After Qian Jue left, the Grandmaster stood alone by the window. Gazing into the darkness outside, he remained silent for a long while before speaking in a low, melancholic tone.
"Flender, you know… for decades I blamed the heavens, cursed their unfairness."
"Hm."
Flender let out a faint sound of acknowledgment. Of course, he knew the Grandmaster's resentment came from his Martial Spirit.
"But now, I don't resent it anymore. In fact, I truly feel grateful—grateful that fate gave me such a Martial Spirit. It allowed me to pour all of my energy into the study of spirits. Flender, do you understand? If my Martial Spirit had not mutated back then, if it had remained the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, then perhaps I would have become a powerful Spirit Master… but I would never have been qualified to become their teacher."
The Grandmaster turned around. A burning light shone in his eyes, his face fevered with excitement. As he spoke, he suddenly strode forward and grabbed Flender's hand tightly.
Flender was startled—he had never seen the Grandmaster lose composure like this. Quickly, he pressed him down onto a stool.
"Xiao Gang, calm yourself. Your students… what exactly is their situation?"
"…"
The Grandmaster took two deep breaths, forcing his emotions back under control. He had suppressed this excitement for far too long.
Over the past two years, as he spent more time with Qian Jue and Tang San, he had come to realize just how exceptional the two children were.
Their Martial Spirit talent alone was extraordinary, but what shocked him even more was their maturity of heart and mind.
Neither of them ever slacked in cultivation—not once did he need to remind them. They were still just eight- and nine-year-old children, yet even he, when he had been that age, had been tempted to play and slack off at times.
Moreover, through these two years of sparring training, Tang San's ability to read the battlefield, his keen observation of every detail in combat, had left the Grandmaster astonished. Now, even with his own Rank 29 strength, he would win against Tang San less often than he lost.
As for Qian Jue, though he lacked Tang San's terrifying natural battle instinct, the overwhelming power of his Martial Spirit more than compensated for it. Against Tang San, he might still win on occasion—but against Qian Jue, he hadn't managed a single victory in the latter half of their training.
In the Grandmaster's eyes, Qian Jue's greatest strength lay in his mentality. Despite awakening what could very well be the strongest Martial Spirit in existence, he had never shown the slightest arrogance. Even now, two years later, only he and Tang San knew Qian Jue's true Martial Spirit. Not even Qian Jue's father was aware.
Neither prideful nor impatient—calm and composed. That was the impression Qian Jue had left on the Grandmaster over these two years, and it convinced him that Qian Jue was destined to stand at the very peak of Spirit Masters.
The Grandmaster steadied his thoughts, and at last, he spoke again.
"Flender, what I am about to tell you—you must swear never to reveal it to another soul."
He fixed his gaze on Flender, voice deadly serious.
"Very well. I swear on the name of our Golden Iron Triangle that I will not tell a second person."
Seeing the Grandmaster so solemn, Flender dared not take it lightly. He also released his soul power, creating a barrier to ensure no one outside could overhear their conversation.
"The student I mentioned in my letter, the one who can prove my theories, is Tang San. He is my second disciple. He possesses twin Martial Spirits."
"Twin Martial Spirits!!" Flender repeated in shock.
"Yes, twin Martial Spirits. And one of them is the Clear Sky Hammer. His father's name is Tang Hao."
"The Clear Sky Douluo!!!" Flender blurted out in disbelief.
"Then why wouldn't he take the child back to the Clear Sky Sect to train? Why entrust him to you instead?!"
"That I do not know. But he has indeed entrusted his son to me. He even gave me this."
The Grandmaster reached into his robes and pulled out the token Tang Hao had left him, showing it to Flender.
"This… this is the Elder Token of the Spirit Hall, the highest level! For him to hand this to you… it shows just how much he trusts you." Flender turned the token in his hand, unable to hide his awe. For someone of Tang Hao's stature to entrust so much to the Grandmaster, it spoke volumes about his worth.
"His other Martial Spirit is Blue Silver Grass."
The Grandmaster's next words made Flender frown instantly.
But the Grandmaster quickly pressed on: "Don't underestimate him, Flender. Tang San's potential is far greater than you think. With his talent, even the most common Blue Silver Grass will not be inferior to many high-grade Martial Spirits. You know how terrifying the potential of twin Martial Spirits can be. Tang San's true strength will only be revealed once he matures."
"Is there really such an extraordinary child?"
Flender was dazed. A so-called 'trash' Martial Spirit like Blue Silver Grass wielded as a high-grade weapon? And if paired with the Clear Sky Hammer… it was almost unbelievable.
The Grandmaster shook his head. "Enough, I won't argue further. He doesn't need you now. For these years, he will stay in the academy under my tutelage. Once he graduates from the Junior Spirit Master Academy, I will send him to your Shrek Academy. You'll see for yourself then."
"Then what about that boy earlier—your first disciple? He impressed me, to be able to sense my presence beforehand."
"That is what I must speak of next. Flender, with Tang San's talent, he may one day break through Super Douluo and reach the level of Peerless Douluo. But Qian Jue's talent… surpasses even Tang San's."
"Even greater?" Flender's eyes widened.
"Don't tell me he has two top-tier Martial Spirits?!"
Were twin Martial Spirits suddenly so common?!
The Grandmaster shook his head. "No. His is not a twin Martial Spirit. It is something even more perfect—a single Martial Spirit that is dual in nature."
The Grandmaster's eyes gleamed with fervent admiration. "Qian Jue's Martial Spirit is called Kindred. It manifests as two aspects: the Spirit of the Lamb and the Spirit of the Wolf, each with unique abilities. The Spirit of the Lamb bears the Mark of Kindred…"
One by one, the Grandmaster explained Qian Jue's Martial Spirit abilities to Flender. With his second spirit ring, Qian Jue would begin strengthening his body through the Mark of Kindred—something the Grandmaster himself could no longer aid him with. From then on, Qian Jue would mostly need Flender's guidance.
The Grandmaster knew Flender well after so many years of friendship. He could entrust Qian Jue to him without worry.
"The most important thing is this: with every major rank advancement, the Kindred Martial Spirit allows both the Lamb Spirit and the Wolf Spirit to attach a spirit ring each. Coupled with his battle instinct, intelligence, and calm nature… Flender, do you know what this means?"
Flender was utterly stunned by his words.
"A… a Martial Spirit like this actually exists? Doesn't this mean… beyond Peerless Douluo, he could—he could become a god?"
"Yes, Flender. If Qian Jue fulfills his potential, we may very well be training a future god."
Flender stared at the Grandmaster, his mind repeating those words over and over. Only after a long silence did he finally exhale, forcing a wry smile. "Xiao Gang… it seems we're getting old. The future belongs to the young now. Haha…"
Yet as he thought of his Shrek Academy possibly producing a god in the future, he couldn't help but laugh heartily.
"So, Xiao Gang, what do you need me to do?"
"This time, I want you to help Qian Jue obtain his second spirit ring. It is also time for him to begin his hunts for the Mark of Kindred. After that, you will take him back to Shrek Academy. His weekly hunts will be carried out there. The knowledge he needs to learn, I will prepare for him to take along. He will study it himself—you need only ensure his safety."
"Very well, consider it done. By the way, I've recruited two fine seedlings myself over these two years: one with the top-tier battle Martial Spirit, the White Tiger, and another—a food-type Spirit Master born with innate full soul power. Not bad, eh?"
Thinking of the two geniuses in his own academy, Flender puffed up with pride.
"Innate full soul power for a food-type? What is his Martial Spirit?"
The Grandmaster was shocked. In all of history, no food-type Spirit Master had ever awakened with innate full soul power. Not even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, famed as the strongest support Martial Spirit, had achieved such a thing.
"His Martial Spirit is… sausage. Haha! And it tastes pretty good too!" Flender grinned.
"Sausage… a meat-type food spirit…"
"That's right. Well? Not inferior to twin Martial Spirits, wouldn't you say?"
"It truly is impressive." The Grandmaster nodded.
But then he sighed and shook his head.
"Forget it. In four years, when Tang San graduates, I will bring him to your academy. Then I will see for myself."
"Haha! Excellent! In four years, let me also witness the twin Martial Spirit that proves your theory. With you by my side, and with such gifted students, this generation of Shrek Academy will surely be famed across the land! Hahaha!"
Flender hadn't laughed so heartily in years. Not since Erlong tragedy, when the three of them had last been together.
"All right then, call Qian Jue in. I'll introduce him to you properly."
"Very well. Boy, your teacher wants you inside."
Flender's voice carried outward. Though it sounded casual, it resonated directly in Qian Jue's ears as he was cultivating outside the door.
Startled, Qian Jue rose, picked up the tea, and pushed the door open.
"Teacher, you've been talking so long the tea's gone cold. Guess you'll have to settle for cold tea now."
He lifted the pot with a helpless smile.
"Heh, brat, how did you know we were catching up? You know me? Or did your teacher tell you?"
"No. But when you entered, Teacher didn't even glance your way. And he called your name instantly. That means you must be a close friend of his. Plus, your strength is surely extraordinary."
"Well guessed!" Flender chuckled, glancing at the Grandmaster.
"Then guess this—just how strong am I?"
Qian Jue smiled politely. "I'd say at least Rank 70."
Flender's eyes went wide. He turned sharply to the Grandmaster. "You really never told him about me?"
"No. … Xiao Jue, how did you know Flender is a Spirit Saint?"
Because four years from now you'll be Rank 78, so you must already be over Rank 70 now…
Qian Jue muttered inwardly, but of course he couldn't say that. He only shrugged and claimed he had guessed.
"…Very well. Since you already guessed, no need for more introductions. This is Flender, my old friend of many years, a Rank 76 Spirit Saint. Tomorrow, he will help you obtain your spirit ring.
"Afterward, he will take you to Shrek Academy, which he founded. You'll be entering early. The rest of what you need to study, I will prepare for you to take with you. You'll learn on your own. Four years from now, I'll bring Tang San to join you there."
Qian Jue wasn't surprised. He had always known he'd have to transfer eventually. Nuoding Academy was far from the Soul Hunting Forest—too far for him to conduct the hunts required for the Mark of Kindred.
At his lower ranks, the Mark had strengthened him based on his physical condition, so the impact wasn't great. But now that he was advancing to Spirit Grandmaster, with spirit rings obtained beyond normal limits and in pairs, the Mark's strengthening had become vital. He had to prioritize it.
Moreover, with his next advancement, the hunts for the Mark of Kindred would require spirit beasts of over a thousand years—and such creatures were already scarce in the Soul Hunting Forest.
So he had always known he would have to move elsewhere. The only question was whether he'd stay with the Grandmaster and Tang San. Now it was clear—they would part ways, at least for a time.
"I understand, Teacher. I'll learn everything you give me well." Qian Jue nodded firmly.
"Good. That's enough for tonight. Rest early—we leave at dawn to hunt your spirit ring."
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