Xiaogang, Sister Erlong, I Miss You

The Star Dou Great Forest was quite a distance from Shrek Academy, which stood on the outskirts of Suotuo City on the Lima Plain in the Balak Kingdom.

On their previous journey to the Star Dou Great Forest, they had spent three days traveling by carriage.

But Flender was too worried about Dai Mubai's talent and identity being exposed, so he used his Martial Soul Avatar to fly Dai Mubai back.

As a level 78 Seven-Ring Soul Sage, Flender was naturally unmatched in speed when flying in his Martial Soul Avatar.

The journey there had taken three days, but the return trip took only a little over half a day.

They had left Soul Hunting Town near noon and reached Shrek Academy by evening.

"Whoosh..." His eagle wings stirred up a strong wind as Flender gripped Dai Mubai by the shoulders and landed in a yard at Shrek Academy, where they usually held practical combat classes.

"Mubai, you spent more than half a month in the Star Dou Great Forest hunting Soul Beasts and obtaining Soul Rings. You must be tired."

"It's just about dinnertime, so go eat at the dining hall first. Afterward, don't wander outside the academy. Go back to the dormitory and get some rest early."

"There won't be any classes for the next three days. I'll give you three days off, so take the time to recover and thoroughly stabilize your unsteady Soul Power cultivation after it surged from absorbing three Soul Rings in succession."

The pale blue Soul Power dissipated, and the enormous Cat Owl Avatar changed back into Dean Flender.

"Yes, thank you, Dean." Seeing how thoroughly Flender had thought things through for him, Dai Mubai thanked him sincerely.

Flender waved a hand. He was pleased by Dai Mubai's outstanding talent and his character, which showed respect for his teachers and gratitude for kindness.

At the same time, the pressure he felt over his own and Shrek Academy's inability to keep Dai Mubai safe grew heavier.

"Sister Erlong, Xiaogang, if only you were here." Under that immense pressure, Flender had never longed as much as he did now for Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang to fight at his side.

Perhaps, if their Golden Iron Triangle reunited and relied on their Trinity Martial Soul Fusion Skill,

when people and powers outside the academy coveted and feared Dai Mubai's talent, he still could not claim they would be able to keep every threat outside its walls.

But at least he would have more confidence than he did now.

I wonder if I can invite Sister Erlong or Xiaogang to teach at Shrek Academy. If only I could get them both to come.

Watching Dai Mubai turn and walk toward the academy dining hall, Flender returned to a thought he had long harbored but never dared act upon.

It surfaced from the bottom of his heart once more, growing wildly.

Dai Mubai had no idea that Flender was considering inviting Liu Erlong... to teach at Shrek Academy.

If he had known, he would certainly have given Flender a thumbs-up.

After all, he had already decided to return to the Star Luo Empire when the time was right.

He had been fretting over how to bring Flender and Liu Erlong together, as well as how to recruit Liu Erlong.

He had never expected Flender to hand him an assist.

Of course, by inviting Liu Erlong to Shrek, Flender was giving himself an assist as well as Dai Mubai.

Happiness, it seemed, really did have to be fought for.

But Dai Mubai knew nothing of this. He had been so busy traveling that he had skipped lunch.

Now, he smelled the food drifting out of the academy dining hall.

His stomach already rumbling like a drum, Dai Mubai involuntarily quickened his pace.

"Boss Dai, you're back!" they both cried.

Some people were already tucking into their food in the dining hall. When they saw Dai Mubai enter, two fellows eating like reincarnated hungry ghosts called out in surprise and delight.

And who else could those two fellows be but Oscar and Ma Hongjun, the only students at Shrek Academy besides Dai Mubai?

"Little Ao, Fatty." Dai Mubai smiled and greeted them.

Then he went to the serving window, picked up a large rice bowl, and handed it to the fair, plump man in his forties or fifties serving food behind the counter.

"I was just saying, there's no way the villagers the dean hired could have made such fragrant rice with cured pork, cowpeas, and potatoes. Sure enough, Teacher Shao, you cooked it yourself today."

"Looks like I'm in luck. I get to enjoy your cooking as soon as I'm back."

"Haha... Mubai, it's you! You're back from hunting Soul Beasts and getting your Soul Rings in the Star Dou Forest?"

"Judging by how you look, the trip must have gone smoothly, and you must have gained quite a bit too."

Hearing Dai Mubai sweetly praise his cooking, the short, plump middle-aged man serving the food behind the window broke into a broad smile.

Although he was a Soul Master,

hearing someone praise his cooking clearly made him happier than compliments about his outstanding Soul Power cultivation or powerful Martial Soul abilities.

The fair-skinned, short, stout, and honest-looking middle-aged man before him, with a face full of good fortune, was one of Shrek Academy's five current teachers.

Apart from Dean Flender and Vice Dean Zhao Wuji, he was the only one whose Soul Power cultivation had broken through to level seventy.

He was Shao Xin, a Food System Tool Soul Saint with level 71 Soul Power and the Sugar Bean Martial Soul.

Auxiliary-Type Soul Masters cultivated slowly, and Food-Type Soul Masters among them cultivated at an even slower pace.

Yet Shao Xin, a Food-Type Soul Master, had cultivated his Soul Power to level 71 and become a Soul Saint. That was astonishing.

Battle Soul Masters were common, but Auxiliary-Type and Food-Type Soul Masters were hard to come by.

That was especially true of a Food System Soul Saint like Shao Xin, who could feed an army on his own.

Although he had little fighting power as a Food-Type Soul Master,

among great powers like the Seven Great Sects, the two great empires, and Spirit Hall, Shao Xin was more sought after as a Food System Soul Saint than combat-oriented Soul Saints like Flender and Zhao Wuji.

Shao Xin would be a prized catch for any power, honored as a distinguished guest.

What was more, Shao Xin loved to cook and was exceptionally skilled at it.

Yet he was willing to stay at Shrek Academy and teach. It had to be said that this was a great honor and blessing for all its teachers and students.

If future potential was set aside and only immediate value considered,

Shao Xin, the Food System Tool Soul Saint, was the most valuable person among all of Shrek Academy's teachers and students, and the one most worth winning over and recruiting.

In some respects, not even Flender or Zhao Wuji could compare to Shao Xin.

"Haha... Dean Flender and Teacher Zhao Wuji both helped me hunt Soul Beasts this time. Although finding them took some time, the whole process went very smoothly."

"As for what I gained, it was pretty good too," Dai Mubai said modestly with a smile, not forgetting to thank the two teachers, Flender and Zhao Wuji, for their efforts.

"I'm glad it went smoothly and that you gained a lot."

"You look travel-worn. You were away for more than half a month hunting Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest, so I doubt you slept or ate well."

"You really did get back at just the right time today. I made rice with cured pork, cowpeas, and potatoes. The crispy rice at the bottom is fragrant and crunchy. I'll give you some extra so you can try it."

Compared to the dejected, dispirited, and self-indulgent Dai Mubai of the past, the Dai Mubai whose temperament had now changed was, in Shao Xin's eyes, a good young man who had turned over a new leaf. The more Shao Xin saw of him, the more he liked him.