Flender

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Flender (弗兰德) 3
Alias(es)	Flying Horn; Boss Flender 193 218
Gender	Male 3
Affiliation	Shrek Academy; formerly the Golden Iron Triangle 90 218
Occupation/Role	Shrek Academy co-founder and headmaster; Soul Master and teacher 7 218
Martial Soul	Owl 6
Highest Documented Soul Power	Level 78, Soul Sage 189
Soul Rings	Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black 6 189
Partner	Liu Erlong; they become a couple in the finale 245
First Appearance	Chapter 3, “Fooling Flender!” 3

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Soul Sage	6	First reveals his Owl Martial Soul and seven soul rings while protecting Ma Hongjun from a Spirit Hall awakening official. His exact level is not given.
Level 78 Soul Sage	189	His exact Soul Power Level is disclosed during the Soul Arena confrontation. He still possesses seven rings; no intervening breakthrough or cultivation method is documented.

Background / History

Flender was the Flying Horn of the Golden Iron Triangle, alongside Liu Erlong, the Killing Horn, and Yu Xiaogang, the Wisdom Horn. Their relationship included an unresolved love triangle: Flender loved Liu Erlong, while she loved Yu Xiaogang. The group separated twenty years before their later reunion 173 218.

More than a decade before the events at the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena, Zhao Wuji met Flender, and the two founded Shrek Academy together. Flender built its identity around admitting exceptionally gifted “monster” students, but its capable teachers initially contrasted with its poverty and dilapidated facilities 8 9 218.

Appearance

• Build: Tall and thin 3.
• Distinguishing features: A hooked nose and glasses 3.

Personality

Flender is competitive and easily provoked by Ma Hongjun’s teasing. He accepts the boy’s awakening wager partly to teach him a lesson, initially believing that the village’s poultry Martial Souls make his own victory almost certain. Later, discovering Ma Hongjun’s Twin Martial Souls renews his enthusiasm for an agreement with Yu Xiaogang to compare their prospective disciples’ achievements 4 8.

His thriftiness affects both personal spending and academy policy. He initially resists costly improvements to Shrek’s teaching environment and sees profitable betting opportunities in the team’s Soul Arena matches. Nevertheless, he gives Ma Hongjun fifty Gold Soul Coins when leaving him at Notting Academy, prompting the boy to appreciate how unusually generous the gesture is 16 135 180.

Flender’s pride in Ma Hongjun eventually outweighs his desire to claim him as a formal disciple. He admits that he is not qualified to teach the boy, yet remains pleased by Ma Hongjun’s genuine respect for him. He also values accountability: Ma Hongjun’s willingness to acknowledge his own part in the conflict involving Zhu Zhuqing reassures him after Yu Xiaogang questions the boy’s character 174 177 193.

His loyalty to old friends persists even after serious disagreements. Although Yu Xiaogang’s departure hurts him, Flender asks Ma Hongjun not to hold the matter against him and continues seeking reconciliation. His devotion to Liu Erlong likewise lasts through their long separation 177 191 214.

Abilities & Skills

Owl Martial Soul

• Releases an Owl Martial Soul accompanied by the pressure of a seven-ring Soul Sage 6.
• Uses his superior cultivation to deter the awakening official, whose threats rely on Spirit Hall membership and a Soul King relative 6.
• At level 78, his strength is still insufficient against the two Soul Douluos confronting the Shrek delegation at the Soul Arena 189.
• Attempts to shield Ma Hongjun alongside Zhao Wuji during Tang Hao and Erza’s clash, but both recognize that they cannot stop the attack. Irene provides the necessary barrier 156.

Cultivation Instruction

• Teaches Ma Hongjun the method of calming his mind and drawing a soul ring into his body 10.
• Introduces Shrek’s faculty as teachers with cultivation of at least level 50 9.
• Revises his confidence in Yu Xiaogang’s theories after encountering Ma Hongjun’s exceptional Martial Souls, recognizing that general theories do not explain every case 173.

Academy Administration and Combat Training

• Oversees admissions, student introductions, and arrangements for Zhao Wuji to lead soul-ring hunts 160 161.
• Approves improvements to Shrek’s teaching environment after Ma Hongjun and Dugu Bo advocate for them 135.
• Uses Soul Arena battles to test cultivation results and develop teamwork against varied opponents 178 213.
• Excludes Ma Hongjun from sparring against Liu Erlong so the other students cannot depend on his strength 213.
• Asks Ma Hongjun to hold back during team battles, creating training opportunities without allowing teammates to be injured 214.
• Later proposes a separate training lineup without Ma Hongjun or Dugu Yan to give the remaining students more demanding matches 217 218.

Relationships

• Ma Hongjun — Student, protégé, and the person Flender regards as “half his disciple,” though no formal discipleship is established. Flender protects him, supports his education, and credits him with putting Shrek on the right path 7 15 16 173 193.
• Liu Erlong — Former Golden Iron Triangle teammate, longtime love interest, and eventual partner. Their renewed cooperation brings about the merger with Blue Tyrant Academy; they become a couple after her disillusionment with Yu Xiaogang 193 194 218 245.
• Yu Xiaogang — Former teammate and close brother-like friend. Their bond fractures over Ma Hongjun and Tang San, but Flender repeatedly tries to mediate rather than abandon him 173 175 177 214 220.
• Zhao Wuji — Shrek co-founder and vice dean. They share responsibility for the academy and act together to protect Ma Hongjun 9 156 218.
• Dugu Bo — Shrek’s honorary elder, recruited by Ma Hongjun. Flender welcomes his presence as a major strengthening of the academy, while accepting that he will not participate in administration 90 91.
• Dugu Yan — Student whose talent excites him. By the five-year time skip, she is comfortable confronting him about Ma Hongjun’s whereabouts 91 106.
• Sith — Ma Hongjun’s guardian. Flender reassures him of the boy’s safety by identifying himself as an academy headmaster 7.
• Ning Fengzhi — Sect master involved in establishing a long-term partnership between Shrek and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Flender welcomes the proposal 203.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Recruiting Ma Hongjun

• Village wager: Passing through Ma Family Village, Flender challenges its prospects of producing a Soul Master. Ma Hongjun wagers one Gold Soul Coin on the village’s success 3 4.
• Awakening intervention: Flender senses the strength of Ma Hongjun’s unusual Martial Soul, protects him from the awakening official, and orders the official to finish testing his Soul Power. The result is innate level eight 5 6.
• Rejected discipleship: Ma Hongjun refuses to become his disciple. Flender instead offers guidance and protection during their travels, then brings him to Shrek Academy 7 8.
• Persistent recruitment: Even after arrival, Flender tries to win Ma Hongjun over by offering better accommodation if he accepts discipleship 9.
• Notting enrollment: Despite not understanding the boy’s intentions, Flender helps him temporarily enroll at Notting Academy and leaves him money before returning to his own administrative duties 15 16.

Strengthening Shrek

• A Title Douluo elder: Ma Hongjun returns with Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan. Flender is delighted by Dugu Bo’s decision to join and astonished by Ma Hongjun’s level 26 cultivation at age six 89 90 91.
• Teaching reforms: He agrees to fund changes to the academy’s learning environment. Its exterior remains shabby, but its internal resources and specialized training improve 135.
• Protection during Tang Hao’s confrontation: Flender first attempts to mediate, then joins Zhao Wuji in shielding Ma Hongjun when the fighting threatens them 152 156.

Rift with Yu Xiaogang

• Defense of Ma Hongjun: Flender rejects Yu Xiaogang’s accusations that Ma Hongjun is unfit for Shrek and disputes the claim that he stole Xiao Wu from Tang San 175.
• Student departures: Hurt by Yu Xiaogang’s condemnation of the academy, Flender nevertheless permits Tang San to leave. Dai Mubai also departs 176.
• New direction: After hearing Ma Hongjun’s account of the Zhu Zhuqing conflict, he considers the proposal to merge Shrek with Liu Erlong’s Blue Tyrant Academy 177.

Relocation and the New Shrek

• Soul Arena dispute: Flender joins Ma Hongjun and Dugu Bo in confronting arena management over attempts to renegotiate their winnings. He reveals his level 78 cultivation during the standoff 187 188 189.
• Reunion with Liu Erlong: He asks for her help establishing the relocated Shrek and explains his falling-out with Yu Xiaogang. Her refusal to blame him or Ma Hongjun relieves his concerns about the merger 193.
• Merger and alliance: Blue Tyrant Academy becomes the new Shrek Academy, and Flender participates in talks for cooperation with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect 194 200 203.

Tournament Preparation and Finale

• Official team formation: Flender gathers the Shrek students and Liu Erlong’s candidates to prepare an official tournament team, with Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and Jiang Zhu serving as substitutes 211 212.
• Training program: He coordinates six months of cultivation, sparring, and Soul Arena team battles, emphasizing the development of students other than Ma Hongjun 213 214 217.
• Failed reconciliation: Flender and Liu Erlong remain behind to meet Yu Xiaogang, but the Golden Iron Triangle’s reunion does not repair their relationships 218 220 223.
• Fulfilled academy ambition: Shrek wins the Elite Soul Master Tournament and becomes the continent’s leading Soul Master academy. Flender and Liu Erlong also finally become a couple, receiving Ma Hongjun’s blessings 245.

Notable Quotes

“Take them. Remember, treat the children undergoing awakening better. Otherwise, I'll go to Spirit Hall and find you myself.” 6

“I would like to take him as my disciple, but I'm not qualified to teach him.” 174

“The strength of an academy has always depended on all its students being strong, not just one student.” 174