Soul Land: I Am the True Grandmaster

Chapter 204: Unintended Consequences

Compared to Yu Xiaogang, who enjoyed basking in the sunlight and the light element, Flender's Cat Eagle martial soul made him more partial to dim, shadowy environments. Now, in Flender's shabby little shop, one half of the "Golden Duo" was also indulging in idleness. With a decent amount of gold soul coins saved for retirement, Flender no longer had any big aspirations of wealth after all, one of his legs had been broken while chasing that dream. Life didn't always go as planned, and tragedies often struck without warning, making Flender more reserved and introspective over time.

Just as he was enjoying a jug of tea made from a few measly copper soul coins, the door to his infamous little shop creaked open.

"An unexpected guest! Xiaogang, what brings you to town at this hour?"

Yu Xiaogang slumped into the seat across from Flender, visibly dispirited. Staying at Shrek Academy had been unsettling, with the constant sensation that Tang Hao was watching him from the shadows. Unable to shake the feeling, he'd opted to come into town to see Flender instead.

Noticing Yu Xiaogang's hesitation, Flender asked,

"What's on your mind?"

Since they both knew about Tang Hao's presence, Yu Xiaogang spoke openly.

"Flender, staying at Shrek has become untenable."

Flender's brow furrowed. Shrek may not have been famous or produced many great talents, but it was a project he'd painstakingly built after his injury.

"Explain what's going on."

After a brief pause, Yu Xiaogang continued,

"Tang Hao just paid me a visit."

Cough! Spit! Flender nearly choked on his tea.

"What does he want?"

"He thinks our training is too slow and wants me to enroll Tang San in an advanced soul master academy. But considering Tang San's true identity, I doubt he'd leave without ensuring the rest of us wouldn't be a threat to him. That's why I came to discuss moving everyone together."

Flender was momentarily silent but also felt touched. Clearly, Yu Xiaogang saw him as more than just a fellow soul master; he was genuinely concerned for him. Tang Hao's reputation for being ruthless was no secret, though it was rarely mentioned publicly in the soul master world, out of fear of his strength as a Titled Douluo.

After a moment of thought, Flender sighed.

"Alright, let's go. It seems this little place won't do any longer. We'll have to hide out in a big city. My poor savings!" he lamented.

True to his miserly nature, Flender's expression made Yu Xiaogang chuckle despite himself. Then Flender asked Yu Xiaogang what his plans were and where they would go. This was indeed a problem. Nearly every province had its own advanced soul master academy, but excluding those with incompatible elements or inadequate strength, only Plant Academy and the two royal academies were options.

The two royal academies had the most resources and the highest quality mimicking environments. Xingluo Royal Academy was out of the question, though the risk of problems arising from Dai Mubai's royal lineage and Tang San's affiliation with the HaoTian Sect was too high. That left Tian Dou Royal Academy as their best option. Though officially only noble students were admitted, exceptionally talented civilian soul masters were occasionally accepted.

Yu Xiaogang felt reassured as he touched the Elder's Token from Spirit Hall in his Twenty Four Moonlit Bridges pouch. This token gave him confidence that Tian Dou Royal Academy wouldn't turn them away. Still, a flicker of jealousy crossed his heart while both he and Tang Hao were sons of the three upper sects' leaders, he had never even laid a finger on an Elder's Token.

When they returned to Shrek, the group began packing for the move. Although the younger members didn't understand why they were suddenly transferring to an advanced academy, they were excited at the prospect of meeting new people and weren't exactly thrilled about staying indefinitely in rural Shrek.

Flender, however, was the most dismayed, knowing that the cost of living in Tian Dou City was the highest in the empire. His precious savings of over ten thousand gold soul coins would soon be dwindling. But his life was more important than his wallet, so he accepted it reluctantly, muttering to himself in frustration.

Unlike in the original story, the Shrek group didn't rush directly to Tian Dou Royal Academy but instead took a short break in Tian Dou City before heading there. After all, there was no reason to hurry.

Shao Tiantian, unaccustomed to big cities, gasped in awe when she saw the enormous grounds of Tian Dou Royal Academy, which seemed to encompass an entire mountain.

"This whole area is Tian Dou Royal Academy? No way!"

Yu Xiaogang, who had a soft spot for the cute food type soul master, smiled.

"No need to be so surprised. It's the empire's top academy; it's not unusual for them to own a mountain for their campus."

Despite the Shrek team's best efforts to look presentable, their clothes were clearly inferior to those of nobility. As expected, they were stopped at the gate.

"Halt! This is Tian Dou Royal Academy. No entry for non students or non staff without an invitation," the guard said.

Seeing that even the gate guard was a Soul Elder left the Shrek group astounded, but Yu Xiaogang was accustomed to it.

"Could you inform the board that the Golden Duo is here? I doubt the three Deans would refuse to see us," he said confidently.

The guard, as a soul master himself, had heard of the Golden Duo, though he didn't know the details. After a moment's consideration, he responded,

"Please wait here."

In Tian Dou City, even a random falling brick could hit a noble, so he wasn't about to take any risks. Yu Xiaogang had considered revealing his status as the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's heir but thought it best to remain subtle, hoping to avoid future retribution.

Taking Tang San as his disciple was the biggest mistake of his life, a greater regret than getting stuck at level 29.

After a while, a middle aged man in well fitted academy attire appeared. His gaze briefly swept over Flender's leg before lingering on Yu Xiaogang.

"I am Sun Buyu, Director of Education at Tian Dou Royal Academy. May I ask why you've come?"

The Director of Education? Though it wasn't one of the Deans, it wasn't an outright snub either. Yu Xiaogang stepped forward,

"Greetings, Director Sun. I'd like to request admission for these young men and women. Would that be possible?"

Sun Buyu raised an eyebrow. The enrollment period had long since passed.

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