"What's the name?"
Flender's simple question left Yu Xiaogang momentarily speechless. Could it be that he really didn't know who his disciple was? Or was he just trying to be certain? Yu Xiaogang had explicitly told Tang San to give Flender the letter of recommendation as soon as he enrolled. He trusted that his disciple wouldn't forget something so important.
"Ahem." Thinking it over, Yu Xiaogang cleared his throat, deliberately raising his voice to ensure there was no mistake this time. "My disciple's name is Tang San."
Tang San?
When Flender heard the name, he just stared back, completely blank. Who was that? He'd never heard the name before in his life. He hesitated for a second, then spoke cautiously.
"Sorry, could you say that again? I don't think I heard you correctly."
Yu Xiaogang's stiff expression began to sour. What was wrong with Flender? Had his hearing gone bad in the few years since they'd last met? Still, he patiently repeated himself.
"My disciple's name is Tang San."
"Tang San," Flender repeated, taking a slow breath. He'd heard it clearly this time. The disciple Yu Xiaogang was so proud of was named Tang San. There was just one problem.
They had no such student at Shrek Academy. Was this some kind of bizarre joke?
Deciding there was no point in beating around the bush, Flender looked directly at Yu Xiaogang and said plainly, "You must be mistaken. We didn't recruit any new student named Tang San this year." He wasn't lying in the slightest; he had never even heard the name until a minute ago.
"What?" Yu Xiaogang's faint smile froze on his face. It twitched twice before he stared at Flender in disbelief. "Flender, are you kidding me? How could Tang San not be at Shrek Academy?"
"Why would I lie to you?" Flender replied, exasperated. He walked over to his desk, rummaged through a pile of documents, and pulled out a bound roster. "Here is the information on the four new students we accepted this year. Take a look for yourself!"
He thrust the list into Yu Xiaogang's hands, feeling thoroughly annoyed. Did this guy really show up at the crack of dawn just to cause trouble?
With a puzzled look, Yu Xiaogang opened the roster and began to read from the top.
"Zhu Zhuqing, female, twelve years old. Beast Spirit: Netherworld Spirit Cat. Enrolled as a rank 27 Agility Attack-type Spirit Grandmaster."
Yu Xiaogang was stunned. This student was a year younger than Tang San, yet her spirit power was already two ranks higher. And her Spirit was a very powerful one at that. Swallowing the shock, he forced himself to continue reading.
"Ning Rongrong, female, twelve years old. Tool Spirit: Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. Enrolled as a rank 26 Auxiliary-type Tool Spirit Grandmaster."
What?! Another student who was younger than Tang San but had higher spirit power. What shocked him even more was her Tool Spirit—the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda! That meant she was from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, a girl with limitless potential.
At that moment, a sliver of doubt crept into Yu Xiaogang's mind. For the first time, he started to believe what Flender was saying. Based on the strength shown on paper, Tang San was already outmatched by the first two students. With only two names left, he continued down the list.
"Xiao Wu, female, twelve years old. Beast Spirit: Rabbit. Enrolled as a rank 29 Attack-type Spirit Grandmaster."
This… how was this possible! Yu Xiaogang was completely dumbfounded. A twelve-year-old girl whose spirit power was a whole four ranks higher than Tang San's? It was unbelievable. The name also felt strangely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. During their six years at Notting Academy, Tang San and Xiao Wu rarely interacted, so Yu Xiaogang had never gotten to know her, though he might have heard her name in passing.
He quickly flipped to the last page, his eyes scanning the final entry word by word.
"Huo Feng, male, thirteen years old! Tool Spirit: Iron Sword. Enrolled as a rank 33 Attack-type Battle Spirit Elder!"
"Huo Feng!"
A familiar figure flashed through his mind. After returning from the Spirit Hunting Forest all those years ago, Huo Feng had refused to become his disciple, so Yu Xiaogang had given up and focused all his attention on Tang San. Though Huo Feng had become quite famous at Notting Academy in the following years, Yu Xiaogang hadn't paid him much mind.
Thirteen years old, with an Iron Sword Tool Spirit. It fit perfectly. But rank 33 spirit power? That seemed far too high for the Huo Feng he remembered. Clinging to a final shred of hope, Yu Xiaogang read the last line of the entry.
"Graduated from Notting Junior Spirit Master Academy."
"This…" His lips moved, but no words came out. "How is that possible!"
It really was the same Huo Feng.
Slap!
In a fit of frustration, Yu Xiaogang flicked his sleeve and threw the roster onto the table. As he did, Flender noticed something strange about the movement of his right arm. As the sleeve settled, he saw that it was empty.
"Xiaogang… your arm," he asked tentatively, his voice softening with concern.
"Ah…" Yu Xiaogang let out a long, heavy sigh and sank back into the chair, completely dejected. He then recounted the story of how he had lost his arm while helping Tang San obtain his first Spirit Ring in the Spirit Hunting Forest.
"So that's when it happened," Flender nodded, finally understanding. He couldn't believe that after so many years apart, his old friend had suffered such a terrible injury. For a moment, a heavy and depressing silence filled the room.
"I want to know," Yu Xiaogang said, breaking the quiet, "did Tang San ever come to Shrek Academy to take the exam? Did he fail, or did he never show up at all?"
"Hmm, that…" Flender paused to think. He hadn't personally supervised this year's entrance exam, so he didn't know the details. "The academy doesn't keep records of every student who applies. If Tang San did take the exam, the teacher in charge at the time might remember him."
Flender was a hands-off dean. He knew the big picture but was completely unaware of the smaller details. "It's still early," he suggested, rubbing his forehead helplessly. "Let's go ask Vice-Dean Zhao Wuji later. He was in charge of the exam."
"I suppose that's all we can do," Yu Xiaogang agreed. The pride and confidence he had walked in with were completely gone. The Tang San he envisioned making a name for himself at Shrek Academy was nowhere to be found. If he was still in Soto City, there was a chance of finding him. But if he had gone somewhere else, the task would be impossible.
In just half an hour, Yu Xiaogang's mood had plummeted from the highest peak to the lowest valley. He didn't even know how to describe the hollow feeling in his chest.