After listening to Tang San's almost psychologically twisted remarks, Flender's chest heaved violently. A moment later, he could no longer suppress the indignation in his heart and said in a deep voice:
"Little San! You... how could you suddenly become so unreasonable?!"
"The strong prey on the weak? Yes! This is indeed one of the Laws of the Douluo Continent, but Law does not mean no bottom line! We Soul Masters hunt Soul Beasts to obtain spirit rings for survival, to improve our strength, to establish ourselves in the Human World, to fight against evil, and to protect what is worth protecting! This is a balance built on necessity, a rule that has been passed down in the Spirit Master's world for countless years!"
"But look at what you are doing now?!"
As he spoke, Flender pointed to the carcasses of the surrounding Soul Beasts, his voice rising.
"This is not for survival and necessary improvement; this is torture! This is wanton killing! This is a meaningless slaughter for the extremely slim chance of a Soul Bone! This is not the behavior a Soul Master should have, but the actions of a degenerate, an evil Soul Master."
"Yes, other people's futures may not directly concern us, but this World is not just our Shrek Academy! A delicate balance is maintained between Soul Masters and Soul Beasts. If this balance is completely broken by your selfishness, the consequences will be the collapse of the entire World!"
"At that time, the Douluo Legacy will be cut off, resources will be exhausted, and turmoil will rise everywhere. Even if our Shrek is strong for a while, can we remain aloof? How long can we truly stand? As the saying goes, 'If the skin does not exist, where will the hair attach itself?' Don't you understand such a simple truth?"
At the end of his speech, he suddenly flicked his sleeve and turned his back, no longer looking at the bloody slaughterhouse and the unfamiliar Tang San. His tone was cold and firm:
"Tang San, if you insist on continuing to slaughter the Soul Beasts in the Sunset Forest for their bones, I, Flender, and the Shrek Academy I represent, will no longer provide you with any help, nor will we help you capture even one Soul Beast! You are on your own!"
Although Flender was greedy for money, as a Soul Master, he still had the most basic professional cultivation. Tang San's current behavior of 'killing the goose that lays the golden eggs' disgusted him!
At this moment, Tang San's Face showed no sign of remorse. Instead, a cold smile mixed with sarcasm and arrogance appeared as he retorted:
"Bottom line? Heh heh... how truly childishly laughable."
As he spoke, he took a step forward, his gaze sweeping over the corpses of the Soul Beasts, as if admiring his masterpiece.
"You say this is torture, wanton killing? In my opinion, this is just making the best use of things!"
"These beasts are born as resources for us Soul Masters, stepping stones for Cultivate! The meaning of their existence is to make us Soul Masters stronger! What's wrong with me using them to improve my own strength? Do I have to be like you, hypocritically taking only the spirit ring and leaving the complete corpse, to be considered benevolent? Hypocrisy!"
"The so-called balance, Legacy? That's just an excuse made up by the weak to comfort themselves! A true strong person should seize all available resources and step on bones to reach the Peak! History is written by the victors. As long as I am strong enough, what I say is the rule, and what I decide is right or wrong! At that time, who would dare say that what I did today was wrong? They will only look up at the glory of Shrek; who would care how many ants were crushed underfoot?"
Turning his gaze to Flender, Tang San said with undisguised contempt.
"You say I am no different from an evil Soul Master? Headmaster Flender, you are too pedantic! Power is power; how can there be a distinction between Righteous Path and evil? Is it righteous when used right? Is it evil when used wrong? This is just the self-imposed restraint of the incompetent! As long as the goal can be achieved, do the means matter? As long as Shrek can stand above all other forces, even if some extraordinary means are used, that is called a hero, not an evil!"
After listening to Tang San's sophistry, Flender felt a surge of anger rush to his head, so much so that his Soul Power fluctuated unsteadily.
If not... if not for this kid being Tang Hao's son...
Just based on his inhumane remarks, which were no different from an evil Soul Master, Flender truly wanted to slap him to death right here, to eliminate a potential scourge for the Douluo Continent!
Just as the tense atmosphere was about to reach its Peak.
Master and Liu Erlong, seeing the situation, immediately stepped forward to stand between the two.
"Little San! Stop talking!"
Master grabbed Tang San's arm and shouted in a deep voice.
On the other side, Liu Erlong held Flender's arm and softly consoled him:
"Boss Flender, calm down, calm down! Little San... he might just be too eager to improve his strength and is momentarily stuck in a rut. Why argue with a child? Don't get yourself sick." As she spoke, she gently patted Flender's back, helping him calm down.
Under the persuasion of the two, Tang San snorted coldly and turned his head away. Although he did not speak rudely again, he clearly had no intention of apologizing.
Flender looked at his demeanor, his anger and disappointment intertwined, but ultimately, for the sake of Master and Liu Erlong's Face, he forcibly suppressed the urge to strike.
Seeing that the situation was temporarily stabilized, Master sighed helplessly, turned to Flender, and said with a hint of weariness and complexity:
"Flender, Little San still needs some time to attach a spirit ring to his Clear Sky Hammer. Why don't you... if you have nothing else to do, go back to the Academy first. Erlong and I can watch over him here; we won't let him do anything too outrageous again."
His words seemed to be for Flender's sake, to prevent him from getting angrier.
In reality, he also didn't want Flender to continue witnessing Tang San's almost evil Soul Master-like behavior, to avoid further escalation of the conflict between them.
Upon hearing this, Flender looked deeply at Master, then glanced at the indifferent Tang San, a sense of powerlessness and sorrow welling up in his heart.
He knew that Master had ultimately chosen to stand by his Disciple.
Even if his Disciple's current behavior had deviated from the Righteous Path.
"Hmph!" Flender ultimately said nothing, only letting out a displeased cold snort. He no longer looked at anyone, his Soul Power circulated, and a powerful Soul Power fluctuation instantly erupted.
The next moment, a pair of huge, metallic-glowing phantom wings of an owl spread behind him. Accompanied by a clear eagle cry, his figure shot into the sky, transforming into a streak of light, and flew directly away from this suffocating and disappointing Sunset Forest without looking back.
As Flender's departing figure just disappeared into the distant horizon, the suffocatingly heavy atmosphere in the forest did not seem to lessen; instead, it became even more delicate due to his departure.
When Liu Erlong saw Flender leave, the gentleness on her Face from mediating instantly vanished.
Her gaze turned to Tang San. Not only did she not show any dissatisfaction or doubt due to his previous remarks, but she also displayed an almost indulgent straightforwardness.
Following that, Liu Erlong took a few steps to the side and effortlessly picked up a Soul Beast that had already been beaten to the brink of death with one hand, as if she were carrying an ordinary piece of luggage.
With a dull thud, a robust giant ape, its fur like burning flames, was thrown in front of Tang San. This Soul Beast, though its aura was weak, still had residual violent fire-attribute energy that was scorching. It was a Ten-Thousand-Year Blazing Fire Ape.
"Little San, this Ten-Thousand-Year Blazing Fire Ape is one that Xiaogang specifically asked me to catch for you; it took a bit of effort. He said that this Soul Beast's fire attribute is fierce and explosive, perfect for attaching a spirit ring to your Clear Sky Hammer, greatly enhancing its fire attribute burst power. Don't delay, kill it quickly and absorb the spirit ring!" Liu Erlong clapped her hands, her tone brisk and decisive.
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