By the time Li Chang'an returned to Shrek Academy, it was already late at night. However, this time Ning Rongrong didn't seek out Tang San to buy hidden weapons. With the steady progress of the Spirit Hall Research Institute, some low-level offensive soul tools had already entered the market. While the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan wasn't exactly fond of Spirit Hall, they certainly knew how to make the smart choice.
As soon as Li Chang'an stepped into Shrek Academy, his spiritual sense detected a new and unfamiliar presence—someone currently sitting in Flender's office. The aura wasn't particularly strong.
It was a middle-aged man, not especially good-looking, with short-cropped hair and eyes that carried a glimmer of intelligence. However, the man's dispirited demeanor was impossible to ignore.
'This must be Yu Xiaogang.'
'Not much to look at. How did teacher ever fall for this scumbag?'
Just then, his system chimed in his mind:
[Ding! Long-term mission issued: "Bring Ruin to Yu Xiaogang.
Mission Objective: Within five years, completely ruin the reputation of Yu Xiaogang. Ensure he is cast out by all, betrayed by friends, and broken in spirit.
Mission Reward: One God-bestowed 1,000,000-year Soul Ring!]
Li Chang'an: ...…
Well, not that he was going out of his way just to screw over Yu Xiaogang—he was mainly doing it for that god-tier million-year soul ring.
Still, this mission was going to be quite the challenge. Yu Xiaogang's theories and connections weren't insignificant. And to bring him down, it wasn't enough to humiliate him—he had to become a pariah, abandoned by everyone.
That meant he'd need to turn Liu Erlong, Flender, and even his teacher against Yu Xiaogang. And more importantly, he'd have to utterly demolish Yu Xiaogang's so-called "theories."
Li Chang'an had always admired Flender. After all, the poor old bachelor had a tough life. But as for Flender's "friend," Yu Xiaogang—he really didn't care for the man.
'Maybe one day, I can help Flender and Liu Erlong get together. With Yu Xiaogang's downfall, those two would make a decent pair.'
That night held another surprise. When Li Chang'an escorted Xiao Wu back to the dorms, Ning Rongrong actually took the initiative to greet him. That left him a bit confused.
What was that about?
Through his spiritual sense, Li Chang'an noticed Yu Xiaogang had already sought out Tang San. Besides advising him on cultivating the Eight Spider Lances, he'd also inquired about Li Chang'an.
When he learned that Li Chang'an was a twin martial soul user and already possessed five spirit rings, Yu Xiaogang was visibly stunned and bewildered.
After a long pause, he tried to brush it off, saying Li Chang'an was an exception with a mysterious background, and advised Tang San not to overthink it—or to reveal the secret of his own twin spirits.
But internally, Yu Xiaogang was shaken. Tang San's twin spirits were supposed to be his greatest edge. And yet now—aside from Bibi Dong and that hidden Holy Son—here was Li Chang'an as well. That made four known twin spirit users in the entire Douluo Continent!
After quietly monitoring the situation for a bit, Li Chang'an drifted off into a deep sleep. He'd spent a long time "battling" with Xiao Wu in the Star Dou Forest. Even with his strong waist, he was exhausted.
After all, Xiao Wu had the physique of a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast. Far more durable than any human girl. Once they both got going, Li Chang'an had spent the whole afternoon operating like a turbo-charged engine. His waist definitely needed a break...
'Still, it's about time i leveled up again. Only with advancement can the Pangu Axe continue to refine my body. I need to be stronger.'
---
The next morning at breakfast, Li Chang'an naturally ran into Tang San and Yu Xiaogang in the dining hall. Zhu Zhuqing, Dai Mubai, and Ning Rongrong were also there.
Yu Xiaogang frowned as he saw the meal Tang San had gotten for him.
Shrek Academy wasn't exactly rich, and the breakfast was correspondingly plain: steamed buns, pickled vegetables, rice porridge, and one boiled egg per person.
"This is what Flender's feeding you?" Yu Xiaogang's stiff expression darkened.
Tang San responded, "It's already pretty good. The buns are filling—way better than what I had growing up."
"Nonsense!" Yu Xiaogang slammed his bun down, irritation rising.
He'd always had a stubborn temper. "You kids are in your prime growth stage. Your bodies are the foundation of your martial souls. Without strong bodies, how are you supposed to withstand intensive training? This breakfast might be fine for me or Flender at our age, but for you lot—it's nowhere near enough."
Surprisingly, Li Chang'an agreed with Yu Xiaogang on this point. He'd been meaning to find an excuse to improve Shrek Academy's meals anyway. After all, Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu still had a lot of growing to do. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity.
As Yu Xiaogang continued venting, Flender's lazy voice came from outside:
"Oh, come on, Xiaogang. That's easy for you to say from the sidelines."
"You say they're growing, sure—but do you have any idea how much food they'd need? Sure, you can buy gourmet meals in Suotuo City, but how exactly is our broke-ass academy supposed to afford them? Unless you're sponsoring, I've got nothing to say."
With that, Flender strolled in from outside.
Upon seeing Li Chang'an, he nodded in greeting before motioning toward Yu Xiaogang.
"Come here, this is the new teacher I mentioned—Li Changsheng."
"Changsheng, this is my old friend—renowned in the Spirit master world as 'The Grandmaster.' A martial soul theorist par excellence!"
"Pleasure to meet you, Grandmaster. I've heard much about you," Li Chang'an said with a polite smile—but offered no bow or handshake.
Yu Xiaogang studied the strikingly handsome young man before him, noting the confidence in his bearing. He had assumed Li Chang'an was just another talented youth with twin martial souls, but now realized the young man's composure and demeanor were truly impressive.
"Hello. You flatter me. I'm just a theorist," Yu Xiaogang replied stiffly. "But I have done some research on twin spirits. Perhaps we can exchange insights sometime?"
He fully expected Li Chang'an to leap at the opportunity. After all, twin martial soul users were rare, and few could offer guidance.
To his surprise, Li Chang'an shook his head with a serious expression. "Apologies, Grandmaster. The secrets of my twin spirits are family matters. I have my own instructors. I'm afraid it wouldn't be appropriate to discuss them with outsiders."
That response immediately cast a chill over the room. No one spoke up in Yu Xiaogang's defense—not even Flender. Twin spirits were a personal matter, after all. No one could really argue with Li Chang'an's reasoning.
Off to the side, Tang San was taken aback. For some reason, his instincts picked up a faint hostility in Li Chang'an's words—something directed at his teacher.
But this is their first meeting. Why would there be hostility?
Then again, as a Tang Sect disciple, Tang San had always trusted his gut. This wasn't just imagination. But he couldn't figure out the reason yet.
Li Chang'an, having shut down Yu Xiaogang, turned to the others and continued:
"As for the academy's food issue, I'd be happy to provide some support. The Hong chamber of commerce in Suotuo City is currently managed by someone who works under my aunt. I can have them sponsor our meal supplies."
"Of course, the Hong chamber of commerce may expect something in return—but I'll do my best to negotiate."
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