Lin Yang walked into the shop. Before he could speak, Flender's lazy voice rang out.
"Take whatever you like. No bargaining."
Lin Yang looked around. The shop wasn't big and didn't have many items, but everything inside emitted faint soul power fluctuations. They were undoubtedly soul tools.
Like an ordinary customer, he browsed around before finally spotting a head-sized mottled crystal on a corner counter.
"How much for this?" Lin Yang showed no unusual expression and pointed at the board crystal casually.
Flender didn't even open his eyes. "Not expensive. Two hundred gold soul coins!"
Wow, adjusting the price based on the customer, huh? Lin Yang complained inwardly. When Tang San came, it started at one hundred. For him, it jumped to two hundred.
What, did I steal your family's rice?
On the surface, he hesitated for a while before slowly nodding. "Alright, I'll buy it!"
Two hundred gold soul coins meant nothing to him.
Just as Lin Yang was about to pay, Flender predictably changed his tune again. "Now I'm selling it for five hundred gold soul coins."
Lin Yang's hand froze. Although he had expected it, he still couldn't help cursing Flender inwardly as a swindler. Doing business like this and still keeping the shop open was practically a miracle.
"Boss, that's not very sincere," Lin Yang said with a calm expression, stopping his hand from reaching for the money. "I only have two hundred gold soul coins. If you're willing to part with it, I'll leave the coins. If not, then I have nothing more to say."
He tossed the problem back.
At this moment, Flender slightly opened his eyelids. A sharp glint flashed behind his black-framed crystal glasses.
"I don't think the 'Blade Demon,' who is doing so well in the Great Soul Arena, only has a mere two hundred gold soul coins on him."
Lin Yang's heart jolted. Had his disguise been seen through?
No, that couldn't be. He had changed his build and appearance. There was no way anyone would connect him to "Blade Demon."
Then he seemed to realize something. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. It was probably his cultivation level that had been exposed. Flender should currently be a seven-ring Soul Saint. He could sense Lin Yang's soul power level.
But his cultivation wasn't rare in Suotuo City, so Lin Yang was certain Flender was testing him.
Lin Yang's face showed no particular expression. He only asked with slight confusion, "Boss, I've also heard about the Blade Demon, but I'm really not him. Did you mistake me for someone else?"
"Hm?"
Flender's expression shifted. He carefully examined Lin Yang and, seeing no major change in his demeanor, couldn't help muttering to himself.
Did I really misjudge?
Thinking of this, Flender felt a wave of melancholy. He had once gone to watch Blade Demon and Charm Rabbit's soul fights. He was certain both of them were no older than twelve—especially Charm Rabbit, who might be even younger.
Judging from their performances, they were monsters among monsters. Their style perfectly matched Shrek Academy's philosophy of only recruiting "monsters."
But these two little brats were as slippery as loaches. Not only was all their identity information fake, he even suspected their appearances were disguised. Otherwise, why was it impossible to find any trace of them once they left the Great Soul Arena?
Suotuo City had two to three hundred thousand permanent residents, and the daily floating population was even larger. Trying to find two people among so many was like searching for a needle in the ocean—even a Soul Saint couldn't do it.
Watching two "uncut gems" dangle right in front of him yet being unable to recruit them left Flender depressed.
He asked somewhat listlessly, "You look young, and your soul power level isn't low. Are you interested in joining our Shrek Academy?"
"Shrek Academy…" Lin Yang muttered, as if recalling something. His face suddenly showed realization. "It's that monster academy where Teacher Qin graduated from. Could it be that you are the dean of Shrek Academy—Senior Flender?"
Now it was Flender's turn to be surprised. "You've heard of me?"
Lin Yang bowed slightly. "This junior is a Heaven Dou Royal Academy Heaven-level student. I occasionally heard Teacher Qin mention Shrek Academy before, so I have some impression."
When traveling outside, identities were whatever you claimed. Would Flender really run all the way to Heaven Dou City to verify?
"The Teacher Qin you mentioned is Qin Ming, right?" Seeming interested, the laziness on Flender's face lessened a bit. "How is he doing at Heaven Dou now?"
Lin Yang thought for a few seconds, then said, "Teacher Qin is highly valued at the academy. I heard the dean is having him form the next 'Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition' team."
Hearing this, the corners of Flender's mouth lifted slightly. "That kid… he's really made something of himself."
These words weren't entirely fabricated. They were based on Lin Yang's knowledge of future events and some reasonable guesses. Even if not completely accurate, they were close enough. Most importantly, these words couldn't be easily verified.
However, Flender's gaze soon returned to Lin Yang. "With your cultivation, you should also be signing up, right?"
"Senior is joking. My meager cultivation is still a bit lacking."
Flender clicked his tongue. Had he been holed up in Suotuo City for so many years that his information was this outdated? A genius of this level didn't even qualify for the competition team? Or had Heaven Dou Royal Academy become so full of geniuses that it had grown arrogant?
He didn't say anything more and completely gave up on recruiting Lin Yang to Shrek. As a teacher, how could he poach his own student's potential recruit?
Flender lay back comfortably on his recliner and casually waved his hand. "Since you're Qin Ming's student, two hundred gold soul coins. Take the stone."
Lin Yang was secretly delighted and quickly said, "Thank you, Senior."
With that, he left the gold soul coins, stored the board crystal in his soul guide bracelet, and finally breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
Fortunately, he knew quite a bit of information. Otherwise, obtaining this board crystal would have cost him a lot more.
After leaving the shop, Lin Yang took one deep look behind him before turning and departing.
Although he scoffed at Shrek Academy's educational philosophy, he didn't want to offend a Soul Saint for no reason. Moreover, Shrek Academy had long been part of his planned "backup plan."
This backup wasn't for himself—it was prepared for Xiao Wu.
If, after he reached level 30, Xiao Wu still hadn't mastered the Transparent World, he would arrange for her to join Shrek Academy. He wasn't abandoning her. It was the optimal choice based on rational analysis.
He couldn't stay in this place forever. To raise his cultivation in the shortest time possible, the immortal herbs were an opportunity he absolutely could not bypass. And to obtain them, he had to get close to Dugu Bo.
Of course, he could also rely on the Demon God Body's immortality to forcefully break through Dugu Bo's poison array, but that would undoubtedly offend a Title Douluo to death. In the end, he might even end up with nothing. That would be the worst option.
After all, he didn't have a Title Douluo father constantly protecting him.
So, if he could build a good relationship, why choose hostility—provided there was no major conflict of interest?
And Xiao Wu was the key point where conflict might arise. Faced with a 100,000-year soul ring and soul bone, few people could resist the temptation.
Therefore, before he had absolute confidence, he would not gamble on an uncertain possibility.