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This situation truly infuriated Yu Xiaogang. He felt a wave of anger wash over him as he stared at the young man in front of him. Damn it! He had really believed that Su Yan was being respectful. He thought that by telling him to speak sooner, it meant that Su Yan wouldn't hit him once he explained himself. Instead, the boy was actually still mocking him. Being a Spirit Grandmaster was not a joke to him, yet here was this student calling him a slacker and laughing at his rank. This was absolutely preposterous!
Flender stood nearby, feeling like he was in a very difficult bind. On one hand, Yu Xiaogang was his oldest and best friend. They had traveled the world together as part of the Golden Iron Triangle. But on the other hand, Flender was a businessman and a teacher who truly loved talent. To be honest, Flender really did not want to lose a genius like Su Yan. Shrek Academy was struggling and reaching its end this year. Flender felt that the appearance of Su Yan and the other new students could give the academy a perfect conclusion before it finally closed its doors. But now, his most talented student was clashing head-on with his good brother.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" Flender muttered to himself. He turned his head to look at Zhao Wuji, hoping for some support or a way to break the tension. However, when Flender saw Zhao Wuji's face, he became so angry he wanted to curse out loud. Are you kidding me? That old fellow Zhao Wuji was currently pinching his own mouth with his hands, trying with all his might to hold back his laughter. It seemed like he was having a very hard time staying quiet.
Even Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun had strange expressions on their faces. Although they had guessed that something like this would happen the moment Su Yan opened his mouth, they still felt a strong urge to laugh. They looked at the stiff back of their new teacher. Yu Xiaogang, it is fine if you put on an act with us, but you actually dare to act tough with Su Yan? We respect you as a real man for having that much courage!
Dugu Yan, who never had much patience for people she didn't like, couldn't hold it back anymore either. She let out a loud, mocking laugh that echoed through the area. "Hahaha! Flender, I can't believe it. So a Spirit Grandmaster can actually become a teacher at your academy? If the bar is that low, then I'll sign up to be a teacher right now. I, Dugu Yan, am just one spirit ring away from a breakthrough to become a Spirit Ancestor. Surely that makes me more qualified than him, right?"
Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing were completely speechless. They all gave Dugu Yan a side-eye at the same time. Yanzi, you actually want to be our teacher now? They knew she was just trying to annoy Yu Xiaogang, but the suggestion was still hilarious.
Inside the mysterious chat group, the comments were flying fast. Bo Saixi watched the scene with a faint smile. "You guys are really something. Not only did you slap Yu Xiaogang's face physically, but now you are humiliating him mentally as well. I can only say that it serves him right!"
Tang Yuehua joined in, her tone sounding puzzled. "From the beginning to the end, I really can't understand one thing. Why does Yu Xiaogang, who is a mere Spirit Grandmaster, always have such a uniquely confident air about him? He acts like he is a Titled Douluo."
The Nine Treasures Little Princess replied quickly. "Look at what you are saying. Who are you looking down on? No matter what his rank is, Yu Xiaogang is still the son of the Clan Chief of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Not to mention, his ex-girlfriend is the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong herself. Is there really a problem with him acting like this when he has those kinds of connections?"
Group Member No. 9 sighed. "Oh no, there really isn't a problem then. If I had those backups, I might walk around with my chin in the clouds too."
Liu Erlong let out a sharp laugh. "Hahaha! Keep talking! This is getting good!"
The user named I Am an Orphan commented, "Definitely no problem! Confidence is free, after all."
Wang Dong and Ma Xiaotao also chimed in, noting that when you put it that way, Yu Xiaogang's posturing almost seemed reasonable, even if it was still annoying to watch.
Back in reality, Flender was left speechless for a long while after hearing Dugu Yan's mockery. He knew he had to defend his friend's reputation. He cleared his throat loudly. "Cough! Little girl, please don't look at people through such a worldly lens. You are focusing too much on spirit power ranks. Xiaogang is no ordinary Spirit Grandmaster. He is the renowned Yu Xiaogang of the spirit master world. You might be young and not respect him yet, but I guarantee that the elders in your family will certainly know his name and respect his wisdom."
With Flender's glowing buildup, Yu Xiaogang felt a bit of his pride return. He straightened his back once more and looked at the girls with a cold, superior gaze. He thought to himself that they were just a bunch of ignorant young girls. He believed that if they went back and asked around, they would find that every important elder in the Great Spirit Douluo Continent knew the great name of Yu Xiaogang.
"Ah?" Dugu Yan was clearly stunned by Flender's claim. She tilted her head and thought for a moment before replying. "But my grandfather mentioned him before. He said Yu Xiaogang is just a useless person who doesn't do any proper work. He told me that those famous theories are just bits and pieces of information stolen from the Spirit Hall archives and cobbled together from his own imagination!"
"You... you!" Yu Xiaogang instantly flew into a rage. The blood rushed to his face from pure shame. Every single one of these children was simply preposterous! They had no respect for the "Invincible Theory" he had worked so hard on.
Ye Lingling, who was usually a woman of very few words, nodded slowly. "I can testify to that. I was there when he said it. He really doesn't think much of those theories."
Flender's face darkened with a displeased expression. "Stop talking nonsense here. Tell me, which family are you from? Which elder said such a disrespectful thing? I, Flender, will definitely find him in the future to have a proper discussion about his views on scholarship."
Dugu Yan looked at Flender as if he was a bit slow. She felt quite speechless. "If you really want to talk to him, then go to Heaven Dou City and discuss it with him yourself. My grandfather's name is Dugu Bo."
"Dugu... the Poison Douluo?" Flender's face froze in an instant. He looked completely embarrassed and was at a total loss for words. His aggressive attitude vanished like smoke in the wind. He thought to himself, why didn't you say so earlier?
First of all, the overwhelming strength of a Titled Douluo was not something Flender could ever afford to provoke. He was just a Spirit Saint, and the gap between them was like heaven and earth. Secondly, Dugu Bo was known for being a wild and unpredictable Titled Douluo. Would a man like that ever care about the theories of a Spirit Grandmaster? Even if ten versions of Yu Xiaogang were tied together, they wouldn't be as knowledgeable or as dangerous as the Poison Douluo.
Zhao Wuji was also full of surprise. He looked at Su Yan with a new sense of wonder. This kid Su Yan really has a way with people. Even the women he picks up and brings along have such powerful backgrounds! He looked at Flender with a mischievous, wide grin. "Old ghost Flender, didn't you just say you wanted a discussion? When you go to Heaven Dou City, don't forget to have a nice exchange with Senior Poison Douluo. I'm sure he would love to meet you."
Flender was fuming internally. He glared at his colleague. "Damn you, Zhao Wuji! Why does it feel like you have been trying to make trouble for me all day long?"
He cleared his throat again to hide his discomfort. "Cough, cough. So you are Senior Poison Douluo's granddaughter. That explains a lot. However... while your grandfather is very knowledgeable, you are still far from being qualified to become a teacher at our Shrek Academy. Teaching requires more than just a famous name."
"Tch!" Dugu Yan made a face. Even though she was just joking earlier about being a teacher, her pride was hurt. If Flender said Yu Xiaogang could be a teacher but she couldn't, she simply could not accept that logic. Otherwise, wouldn't she be laughed to death by the members of the chat group later? They would never let her live it down! They would laugh at her for being inferior to a Spirit Grandmaster!
"Dean Flender, you can say Yu Xiaogang is your good friend. You can even make him a dean at your academy if you want. But you cannot say that I, Dugu Yan, am inferior to him. Although I don't care for those messy theoretical insights he talks about, I know all the useful knowledge a spirit master needs. I wouldn't be a worse teacher than him. Most importantly, I can actually break through Rank 30. That means I won't fail or be useless when I have to take students out to the forest to hunt for spirit rings."
Tang San looked up in shock. "What?" He couldn't believe she was attacking his teacher like this. Yu Xiaogang was also stunned, his mouth hanging open slightly.
Zhu Zhuqing and the others also nodded their heads in agreement. There was nothing logically wrong with what Dugu Yan had said. In fact, her last sentence was the most practical point of all. A teacher who couldn't even help their students get a spirit ring because they were too weak was a major liability.
Flender looked very awkward. He didn't quite understand why Dugu Yan was taking this joke so seriously and pushing the issue. He looked at her with a pained expression. Child, why are you competing with a Rank 29 Spirit Grandmaster? You are already stronger than him!
"Heh!" Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but sneer at this moment. He tried to regain his composure. "A little brat like you certainly talks big, doesn't she? You clearly don't understand the profession. As a teacher, the most important thing is to teach your disciples well. It has nothing to do with how much you know or how much raw strength you have. It is about the method."
Tang San chimed in immediately with a very serious face, showing his absolute loyalty. "My teacher is right! His knowledge is the most valuable thing he has."
In the chat group, the comments continued. "I Am a Little Bird" wrote: "Yu Xiaogang is right in a way, but as the saying goes, there are no useless Spirits, only useless Grandmasters. He seems to be the exception to his own rule."
Hu Liena laughed. "Tang San is still saying he's right? I am going to die laughing. Quick, someone reward him with a ten-year lonely bamboo spirit ring."
Liu Erlong asked, "Old woman, do you think this Tang San also qualifies to join our Blind Douluo Combination? He seems just as blind as his teacher."
Bibi Dong replied coldly, "You are really something, trying to pull Tang San into a group like that."
The rest of the group members just replied with "666" to show their amusement.
Su Yan yawned loudly, looking bored with the whole conversation. "So you are saying the disciple you taught is very impressive? That your teaching is the reason for his success?"
"Humph!" Yu Xiaogang looked disdainful and proud. "Whether he is impressive or not, you will know just by looking at Little San. His progress speaks for itself."
"Pfft!" Ning Rongrong and the others couldn't help but burst out laughing. They suddenly remembered something Su Yan had told them before. Su Yan had said that according to a secret, unofficial history, after Tang San eventually became a god, he found a secluded place to kowtow a few times to the Man-Faced Demon Spider family because they gave him more power than his teacher ever did. After that, he never paid any attention to Yu Xiaogang again.
Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth in anger. Facing the constant ridicule of this group of young people made him feel furious. Although he was used to being looked down on by the world, this was his first day at Shrek Academy. It was his first day meeting the students he was supposed to lead. If he let them laugh at him like this now, how could he ever show his face as a teacher or an authority figure here in the future?
"Enough!" Yu Xiaogang finally snapped. He frowned deeply and said in a deep, commanding voice, "Flender, since these people do not believe in me and do not respect me, I cannot teach them. Please ask them to leave the academy right now!"