(A beautiful picture of Liu Erlong)
Night fell in Flender's office.
Flender leaned back in his chair, legs crossed, and looked at the stern-faced man with a crew cut before him. He grinned.
"Xiao Gang, I really didn't expect you to come."
The man before him was none other than Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang kept a straight face and spoke in all seriousness:
"Boss Fu, since Little San is here, I, a grandmaster of theory, will reluctantly take a teaching position at your Shrek Academy."
Flender burst out laughing and slapped the table. "Hahahaha! I'm not paying you a single cent!"
The corner of Yu Xiaogang's mouth twitched as he glared at him. "You!"
Once Flender had laughed enough, he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and leisurely twisted the knife:
"But Xiao Gang, you broke through fifty years of age before you even reached level thirty. Your Soul Power isn't as high as Mubai's and the others'. They might not be willing to accept you."
That remark made Yu Xiaogang's face flush scarlet and his neck swell. He stiffened his neck and said:
"I'll use my theories to win them over! Besides, I'm not the man I used to be!"
Flender raised an eyebrow and put down his teacup. "Oh?"
Yu Xiaogang snorted and tossed out a parting remark: "Just wait and see tomorrow!"
He turned and left.
Once outside, Yu Xiaogang looked both ways. After making sure no one was around, he immediately began calling frantically in his mind:
Doubao System! Are you sure I really have a chance of breaking through level thirty?!
[Don't worry, what I've given you is the most direct, most objective, most correct, most straightforward, most hardcore, most decisive, most incisive, and most to-the-point conclusion about the truth!]
[Luo Sanpao's power comes from radishes. You only need to eat a large quantity of radishes to add Luo Sanpao's power to your own! You may even have a chance of breaking through level thirty!]
[Don't be anxious. You can do it, and if you have any other questions, come to me anytime!]
Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up, and he threw back his head and laughed. "I was already a grandmaster of theory, and now that I have the Doubao System, I'm a tiger with wings!"
He rubbed his hands together, a determined look on his face, and muttered to himself:
"There are plenty of white radishes prepared for Luo Sanpao. I'll eat them all tonight!"
Inside the dilapidated thatched hut where Yu Xiaogang lived.
A pile of white radishes stood before him, heaped up like a small mountain.
Yu Xiaogang slumped in his chair, his belly swollen as though he were several months pregnant,
his whole body leaning back, both hands struggling to grip the edge of the table.
His face had nearly lost all color. A half-swallowed bit of radish pulp hung from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were half open, half closed, as though he had lost all hope in life.
"Burp."
He let out a belch, and the pungent taste of raw radish rushed straight to his head.
Immediately afterward...
"Pfft~..."
A long, muffled sound came from beneath him, and the smell in the room instantly grew a little stronger.
Yu Xiaogang's face turned green. He struggled to lift his eyelids and wailed in his mind:
Doubao System, burp, how come, burp, I've eaten until I'm about to throw up, but I still haven't broken through?
[Don't lose heart! It's not that the method doesn't work. You just haven't eaten enough white radishes!]
[Keep eating more, and try your best to hold in the gas that builds up!]
[Keep this power locked inside your body and circulating, then activate Luo Sanpao's possession. Breaking through level thirty will naturally follow, like a channel forming where water flows!]
Yu Xiaogang looked at the more than half a pile of white radishes still on the table. His throat bobbed, and he nearly retched on the spot.
Trembling, he reached out and picked up another one. He closed his eyes and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing twice, his expression as though he had been constipated for two and a half years.
Worse still, he now had to do more than eat. He had to hold it in, too.
The gas in his belly churned like rivers overturning seas, gurgling as it reached the exit one burst after another, only for him to forcibly clamp it back in.
His legs were pressed tightly together, his bottom twisting back and forth involuntarily on the chair as beads of sweat rolled down his forehead one after another.
"Mm..."
Yu Xiaogang clenched his teeth, his cheeks puffed out. One hand pressed hard against his belly, while the other clutched half a radish.
His whole body trembled slightly:
"Just... one more..."
Shaking, he grabbed another white radish, his gaze already unfocused...
The next day.
Everyone at Shrek Academy gathered on the training ground.
Flender cleared his throat, clasped his hands behind his back, and spoke with a solemn expression:
"Ahem, today I'll formally introduce him to you. This is Mr. Yu Xiaogang, who, through his own research, established the ten core competencies of Martial Souls. He is hailed as the strongest authority on Martial Soul Theory and the wisest Soul Master. He is also Tang San's teacher."
Everyone looked at Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang stood beside Flender, his hands hanging at his sides, but his expression was extremely tense,
his cheeks slightly puffed out, as though he were pressing his lips tightly together to hold something in. A few drops of cold sweat hung at his temples.
Clearly, he had not broken through level thirty, and now... he was still trying...
Flender continued:
"Of course, he's also an old brother of mine. We've known each other for decades. His name may not mean much to you, but I think you should all have heard of his title. From now on, you can simply call him Grandmaster."
Everyone couldn't help turning their eyes toward Tang San.
Tang San proudly puffed out his chest, his chin practically pointing at the sky. This is my teacher, the wisest Soul Master!
Just then, however, Flender patted Yu Xiaogang on the shoulder.
"Grandmaster, do you have anything to say?"
The pat made Yu Xiaogang's whole body stiffen abruptly.
He could no longer hold in the gas he had held back all night.
"Toot... mm?!? Mm... pssst..."
A tremendous, drawn-out blast erupted from behind him, winding up and down in distinct layers with a trembling note.
Everyone's expression changed.
All of Shrek's teachers and students were present, and every one of them was hit by the incomparably foul fart.
The stench was not only sharp enough to sting their noses, but even burned their eyes! It was so thick they could see its color!
Flender, who was closest, went pale. He covered his mouth and staggered back two steps, nearly fainting on the spot.
Ning Rongrong pinched her nose in disgust, her features scrunched together. "Grandmaster of theory? More like grandmaster of farting!"
Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu likewise pinched their noses and backed away in disgust. Zhu Zhuqing waved a hand in front of her:
"How can we let someone like that teach us?"
Tang San grew anxious and shouted, his face flushed, "Don't you dare insult my teacher! It was only a fart. It's only human! Ugh..."
Before he could finish, the smell made him gag. He covered his mouth and doubled over.
Yu Xiaogang's face flushed bright red, from the base of his neck to the tips of his ears. He raised a hand and pointed at Ning Rongrong:
"You're that little princess from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, aren't you? Looks like I need to teach you to respect your teachers and their teachings!"
Ning Rongrong planted her hands on her hips and raised her chin, not intimidated in the slightest. "Who do you think you are? Why should I respect you?"
Yu Xiaogang clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, and squeezed out a few words through his teeth: "Don't push me."
Just then, a voice came from a distance.
"What's this? You're already so old, and you're still getting worked up over a young girl?"