Flender was not surprised to hear that Ning Rongrong wanted to recruit the members of Shrek Academy. While the Shrek teachers might be lacking in their teaching methods, they were certainly capable when it came to fighting, and the students were visibly talented. Flender responded accordingly.
"Thank you for the invitation, Miss Ning, but I will not be joining. If you can convince the others, please feel free to do so!"
Hearing Flender's refusal, Ma Hongjun and Oscar also rejected Ning Rongrong outright. They had only known each other for a few days and had barely interacted; there was no sense of camaraderie to speak of, so why would they casually join a sect? Even if it was one of the Upper Three Sects.
Ning Rongrong's beautiful brows furrowed slightly as she looked toward Tang San, who also gave a direct refusal.
"My apologies, I have no plans to join a sect at this time!"
Since Tang San was not joining, Xiao Wu naturally wouldn't either. Besides, even if Tang San had joined, she wouldn't necessarily have dared to follow him. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had two Titled Douluo guarding it; what would be the point of going there? To deliver a Spirit Ring or Spirit Bone on a silver platter?!! The only reason it was "not necessarily" was because, under the influence of her love-struck brain, Xiao Wu had once dared to bravely charge into Martial Soul City, a place where Titled Douluo gathered like clouds. If Tang San had really gone to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Xiao Wu wasn't entirely sure if she might have had a lapse in judgment.
Facing rejection one after another, a frustrated Ning Rongrong looked toward Yun Ming, only for him to also voice his refusal directly.
"Thank you, but I also have no intention of joining a sect."
Hearing Yun Ming reject her as well, Ning Rongrong's spoiled temper flared up. Not a single one of them would join?!! She was determined to recruit someone into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, so she let out a cold snort and chased after Zhao Wuji and the others.
After dealing with Ning Rongrong, Flender looked at Tang San and Xiao Wu and spoke up.
"Tang San, your teacher will be here in four days. When that time comes, he will decide your future path."
Tang San was slightly surprised to hear that Flender knew his teacher, Yu Xiaogang, but considering Yu Xiaogang had specifically told him to apply to Shrek Academy, it wasn't all that strange. Tang San nodded in response.
"Understood, Dean!"
Flender nodded and said nothing more; Xiao Wu and Tang San were clearly a package deal, so there was no need to elaborate. Afterward, Flender turned to Dai Mubai, who was sitting in a wheelchair, and asked.
"Mubai, what are your plans for the future?"
Upon hearing Flender's question, a bitter smile appeared on Dai Mubai's face, his expression filled with confusion. Flender understood his situation and could only say helplessly.
"My apologies, Mubai. Think about it for these next few days! If you truly don't know where to go, I will arrange a suitable place for you!"
Dai Mubai nodded, then said to Flender with a look of gratitude.
"Thank you, Dean, for looking after me for these past three years!"
Dai Mubai held a great deal of respect for Flender, who had taken him in for three years. Then, looking at Tang San, he said.
"Tang San, please help take me back to rest first!"
Tang San had no objections. Together with Xiao Wu, he pushed Dai Mubai away, leaving only Yun Ming, Flender, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun on the training ground.
Seeing Flender turn his gaze toward him, Ma Hongjun, having seen the precedent set by the previous three, understood the implication and hurriedly said to his teacher.
"Teacher, wherever you go, I go!"
"Don't even think about chasing me away!"
Seeing his personal disciple show such loyalty, Flender felt moved, but he had things to do later that would make it inconvenient to bring Ma Hongjun along. Moreover, he hoped for a broader future for the boy.
"Hongjun, Teacher knows you are a loyal child."
"And it is true that Teacher has nothing left to teach you."
"But I still wish to rebuild Shrek Academy in the future! So, can you do me a favor?"
Hearing that Flender still intended to rebuild Shrek Academy, Little Fatty's small eyes lit up instantly. He patted his chest and said excitedly.
"Teacher, as long as it is something I can do, just say the word!"
Seeing that Ma Hongjun had taken the bait, Flender continued.
"Teacher wants you to join the Blazing Academy!"
Hearing this, Ma Hongjun let out a startled cry.
"What?!!"
Before Ma Hongjun could protest, Flender continued.
"That's right. Teacher wants you to go to the Blazing Academy to study hard, learn their excellent cultivation experience for fire-type martial souls, and use the knowledge you gain to better build Shrek Academy in the future."
"Borrowing the Blazing Academy's chicken to lay Shrek's eggs!"
In a twist of fate, the concept of "borrowing a chicken to lay eggs" had come to the Douluo Continent, though the situation was the exact opposite of the original timeline where Ma Hongjun had urged Flender to go to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Did Flender really want to rebuild Shrek? He certainly wanted to, but if he couldn't resolve the problems posed by Yun Ming in this lifetime, he would never rebuild it. Telling Ma Hongjun this was merely a pretext to send him away.
Ma Hongjun was still hesitant upon hearing this. Seeing this, Flender administered the final dose of "strong medicine," pointing at Yun Ming with a serious expression.
"Finally, Teacher hopes that in the future, you will be able to defeat Yun Ming head-on to vindicate me!!!"
Yun Ming didn't react to being used as a target for Ma Hongjun; he never feared challengers, provided they didn't fall into despair due to the gap in strength.
Although Flender felt that Ma Hongjun likely had no hope of defeating Yun Ming in this lifetime, as long as he kept Yun Ming as his goal and worked tirelessly, Ma Hongjun would achieve accomplishments beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
Having understood his teacher's final expectation, the dissatisfaction toward Yun Ming became the final piece of the puzzle for Ma Hongjun to join the Blazing Academy. Hearing his teacher put it that way, no matter how reluctant he was to leave, he decided to obey his teacher's command. Ma Hongjun said with difficulty.
"Alright~"
"I will join the Blazing Academy."
Seeing Ma Hongjun agree, a smile appeared on Flender's face. Though he felt a bit sentimental, the thought of Ma Hongjun having a broader future brought him more joy, and he instructed.
"Go pack your things! We leave in a while!"
Ma Hongjun left.
Seeing Flender send away even his own direct disciple Ma Hongjun, Oscar knew he wouldn't be able to stay either, and for a moment, he felt a wave of sadness.
What Oscar could understand, Yun Ming could certainly see as well, so he stepped forward and extended an invitation.
"Oscar, I am now formally inviting you to join our clan!"
Flender did not stop Yun Ming from inviting Oscar; Oscar could be considered the student among all those at Shrek Academy who had the least to worry about regarding his future, as any faction would value him for his super-strong Food System talent.
Right now, although Flender was not certain how large the faction behind Yun Ming was, he believed that as long as Yun Ming did not perish prematurely, he would surely reach the pinnacle of the Soul Master World in the future! The faction behind him would inevitably rise along with him.
Yang Wutian, who was guarding Yun Ming from the shadows, saw Yun Ming begin to recruit Oscar and appeared by his side, voicing a promise.
"Although our clan does not yet have a Titled Douluo, we do have Soul Douluo, and with Yun Ming's talent, he will surely reach the pinnacle of the Soul Master World in the future!"
"I promise you here and now: if you are willing to join our clan, you will be the first-in-line successor to the position of First Elder, and your status in our clan will be second only to Yun Ming."
Flender was somewhat surprised to hear Yang Wutian's words. It wasn't that he felt Oscar's future achievements weren't worthy of the position offered by Yun Ming's family, but rather he was shocked that the family behind Yun Ming would allow an outsider to become the First Elder. This was something no one in the Soul Master World would do except for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and even then, that was due to the unique nature of their main Ning Family line.
The reason Yang Wutian could make such a promise was actually quite simple: Oscar was the only genius Yun Ming had acknowledged as being of the same kind as himself in all these years! Therefore, even though Yang Wutian could not fully grasp the weight of an Innate Full Soul Power Food System user with the Talent of the Gods, he trusted Yun Ming's judgment.
ps: Seeking monthly tickets and recommendations.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader