At this moment, Ye Wen was somewhat tempted by Flender's offer to join him.
Though Flender was indeed a failure as a teacher, it couldn't be denied that reaching the threshold of Soul Douluo at his age—fifty or sixty years old—placed him among the top tier of soul masters, second only to those born with Level 9 innate soul power or higher. With Ye Wen's resources and support, it wasn't impossible for Flender to break through to Title Douluo in the coming decades and experience a second spring in life.
As for Ma Hongjun, he was also a promising candidate. If he could overcome the personality-altering effects of the Dark Phoenix martial soul, he too had the potential to become a Title Douluo.
However, in the end, Ye Wen gently shook his head, much to Flender's disappointment.
If it weren't for Tang San's presence—an anomaly—Ye Wen would have been happy to invest ten years in cultivating a Title Douluo and another genius with the potential to achieve the same.
But Ye Wen remembered clearly: after this tournament, Tang San's cultivation would skyrocket. Within the next decade, Tang San would ascend to dual godhood and turn this world upside down.
Yes, though Ye Wen's interference might have caused some fluctuations in Tang San's future, based on his deductions, Tang San was likely backed by the Asura God, and he was being groomed as the next puppet god-king, much like how Tang San himself later cultivated Huo Yuhao as a puppet god.
Perhaps Tang San wouldn't achieve dual godhood in this timeline, but he would undoubtedly inherit the title of the Asura God. After all, the Tang family's three generations—Tang Chen, Tang Hao, and Tang San—were all favored by the Asura God.
Thus, time was of the essence. Ye Wen simply didn't have the luxury of nurturing other potential Title Douluos to assist him in the future.
Flender opened his mouth, his face numb with despair. Finally, he collapsed to the ground and said with a heavy heart:
"Your Holiness Pope, I, Flender, accept your judgment. But please, give this child Ma Hongjun a chance to redeem himself—he hasn't committed any evil yet."
Qian Renxue lowered her gaze. This was an opportunity to demonstrate the Spirit Hall's benevolence, so she calmly replied:
"That goes without saying. After all, I myself possess attributes that can easily lead one astray, so I cannot condone the killing of innocents.
"The reason I specifically kept him here was to ensure everyone present remembers this child. His potential is undeniable. Though his growth has been hindered by malicious influences, he is undoubtedly a genius capable of breaking through to Soul Douluo.
"However, after today's events, I fear this child may harbor resentment. After all, he was originally destined to reach Title Douluo. If normal methods fail to treat him and his mind becomes completely twisted in the future, leading him down a dark path, don't blame me for showing no mercy then."
After being struck down so many times, finally hearing some good news, Flender quickly bowed in gratitude.
But unseen by anyone, Flender's eyes were filled with hatred. He cursed himself for allowing Yu Xiaogang—a pest—to infiltrate his Shrek Academy. If he had just stayed peacefully in Suotuo City, how could his only direct disciple have ended up in such a fate?
Moreover, he had once envisioned gaining the title of a Title Douluo teacher in the future, but now everything was ruined, while Yu Xiaogang's disciples still roamed free!
At this moment, Flender deeply realized that all the misfortunes of his life seemed to stem from his association with Yu Xiaogang.
But Qian Renxue had no intention of letting Shrek off so easily. She delivered her final verdict:
"Well, now that we've summarized Shrek's crimes, Flender, do you have any objections to the evidence I presented earlier?"
Flender raised his head. Only now did he realize that though he had been wronged by Yu Xiaogang, he himself hadn't been blameless. He had done countless immoral deeds, even knowingly allowing Tang San—child of the Hao Tian Douluo—to enroll in Shrek. Wasn't that akin to courting death?
But upon further reflection, Flender realized that Tang San's enrollment had also been orchestrated by Yu Xiaogang.
After all, if it weren't for their brotherly bond, he should have expelled Tang San immediately upon discovering his identity. His peaceful life in Suotuo City hadn't been due to cowardice or mediocrity—it was because he always avoided trouble and picked on the weak.
With his cultivation as a Soul Sage, he could have dominated any local region. But because of Yu Xiaogang's meddling, he ended up in Tian Dou City and Spirit City, places teeming with Soul Douluos and Title Douluos.
How could a mere Soul Sage like him continue to act arrogantly in such environments?
But even that might have been tolerable. Yu Xiaogang's audacity to align himself with the killer of the Spirit Hall's former Pope—the Hao Tian Douluo—was reckless enough. Yet he had dragged Flender onto the same ship.
At this moment, Flender's lingering feelings of brotherhood toward Yu Xiaogang were utterly extinguished. With a blank expression, he looked up at Qian Renxue, who stood proudly in mid-air, and said:
"The sinner Flender has no objections. I, Flender, accept all punishments."
Though Flender was kneeling, in the eyes of everyone present, he was standing tall. Many looked at Flender with newfound respect. Though he wasn't suited to be a teacher, he still possessed the necessary backbone.
Qian Renxue nodded slightly and then pronounced her judgment:
"Sinner Flender, you founded Shrek Academy over twenty years ago. During this time, you have misled and harmed many students, causing injuries and even deaths. However, considering that both parties entered into these arrangements willingly, and soul master cultivation is inherently perilous, their deaths cannot be entirely blamed on you. But your student casualty rate remains far higher than that of all other advanced soul master academies. Therefore, I hereby revoke the name of Shrek Academy. From now on, you are forbidden from recruiting new students or teaching them cultivation. Do you accept this judgment?"
Flender had initially expected to lose his head or his cultivation. To his surprise, Bibi Dong's punishment was this lenient!?
Flender's expression froze for a moment before he clasped his hands and bowed deeply:
"The sinner Flender accepts his punishment."
Qian Renxue nodded in satisfaction. Killing a mere Soul Sage like Flender would have been effortless, but outright execution wouldn't maximize her gains. Drawing on her years of experience as Crown Prince, she chose to punish but not kill, further cementing the Spirit Hall's reputation for mercy.
Moreover, in Qian Renxue's view, though Tang San was the leader of the Shrek Seven Monsters, the true core figure of Shrek was Flender.
Excluding the "Shrek Three Beauties," who had already defected to Ye Wen's side, of the remaining four members of the Shrek Seven Monsters, Dai Mubai was already half-crippled. With his fiancée missing, he would soon become entirely useless in the upcoming battle for the throne, unable to provide any support to Tang San.
As for Oscar and Ma Hongjun, they were both talents personally discovered by Flender. Though they were somewhat unreliable, Flender held a high position in their hearts. Her judgment against Flender and her handling of them would undoubtedly drive them further away from Tang San, severing their loyalty to him.
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