"Dean Su Ran, can we discuss something?"
"What is it?"
"Um... that ten thousand Gold Spirit Coins and the academy's deed, can we not give them to you?"
"No." Su Ran refused directly.
"Your Taoyuan Academy has already won the match, and that girl even got a million Gold Spirit Coins. You're not short of this ten thousand right now. Can't you just be merciful and let it go? I really can't come up with ten thousand Gold Spirit Coins right now," Flender explained, scratching his head sheepishly.
"Flender, have you no backbone? Why are you begging him like this? Are you still trying to be stingy and save ten thousand Gold Spirit Coins at a time like this? We've earned a lot from the spirit fights this month. Just the reward from yesterday's match was ten thousand. Just give it to him. Don't let people look down on us," Yu Xiaogang said, standing with his hands behind his back. Although his expression was grim, he still had to maintain his dignity in front of everyone.
Flender threw his hands up in the air. "Xiaogang, it's really not that I'm being stingy this time. I truly can't produce ten thousand Gold Spirit Coins."
"This is actually your fault. You were the one who said that with Shrek and the Royal Battle Team joining forces, we had a seventy to eighty percent chance of winning. Yesterday, I heard that some girl bet a hundred thousand Gold Spirit Coins on Taoyuan Academy to win, bringing the odds to around 4:6. I thought I'd take our ten thousand and bet on ourselves. If we won, we could have made seven or eight thousand. I just didn't expect so many people to follow suit and bet on us, pushing the pool to over a million... and then we ended up losing the match..."
"Besides, our Shrek Academy doesn't even have a deed. That land isn't mine; I got it from the village."
"What?!" Hearing Flender's words, Yu Xiaogang completely exploded. "Flender, what can I even say to you! You were just being greedy! You're good for nothing but causing trouble! And now you're trying to push the blame onto me!"
"I'm washing my hands of this! You figure it out!" Yu Xiaogang angrily flicked his sleeves and turned his back, acting as if the matter had nothing to do with him.
"So, you're saying that, one, you can't produce the agreed-upon compensation, and two, you have no authority over the academy's land?" The immortal eyes under Su Ran's mask narrowed slightly.
"This ten thousand Gold Spirit Coins, and your Shrek Academy's campus land, I'm actually not that concerned about them."
"However, this battle for survival was initiated by your Shrek. Yu Xiaogang himself came to our Taoyuan Academy that day, issued a challenge, and provoked me. Now that my students have fought hard to win this battle, you can't even afford the most basic stakes. While I may not care much for these things, I'm not the type to swallow an insult and let my students suffer a loss."
Su Ran's tone grew colder. "If you cannot afford the ten thousand Gold Spirit Coins and the deed, my demand is very simple. You will pay with blood."
At that moment, peach blossoms seemed to materialize out of thin air, drifting down onto the spirit fighting stage. Even the metallic scent of blood was completely masked by their fragrance. But amidst this beautiful, dreamlike dance of blossoms, Zhao Wuji's body began to tremble uncontrollably.
It was this very scene. When Su Ran had come to Shrek alone to demand an explanation, it was these same falling peach blossoms. At the time, he had even scoffed, saying it was a woman's Martial Soul, too beautiful and delicate. But only those who had experienced it knew the boundless killing intent and sharpness hidden within those flowers. With just a single peach branch, he could conjure a heavenly sword. And with just one strike, it had pierced through his Mighty Vajra Bear, leaving him utterly powerless.
That was a true top-tier Martial Soul, the pinnacle of Martial Soul power. Even the top-tier Martial Souls of the former three upper sects would seem slightly inferior beneath those peach blossoms.
"Give it to him!"
"Old弗, Gangzi! Hurry up and cough up the money!"
"Quick!!!"
"All of you, give me your money!!!"
A single peach blossom landed on Zhao Wuji's shoulder, causing him to break out in a cold sweat and tremble all over. He immediately roared at Flender and Yu Xiaogang. Even a second's hesitation is a disrespect to one's own life!
At the same time, he had already dug into his own pockets, produced over a thousand Gold Spirit Coins, and respectfully presented them to Su Ran.
"Dean Su, this is all I have."
"Calm down, please don't make a move. Peace brings wealth!"
"Still short by over eight thousand," Su Ran said flatly, without even blinking. The terrifying pressure not only didn't dissipate but was actually intensifying.
Even Flender felt suffocated, to say nothing of the students. Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, who were already severely injured and not fully healed, were gasping for breath, their faces flushed red.
"I have a little over three thousand left here," Flender said through gritted teeth, emptying out his last savings.
"I also earned a bit from selling sausages before, and I made a lot from the spirit fights this month. I've saved up over a thousand," Oscar sighed, also taking out his money to help.
"Still short by four thousand."
"Xiaogang, do you have any savings?"
"That's your problem. Don't ask me," Yu Xiaogang snapped.
"I'll give it. I earned the most with Third Brother in the spirit fights. Here, this card should have over four thousand Gold Spirit Coins. Keep the change."
Just then, Xiao Wu produced a gold spirit coin savings card and handed it to Su Ran. As she got closer, however, her eyes kept darting around his mask. She took a deep breath, trying to smell his scent, to see if it matched the bath fragrance of that transcendent man. She desperately wanted to see through the mask. Hurry up and pay the money so we can get to the academy merger part! I can't wait to join Taoyuan Academy! I can fantasize about that transcendent brother from the Star Dou Great Forest, but I can't stand you all dilly-dallying here.
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing, getting so close? You have no sense of propriety," Ning Rongrong grumbled, her possessiveness flaring up as she saw Xiao Wu sidle up to Su Ran.
"..."
"And the deed," Su Ran continued. The campus environment of Shrek was, frankly, worse than any random farmer's manor. But, since it was part of the bet, I don't have to use it, but you can't refuse to give it.
"The deed! Old弗, hurry up and solve the deed problem! Hurry the hell up!" Zhao Wuji said, grabbing Flender anxiously.
"I hear you, I hear you! But being anxious won't help! That land isn't mine, and I don't have the money to buy it! Damn it!" Flender said, utterly dejected. He turned to Yu Xiaogang. "Xiaogang, you were the one who made this bet. Now that we've lost, you can't just wash your hands of it and do nothing, can you?"
"That's right, Grandmaster! You can't be like that! If you hadn't challenged Teacher Su, Old弗 and I would never have agreed to this match. You have to take responsibility for this too!" Zhao Wuji was also beginning to feel some dissatisfaction with Yu Xiaogang. When things are fine, you act like a big shot, but when there's trouble, you go offline and run away? That's not how it works!
"Alright, you're all useless. I'll take care of the deed," Yu Xiaogang said with a heavy sigh. He turned to Supervisor Ao. "Please trouble yourself to summon the Bishop of the Soto City Spirit Hall branch."
"Of course." Supervisor Ao didn't dare to say much at this point. He was completely intimidated by the aura emanating from Su Ran. This masked teacher might look young, but he was at least a Spirit Saint-level powerhouse. He couldn't be offended!
As the governing body of all Spirit Masters, the Spirit Hall naturally had close ties with the Soto City Great Spirit Arena. In no time, he had summoned a Vice Bishop.
Yu Xiaogang mysteriously led the Vice Bishop to a corner and seemed to show him something. Instantly, the Vice Bishop bowed to him with extreme reverence.
"I understand your meaning. Our Spirit Hall branch will be responsible for purchasing the land of the Shrek Academy in the south of the city and will then deliver the deed to Taoyuan Academy," the Vice Bishop said.
"Holy crap, Xiaogang, what did you show him? You can even command people from the Spirit Hall?"
"Grandmaster, you're full of hidden depths!"
Seeing this, Flender and Zhao Wuji stared at Yu Xiaogang, dumbfounded. In that moment, Grandmaster's figure once again seemed towering and magnificent! He was always so mysterious, always stunning everyone just when they thought the least of him!
Flender: Now you know why I always humor him, right? He has too many secrets.
"Alright, alright! The matter of the gold spirit coins and the deed is all settled!"
"I'll just count it as my bad luck. I accept that the academy is gone. From now on, I'll just be a good teacher at Taoyuan Academy."
"Mubai, Little San, Fatty, although you lost this duel, don't take it too hard. From now on, we'll all study hard under Teacher Su. I'm sure he'll be able to transform you all as well," Flender said with a helpless sigh.
"Old Zhao, Xiaogang, what do you think?"
"To be able to be a teacher under Dean Su would naturally be my honor," Zhao Wuji said with a thick-skinned grin. He was terrified of being Su Ran's opponent, but being on his team was another matter entirely.
In truth, if Shrek had won, Flender and Zhao Wuji would have been overjoyed. But losing wasn't that hard to accept either. By joining Taoyuan Academy, Shrek would just continue to exist under a different name. And they wouldn't have to worry about the academy's expenses anymore.
Yu Xiaogang stood tall and proud. "I don't just join anyone's academy. However, according to the bet, Little San must also join Taoyuan Academy. In that case, I will reluctantly be a teacher there for a while. But let me make it clear beforehand, I will only teach Little San."
"Otherwise, I will not go."
"..."
"Wait?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Have I said anything about hiring you to be teachers at Taoyuan Academy?" Su Ran's face was a mask of confusion. I don't seem to recall ever mentioning that they could come and teach at my academy. These two sure change their tune fast. They're already calling me 'Dean Su'? Have some shame! Do my students need your help to be taught???
(End of Chapter)