Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

After the feast, the door of the private room was pushed open, and the Grandmaster walked in, a little late. Glancing at the already tipsy Flender, the Grandmaster frowned and said, "Flender, why are you drinking like this?"

Flender, his face flushed, waved at the Grandmaster and said, "Xiaogang, I'm just happy. I drank a little too much."

"I don't care how much you drink, but don't let it delay the important matters," the Grandmaster responded.

"What important matters?" Flender asked, confused and unable to make sense of it.

Without waiting for Flender to ask more, the Grandmaster looked at Yu Tianheng and said, "Tianheng, have you thought about what I mentioned to you earlier? Do you want to join Shrek Academy?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming's face immediately changed. It was bad enough that Flender was trying to poach people, but now the Grandmaster was doing the same?

"Grandmaster, what do you mean by this?" Qin Ming asked, his tone stern.

The Grandmaster replied, "I don't mean anything by it. I just feel, as Tianheng's uncle, that your Heaven Dou Royal Academy is misleading its students."

As soon as the Grandmaster said this, the once tipsy Flender instantly sobered up. He quickly covered the Grandmaster's mouth and explained to Qin Ming, "Qin Ming, don't mind him. Xiaogang is probably confused and talking nonsense."

"Flender! You're the one talking nonsense! Tianheng is my nephew. If he joins Shrek Academy, what's wrong with me training him? Don't forget, I'm also from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Who here knows the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon better than I do?"

"And, Flender, let's not forget—Shrek Academy has admitted 62 students over the years, but only 14 have graduated. And after leaving the academy, every one of them became a person of great renown."

"The most outstanding among them even became a member of the Spirit Hall's elders, second only in authority to the Pope. You've told me all this yourself. Are you suggesting that our academy, which has produced an elder for Spirit Hall, is worse than your Heaven Dou Royal Academy, which hasn't produced even one?"

Hearing the Grandmaster's words, Qin Ming was stunned. Even Flender didn't know what to say for a moment.

Qin Ming recalled that during his time at the academy, he had never heard Flender mention anything like this. Could it be true that a Shrek graduate had become an elder of Spirit Hall, even reaching the rank of Titled Douluo?

At that moment, Flender inwardly cursed. Why bring this up now? No one else might know the truth, but he did. The story about the graduate becoming an elder was just a lie he made up to ease the concerns of parents enrolling their children in a broke academy.

There was no such elder. If he had that kind of influence, Shrek Academy wouldn't be facing bankruptcy.

Seeing the Grandmaster's serious expression, Qin Ming started to believe it a little. He turned to Yu Tianheng and asked, "Tianheng, what do you think?"

"Teacher, this is the decision of my family. I don't have a say in it," Yu Tianheng replied.

Not hearing the answer he wanted, the Grandmaster looked displeased. Family, it was always the family. Was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the one that had exiled him, really that important? Even after leaving the clan, hadn't he, Yu Xiaogang, lived just fine?

Recalling the humiliation of being expelled, the Grandmaster was about to lose his temper when he was interrupted by Dugu Yan, who was sitting next to Yu Tianheng.

"Dean Flender, as far as I know, one must at least reach the level of a Titled Douluo to become an elder of Spirit Hall, right? Did Shrek Academy really produce such a Titled Douluo? Or was it just a false claim to attract more students?"

"Let's take Teacher Qin Ming as an example. He is currently at the Soul Emperor level. By your claim, someone from Shrek Academy became a Titled Douluo before turning forty?"

"If I remember correctly, the youngest Titled Douluo Spirit Hall has ever announced is the famous and fearless Clear Sky Douluo. He reached the rank of Titled Douluo at 44. Are you suggesting someone has an even greater talent than him?"

As Dugu Yan finished speaking, everyone in the room turned their attention to the Grandmaster and Flender, their faces filled with astonishment and disbelief.

Dugu Yan was right. The youngest known Titled Douluo in the continent was the now-missing Clear Sky Douluo, who had reached rank 90 at 44. Based on the Grandmaster's words, Shrek's legendary graduate should have reached the rank of Titled Douluo in their thirties.

Even now, Tang Hao remained the youngest confirmed Titled Douluo by Spirit Hall. If a Titled Douluo in their thirties really existed, Spirit Hall would have made it public by now. Hiding such information would be of no benefit to them.

"Teacher, this must be true, right? Tell us the name of this legendary Titled Douluo alumnus. If Shrek Academy really has such a strong figure, we'll be even prouder!" Ma Hongjun said excitedly.

Ma Hongjun's question put Flender in an even tighter spot. If such a person existed, Flender would have proudly said so by now. The truth was, he had made it up as a gimmick to attract more students and charge high tuition fees.

With Ma Hongjun's question, the other students also began asking for more details, inquiring about the name and title of the Titled Douluo. The more they asked, the more Flender's face turned red with embarrassment.

By now, he had cursed Yu Xiaogang a thousand times in his mind. Why bring this up publicly? There was no way to cover up this lie.

Seeing Flender's face turning pale, Qin Ming sighed inwardly. He knew Flender's tendency to exaggerate. If he was right, this so-called Spirit Hall elder was just a fabricated story to make the academy look better. After all, Shrek's admission fees were non-refundable, and the more people they attracted, the more money they made.

Sensing that Flender was on the verge of breaking down, Qin Ming smoothly stepped in, smiling as he said, "Actually, the Titled Douluo you're all asking about isn't a graduate but a former teacher of Shrek Academy. He later became an elder of Spirit Hall."

"I had the honor of meeting him once, but due to certain circumstances, he left Shrek Academy shortly after I joined."

"So, his identity is confidential. As you all know, the elders of Spirit Hall don't reveal themselves easily."

After hearing Qin Ming's explanation, everyone finally understood.

Flender, too, was relieved, silently thanking Qin Ming for saving him. Without Qin Ming, Flender would have completely lost face tonight.

"Hahaha, Qin Ming is right. That elder was once a teacher at our academy, not a student. When he joined Shrek Academy, his spirit power was already over rank 80. He only became a Titled Douluo many years later and then left the academy."

As Flender spoke, he glanced at Zhao Wuji, signaling for help. Zhao Wuji immediately caught on.

"Ahem," Zhao Wuji cleared his throat and said, "You all misunderstood Dean Flender. There's no such thing as someone becoming a Titled Douluo in their thirties. That's just a rumor."

As Flender and Zhao Wuji played along, the Grandmaster's face twitched. He distinctly remembered Flender telling him it was a graduate, but now it had turned into a teacher. However, this wasn't important.

The Grandmaster took a deep breath and looked seriously at Yu Tianheng. "Tianheng, trust your uncle. If you train with me, I will definitely use my theoretical knowledge to make you a powerful figure."

"Uncle, it's not up to me," Yu Tianheng said with a sigh, looking helpless.

Seeing that the Grandmaster still wouldn't let it go, Qin Ming intervened, "Grandmaster, didn't Dean Flender tell you?"

"Tell me what?" the Grandmaster asked, confused.

Qin Ming explained, "Dean Flender privately informed me that Shrek Academy's funds have run out. Tonight's battle in the arena was Shrek's last chance. If we lost, the academy would be completely bankrupt."

Flender sighed, "Xiaogang, you know we've had no money for a while. These children are our last batch of students. If we had won tonight, we would have had enough money to keep going. But now that we lost, we have nothing."

"Flender, why didn't you tell me earlier!" the Grandmaster shouted, his eyes blazing with anger. "Are you just going to sit by and watch me lose my chance to prove my spirit theory? If you had told me earlier, I wouldn't have agreed to the arena's terms!"

"You madman! It's all your fault!"

Despite the Grandmaster's accusations, Flender wasn't burdened with guilt. Shrek Academy was his, and even if it failed, no one else had the right to say anything, not even his best friend.

"Xiaogang, calm down. I've already discussed this with Qin Ming. Shrek Academy can't continue, but for the sake of these children, we will merge with Heaven Dou Royal Academy. This way, our students can receive the best education and training available."

Hearing this, the Grandmaster looked defeated. Although his pride still stung, he realized there was nothing he could do. Shrek Academy had come to an end, and even his expertise couldn't change that.