—Flender's POV—
After seeing off his new student, Flender practically sprinted to his office, barely able to contain the excitement bubbling in his chest. He had to share the news with his old companions—Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang.
Ever since founding Shrek Academy, he'd kept in contact with the two through regular letters. Erlong usually replied quickly, always curious about his eccentric little academy and showing him a lot of respect because of their former adventures. Xiaogang, on the other hand, responded rarely. Flender never took it personally—he understood how consumed his friend was by his ambition to restore his name and shake off the stain of "failure."
But this time… there was no way Xiaogang would stay silent.
He might even come to Shrek himself!
Flender shivered, recalling the moment that monstrous child unleashed his martial spirit. Those golden eyes that seemed to peer into his soul, that indifferent look as if everything was just a regular day occurrence and of course, that black spirit ring that shone like beacon declaring the strength of its owner.
This level of talent wasn't rare—it was unheard of.
A monster cloaked in the skin of a boy. The kind of prodigy that the strongest factions on the continent would wage war to recruit.
Too dangerous.
He was too calm when facing a spirit saint like himself, too controlled.
He was so...bizarre.
And far too powerful to simply appear at a backwater academy like his without reason.
Flender's instincts screamed.
He had to investigate—for the safety of his academy.
Oscar, that innocent little prodigy, was clearly enchanted by the new student. But should this so-called "blessed child of the heavens" show even a flicker of malice, Flender wouldn't hesitate.
He would take his students and flee. Shrek Academy could always be rebuilt. The walls didn't matter. The people did.
With that thought anchoring him, he dipped his quill and began writing—pouring every vivid, chilling, awe-inspiring detail into letters addressed to Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang.
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—Liu Erlong's POV—
"Was Boss Flender drunk when he wrote this?"
That was the first thought that popped into Liu Erlong's head as she finished reading the letter that had arrived that morning.
A black fourth spirit ring? At eleven years old? A dragon martial spirit that surpassed even the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon?
Absurd. Ridiculous.
And yet...
She knew Flender. Knew his infatuation, his tendency to exaggerate when excited.
But she also knew when he wasn't lying.
He would never lie to her. Not about this.
That letter was the truth.
And if it was the truth...
Even the elders of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would stir. A martial spirit stronger than their own, surfacing in some backwater city like Suotuo? That wasn't just rare—it was politically explosive.
She took a breath, calming the storm in her chest.
Liu Erlong knew she was a flawed person.
Her obsession with her cousin. Her volatile temper. Her instinct to use violence before words.
She was self-aware enough to see those things.
But she was not clueless. And definitely not naive.
She would never have survived this long in the world of spirit masters if she were.
Despite having distanced herself from the clan, Liu Erlong understood her own value. She was the daughter of the Vice Sect Master. Her martial spirit may have been mutated, her origins tarnished by her mother's status, but her strength spoke louder than bloodlines.
A Spirit Saint—however newly ascended—was still a Spirit Saint.
Her eyes drifted back to the letter. She clenched it tighter.
The academy she built had always been a compromise. A quiet deal between her and the clan.
She would train commoners—people like her mother, like herself when she was young. She would give them the chance she never had. In return, the clan would get first rights to any emerging talents.
Their own version of what the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had done for years.
And now?
A talent so overwhelming it could shake the very foundations of the clan had appeared.
Flender had found him.
Not her.
A flash of jealousy burned in her chest. But it was quickly drowned in cold determination.
Because this letter?
This was her golden ticket.
If she brought this boy to the clan, if she delivered this monster wrapped in opportunity, they would reward her beyond imagination.
And when they asked what she wanted?
She would ask for just one thing—Yu Xiaogang.
She would force her father to accept him. She would make the clan acknowledge his genius. She would redeem him, restore his name, and drag him from the pit he'd buried himself in.
She would be his savior.
And when that happened… he would run into her arms. Just like before.
"Wait for me, Xiaogang," she whispered. "I'll save you. And then you'll be mine again."
Anyone who saw Liu Erlong at that moment might have sworn they'd glimpsed something demonic flickering behind her eyes.
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—Yu Xiaogang's POV—
The sound of a chair crashing to the floor echoed through the quiet office of the self-proclaimed master of theory at Nuoding Academy.
"Master, what's wrong?" a youthful voice called from the other side of the room.
The voice of his dear disciple snapped Yu Xiaogang out of his shock-induced stupor. But his eyes remained locked on the letter in his hand—shaking slightly, the words burned into his mind.
Reality had not deceived him.
Everything he read… was true.
Another monster had appeared.
Slowly, his knees gave out, and he sank to the ground, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Master! Master, are you okay?! What did that letter say? Is something wrong? Can I help?!"
Tang San's panicked shaking jolted him back to reality. Xiaogang blinked, then awkwardly cleared his throat, hiding his embarrassment behind a stern expression.
"Little San… return to your dormitory for now. Master needs to handle something. Alone."
Though concerned, Tang San nodded. He was a filial disciple. He trusted his master.
As soon as the door shut behind him, Yu Xiaogang's carefully composed mask shattered.
A wild grin stretched across his face.
Another one.
Another prodigy. Another miracle. Another stepping stone toward his ultimate goal.
Another chance to prove them all wrong.
To show the continent that he was not a joke. Not a failed spirit master. Not a disgrace to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
But a master in every sense of the word.
Flender… that old birdbrain, always good for something. He had delivered a gift—no, a divine offering—straight into his hands.
Just three days ago, he had stumbled across Tang San—twin martial spirits, the son of one of the strongest people on the continent. And now this boy: Siegfried. A child with the most powerful beast martial spirit he'd ever heard of. And a black fourth ring at only eleven?
Unheard of.
Xiaogang chuckled darkly, already formulating theories—ones he could publish. Papers that would shake the entire spirit master world.
If he cracked the secret to fusing a black ring at the fourth level, even Bibi Dong would come crawling for that knowledge.
With Tang San and Siegfried by his side, he would rewrite history.
He would not be known as a footnote, a failed genius, a discarded dragon of theory.
No.
He would be remembered as the teacher of two Titled Douluo.
The Supreme Theoretician of the Douluo Continent.
His name would echo across every sect, academy, and palace.
Yu Xiaogang.
Not a failure.
Not a disgrace.
But a legend.
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New chapter just dropped!
A few things to go over:
First, I'm building the dynamic between the Golden Iron Triangle.
For Flender, I wanted to portray him as somewhat naive when it comes to relationships but ultimately responsible. I never saw Flender as a bad person—just someone who made bad decisions. Sure, he's greedy as all hell, but he genuinely cares for his students. So here, I leaned into that side of him and made him more grounded and good-hearted.
With Liu Erlong, I decided to take her character further than just being love-struck over Yu Xiaogang. Even if she wasn't born to Yu Luomian's wife, she's still his daughter—and someone like him would've raised her with a certain level of cunning and understanding of politics. The original story made her seem kind of foolish, but I've written her here as sharper, more aware, and still human. Her obsession is still very much there, but now it's portrayed with a deeper, darker, and more realistic edge.
As for Yu Xiaogang, I focused on his ruthless determination to restore his reputation. That doesn't mean he's heartless—he's just met Tang San, so there's no deep emotional bond yet. But already, he sees Siegfried as another future Titled Douluo under his guidance. That should tell you everything about how his mind works.
Now, for the timeline clarification, since some of you may have questions:
The MC is around 5–6 years older than Tang San. When he arrives at Shrek, he's just under 12—specifically, about 11 years and 8 months. He awakened his martial spirit on his birthday, which is around the time the news about Tang Hao broke. That doesn't mean Tang San was born on that same day—there's a delay in how fast news travels. So yes, Tang San is already at Nuoding Academy by this point, but just barely. If it helps, you can mentally age up Tang San and the others who are "12" by a few months to keep things smooth since Shrek's admission requirement is 12 years and under, not lower than 12 so this works.
That's all for now! See you guys in the next update.
P.S. I'll be uploading on a fixed schedule from now on: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and one day on the weekend. Tuesdays and Thursdays are reserved for my summer course studies.