The next day, Qiangu Dieyan appeared at Eastsea Academy exactly as promised.
Even Wu Zhangkong, a disciple of Red Dragon Douluo Zhuo Shi who had come from Shrek Academy, was shocked when he learned the true identity of the white-haired elder standing before him.
The former Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda, and one of the world's most powerful quasi-god-level Limit Douluos.
And he had actually deigned to come teach at an academy in this little seaside city.
When Long Hengxu and Yu Zhen heard the news, their legs gave way, and they collapsed onto the floor, utterly devoid of dignity.
Although the world had advanced and the number of Titled Douluos had increased more than tenfold compared with ten thousand years ago,
the population had also multiplied many times over. It was hard enough to meet a Titled Douluo in person, let alone a legendary Limit Douluo, standing at the pinnacle of all Soul Masters.
Yu Zhen's first thought was what kind of salary they ought to offer Qiangu Dieyan, but Long Hengxu reminded him that the man had agreed to teach only for the sake of his great-grandson.
Rather than fuss over Qiangu Dieyan, they should direct as many resources as possible toward Class Five.
"You're absolutely right. Absolutely right."
"Director Long, it seems that when I grow old, I'll have no choice but to entrust the whole of Eastsea Academy to you."
Long Hengxu smiled but didn't take the bait. Instead, he said, "Let's leave that aside for now, Principal. I'll go tell the cafeteria to use a better selection of ingredients for today's A-grade meal."
Yu Zhen nodded in satisfaction. Only after Long Hengxu left did he lean back in his chair and let out a long breath.
"Whether Eastsea Academy can rise to greatness under my watch depends on these next few years."
Meanwhile, in the classroom of Class One, Year Five, Wu Zhangkong nervously introduced Qiangu Dieyan to the students.
To avoid unnecessary commotion, Qiangu Dieyan was publicly introduced only as a retired senior teacher who had been specially invited back to guide the academy's new students.
"This is Teacher Qiangu, who retired from the academy. He's exceptionally capable, so you must take his lessons as seriously as you take mine."
"Is that clear?"
Wu Zhangkong asked from the lectern.
The students below replied in unison, "Yes, we understand."
Aside from Qian Jue, Gu Yue, and the others who already knew Qiangu Dieyan's true identity, the rest of the students were also looking forward to having the new old teacher.
After all, Teacher Qiangu had agreed to come teach them because of Qian Jue.
Anyone with half a brain could guess that Teacher Qiangu's identity was far from ordinary. There weren't many opportunities to learn from someone like him, and they had to seize this hard-won chance.
Even without Wu Zhangkong's reminder, they would have worked twice as hard.
Qiangu Dieyan's arrival brought some adjustments to the class schedule.
Since the students had different levels of talent, Wu Zhangkong had separated Qian Jue and the others from the rest so they wouldn't put unnecessary pressure on their classmates in Class Five.
Naturally, Qiangu Dieyan would lead this afternoon's practical training.
His lesson was simple: he would have the six children face his Indomitable Staff Intent in the training grounds.
How long they could hold out depended entirely on their mental strength and willpower.
Gu Yue and the others sat cross-legged, surrounding Qian Jue. The six of them joined forces to face the Coiling Dragon Staff before them.
Wu Zhangkong, standing to one side, spoke up. "His Excellency Zhantian, isn't it a little too harsh to train them this way right from the start?"
This was the indomitable will of a quasi-god-level powerhouse, surely infused with the power of laws. Even a Titled Douluo might struggle under this pressure.
Qiangu Dieyan glanced at him and said coolly, "I know what I'm doing. Just watch from the side. If you're still worried, you can join the children and resist it with them."
"I spoke out of turn, Your Excellency Zhantian."
With that, Wu Zhangkong strode into the training grounds and sat down in front of the six. A faint frost-colored Soul Power drifted from his body as he resisted the Coiling Dragon Staff before him, which towered like a pillar supporting the heavens.
Seeing this, Qiangu Dieyan gave a slight nod, offering his initial approval of Wu Zhangkong as a teacher.
"Compared with those old veterans at Shrek, you're much more like a proper teacher."
Time passed quickly. Just as expected, Zhang Yangzi was the first of the six to fall, the only one among them whose Soul Master attribute wasn't dragon-related.
Qiangu Dieyan waved a hand, lifting Zhang Yangzi out like a little chick and setting him in a seat to rest. He even thoughtfully gave him a bottle of water.
Wang Jinxi and Xie Xie went next. They held out about five minutes longer than Zhang Yangzi before collapsing from exhaustion, and Qiangu Dieyan brought them out as well.
In the end, only Wu Zhangkong, Qian Jue, Gu Yue, and Na'er remained, along with Tang Wulin, who was swaying on the verge of collapse.
As Qiangu Dieyan watched the five struggling to hold on, curiosity stirred within him.
Wu Zhangkong had the cultivation of a Soul Emperor and years of practice behind him. Naturally, he could endure longer even with Qiangu Dieyan intensifying the pressure of his Indomitable Staff Intent a little.
As for his own good great-grandson, he had only perfected the rudiments of his Indomitable Staff Intent yesterday, and its meaning was even more far-reaching than his own.
Though there was a gap in the intensity of their respective intents, all Qian Jue had to do was grit his teeth and keep going.
That left Qiangu Dieyan quite interested in the other three.
He knew Gu Yue. She was Leng Yaozhu's little phoenix of a disciple, as well as his great-grandson's senior sister.
Back then, Dongfeng had pursued Leng Yaozhu relentlessly and failed. Now her disciple was pursuing someone from his family instead. The world truly was full of surprises.
The other girl seemed to be called Na'er.
Her Martial Soul was the Silver Dragon Spear, and there was a trace of a familiar presence about her. And she came from Shrek Academy...
Qiangu Dieyan's eyes widened. A guess was on the tip of his tongue.
"Could this little girl be Yun Ming's descendant—or his disciple?"
Thinking this, Qiangu Dieyan hurriedly turned to the three sitting off to the side, recovering, and asked, "You there. Do you know the background of that girl called Na'er?"
Xie Xie nodded. Tang Wulin had already told him everything about Na'er's disappearance some time ago.
"Mm, Na'er used to be the younger sister adopted by Wulin's family. I think she'd lost her memory back then."
"Then she regained her memories and was taken away. I remember her saying her adoptive parents were Yun Ming and Ya Li? They must be important figures at Shrek. I don't know anything more than that."
Hearing that familiar yet irritating name, Qiangu Dieyan was delighted. He threw back his head and laughed heartily.
"Hahahaha! What a twist of fate!"
"Yun Ming, Yun Ming. Who would've thought that one day your little cabbage would come running to my family's garden?"
Ever since his crushing defeat thirty years ago, Qiangu Dieyan had never been this happy—not even when he had witnessed Qian Jue's talent yesterday.
Na'er's adoptive father was Yun Ming, while he was Qian Jue's great-grandfather.
By seniority, wouldn't Yun Ming have to call him Grandpa?
Hahaha!
How satisfying!
Qiangu Dieyan looked at Qian Jue, who stood firm in the training grounds with an unchanged expression, and felt more pleased with him by the moment.
"If you can hold on for another quarter of an hour, my good grandson, I'll let you meet our Qiangu Clan's Indomitable Soul! If you earn the old soul's approval, the foundation for becoming a god will be yours to keep forever!"