Yu Xiaogang had traveled to the imperial capital alone to handle some personal matters, which was why he hadn't accompanied Tang San to Shrek Academy. Still, he had no reason to worry. He was confident that with Tang San's extraordinary talent, getting into the academy would be simple.
Just to be safe, he had given his disciple a letter of recommendation before they parted ways in Notting City. The letter was addressed to the dean of Shrek Academy, his old acquaintance, Flender. Once Tang San was accepted, he was to deliver it. Yu Xiaogang was certain that based on their old relationship, Flender would take special care of his prized student.
He could never have imagined the truth.
His beloved disciple, Tang San, hadn't even passed the entrance examination. The ten gold soul coins he had left were not spent on tuition, but on saving his own life. Now, he was stuck working as a forger in a blacksmith's shop in Soto City, struggling just to get by. A few days ago, he had shamelessly borrowed another ten gold soul coins from the shop owner, hoping to multiply his fortune in the Soto Spirit Arena.
Who could have known that in his very first spirit fight, he would run into students from Shrek Academy? To make matters worse, he was unlucky enough to face Xiao Wu, the very girl who had consistently bested him for six years back in Notting City. The result was a humiliating defeat. Not only did Tang San fail to make any money, but he also lost every coin he had borrowed. After returning to the blacksmith's shop, he had no choice but to work tirelessly to pay off his new debt. His life now was even harder than it had been in Notting.
Tang San desperately wanted to contact his teacher, but he had no way of reaching him. He only remembered Yu Xiaogang telling him that he would eventually come to Shrek Academy to find him. But in this situation, even if his teacher came, he wouldn't be able to find him. So, whenever Tang San wasn't working, he would wander the streets of Soto City, hoping for a chance encounter. Just yesterday, he had even snuck around the village entrance of Shrek Academy like a thief, but he hadn't seen a single soul.
Yu Xiaogang looked up at the sky. It was still early; the sun had not yet fully risen, but the red morning glow was already painting half the sky. A few villagers were already awake and tending to their farm work, but the academy itself was silent. None of the seven Shrek students were up yet. For one, they were all tired after their recent trip to the Star Dou Great Forest. More importantly, none of the teachers, not even Dean Flender, had bothered to get up. If the teachers were still asleep, why would the students wake up?
Yu Xiaogang glanced at the worn-down, gate-like arch at the village entrance that served as the academy's sign, and stepped right in. Wisps of smoke curled into the air from nearby houses where villagers were cooking breakfast, but the area belonging to the academy was still and quiet.
He shook his head in slight disapproval. This wouldn't do. If students didn't rise early to train and study, they were wasting precious time. Who would be left to learn his invincible theories? With that thought, Yu Xiaogang followed the path from memory, walking directly toward Flender's room. The dean was still fast asleep, completely unaware that an uninvited guest was rapidly approaching.
Knock, knock, knock!
Without a second thought, Yu Xiaogang rapped sharply on the door. After a brief pause, a groggy, impatient voice came from inside.
"Who's disturbing my sleep so early?"
It was unlikely to be a student. The only people who would dare wake him were the other teachers, and it was probably Zhao Wuji with some problem.
"It's me," Yu Xiaogang replied curtly.
Hearing the vaguely familiar voice, he didn't bother waiting for permission and pushed the door open, stepping inside without hesitation.
"It's me, Yu Xiaogang!"
As he entered the room, their eyes met, and the atmosphere instantly became awkward. Yu Xiaogang hadn't expected to find that Flender slept without any clothes on. This… this was quite shameful. He didn't, however, consider that barging into someone's private room was also shameful behavior.
Flender was completely stunned. He never thought Yu Xiaogang would suddenly appear in his room at this hour. What was going on? They hadn't seen each other in years, not since the Golden Iron Triangle had fallen apart. Why would he suddenly show up now? When something this unusual happened, it usually meant trouble. This man had come uninvited, without any warning. Flender couldn't begin to guess his purpose. I already gave Liu Erlong to you, what more could you possibly want?
Despite the flood of questions in his mind, Flender remained calm on the surface. He quickly started getting dressed, while Yu Xiaogang casually grabbed a nearby chair and sat down as if he owned the place. To break the tense silence, Yu Xiaogang finally spoke.
"Flender, are you satisfied with the new students Shrek Academy recruited this year?"
In his mind, an academy with such strict admission policies was lucky to get any students at all. For a genius like Tang San to enroll, the dean must be overjoyed. And such an outstanding student was his disciple, trained by him, Yu Xiaogang.
"Not bad," Flender said, thinking for a moment before nodding in agreement. A rare smile of satisfaction appeared on his face. "We enrolled four new students this year, and they're all incredibly talented."
"Four?" A flicker of surprise crossed Yu Xiaogang's stiff face. Now Shrek Academy could recruit four students in a single year? When he had walked in, he had noticed how run-down the facilities were. Had they lowered their standards because the academy was struggling? He shook his head slightly and asked, "How many students are there in the academy now?"
By this time, Flender was fully dressed. "Including this year's four freshmen, there are seven students in total." He looked at Yu Xiaogang with a hint of suspicion. "So, you came all the way to Shrek Academy just to ask me this?"
Yu Xiaogang was a man who never visited unless it was for something important. His sudden appearance had to mean something, though whether it was good or bad remained to be seen.
"Yes, but that's not the only reason," Yu Xiaogang said, deliberately keeping him in suspense. A rare look of pride flashed across his face as his eyes met Flender's. "One of the four students you admitted this year is my disciple. I'm sure you already know that. His talent is pretty good, isn't it?"
What Yu Xiaogang said was remarkably restrained. In his heart, he believed his disciple's talent was unmatched, a genius unseen before and never to be seen again.
"Is that so?" Flender was stunned. This was the first he was hearing of it. He looked at Yu Xiaogang and quickly asked, "What's this disciple of yours named?"
------------------------
For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Mythic_Muse