Flander never expected that not only could he not defeat Nangong Lingyun, but even as an agility-type soul master, he couldn't outrun him — his specialty!
His last sliver of hope for survival was completely extinguished. His heart sank into utter despair.
A bitter taste filled his mouth as waves of regret flooded his mind.
Especially when he heard the other party say:
"This time it's not a sneak attack, right?"
That line alone made him want to laugh at himself. He had been so foolish — trying to gain the upper hand in a verbal sparring match against someone with such overwhelming power, using psychological tricks to manipulate and control him.
In the past, no matter how indignant a student felt, the seven brilliant soul rings glowing on a teacher's body were enough to make them lower their heads in defeat.
But could a monstrous existence like Nangong Lingyun be suppressed the same way?
Flander felt a mix of emotions.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger didn't care how terrified he was.
Upon hearing that line, it raised its head proudly and announced in a booming voice:
"Heard of Beast Martial Souls? They're a special kind of Martial Soul that contracts soul beasts to serve their master or fight alongside them.
My name is Nangong Xiaotian, species: Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, cultivation: sixty-two thousand years.
I'm the boss's third contracted beast. You can think of his third soul skill as summoning me.
Oh, and don't be fooled by my fierce looks — I'm super gentle, really!"
Its booming voice echoed through half of Soto City.
Looking down at the stunned soul masters below, the tiger felt secretly smug.
As long as these humans understood that he was a tamed soul beast under a soul master's control, not a wild beast rampaging into the city, they wouldn't panic.
And that meant his master would probably let him out to play more often, right?
Hehe, plan successful. I, Tiger Bro, am really smart.
This whole speech left countless people utterly dumbfounded.
Few had ever seen a Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, but as one of the most powerful and terrifying divine beasts — listed in the Spirit Hall's Soul Beast Compendium — its name was definitely not unfamiliar.
Among them, Bing Qing Yujie was especially shocked, her expression filled with disbelief.
In the entire soul master world, no one knew the Soul Beast Compendium better than her teacher, Yu Xiaogang.
According to Gangzi's research, this creature was so powerful that it was impossible for it to become a human's Martial Soul.
While shocked, she also felt a bit speechless.
Dark Demon Evil God Tiger? Gentle?
As a top predator, putting those two words together was clearly a joke.
Flander, while clueless about what the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger represented, couldn't ignore the fact that others were making a big deal out of it.
Several people began passionately explaining to others how rare and powerful this soul beast was, their enthusiasm off the charts.
As one incredible descriptor after another reached his ears, and with that overwhelming pressure pressing down on him, his heart sank even further. Any shred of hope vanished.
A few seconds later, Flander canceled his Martial Soul avatar, leaving only his wings as he slowly descended back to the ground.
With a thud, he knelt down, face ashen, and said:
"I'm sorry. I was wrong.
But I really wasn't trying to kill you just now. I struck first only to teach you a small lesson — to pressure you into joining the academy.
No teacher would want to miss out on a student like you, and no one could have expected a twelve-year-old to be this powerful.
Also, Shrek Academy has never deliberately harmed any commoner geniuses. We're not some lapdogs doing dirty work for the Three Upper Sects or the Spirit Hall.
At least I never actively did anything like that. As for those students who died… maybe they were just unlucky.
Believe it or not, this is the truth."
The massive avatar behind him suddenly shattered.
Nangong Lingyun leapt gently down, landing in front of Flander.
His expression didn't change in the slightest. Even his clothes were neat and tidy, clearly showing he hadn't exerted himself much.
He chuckled and said:
"You really are stubborn. Fine, let's say for argument's sake that it wasn't intentional.
But sixty-two students with at least innate level eight soul power and rare Martial Souls — and you got forty-eight of them killed? The rest had their potential severely damaged.
Shrek's entry requirement is level twenty-five at age twelve. Graduation requires level forty.
With that kind of talent and training window, they should've reached top-tier strength between eighteen and twenty.
Instead, their golden years were wasted in a shabby village with no resources — they couldn't even eat properly.
Worse, you encouraged them to bully the weak, stir up trouble, gamble…
After all that, do you still think your death would be unjustified?
Whether Shrek is stupid or evil, today's outcome is well-deserved for everything you've done."
From Nangong Lingyun's right hand, a jagged, purple-gold thunder sword appeared — arcs of destructive lightning dancing along its edge, radiating a terrifying sense of danger.
He hadn't originally planned to destroy Shrek Academy so quickly.
After all, it was a prime source of satisfaction. Destroying it now would be like killing the golden goose.
Besides, it was the perfect place for his three disciples to join and enjoy themselves.
Otherwise, he could've just gone berserk last night. Why put on the whole "evaluation" act?
But he never expected:
Flander would be dumb enough to try and force him into Shrek with strength, and even attempt some moral UFO... NBA— no, PUA manipulation on him.
That pushed him to the edge.
Joining? No way in hell. He was the dignified headmaster of Kaiyuan Academy, and you expect him to go study at another school?
What a joke.
And to join, he'd have to get beaten up and brainwashed first?
But resisting would mean going all out, and once he did that, how could he keep up the pretense of "evaluating" the place to scam Xiao San and the gang?
Forget it. What's done is done.
That external soul bone and Man-Faced Demon Spider soul ring? He could get them without relying on Shrek.
After figuring this out, Nangong Lingyun suddenly asked curiously:
"One last question. Who exactly are you working for? The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan? Or… the reclusive Clear Sky Hammer?"
His suspicion about Shrek's ties to the upper three clans wasn't made up.
Yu Xiaogang was from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan, Tang San was the son of Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo, and in the original story, Ning Rongrong joined Shrek due to her father Ning Fengzhi's manipulation.
Out of the five teachers, four were fugitives wanted by the two empires or the Spirit Hall. They even dared to shelter a runaway prince from Star Luo Empire, who was involved in royal power struggles and still remained safe.
To say they had no backing was to treat people like fools.
Before transmigrating, Nangong Lingyun had only sketched out a rough outline. Characters like Yu Xiaogang, Shrek, and Asura God were all set to have darker versions.
But as for what was really going on?
Even he wasn't quite sure.
....
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