Xiaogang, Why Would I Lie to You?

"Hm?"

Yang Jian murmured in confusion, then casually took out the chunk of Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon flesh and tossed it to Xiaotian. "Someone's delivering breakfast to you first thing in the morning. Your luck's almost on par with a protagonist's."

"Woof, woof, woof..."

Meanwhile.

Inside the teachers' dormitory at Shrek Academy.

"Teacher, Teacher, what's wrong? Why are you coughing up blood again?"

The moment Tang San pushed open Yu Xiaogang's door, he saw blood at the corner of his teacher's mouth and a dark red stain spreading beside the bed. He hurried over to support him.

"N-nothing. Little San, your teacher is fine," Yu Xiaogang said, his expression grim.

"Teacher, how about I go..."

"No need. My disciple will surely surpass every other disciple in this world!" Yu Xiaogang clasped Tang San's hand, seemingly finding his inexplicable confidence once again. "Little San, I want you to surpass that Yang Jian. Are you confident?"

"Yes!" Tang San answered firmly. "With your guidance, Teacher, I believe that under your guidance, I will definitely surpass him."

"Good, Little San. You truly are my disciple. With your twin martial souls and innate full soul power, your talent will surely let you tower over all the prodigies under heaven. Your teacher believes in you."

"Ahem, well, Xiaogang, having a chat?"

No sooner had Yu Xiaogang finished speaking...

Than Flender rushed in, his face brimming with excitement.

"Flender, what's the matter?" Yu Xiaogang asked.

"Xiaogang, that disciple of mine has reached level forty. Now he's clamoring to go Soul Beast Hunting in the Star Dou Great Forest. Nothing for it-I'm taking them out to hunt soul beasts and get some practical experience along the way."

"So I came to let you know. You must be exhausted from your journey, so stay here and rest for now. We'll have to wait until I return to catch up."

As Flender spoke, the corners of his mouth were practically curling up to the sky.

"No need. If this is practical training, then as their instructor, I should naturally be there too. Besides, my Little San is about to reach level thirty. We can hunt for him at the same time."

"Level thirty? Hiss... How old is this child?" Flender asked.

He knew Yu Xiaogang all too well.

For someone so obsessed with saving face, unless the Tang San before him was enough of a monster, Yu Xiaogang would never have accepted him as a personal disciple.

But however monstrous he was, could he possibly be more of a monster than Yang Jian?

To be honest.

Even Flender himself did not believe it.

"Little San, introduce yourself to Dean Flender."

Seeing Flender's expression, Yu Xiaogang, whose confidence had already taken quite a beating, immediately felt capable again.

"Dean, I am twelve years old, a level twenty-nine Control-Type Battle Spirit Master. My martial soul is Blue Silver Grass."

Tang San bowed respectfully to Flender.

"Mm. Twelve years old, level twenty-nine. Your talent is quite good."

"Of course it is. Just look at... Hm?" Yu Xiaogang, who had been ready for Flender's astonishment, suddenly froze. "Just quite good?"

"Yes. What else?" Flender asked.

In truth, he knew perfectly well that a Soul Master who reached level twenty-nine at twelve might not be unprecedented or never to be surpassed, but was at least an undeniable, absolute genius.

Even Ma Hongjun, the personal disciple he was so proud of, could not manage that.

But what could he do? There was still Yang Jian, after all.

He could hardly let Yu Xiaogang steal the limelight, especially on his own turf.

If word of this got out, would my Shrek Academy have any face left?

"So that Yang Jian also reached level twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster when he was twelve?"

Flender understood Yu Xiaogang.

Naturally, Yu Xiaogang understood Flender too.

"No, he didn't."

The moment Flender finished speaking...

Yu Xiaogang burst out laughing. "Oh, Flender, Flender. A fifteen-year-old Soul Ancestor who hadn't even reached level twenty-nine at twelve? You must have used external aids to raise his soul power, then?"

"No wonder. No wonder his body suddenly seemed to suffer a fatal injury last night, and he nearly died."

At that point...

Yu Xiaogang's expression instantly turned solemn again. "Flender, I hate to criticize you, but true Soul Masters never rely on external aids to cultivate."

"Any Soul Master who cultivates with external aids is certain to have their path as a Soul Master cut short for the rest of their life!"

"This child may speak somewhat inappropriately, and his talent cannot compare with my Little San's, but he is still a talented Soul Master. For you to do this... Alas!"

"Just because I arrived, for the sake of a petty rivalry, you made your disciple take external aids and forcibly increase his soul power at the cost of destroying his future as a Soul Master. You, you..."

"Alas, Flender, what am I supposed to say to you? Alas!"

As his words fell...

All the suffering Yu Xiaogang had endured the day before seemed to drain away with that sigh.

At that moment, Yu Xiaogang felt utterly satisfied.

Somewhat inappropriate?

A petty rivalry?

With that speech, he was simply playing the whore while erecting a monument to his own chastity.

Right now, Yu Xiaogang wished Yang Jian would drop dead on the spot and never appear before him again.

From childhood until now, no one had ever dared point a finger in his face and berate him in public like that, leaving him no way to save face.

If his own strength had not been insufficient, Yu Xiaogang would have attacked Yang Jian long ago. How could he have endured it until now, swallowing his anger until he coughed up blood?

"No, no, no. How could that be, Xiaogang? What are you thinking?"

"With the state our academy is in, even if I wanted to find heavenly treasures for Little Yang, I wouldn't have the means."

Flender smiled and waved his hands repeatedly.

"Then why? How could a Soul Master who hadn't even reached level twenty-nine at twelve reach level forty at fifteen?"

Yu Xiaogang's expression changed drastically in an instant.

He seemed to have thought of a possibility he could hardly accept.

"Hahahahaha..." Seeing Yu Xiaogang caught flat-footed, Flender could not help roaring with laughter. "He certainly wasn't level twenty-nine."

"Then what are you laughing at?" Yu Xiaogang asked.

"Nothing. I just thought of something pleasant. All right, I'll stop teasing you." Seeing that Yu Xiaogang was about to explode, Flender reined in his smile a little. "Little Yang wasn't level twenty-nine. He was level thirty-six."

"What?!"

"What?!!"

For a moment, two utterly astonished cries rang out inside the room.

They came from Yu Xiaogang and Tang San.

"Flender, don't make a fool of me!"

Yu Xiaogang's voice now clearly carried a hint of teeth-grinding fury.

He had studied martial souls for decades and had never heard of anyone reaching level thirty-six at twelve.

That was level thirty-six!

"Xiaogang, why would I lie to you?"

"If you don't believe me, you can go to Spirit Hall and look up Little Yang's records. That boy has been collecting his Soul Elder Subsidy for several years now."

[Ding! Abnormal emotional fluctuations detected in Yu Xiaogang, a wielder of a similar martial soul. Negative emotions are extremely intense. Reward: current soul power increased by one.]