Expedition

The party travels roughly four or five hundred kilometers on foot. Flender refuses Ning Rongrong’s request for different transport and requires students to cover their own food and lodging, though he does arrange a hotel stop 46 47.

Inside the forest, he supervises combat practice while searching for suitable third rings. Encountering the Peerless Dragon and Snake forces him to prioritize diplomacy: their strength exceeds what he can safely handle while protecting the entire group 48 49 50.

He later intercepts their injured Man Faced Demon Spider, initially hoping it will suit Tang San. Jiang Jiu identifies it as two thousand years old, and Flender asks Tang San to confirm the assessment. Jiang Jiu subsequently obtains his Lightning Rabbit ring while accompanied by the couple and arranges to reunite with Flender outside the forest 51 52.

On the return journey, Flender resolves to bring the Golden Iron Triangle together again rather than leave the students vulnerable to stronger parties 53.

Supporting Grandmaster’s Training

After the expedition, Flender places the students’ instruction under Yu Xiaogang and promises the academy’s assistance. He approves meat at every meal, medicinal diets, and herbs for physical training despite his reluctance to spend money 54.

When Yu Xiaogang announces rigorous special training, Flender publicly backs his authority: “Grandmaster’s intentions are my own” 56.

Relationships

• Ma Hongjun — His personal disciple. Flender disciplines his harassment of female classmates and answers his questions about danger in the forest 42 44 50.
• Yu Xiaogang — Old friend and Golden Iron Triangle partner, known as the Wise Horn. Their friendship influences Flender’s treatment of Tang San; Flender later entrusts him with teaching the students 41 42 51 54.
• Liu Erlong — Golden Iron Triangle partner whom Flender wants to bring back alongside Yu Xiaogang for the students’ protection 49 53.
• Dai Mubai — A respectful senior student trusted to explain academy rules and handle orientation duties 42 45.
• Jiang Jiu — A student whose soul-ring hunt Flender personally leads. They cooperate to navigate the encounter with the Peerless Dragon and Snake 44 49 50.
• Tang San — Yu Xiaogang’s disciple and one of Flender’s soul-hunting charges. Flender agrees to search for Grandmaster’s recommended targets 41 47.
• Ning Rongrong — A wealthy student he initially tries to overcharge. Her account of the Peerless Dragon and Snake’s abilities helps explain his caution to the group 41 50.
• Oscar — A student Flender suspects of spreading gossip about his greed; he privately decides to give him extra training 42.
• Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang — Powerful older soul masters who remember his reputation. He treats them respectfully while recognizing that their fusion skill makes confrontation unsafe for his party 49 50.