However, they had only taken two steps when a burly figure suddenly lunged over, blocking Teacher Cai's path.
"Wait!"
Er Ming's honest face was covered in smiles, but no matter how one looked at it, that smile was stiff, as if it were forced out.
Teacher Cai paused, her brow furrowing slightly. Her eyes landed on Er Ming; her gaze was indifferent, yet it sent a chill down Er Ming's spine.
"What is it?"
Er Ming opened his mouth, momentarily speechless. Why was this person's attitude so hostile? Dammit, he was a Rank 98 Super Douluo! Looking across the entire Douluo Continent, he was a being who could walk wherever he pleased! Back then, even that kid Tang San, the Sea God, had politely called him "Brother Er Ming" after his sacrifice, hadn't he?
Though he stopped calling him that after becoming a god...
Why did he become so cowardly in front of this crazy woman?
Er Ming tried to encourage himself internally, but the moment his gaze met Teacher Cai's cold eyes, half of his newly gathered courage drained away. No, this won't do. For Wang Dong'er's sake, he had to endure. If this crazy woman held a grudge and made life difficult for Wang Dong'er, wouldn't that girl cry herself to death?
Er Ming took a deep breath, and the smile on his face became even more radiant.
"Um... Teacher Cai, I wanted to ask something." He rubbed his hands together and spoke tentatively. "That little girl just now, the one named Yuan En Yehui... her Spirit... is the Titan Giant Ape, right?"
Teacher Cai looked at him without saying a word. That look was as if she were looking at an idiot.
Er Ming felt uncomfortable under her gaze; he scratched his head and gave two dry laughs.
"I'm just confirming, just confirming..."
"Is there something wrong with your ears?" Teacher Cai finally spoke, her tone as cold as ever.
Er Ming was stunned. "Ah?"
"The words 'Titan Giant Ape' were said so loudly, you didn't hear them?" Teacher Cai said indifferently. "Are you deaf? Your perception ability is also like something found on the side of the road."
The smile on Er Ming's face instantly froze. To the side, Da Ming's mouth twitched as he silently looked away. This woman's tongue... is truly poisonous.
However, he also understood why Er Ming was so invested. A human with the Titan Giant Ape bloodline... This silly younger brother probably couldn't figure out where this girl had popped up from even if he racked his brain.
Er Ming froze for a few breaths, his facial muscles twitching, before he finally squeezed out another smile.
"Haha... true, true." He rubbed his hands and spoke tentatively.
"Um... Teacher Cai, let me tell you, actually, my Spirit is also the Titan Giant Ape. I heard that humans with the Titan Giant Ape Spirit are extremely rare. Isn't this a coincidence? We both have the Titan Giant Ape; it's fate!" Er Ming spoke with great excitement, trying to build rapport.
Teacher Cai looked at him, her gaze still cold. "And then?"
"And then?" Er Ming was choked up.
This woman, why didn't she follow the script?
He took a deep breath and decided to just say it directly.
"Um... I am a Rank 98 Super Douluo. See, aren't I quite powerful?"
Teacher Cai didn't respond; she only raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.
Seeing a chance, Er Ming immediately struck while the iron was hot.
"I want to take that Yuan En Yehui as my disciple!"
He patted his chest, his voice becoming a few notches louder.
"Think about it, a Titan Giant Ape Spirit should naturally be taught by someone with the same Titan Giant Ape Spirit, right? I guarantee I'll definitely train her to be a Super Douluo! No, a Super Douluo is the bare minimum! Don't worry about resources, I'll provide them! I'll provide everything!"
After Er Ming finished, he looked at Teacher Cai with a face full of anticipation. This should surely work, right? A Rank 98 Super Douluo, same Spirit, resources included, training included—where else could one find such a good master?
However, Teacher Cai only looked at him coldly, the curve of her lips carrying a hint of mockery no matter how one looked at it.
"You?"
"Do you understand the Titan Giant Ape Spirit, or does our academy understand the Titan Giant Ape Spirit?"
Er Ming was stunned.
What kind of talk was that?
He was a Titan Giant Ape in human form; was there anyone who understood the Titan Giant Ape better than him? He had also lived for such a long time; wasn't his accumulated experience enough?
"Teacher Cai, what you're saying..." Er Ming scratched his head. "My Spirit is the Titan Giant Ape; my Spirit is exactly the same as that girl's. Isn't it most suitable for me to train her? If someone else trains her, it definitely won't be as good as me!"
Teacher Cai gave a soft laugh.
That laughter made Er Ming's hair stand on end.
"You'll provide the resources?" Teacher Cai said indifferently. "Who was it that couldn't even produce ten thousand gold coins when they were locked up?"
The smile on Er Ming's face instantly solidified. Da Ming's eyes twitched as he silently took half a step back.
Those words... really stung.
Er Ming opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but found he had no grounds to do so. That was one of the most humiliating moments of his life. Being locked up in this wretched place and actually being unable to scrape together ten thousand gold coins.
In the end, it was Da Ming who 'robbed the rich to help the poor' by mugging students from the Counterfeit Shrek Academy to get the money to bail him out...
Er Ming was so ashamed his face turned red, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Teacher Cai withdrew her gaze, her tone remaining quite cold.
"Yuan En Yehui is a student of our academy; she doesn't need an outsider to teach her."
"Furthermore—" She paused, her eyes sweeping over Er Ming with a hint of undisguised contempt. "A mere Rank 98 Super Douluo is worthy of being a master to our academy's student?"
A mere... Rank 98?
Er Ming's eyes widened, thinking he had misheard.
"Teacher Cai, your words..." He opened his mouth, his voice trembling slightly. "I am a Rank 98 Super Douluo! Plus the Titan Giant Ape Spirit! If even this isn't enough, then who is?"
In the entire Douluo Continent, his configuration was absolutely top-tier among top-tiers.
If even he wasn't qualified, then who was? Could this academy really find someone who understood the Titan Giant Ape better than him?
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
Er Ming shook his head frantically in his mind.
"Teacher Cai, I also traveled the Douluo Continent in my youth, but humans with the Titan Giant Ape Spirit are extremely rare. Therefore, in the records of Spirit Masters, there are hardly any records on how a Titan Giant Ape Spirit should be cultivated."
"And now, I have reached the level of a Rank 98 Super Douluo while still being very young. That is enough to prove that the path I have taken is correct."
"I know your academy has many resources and techniques, but the choice of Spirit Rings is crucial. Think about it, if the Sea God Tang San's First Spirit Ring had been a ten-year Solitary Bamboo, would he still have been able to become a god?"
"So... I can guarantee that I am the most suitable teacher for Yuan En Yehui. Why don't you and your academy reconsider?"
This was the first time Er Ming had spoken so many words, because the feeling within his bloodline was truly too special. Er Ming was unwilling to give up just like that.
However, just at this moment—
A voice drifted over leisurely from behind.
"Consider what? I am Yehui's teacher. You, a mere Rank 98 Super Douluo, are also worthy?"
The voice was deep and resonant, carrying a hint of laziness.
Er Ming whipped his head around. Who dared to speak such arrogant words?
Da Ming also looked up, his gaze falling on the figure slowly approaching.
Zhang Lexuan and Ling Luochen also looked toward the sound, their eyes full of curiosity.
Just who was it that dared to use the word 'mere' in front of a Rank 98 Super Douluo?
The two of them had only just arrived at this academy, and the shocks they had experienced were already more than enough. If even a Rank 98 Super Douluo could be called 'mere', it was no wonder Xuan Zi had been locked up.
And when Er Ming and Da Ming saw that figure, they both froze.