Zhao Wuji grew angrier the more he spoke, feeling frustrated as he recalled the scene at the time:
"I'm not saying they shouldn't have run. In that situation, survival is instinctual."
"But those three brats showed no intention of staying at all. They only cared about escaping themselves. It's truly disheartening for old Zhao like me!"
"Those damn kids..."
Flender cursed under his breath, his tone filled with disappointment at their failure to meet expectations.
He stood up and began pacing back and forth in the office, his footsteps heavy:
"It seems I've been too lenient with them usually. They think having some talent makes them special, but they've lost even the most basic courage and sense of responsibility."
Over the next few days, Flender directly increased the training intensity for Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar.
Although the three had some complaints, they knew their actions in the Star Dou Great Forest hadn't been proper, so they could only endure Flender's rigorous training!
In the blink of an eye, a week passed.
One day, the door to Flender's office was gently knocked, and the visitor's figure took him by surprise.
"Come in!" Flender was buried in handling the academy's miscellaneous affairs, not even looking up, his tone somewhat casual.
"Creak—"
The old wooden door made a soft sound as a man dressed in black martial attire slowly entered.
He stood tall and straight, his face carved with resolute features, the marks of time settled between his brows, and an aura of calm uniqueness surrounding him.
"Flender, long time no see."
A deep and powerful voice sounded in the quiet office, carrying a sigh of reunion after a long separation.
Flender, who had been bent over his desk, froze at the sound—it was so familiar, as if he had heard it just yesterday.
He instinctively looked up, slightly pushing the round-frame glasses on the bridge of his nose.
When he clearly saw the visitor's face, disbelief flashed in his eyes, followed by irrepressible joy.
"You! You're... Xiaogang?!"
Flender abruptly stood up, exclaiming involuntarily, the chair legs scraping sharply against the floor.
Yu Xiaogang nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the simple yet familiar office.
Finally, his eyes returned to Flender's face, complex emotions swirling in their depths—relief, sentiment:
"Yes, Flender, it's me. I'm back."
"You bastard!"
Flender rushed forward a few steps and punched Yu Xiaogang's shoulder hard. The force was not light, but it was filled with the excitement of regaining what was lost.
"Where have you been all these years? Not a single message. I thought..."
He swallowed the rest of his words, his eyes slightly warm.
Yu Xiaogang staggered from the punch but only shook his head gently, a trace of imperceptible gloom passing over his expression before he quickly concealed it:
"Let's not talk about the past."
Changing the subject, he asked urgently, "By the way, my disciple Xiao San, Tang San—I sent him to you. Have you seen him?"
Mentioning Tang San, the excitement on Flender's face eased slightly, replaced by a gratified smile:
"He's here! I've seen that child. His talent is quite remarkable, his temperament steady, and he's skilled with Hidden Weapons. He can be considered a little genius."
"His talent goes far beyond what's on the surface."
A flash of pride immediately appeared in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, his tone carrying undeniable certainty:
"Xiao San not only has innate full soul power, but he also possesses twin spirits."
"Twin spirits?!"
Flender's eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he exclaimed in astonishment.
"Tang San really has twin spirits?!"
"Absolutely true." Yu Xiaogang nodded, then cautioned, "Xiao San's second spirit must remain strictly confidential. I cannot tell you what it is, but you'll naturally find out the details in the future."
Flender was momentarily stunned, then heavily patted Yu Xiaogang's shoulder and laughed, "Alright, if you don't want to say, I won't ask. Come, I'll take you to find him!"
Meanwhile, Su Yu and Zhao Wuji were in charge of today's training.
Halfway through the training session, they saw Flender approaching with a man.
The middle-aged man beside Flender wore a black robe resembling an academic gown, though the material wasn't particularly fine.
The man had a crew cut with narrow eyes that occasionally narrowed into slits, revealing a hint of shrewdness and calculation.
The flesh on his cheeks was somewhat loose but not flabby, instead adding a weathered quality to his appearance.
That face, combined with his feigned serious expression, gave the impression of someone who sought fame and reputation.
This must be Yu Xiaogang, Su Yu thought as he observed him. He truly couldn't understand - Yu Xiaogang's appearance was just ordinary.
His theoretical research could be considered full of holes too. What exactly attracted his teacher to this man!
That so-called Ten Core Competitiveness Theory of Spirits could only deceive common Soul Masters.
Any Sect with even the slightest heritage basically looked down upon Yu Xiaogang's theories.
Major Sects like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, with millennia of inheritance, possessed complete and mature cultivation systems!
Which Soul Beasts to hunt for the most suitable Soul Rings - these were accumulations from dozens of generations.
How could they possibly use Yu Xiaogang's completely unverified theories?
And that saying about "no useless spirits, only useless Soul Masters"!
It sounded inspiring at first, but upon careful consideration, it seemed utterly absurd!
He himself contradicted this statement - his spirit was useless, and he was a useless Soul Master.
Only someone like Tang San, that reckless youth who acted like a fool, would be deceived by Yu Xiaogang's words and actually believe his nonsense theories!
Someone with innate full soul power was a genius anywhere. No matter where he went, he had value worth cultivating.
Flender brought Yu Xiaogang to the training ground. Seeing everyone training, Flender cleared his throat to draw their attention:
"Little Monsters, gather around."
Everyone stopped their movements and gathered, their curious gazes falling upon Yu Xiaogang.
Flender puffed out his chest and introduced with some pride:
"Little Monsters, standing before you is your dean's good friend, former Corner of Wisdom of the Golden Iron Triangle!"
"You may address him as Master. Master is also Tang San's teacher, and henceforth he will join our academy as a teacher!"
Ma Hongjun and Oscar exchanged glances, immediately switching into "bootlicker" mode.
Ma Hongjun rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "So this is the Corner of Wisdom of the Golden Iron Triangle!"
"Then Master must be incredibly powerful! After all, he was the dean's former teammate. His Soul Power Level must be at least over seventy, right?"
Oscar nodded along, wearing an "I get it" expression:
"Exactly! Even if he hasn't reached level seventy, he should at least be a Soul Emperor with over sixty levels! Someone who could form the Golden Iron Triangle with the dean definitely can't be weak!"
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