Flender walked at the front with his hands behind his back, his steps steady and measured, while Lin Kong and the other seven students followed close behind. The group entered Suotuo City and found an elegantly decorated teahouse beside the Great Soul Arena. Flender stepped inside and called out to the owner, "Owner, bring us your best tea!"
The instant those words fell, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar all stumbled behind him, nearly tripping over the teahouse's threshold. All three looked up together, their eyes round with disbelief as they stared at Flender's back, as though they had just heard some outlandish fantasy.
The best tea?
Since when had Flender-stingy to his very bones, comparing prices at three shops just to buy a steamed bun and wishing he could split a copper coin in half to spend it twice-become so generous?
Dai Mubai recovered first and asked bluntly, "Dean, did you misspeak?"
Ma Hongjun also sidled over, his voice full of suspicion. "Teacher, are we really drinking the best tea?"
Oscar went straight to the greatest concern all three shared, muttering, "You're not going to make us pay for it ourselves once we've finished, are you?"
Flender's face instantly darkened. He spun around, his brows drooping, and roared at the three of them so loudly that even the teahouse's paper windows trembled slightly. "Do I look like someone who drinks inferior tea when he goes out?!"
"Yes!"
Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun exchanged glances and answered in unison, their certainty leaving no room for doubt.
Tang San, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong stood to one side, dumbfounded. They could hardly imagine students actually daring to speak to their dean like that. This way of getting along between teacher and students completely overturned their understanding.
That decisive answer left Flender speechless for a long moment, his chest heaving.
Several seconds later, he finally forced out a furious roar. "Drink it or get out!"
Damn it! I finally made a tidy sum riding Lin Kong's favorable wind, and for once I'm generously treating them to some good tea, yet these little brats dare question me? They're practically begging for a beating!
Flender stole a glance at Lin Kong among the group, a trace of amusement flashing in his eyes-he owed this chance to spend freely entirely to that boy.
The group noisily took their seats. Soon, the teahouse owner approached with a pot of steaming, fragrant tea. Even more delightfully, it came with a complimentary plate of exquisite pastries.
Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar stood on no ceremony. Like hungry wolves pouncing on food, they immediately reached into the pastry plate, stuffing their cheeks and eating with great relish. After finishing the plate, the three licked their lips, still unsatisfied, then all looked at Flender with longing in their eyes.
Ma Hongjun even teased him cheekily, "Teacher, stop holding back. How about another two plates?"
Rather than getting angry, Flender grinned and chuckled, calling out to the owner, "Owner, keep the pastries coming! As many as they want!"
He had already worked out his calculations. Go on, eat all you can if you've got the ability. Stuff yourselves until your bellies are round, and let's see how well you fight in the Soul Fighting Arena later! I won't be the one taking a beating.
Flender even deliberately slapped the table and shouted to the owner, "These students of mine are reincarnated starving ghosts! Be quick about it, owner!"
This retreat to advance truly put Dai Mubai and the other two on their guard.
When the second round of pastries arrived, the three looked at one another, none daring to gorge themselves again-who knew whether this was a pit Flender had dug for them? If they really ate until they could barely run and lost their matches in the Soul Fighting Arena later, there was no telling how he would lecture them.
Seeing their caution, Flender immediately grew smug. He patted his chest and declared with a self-satisfied look, "I told you, I have money! Plenty of money! And you three wouldn't believe me?"
"We believe you!" All three hurriedly nodded like they were pounding garlic, answering in unison, afraid of making this "generous" dean change his mind.
Amid his satisfaction, Flender could not help unconsciously glancing toward Lin Kong again.
Sharp-eyed Ning Rongrong happened to catch this tiny movement. Her eyes shifted, and she immediately asked curiously, "Dean, why do you keep looking at Lin Kong? Is something fishy going on?"
Whoosh!
That single question drew everyone's attention. They all turned together and stared straight at Flender and Lin Kong, their eyes full of curiosity, scrutiny, and inquiry.
Flender's expression stiffened slightly. He gave two dry coughs and tersely spat out, "It's nothing!"
Lin Kong also shook his head, his tone calm. "It's nothing."
Jokes aside, Flender soon put away his smile, straightened his expression, and got down to business.
He cleared his throat and swept his gaze over the eight youngsters seated there, his tone solemn and earnest. "As Soul Masters, fighting strength is the foundation on which you establish yourselves. Whether it's the age of your Soul Rings or your Soul Power Level, the ultimate purpose is to improve your fighting strength. The only standard for testing that strength is-actual combat! So your first lesson at Shrek will be to enter the Great Soul Arena and fight other Soul Masters for real!"
With that, Flender pointed at Dai Mubai beside him. "Mubai, explain the Soul Fighting Arena's rules to them."
Dai Mubai nodded and stood, explaining clearly, "Anyone entering the Great Soul Arena must register a completely new identity and receive the corresponding Soul Fighting Badge. Winning a match earns points, while losing deducts points. Badge ranks are recognized throughout the continent. From lowest to highest, there are eight ranks: iron, bronze, silver, gold, purple gold, sapphire, ruby, and diamond."
Flender took over, slowly sweeping his gaze across them again as he said gravely, "Your first task is to obtain a Silver Soul Badge before graduating. Don't think this is easy. Mubai, tell them the requirements for advancing to a Silver Soul Badge, along with your own record, so they can properly weigh just how difficult it is!"
At this point, Flender's gaze unconsciously landed on Lin Kong.
The next second, the rest of his words abruptly stuck in his throat.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
The teahouse fell so quiet that a falling pin could have been heard.
Suddenly, Flender clutched his chest and began coughing violently.
"Ahem! Cough, cough, cough! Cough, cough, cough, cough-"
He coughed as though his heart and lungs were being torn apart, his aging face flushing scarlet. He hurriedly raised his sleeve to cover his mouth, his shoulders shaking violently as though he could barely breathe.
This sudden behavior made everyone realize something.
Ma Hongjun was the first to lose his restraint. Craning his neck toward Flender, he waggled his eyebrows. "Teacher, between you and Lin Kong... is there something fishy going on?"
Dai Mubai was even more direct. He pointed at Flender, then at Lin Kong, looking as though he understood everything. "Something's strange! There's definitely something strange about you two!"
Oscar folded his arms, grinning like a spectator who would never mind a bigger spectacle. "Tell us, tell us! Stop keeping it under wraps. We're all waiting to hear!"
Ning Rongrong leaned toward Lin Kong and tugged at his sleeve, her eyes sparkling. "Lin Kong, Lin Kong, hurry up and tell us. What exactly is going on between you and the dean?"
Even the usually quiet Zhu Zhuqing spoke up for once, her few words brimming with curiosity. "I want to know."
Xiao Wu's eyes curved with her smile as she joined the teasing. "Yes, yes, tell us! We're all curious!"
Only Tang San barely joined in the lively exchange from beginning to end. His eyes lowered, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the rim of his teacup, he harbored an indescribable frustration. Ever since Lin Kong appeared, the other boy seemed to have stolen all the limelight. This left the fiercely competitive Tang San especially displeased. He dearly wished Lin Kong would embarrass himself rather than become the center of everyone's attention like this.
Faced with everyone's questions, Flender acted as though he had heard nothing. He slowly raised his head, his gaze drifting toward the teahouse ceiling, looking as though anything that did not concern him could be hung high and left alone.
Lin Kong blinked, his face showing just the right amount of confusion and sincerity, and spread his hands. "What are you even talking about? Why don't I understand any of this?"
Soul Fighting Badges? Was there some secret? How come I didn't know?
Seeing this, Flender hurriedly slapped the table and forcibly changed the subject. "Ahem! Mubai, ignore these little brats. Keep going!"
Dai Mubai took the hint, immediately withdrawing his amused gaze. He cleared his throat and continued, "Advancing from Iron Soul Fighter to Bronze Soul Fighter requires accumulating one hundred points. Advancing from Bronze Soul Fighter to Silver Soul Fighter requires a full thousand. I started participating in Soul Fighting at level twenty-nine. So far, my record is twenty-nine wins and twenty-seven losses, and I currently have a pitiful two points."
He paused, then emphasized, "Normally, a win only earns one point. But after five consecutive wins, each win earns ten points; after ten consecutive wins, each win earns a hundred points outright! So winning streaks are the only shortcut to quickly accumulating a large number of points. Also, points are settled monthly. Once your winning streak is broken, you have to start counting again."
"Oh-"
After listening, Lin Kong nodded in sudden understanding and did some calculations.
In that case, for my forty consecutive wins, the first five earned one point each, totaling five points; the next five earned ten points each, totaling fifty points; and the remaining thirty all earned a hundred points each, totaling three thousand points. That adds up to three thousand and fifty-five points, already far beyond the requirement for advancing to Silver Soul Fighter!
So that was it!
With everything clear in his mind, Lin Kong unconsciously nodded again.
Whoosh!
This time, everyone's gaze locked onto him in unison again.
Their faces were full of confusion. What's with the "oh"? Why are you nodding? Aren't we just listening to the rules? What's that look of sudden enlightenment supposed to mean?
Lin Kong came back to himself. Looking at everyone's curious eyes, he was just about to say something. "I..."
"It's nothing, nothing!" Flender reacted swiftly, immediately cutting him off as he forced a stiff smile onto his face. "As long as you understood the rules! It's good that you understood!"
Seeing this obvious case of "no three hundred taels of silver buried here," the others all adopted meaningful expressions.
There was definitely something going on with these two!