Just as Ning Rongrong was thinking about investigating Yun Ming, what was our protagonist, Yun, doing? He was making his way rapidly toward Suotuo City.
Yun Ming moved as if he were a willow catkin dancing lightly, drifting with the wind amidst the golden waves of wheat. His steps were neither hurried nor slow, yet his speed was by no means sluggish.
Because of the sudden morning meeting, Yun Ming's breakfast time had been delayed, so he was currently accelerating his pace, all for the sake of finishing a meal during normal breakfast hours.
As for the matter of Yun Ming causing Dean Flender of Shrek Academy to suffer a collapse of faith, although it was not Yun Ming's intention, he reflected on it afterward and realized it might be a new turning point.
Through his detailed observations, summaries, and personal experiences over the past few days, Yun Ming felt that Shrek Academy was wrong at its very core, and wrong to an outrageous degree. Rather than letting it grow more and more twisted as it expanded in the future, it was better to scrape the poison from the bone while it was still just a small group of people.
Regardless of whether Flender could recover from the blow of his shattered faith, there were only three possible outcomes for Shrek Academy: they would take Yun Ming's advice to heart and resolve to reform the academy; Shrek Academy would vanish into thin air; or Shrek Academy would continue to maintain its current style.
No matter the result, it was acceptable to Yun Ming. He had spoken his piece so harshly that the ultimate fate of Shrek would depend on its own fortune. As for joining Shrek Academy to change it himself? Sorry, but the current Yun Ming would never jump into a fire pit of his own volition! This could also be considered his way of giving that person an explanation.
Under Yun Ming's accelerated pace, he soon arrived at Suotuo City. In the end, he managed to finish his breakfast within the normal time frame.
Meanwhile, Flender, having activated his Martial Soul Avatar, had flown to a steep cliff a hundred miles away. He sat cross-legged on the summit, looking withered and hollow, his eyes filled with dead silence.
The collapse of his faith made Flender feel as if he had lost his spiritual anchor in an instant, leaving him to move forward while entangled in loneliness and confusion.
Flender could only feel endless pain now; he felt as if his own willpower was on the verge of shattering.
Half an hour later, Zhao Wuji and the others finally found Flender on the mountaintop. Seeing the despondent Flender, Ma Hongjun immediately stepped forward to call out to him.
"Teacher!"
"Teacher!!! What happened to you?!!"
"..."
But there was no response. Flender seemed to have completely lost his five senses; no matter how Ma Hongjun called out, he did not react in the slightest. Zhao Wuji and the others were heartbroken to see Flender in such a state.
Seeing this, Shao Xin hurried forward to check on Flender's condition. Among the old brothers, only Shao Xin, of the Food System, knew a bit about medicine. Shao Xin grabbed Flender's wrist and carefully checked his pulse.
A moment later, he sighed and shook his head.
Seeing this emotion and gesture from Shao Xin, Zhao Wuji and Ma Hongjun were suddenly overcome with grief, and then they heard Shao Xin say.
"Flender's emotional fluctuations were too intense, causing his blood to rush to his heart and his liver energy to stagnate. Currently, his self-protection mechanism has completely sealed off his perception of the outside world. We can only wait and see when he can think things through and wake up on his own!"
Zhao Wuji, Ma Hongjun, and the others: "..."
However, upon hearing Shao Xin say this, Ma Hongjun and the others breathed a slight sigh of relief; at least it was better than the worst-case scenario they had imagined. Since Shao Xin had said so, there was nothing they could do but wait.
As for Yun Ming, after finishing his breakfast, he returned to Shrek Academy.
From a distance, Yun Ming saw Oscar sprinting wildly around the entire village where Shrek Academy was located.
Yun Ming roughly understood Oscar's current mood, so he didn't disturb him, just watched quietly from the side as Oscar ran lap after lap.
It wasn't until Oscar reached the eighth lap that he finally couldn't hold on any longer, plopping down on the ground and gasping for air.
At this moment, Yun Ming stepped forward and handed Oscar a water bottle. Oscar looked at the bottle, then looked up at the calm and composed Yun Ming, his feelings complex. Oscar didn't take the bottle, but instead stared at Yun Ming, wanting to demand why he had done what he did, but he couldn't get the words out; the situation at Shrek left him speechless.
Seeing that Oscar didn't take the bottle, Yun Ming didn't show any emotion. He put the bottle down and went into the village to rent a small courtyard from a farmer, intending to stay for a few days. He also needed to see the final outcome of Shrek Academy.
Three days later.
Flender, who had been like a withered tree, finally showed a change. Under the astonished gazes of Zhao Wuji and the others, they saw Flender's hair rapidly turning white, soon becoming completely snow-white.
Seeing his teacher turn white-haired in the blink of an eye, Ma Hongjun burst into tears and hurried over to call out.
"Teacher!!!"
"Teacher, what's wrong? Don't scare me!"
Hearing his disciple's call, Flender finally regained his senses. He looked at the Little Fatty who had caused him so much worry for many years, now covered in snot and tears, and felt a warmth return to his heart. At least his choice of this personal disciple hadn't been a total failure.
"Hongjun, I'm fine, I just figured some things out."
After speaking, Flender looked at Zhao Wuji, Shao Xin, and the other old companions who were wearing worried expressions, and said.
"I've made you all worry. I'm alright now!"
Seeing the unusual peace on Flender's face, Zhao Wuji felt very uncomfortable. His eyes turned red, and he gritted his teeth as he said.
"Flender, I'm going to kill that brat right now. He's just a peak level 79 Soul Saint; I want to see if he can stop me, Zhao Wuji, from killing him!"
"At worst, after we kill him, we'll just wander the world!"
Hearing Zhao Wuji speak up, Li Yusong and Lu Qibin also chimed in.
Li Yusong: "Old Zhao, I'll go with you. I also want to see what that brat is made of!"
Lu Qibin: "A peak Soul Saint! Old Zhao, I'll help you!"
Even Shao Xin, who was usually the most gentle, immediately began making candy beans, preparing for battle.
Flender was deeply moved to see his old brothers wanting to cause trouble for Yun Ming on his behalf; these years of brotherhood hadn't been in vain, but it was unnecessary. Flender spoke up.
"No need, I think that kid was right!"
Seeing Flender starting to talk 'nonsense,' Zhao Wuji hurriedly said.
"Flender..."
But before he could finish, Flender waved his hand to stop him and continued.
"I'm serious! I don't hate him; on the contrary, I'm actually a bit grateful to him!"
"Thank you to him for waking me up, for waking me from the illusory dream that is Shrek Academy!"
Hearing Flender say this, Shao Xin looked at him in shock and suspicion. Flender continued to explain.
"After being scolded by that kid, I recalled a great deal: Qin Ming's disappointment at missing the All-Continent Academy Soul Master Competition, the regrets of those students who hadn't graduated, the arrogance of the majority of the students..."
Recalling the environment of the academy, Flender continued to speak.
"And the campus environment and educational system that have never been improved, as well as the wages I have constantly owed you all—these things have all been reminding me that my 'Shrek Dream' has always been nothing but 'flowers in a mirror, the moon in the water'!!!"
"What a pity! I allowed myself to be blinded by this self-righteous ambition for so many years."
"It wasn't until that kid, Yun Ming, pointed at my nose and cursed me that I finally woke up!"
Afterward, Flender spoke to Zhao Wuji and the others, blaming himself.
"Because of my own dream, I made you old friends, as well as those students, pay such a heavy price!"
"I am sorry!"
ps: Seeking monthly tickets, seeking recommendations.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader