"I'm suffering… My fate is so bitter. Bitter like the weeds crushed under carriage wheels, like the coptis growing in the cracks between stones."
When Flender asked that, Yu Xiaogang immediately burst into tears.
With his heart full of resentment, he told Flender everything he had gone through.
But after hearing that Yu Xiaogang had caused problems by changing the Douluo Heart Method on his own, had his arms and legs broken by his own father, then had been locked in a dungeon and forced to leave descendants, Flender did not know what to say.
"I… I think, back then, if you had apologized to your father, things probably wouldn't have turned out like this…"
Flender's lips twitched slightly as he barely managed to say this.
After spending a few days with Chen Ming and receiving a lot of guidance from him, Flender felt that Chen Ming's wisdom was as vast as the sea.
He seemed to understand everything about Spirit Master cultivation.
Under Chen Ming's guidance, the teachers of Shrek Academy, himself included, had gained a much deeper understanding of cultivation. In the future, they would also be able to take another step toward a higher level.
Flender could clearly feel this.
He valued Yu Xiaogang.
Partly because Yu Xiaogang was his good friend, and partly because of the impression Yu Xiaogang had left on him when they traveled the continent together.
But now, Flender had to admit that some of Yu Xiaogang's theories really did have flaws and unclear parts.
During this time, he had also carefully asked Chen Ming about some things.
He brought up the ideas he had once learned from Yu Xiaogang, only for Chen Ming to point out the logical mistakes and gaps in detail.
Under these circumstances, it was very hard for Flender to think that Chen Ming had done anything wrong.
"You… you're helping an outsider bully me too? Flender, you…" Yu Xiaogang cried even harder.
It was as if he wanted the whole world to hear him.
At that moment, Flender quickly reached out and covered Yu Xiaogang's mouth, forcing him to shut up.
"Xiaogang, don't be like this. Stop crying."
"That Grandmaster is currently a guest at my Shrek Academy."
"There are already some misunderstandings between you two. If you appear before him like this, it will only cause more unnecessary trouble."
Xiaogang, I'm sorry.
You're no longer the person you were in my heart.
But we're still good brothers, right?
Flender felt a trace of guilt toward Yu Xiaogang.
After meeting Chen Ming and personally experiencing Chen Ming's wisdom, Flender truly could not treat Yu Xiaogang as the smartest person in the world like before.
Even so, although Yu Xiaogang's place in his heart had shaken, and had even fallen far behind after breaking apart, Flender still treated him as his good brother.
After hearing Flender's words, Yu Xiaogang froze in place as if he had turned to stone.
A pain he could not describe rose in his heart.
It was as if the whole world had turned into an invisible hand and slapped him hard across the head.
Yu Xiaogang seemed to hear a silent mockery.
You were given a chance, but you were useless.
In front of Yu Xiaogang's eyes, an illusion of Chen Ming seemed to appear.
Between the brows of that illusion, there was undisguised sarcasm and contempt.
Grandmaster? Who is the Grandmaster?
The moment Yu Xiaogang saw Flender's nervous expression, he immediately understood who this so-called Grandmaster was.
After learning that Flender was acting like this because Chen Ming was at Shrek Academy, Yu Xiaogang felt even more wronged.
Although Yu Xiaogang had never had any direct conflict with Chen Ming, and there had only been some unpleasantness between them, he still felt jealousy and disgust toward Chen Ming from the bottom of his heart.
Because Chen Ming's existence was the greatest mockery of Yu Xiaogang. It negated everything he had pursued throughout his life.
Even after Flender released his hand, Yu Xiaogang no longer had even the slightest courage to continue crying out loud. He could only sob silently in his heart.
He was afraid Chen Ming would hit him. He was truly terrified of Chen Ming hitting him.
After all, he was now nothing more than a cripple. Forget a Spirit Grand Master or Spirit Elder—any ordinary person holding a weapon could easily take his life. Even without any external tools, any normal Spirit Master had the ability to pin him to the ground and beat him to death.
Looking at Yu Xiaogang's wronged expression, Flender did not know what to say. After all, he and Yu Xiaogang really were good brothers. Their relationship was not built on using each other.
Even if Yu Xiaogang was useless, Flender did not want to hurt his brother any further.
"Xiaogang, I'll find you a room first. Hide there and rest for a while. Once that Grandmaster leaves, we'll talk again, all right?"
"I…"
There was a depressed look between Yu Xiaogang's brows.
But he had no other choice. He could not keep arguing, so he only nodded and accepted Flender's words.
Only then did Flender notice Tang San standing closely behind Yu Xiaogang.
"Xiaogang, who is this?" Flender looked at Tang San.
For some reason, Tang San seemed plain and forgettable, like wild grass by the roadside. Yet there was also a gloomy feeling between his brows, like a poisonous snake hiding in the grass, waiting for the chance to bite a passerby.
"This is my disciple, Little San. His Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass. I want him to study at your Shrek Academy for a while…"
"Flender, I'm begging you. For the sake of our brotherhood, don't tell anyone that I'm hiding in Shrek. And don't reveal anything about Little San either, all right?"
Yu Xiaogang did not dare say how he had escaped from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan.
He did not dare say that when he escaped, the clan and Tang Hao had fought, and that there had even been deaths and injuries.
He only begged Flender not to reveal their news.
He was truly afraid that after Flender learned about it, he would sell him out.
If he were sent back to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan, the people there might cut him to pieces.
"Since that's your request, then fine."
Flender sighed.
Then he turned to Tang San.
"Little San, can I call you that? What is your current cultivation, and how old are you?"
"I'm twelve this year. Level 29 Spirit Grand Master. Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass."
When Tang San had been in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan, he had still been Level 28.
But while traveling, he had broken through another level and reached Level 29.
"Twelve years old, Level 29… with Blue Silver Grass as your Martial Soul? That really is incredible."
"For Blue Silver Grass to cultivate to this level, Little San, your innate Spirit Power should be as high as innate level seven or even level eight, right?"
"You were also born at a good time. You got to see a treasure like the Douluo Heart Method during the golden age of cultivation, something unseen in ten thousand years."
"Otherwise, under normal circumstances, how could someone cultivate to such a high level at twelve?"
While praising Tang San's talent, Flender could not help praising Chen Ming as well.
"I had innate full Spirit Power," Tang San said with a dark expression.
Originally, reaching level 29 at twelve years old was something only a top genius could do.
But because the whole world now had the Douluo Heart Method, everyone's cultivation speed had increased.
By comparison, Tang San's cultivation speed now seemed slow.
The one thing that had once made him special now looked rather ordinary.
Tang San's innate full Spirit Power had been fake to begin with. He had reached it through cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
And the cultivation speed of the Mysterious Heaven Skill was definitely much slower than the public continent-wide version of the Douluo Heart Method Chen Ming had released.
Because of this difference, Tang San had always felt a dull anger inside him.
No matter what, Tang San would never cultivate the Douluo Heart Method and lower his own cultivation speed.
But at the same time, he had no way to raise the speed of his Mysterious Heaven Skill either.
He carried a nameless anger toward Chen Ming.
After all, in his view, if Chen Ming had not spread something like the Douluo Heart Method across the whole Douluo Continent, his current position would not have become so awkward.
"…"
Flender was silent for a moment.
Logically speaking, compared to a normal meditation method, the Douluo Heart Method could raise cultivation speed by about 1.4 to 1.5 times.
A Spirit Master with innate full Spirit Power should at least be around level 32 or 33 at twelve years old.
Maybe even level 34.
But considering that this was Blue Silver Grass, and Blue Silver Grass was a useless Martial Soul that normally could not cultivate at all, Flender felt it made sense.
After all, Blue Silver Grass was widely known as a useless Martial Soul.
Tang San having innate full Spirit Power did not mean his cultivation speed would really be on the same level as a true innate full Spirit Power genius.
"Innate full Spirit Power is still very good. Your future achievements should be quite high. You might even become a Titled Douluo."
Flender gave a polite but awkward reply.
"Little San, if you want to join Shrek, then you can enter with the other students now. You can take the assessment together with them. Once you pass, you'll become an official student of Shrek."
"All right, Dean. But I want to disguise my appearance a little. Otherwise, if someone recognizes me, it may put Teacher in danger."
...
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