Douluo Must-Eat List, Soul-Eating Carving Knife

Of course, Wang Yan's surname was different from that of the Qian Gu family. It was merely possible that their Martial Souls happened to be the same.

However... the first master of the Spirit Pagoda was Xuan Zi, and that fellow could not even manage his students properly. The tragedy that had happened once had occurred a second time, so there was no need to mention managing the Spirit Pagoda.

Moreover, Xuan Zi was also the master of the Sea God Pavilion. He held two positions, but in Lin Fan's view, he was probably a hands-off boss in either role.

Shrek Academy had Zhang Lexuan and Bei Bei to help manage things, while the Spirit Pagoda had Wang Yan to lend a hand. After all, Wang Yan had led a team to victory in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament. He had officially entered the upper ranks of Shrek Academy's attention and had even become Xuan Zi's grand-disciple.

Furthermore, the Qian Gu family would become a major force within the Spirit Pagoda in the future. As everyone knew, Douluo Continent placed considerable importance on bloodline inheritance. For the Qian Gu family to hold such a position, it must have secured a place for itself long ago.

The exact timing was unknown, however, and Lin Fan did not dig any deeper.

After all, whether it was the Spirit Pagoda or the Qian Gu family ten thousand years later, both were far too distant from him.

Lin Fan casually swept his gaze over Wang Yan before slowly asking,

"Teacher Wang Yan, where are you planning to go?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yan scratched his head somewhat awkwardly. A trace of embarrassment appeared on his gentle face as he slowly replied,

"I originally applied to visit the Inner Court library... but I was rejected."

He paused, obvious regret in his voice. For someone who intended to devote his life to researching Martial Souls, Shrek Academy's Inner Court was an enormous treasure trove.

Unfortunately, as merely an Outer Court teacher, he had no authority to enter.

"So I'm planning to return to the Outer Court library and read some more books. I'll learn more, and perhaps I'll qualify to enter someday."

Lin Fan was not surprised by this.

Naturally, he knew Wang Yan's circumstances. Wang Yan's talent was indeed nothing remarkable, and Wang Yan himself knew that his aptitude was ordinary, so he had turned to researching Martial Souls instead.

Yet limited by his current status, he had never been able to access deeper knowledge.

In this era, Wang Yan was merely an ordinary academy teacher. He had neither a prominent background nor someone with an ambiguous relationship like Bibi Dong to pave the way for him.

If he had enjoyed those conditions as well, perhaps he could have become someone like Yu Xiaogang.

Of course, Wang Yan and Yu Xiaogang were still quite different, at least in terms of personality.

Seeing Wang Yan's regretful expression, Lin Fan slowly said,

"Since you can't receive meaningful support here, why not leave Shrek Academy?"

Wang Yan froze upon hearing this, clearly not expecting Lin Fan to say such a thing.

Lin Fan did not stop and continued,

"Shrek Academy does not impose many restrictions on its teachers. The only thing the status of teacher grants is Shrek Academy's name."

"Outside, it's only useful for showing off to others. Other than that, it doesn't have much use."

Lin Fan was not wrong. Shrek Academy's teachers truly had little besides their basic benefits and a prestigious title.

Of course, the benefits were indeed better than those of other academies. However, most academy teachers still relied on the students they had trained. If those students became successful in the future and remembered their teachers with gratitude, their treatment would naturally improve considerably.

But most Shrek Academy teachers merely lived out their lives in an ordinary fashion.

Hearing this, Wang Yan felt somewhat ashamed. Lin Fan's bluntness left him unsure how to respond for a moment.

Naturally, he had heard of Lin Fan's reputation among the teachers. Under Yan Shaozhe and the others' direction, Lin Fan had been portrayed as a villain capable of every evil, someone who had only become a Shrek Academy teacher through connections.

Of course, Wang Yan also knew quite well that Lin Fan likely had no desire to remain at Shrek Academy. He only stayed because of Elder Zhou, though few people within Shrek Academy knew about that.

Besides... with Lin Fan's strength, even becoming an elder of the Sea God Pavilion would not have been a problem. He was a nineteen-year-old Titled Douluo, after all. Not even Mu En had possessed such terrifying talent in his youth.

Naturally, Wang Yan did not know that Lin Fan's Martial Soul limited him to rank ninety-four. That was classified information. Quite a few people did not even know that Lin Fan was a Titled Douluo.

Wang Yan fell silent for a while before slowly saying,

"Shrek Academy... is pretty good."

His words were vague, but their meaning was already clear.

Lin Fan did not continue trying to persuade him. He merely nodded and said nothing further.

"Sorry, I'll be leaving first."

Wang Yan raised his head and spoke to Lin Fan. Lin Fan nodded, and Wang Yan soon disappeared from his sight.

Not long after Wang Yan left, a set of footsteps approached. It was Ling Luochen and Leng Yaozhu. Neither of them carried anything, as they had Storage Soul Tools and did not need to haul around large bags.

"Finished packing?"

Lin Fan asked.

Ling Luochen's gaze fell upon Lin Fan, and delight flashed through her eyes before she gently nodded.

"Mm, everything's packed. We can leave anytime."

Lin Fan was about to take the two of them straight back when his Communication Soul Tool received a message.

Lin Fan took out the Communication Soul Tool and lowered his head to glance at the message. A hint of surprise flickered through his black eyes.

The message was simple, containing only a few short lines. Yet one name mentioned within it made Lin Fan take it seriously.

The Starlight Auction would be held soon, and one of the auction items was suspected to be something called the "Soul-Eating Carving Knife."

When Lin Fan arrived in this world, he had naturally intended to make use of its opportunities to develop himself properly.

There was no way for him to scheme for things like Sky Dream Ice Silkworm or Electrolux. Before the former escaped, he had still been Di Tian's meal, while the latter required the energy produced when the former fused.

He could not accomplish either of those things. Next was the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, but that place was also a forbidden ground. Even with his Spatial Martial Soul, Lin Fan had remained cautious and had never gone there.

After all, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was the Tang family's backyard, and it was guarded by things like the Jade Phosphor Seven Absolute Flower.

So Lin Fan settled for the next best thing and set his sights on the Gold of Life.

"We won't head back just yet. We're going to the auction."

If possible, Lin Fan also wanted to obtain the Gold of Life that had been swallowed by a Soul Beast. Unfortunately, that thing was difficult to find.

Leng Yaozhu and Ling Luochen nodded upon hearing this.

Then Lin Fan opened a spatial gate, and the two followed him through it together.