Purple, purple, black...
The first three Soul Rings were the same ones Flender had seen at the Great Soul Arena.
But then, just as Flender had expected, four more black Soul Rings appeared!
And the farther back the Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings were, the more their black glow turned red. They were clearly nearing a hundred thousand years!
But when the Eighth Soul Ring lit up, Flender's golden, slit-pupiled eyes shrank to a thin line!
Because this Soul Ring was no longer black tinged with red!
It was pure red—
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!!
This guy's Eighth Soul Ring was actually the legendary Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?!
How was he supposed to fight that?
If the other man unleashed either of his two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Skills, then combined them with his advantage in rank, he could probably kill Flender in an instant!
No wonder those two had looked down on his Soul Saint-level strength.
So they had a trump card like this!
Flender's heart sank to the bottom.
It seemed he had no hope of getting that crystal back, either...
He had thought the other man's Soul Rings had stopped appearing.
But to his surprise, something else emerged around the outside of the Eighth Soul Ring!?
The... the Ninth Soul Ring!?
And it was blood-red?!!
This guy... was actually a Titled Douluo with two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings?!
An intense fear, accompanied by a terrifying pressure, descended upon him all at once!
He never would have guessed that the man who had hidden his strength at the Great Soul Arena wasn't a Soul Saint or even a Soul Douluo, but a bona fide Titled Douluo!?
No wonder they hadn't taken him seriously from the beginning.
So this was their real source of confidence!
Flender couldn't help regretting his misjudgment!
If he'd known they were this powerful, he shouldn't have made such an outrageous demand and provoked their displeasure.
Well, well. Now he was in trouble.
Trouble, trouble. Well, now he was saved...
Forget taking a few chunks out of them. If they didn't knock his teeth out, he'd count himself lucky!
Fortunately, Flender knew when to bend and when to stand firm. He immediately dropped to his knees and bowed low:
"This humble man was blind to Mount Tai and offended you two, my lords!
"Please, my lords, show mercy and spare me.
"Take anything you like from this shop. Consider it my apology to you both!"
Zhuge Ming looked at the man kneeling on the ground with some surprise. Wasn't this guy supposed to have a strong backbone?
Even when Shrek Academy had been in such dire straits, he'd refused to accept aid from the Balak Kingdom.
But now, faced with a life-or-death crisis, he'd dropped to his knees and begged for mercy without hesitation?
What a survivor...
Somehow, that made Zhuge Ming's irritation fade a little.
But that didn't mean he was going to let the other man off.
If he didn't fleece him thoroughly, all those emotional ups and downs would've been for nothing!
Zhuge Ming turned to look around, but didn't see anything valuable.
If any of this stuff were worth much, Shrek Academy wouldn't be so poor.
Just then, Zhuge Ming thought of something and gave Flender a wicked grin.
"None of this stuff is worth anything. But I heard you have two students... one named Oscar, the other Ma Hongjun?
"If you'll hand those two students over to me, I'll spare your miserable life."
Seeing that the boy not only knew he had two students, but even knew their names...
Flender finally realized that these two hadn't just wandered in by chance. They had come specifically to find him!
Flender immediately straightened up and refused without hesitation.
"Although I don't know who you are...
"I won't sell out my students just to save my own life. I would never do something so despicable!"
"Sell them out?"
Zhuge Ming shook his head.
"I'm not going to kill them. How is that selling them out?
"I just think it's a waste to leave two boys with such outstanding talent in your hands.
"One spends every day selling his Big Sausage, and the other spends every day looking for girls to vent his Evil Fire...
"Are you sure an academy dean who spends all day slacking off in his shop isn't wasting their time and talent?"
Flender fell silent. He thought the other man had a point.
Zhuge Ming continued:
"Hand them over to me. The Titled Douluo under my command will train and guide them professionally, and they'll benefit enormously.
"And I have plenty more Titled Douluo like him under my command!"
"Plenty of Titled Douluo?!"
Flender's eyes widened.
"Are you from Spirit Hall?!"
Zhuge Ming sneered.
"What kind of trash is Spirit Hall?"
Flender's eyelid twitched.
"Trash? You're calling the largest force on the continent—with branches everywhere and more Soul Masters than anyone else—trash?"
Flender couldn't help laughing, though there was a clear note of sympathy in his smile.
"Looks like you really don't understand how powerful Spirit Hall is...
"But if you can speak so badly of Spirit Hall, then it seems you really aren't one of their people."
Zhuge Ming raised an eyebrow and replied calmly:
"There's no denying that Spirit Hall is the most powerful Soul Master force right now.
"If it keeps growing unchecked, sooner or later it'll annex the two great empires and even unite the entire continent.
"But now that my Shu-Han Empire has burst onto the scene, Spirit Hall won't be allowed to keep expanding.
"I need to recruit promising students like Oscar and Ma Hongjun. They'll be useful when the time comes to oppose Spirit Hall!"
"Shu-Han Empire?"
The unfamiliar name left Flender just as confused.
But Zhuge Ming offered no further explanation. He merely said:
"You still can't solve the problem of Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire, can you?
"And Oscar's disadvantage as a food-type Soul Master—his naturally slow cultivation speed...
"If they join my Shu-Han Empire, I can solve all their problems!"
Flender's expression changed at once!
He hadn't expected the boy to know not only Oscar and Ma Hongjun's names, but also their weaknesses!
Flender asked again, his voice low:
"Who exactly are you people!? How do you know everything?"
Zhuge Ming raised one finger with an air of mystery and pointed toward the sky.
"Question: What kind of being in this world is omniscient and omnipotent?"
Flender looked in the direction of the boy's finger. After a moment of silence, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Omniscient and omnipotent... could it be... the gods in heaven?"
Zhuge Ming wore a profound smile. He neither confirmed nor denied it.
But to Flender, that seemed like a tacit admission.
His expression turned utterly grave.
Although he didn't believe the gods could directly interfere in the mortal world, indirect intervention was possible.
A Titled Douluo with two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings, claiming to belong to some Shu-Han Empire...
Perhaps this sudden new power really did have the gods' approval and support behind it!
If they could truly solve the flaws in Little Ao and Fatty's abilities, it would be a heaven-sent opportunity for the boys!
They would have far more room and opportunity to grow than they did by staying with him.
But Flender was a shrewd businessman, after all. Even if he agreed, he had to secure as much benefit for the two children as possible.
So he spoke seriously:
"I can agree, but first you have to solve their problems.
"If you can fix the flaws in their Martial Souls, I'll personally persuade them to go with you.
"Otherwise, even if you kill me, I won't agree!
"Even if you take them by force, they won't truly serve you!"
Before you continue