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Compared to Yu Xiaogang, who enjoyed basking in the sun and soaking up light elemental energy, Flender's Owl martial soul made him prefer dim environments.
At this moment, inside Flender's dilapidated little shop—
Flender, one of the former "Golden Duo," was also slacking off.
With a large stash of gold spirit coins as his retirement fund, Flender no longer had any ambition to make big money. After all, he had lost his leg chasing such dreams in the past.
Life rarely went according to one's wishes. Disasters often struck without warning, making Flender more introverted.
As Flender was enjoying his cheap tea leaves steeped in a jar for just a few copper spirit coins, the door to his notoriously run-down shop creaked open.
"Rare visitor, Xiaogang! What brings you to the city at this hour?"
Yu Xiaogang sat down across from Flender, looking dejected.
Back at Shrek Academy, he always felt like Tang Hao, that sneaky bastard, was watching him from the shadows, making him extremely uncomfortable. So, he decided to seek refuge with Flender in the city.
Seeing Yu Xiaogang hesitate to speak, Flender asked,
"What's wrong?"
Both Yu Xiaogang and Flender were aware of Tang Hao's existence, so Yu Xiaogang got straight to the point.
"Flender, we can't stay at Shrek anymore."
Flender frowned instantly. Though Shrek Academy had never gained much fame or produced any great talents, it was still something he had painstakingly built after losing his leg.
"Tell me what happened."
Years of friendship assured Flender that Yu Xiaogang wouldn't say such things lightly.
After a moment of silence, Yu Xiaogang said,
"Tang Hao came to see me earlier."
*Pfft—cough, cough!*
The mention of Tang Hao caused Flender, who was sipping tea, to spit it out in shock.
"What does he want?!"
"He thinks our teaching pace is too slow and wants me to enroll Xiao San in an advanced soul master academy.
But you know his true identity—if only Xiao San leaves, there's no guarantee he won't harm the others at the academy. That's why I'm here to discuss moving everyone together."
Flender fell silent, touched by Yu Xiaogang's consideration. It was clear that Yu Xiaogang truly regarded him, a civilian soul master, as a brother.
Tang Hao's petty nature was no secret, though the soul master world refrained from openly criticizing him due to his Title Douluo status.
Thoughts swirled through Flender's mind as the small shop remained eerily quiet.
"Sigh, let's go. This little place isn't safe anymore. We'll have to hide in the big city. My poor little savings…" Flender lamented, visibly pained by the thought of spending his money.
Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but chuckle at Flender's predictable miserliness.
Then Flender asked Yu Xiaogang about their plans—where would they go?
This was indeed a problem. Almost every province had its own advanced soul master academy.
After ruling out academies with incompatible attributes or those lacking strength, their options narrowed to the Plant Academy and the two Royal Academies.
Overall, the two Royal Academies were stronger and offered better environments, with nearly all simulated training environments being top-tier.
The Star Luo Imperial Academy was out of the question—whether it was Dai Mubai's royal lineage or Tang San's Heaven Dou Sect identity, trouble was almost guaranteed if they went there.
That left only the Tian Dou Imperial Academy as their next destination.
Though the Tian Dou Imperial Academy officially only accepted noble students, they would make exceptions for exceptionally talented commoners.
Yu Xiaogang patted the Spirit Hall Elder Token hidden in his *Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moonlight* storage device. This was his trump card—he believed the Tian Dou Imperial Academy wouldn't dare disrespect him outright.
Still, a twinge of jealousy lingered in his heart.
After all, both sons of the upper three sects' masters hadn't even touched their own elder tokens yet.
When they returned, the members of Shrek Academy began packing up in earnest.
Though the younger generation didn't fully understand why they suddenly needed to transfer to an advanced academy, young people naturally craved more interaction. Staying in the remote Shrek Academy wasn't ideal anyway.
The most distressed person was Flender. The cost of living in Tian Dou Imperial City was the highest in the entire Tian Dou Empire. He worried whether his stash of over a hundred thousand gold spirit coins would be enough.
But compared to money, life was more important. Flender could only grit his teeth and accept it, muttering curses under his breath.
Unlike the original storyline, where Shrek rushed directly to the Tian Dou Imperial Academy, this time they took a detour to rest in the city before heading to the academy.
After all, there was no rush.
Shao Tiantian, who had always lived in the countryside, was amazed to see an entire mountain designated as the academy's address.
"Are you serious? This whole area belongs to the Tian Dou Imperial Academy?"
Yu Xiaogang had a soft spot for this cute food-system girl.
"No need to be surprised. As the top institution of the Tian Dou Empire, it's normal for them to buy out an entire mountain to build their academy."
Though the group looked presentable, their clothing was several tiers below that of nobles, and they were promptly stopped at the entrance by the guards.
"Halt! This is the Tian Dou Imperial Academy. Only students and invited guests may enter."
The guard was actually a Soul Ancestor, leaving Flender and the others stunned. But Yu Xiaogang, used to such displays, calmly said,
"Please inform the Academic Affairs Committee that the Golden Duo has arrived. I'm sure the three directors won't refuse to see us."
Though the guard was a soul master, he had heard of the Golden Duo's reputation. Seeing Yu Xiaogang's confidence, he hesitated for a moment before replying,
"Wait a moment."
In Tian Dou Imperial City, where even a falling brick might hit a noble, caution was necessary for someone of his rank.
Yu Xiaogang considered revealing his identity as the young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect but decided against it, given the purpose of their visit. He chose to express himself subtly to avoid future repercussions.
Taking Tang San as a disciple was truly the worst misfortune of his life—worse than being stuck at level 29.
After a while, a middle-aged man dressed in proper teaching attire emerged.
His gaze swept over Flender's missing leg and lingered on Yu Xiaogang for a moment.
"My name is Sun Buyu, the vice principal of the Tian Dou Imperial Academy. May I ask what brings the two of you here?"
Vice principal? Though it wasn't one of the Academic Affairs Committee members, Yu Xiaogang decided not to dwell on it.
Stepping forward, he said,
"Hello, Principal Sun. I'd like to enroll these young men and women into the Tian Dou Imperial Academy. Would that be possible?"
Sun Buyu raised an eyebrow. Enrollment season had long passed.
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