Chapter 44: A Way Out for Xiao Wu
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Lin Yang stepped into the shop. Before he could even speak, Flender's lazy voice rang out.
"Take whatever you fancy, no bargaining."
Lin Yang looked around. The shop wasn't large and didn't have much stock, but everything inside emitted faint fluctuations of Soul Power; they were undoubtedly Spirit Tools.
Acting like an ordinary customer, Lin Yang browsed for a while before finally spotting a mottled, head-sized crystal on a counter in the corner.
"How much for this?"
Without showing any particular interest, Lin Yang pointed at the Plate Crystal and asked casually.
Flender didn't even open his eyes as he replied offhandedly, "Not expensive, two hundred gold coins!"
Good grief, he really adjusts his prices based on the customer!
When Tang San came, it started at a hundred gold coins, but for him, it was two hundred.
What, did I steal your rice or something?
Lin Yang complained internally, but on the surface, he hesitated for a good while before slowly nodding.
"Fine, I'll buy it!"
Two hundred gold coins were nothing to him.
Just as Lin Yang was about to pull out the money, Flender predictably changed his tune again.
"Now I'm selling it for five hundred gold coins."
Lin Yang's movements stiffened. Although he had expected this, he couldn't help but curse Flender as a "profiteer" in his heart.
With the way you do business, it's a miracle this crappy shop hasn't closed down yet.
"Boss, this is getting boring," Lin Yang said with a flat expression, stopping his motion to reach for the money.
"I only have two hundred gold coins. If you're willing to part with it, I'll leave the coins. If not, then I have nothing more to say."
He threw the problem back at him.
At this point, Flender slightly opened his eyelids, a sharp glint flashing behind his black-rimmed crystal glasses.
"I find it hard to believe that the 'Blade Demon' who is making such a splash at the Great Soul Fighting Arena would only have a mere two hundred gold coins on him."
Hearing this, Lin Yang's heart jolted. Was his disguise seen through?
No, that's not right!
He had changed his physique and facial features; there was no way anyone could link him to the "Blade Demon."
Then, Lin Yang seemed to realize something, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
It must be that his cultivation level was exposed.
Flender should be a seven-ring Soul Saint right now; he could sense his Soul Power cultivation.
But his level of cultivation was quite common in Soto City, so he was certain Flender was bluffing.
Lin Yang's face remained expressionless as he asked with a hint of confusion,
"Boss, I've heard of the Blade Demon, but I'm really not him. Have you mistaken me for someone else?"
Hmm?
Flender's expression shifted. He carefully sized up Lin Yang, and seeing that his expression hadn't changed much, he couldn't help but mutter to himself.
Could his eyes have truly deceived him?
Thinking of this, Flender felt a wave of regret.
He had gone to watch the spirit fights of Blade Demon and Charming Rabbit before, and he was certain that neither of them was over twelve years old.
Especially Charming Rabbit; she might be even younger.
Based on their performances, they were simply monsters among monsters.
They perfectly matched Shrek Academy's philosophy of only recruiting "monsters."
But those two little brats were as slippery as loaches.
Not only was their identity information completely fake, he even suspected that their appearances were disguised.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be the case that he couldn't find a single trace of them once they left the Great Soul Fighting Arena.
The permanent population of Soto City was two to three million, and the daily floating population was even more staggering.
Trying to find two people among so many was like searching for a needle in a haystack; even a Soul Saint couldn't do it.
Watching two "unpolished gems" wander before his eyes without being able to take them, it was obviously impossible for Flender not to feel frustrated.
Flender felt somewhat dispirited and asked casually,
"You don't look very old, and your Soul Power level isn't low either. Are you interested in joining our Shrek Academy?"
"Shrek Academy..."
Lin Yang muttered the name, and as if remembering something, he suddenly looked "enlightened."
"The monster academy Teacher Qin graduated from? Could it be that you are the Dean of Shrek Academy—Senior Flender?"
Now it was Flender's turn to be surprised.
"You've heard of me?"
Lin Yang bowed slightly: "This junior is a Heaven-level student of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. I've occasionally heard Teacher Qin mention Shrek Academy before, so I have some impression of it."
When away from home, one's identity is whatever one claims it to be.
It wasn't like Flender would actually make a trip to Heaven Dou City to check.
"The Teacher Qin you're talking about is Qin Ming, right?"
His interest piqued, the laziness on Flender's face faded slightly.
"How is he doing in Heaven Dou now?"
Lin Yang thought for a few seconds before saying,
"Teacher Qin is highly valued at the school. I heard the Dean is having him form a team for the next 'Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament'."
Hearing this, the corners of Flender's mouth curled up slightly.
"That kid... he's really made something of himself."
These words weren't entirely made up; they were inferences Lin Yang made based on future events.
Even if they weren't entirely correct, they were pretty close.
Most importantly, there was no way to verify this.
However, Flender's gaze soon shifted back to Lin Yang.
"With your cultivation, you should be signing up as well."
"Senior must be joking. My meager cultivation is still a bit lacking."
Flender clicked his tongue. Had he been secluded in Soto City for so many years that his information had become this outdated?
A talent of this caliber didn't even have the qualifications to be selected for the team?
Or was it that the current Heaven Dou Royal Academy was so overflowing with geniuses that it had become this formidable?
But he didn't say much more, and he also completely abandoned the idea of recruiting Lin Yang to Shrek.
How could a teacher poach from his own student's school?
Flender lay back comfortably in his reclining chair once more and waved his hand dismissively.
"Since you are Qin Ming's student, two hundred gold coins. Take that stone and go."
Lin Yang was delighted and quickly said,
"Thank you, Senior."
With that, he directly left the gold coins, put the Plate Crystal into his Spirit Tool bracelet, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, he knew a lot of information, which allowed him to bluff his way through.
Otherwise, he would likely have had to pay a heavy price to get this Plate Crystal.
After leaving the shop, Lin Yang took a deep look behind him before turning to leave.
Although he looked down on Shrek Academy's teaching philosophy, he didn't want to pointlessly offend a Soul Saint.
Moreover, Shrek Academy was a "way out" he had already planned long ago.
This way out wasn't for himself, but for Xiao Wu.
If Xiao Wu still couldn't master the Transparent World by the time he reached Rank 30, he would arrange for her to join Shrek Academy.
He wasn't abandoning Xiao Wu; it was the optimal choice based on rational analysis.
He couldn't stay in this place forever.
To increase his cultivation in the shortest time possible, the Immortal Herbs were an opportunity he couldn't bypass.
And to get the Immortal Herbs, he had to establish a connection with Dugu Bo.
Of course, he could rely on the immortality of the Demon God Body to force his way through Dugu Bo's poison formation, but that would undoubtedly completely offend a Titled Douluo to death.
In the end, it might even result in a wasted effort.
Such an approach was undoubtedly the worst of the worst.
After all, he didn't have a Titled Douluo for a father to protect him at all times.
So, if he could choose to build a good relationship, why choose hostility?
The prerequisite was that the two of them didn't have a massive conflict of interest.
And Xiao Wu was the key point where conflict could arise; facing a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring and Soul Bone, few people could restrain themselves.
Therefore, before he had absolute certainty, he wouldn't gamble on an uncertain possibility.
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