Shrek Academy.
The door to Flender's office swung open,
and Yu Xiaogang walked in.
The moment Flender saw him, he strode over and pulled him into a hug:
"Xiao Gang!"
Yu Xiaogang patted him on the shoulder:
"Boss Flender, it's been years. You've certainly gotten a lot older."
Flender let him go, looked him up and down, then chuckled:
"You're one to talk. More than half your hair's gone white."
The two sat down by the table. Flender poured them each a cup of cheap tea and pushed one across to him.
Yu Xiaogang picked up the cup and took a sip. He frowned but said nothing:
"Boss Flender, I came this time to see how things are at Shrek. I heard there's a new academy in Suotuo City?"
At that, the smile on Flender's face faltered. He let out a heavy sigh:
"Don't get me started."
"What happened?" Yu Xiaogang set down his teacup.
Flender leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest:
"It's the money, as always."
"Money?"
"A few days ago, some Omphalos Academy appeared out of nowhere and actually set up a recruitment stall right outside Shrek Academy."
Flender grew more and more agitated as he spoke. He slapped a palm against the table,
"They stole all my students! Can you believe the nerve?"
Yu Xiaogang furrowed his brow:
"How did they steal them? Tell me everything."
"Just thinking about it makes me mad!"
Flender snorted,
"All I do is charge a registration fee. Ten Gold Soul Coins per student. That's not asking too much, is it? But this Omphalos Academy went and broke all the rules: registration was free! Free! Tell me, what else could that be but a deliberate attempt to get under my skin?"
Yu Xiaogang shuddered, his eyes widening:
"What? Free? That kind of spending... I'd say they're deliberately targeting you."
"Exactly!"
Flender sighed again,
"Their school is in Suotuo City, yet they came all the way out to this little backwater where my academy is to recruit students. It's obvious they're trying to steal my business!"
Yu Xiaogang nodded, lightly tapping his fingertips against the table twice:
"That does count as malicious competition."
He went over the ins and outs of the matter in his mind, then looked up at Flender:
"How much money does the academy have left in its accounts?"
At that, Flender reluctantly pulled a cloth pouch from his trouser pocket, untied it, and poured it onto the table.
A few Gold Soul Coins rolled out, spinning halfway around before coming to a stop.
Yu Xiaogang looked at the handful of lonely coins, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly:
"That's all?"
Flender's head drooped:
"That's all. It'll only cover the academy's expenses for half a month. If no more money comes in, I'm afraid I won't even be able to pay Old Zhao's wages."
Yu Xiaogang stared at the few Gold Soul Coins, his brow furrowing even deeper:
"This... really isn't enough."
Flender looked up at him expectantly:
"Xiao Gang, you've been out in the world all these years. Do you have any ideas?"
Yu Xiaogang felt uncomfortable under his gaze. He stammered and rubbed the tip of his nose, looking a little guilty as he said:
"I... Boss Flender, you know how I've been scraping by at Notting Academy all these years. How could I have any savings?"
A trace of disappointment flashed across Flender's eyes, but he quickly recovered his smile:
"Haha, it's fine, it's fine. I'll think of something else."
He patted Yu Xiaogang on the shoulder:
"Xiao Gang, since you've come this time, I think I can leave the teaching of Xiao San and the others to you."
At the mention of Tang San, Yu Xiaogang straightened his back at once, a confident smile appearing on his face:
"Of course. Boss Flender, you can safely leave them to me. I'll make sure they shine at the Soul Master Tournament."
Flender burst out laughing, then gave Yu Xiaogang's shoulder two hearty pats:
"With you saying that, I can rest easy."
He paused, then abruptly changed the subject:
"Although that Omphalos Academy stole my students and kept me from making any money, the students they recruit are all terribly untalented. They're nowhere near as good as our Shrek students."
"Oh?"
Yu Xiaogang looked a little more relaxed at that.
"That's good."
But Flender's expression suddenly turned grave:
"However, their academy has one genius we need to watch out for. Even Xiao San lost to him."
Yu Xiaogang sprang up from his chair so abruptly that he knocked the teacup over with the corner of the table.
Brown tea spilled across the tabletop, but he didn't even notice.
"What?"
Yu Xiaogang's voice rose several pitches, disbelief written all over his face,
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! My disciple is invincible under heaven! How could he lose to someone his own age?"
Flender raised a hand and pressed it downward. "Hey, Xiao Gang, calm down first!"
"Who is he?"
Yu Xiaogang remained standing, both hands braced on the table as he leaned forward.
Flender then told him what had happened that day at the Soto Spirit Arena.
Flender recounted it briefly, but the story pierced Yu Xiaogang's heart like a needle.
After listening, Yu Xiaogang sat back down and remained silent for a long time.
His fingers tapped unconsciously on the tabletop, while a greedy glint slowly appeared in his eyes.
He beat Tang San with ease?
A genius no less gifted than Tang San?
Hmph. A genius like that ought to belong to Yu Xiaogang.
Omphalos Academy doesn't deserve to have a genius like him!
As he thought this, someone suddenly shoved the office door open from outside.
Zhao Wuji strode in, followed by an elderly man and woman.
Flender looked up at them, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang walked in side by side. Their gazes swept around the room before settling on Flender.
"Flender, the Four-Eyed Owl, Flying Horn of the former Golden Iron Triangle—do you recognize us?"
Flender reacted at once. He hurried around the desk, cupped his hands, and bowed:
"Senior Dragon Duke, Senior Snake Granny. I've long heard of your reputations."
Yu Xiaogang also stood and gave them a slight nod.
Chao Tianxiang's gaze passed over him without comment, then turned to Flender:
"Dean Flender, we have a business proposition to discuss with you."
Flender straightened up, his face breaking into a smile:
"Please, seniors, have a seat. We can discuss it at length."
Zhao Wuji stepped aside to clear the way and casually closed the door.
Three days later, at the Omphalos Academy plaza.
Ye Qiong stood two paces in front of Phainon, watching him grip his sword with both hands and swing it again and again.
"Make your strikes more decisive," Ye Qiong reminded him.
Phainon nodded and reset his stance.
Just then, a golden triangular gate suddenly lit up in the ground at the center of the plaza.
Phainon stopped moving.
Ye Qiong turned his head to look, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Looks like Tribbie and the others are back.
Before you continue