Hearing Yu Xiaogang's shocked tone, Flender and Zhao Wuji exchanged glances.
Both of them realized that Yu Xiaogang indeed knew Lin Fan, and from his reaction, Lin Fan's identity wasn't simple at all.
"Xiao Gang, did you know this Lord Swordshadow before?" Flender asked curiously.
Yu Xiaogang didn't answer immediately. Instead, his expression turned serious as he asked Flender a question in return,
"Tell me clearly—how exactly did Lin Fan enter Shrek Academy the other day when Little San enrolled? Give me all the details."
Flender repeated the story,
"I wasn't at the academy that day, but the teachers in charge of admissions—Teacher Lu and Teacher Li—said that he enrolled like an ordinary student. That very day, he even sparred with Tang San out of nowhere."
"In short, Lord Swordshadow's behavior has left us quite baffled at times."
"Tell me, what could a Titled Douluo possibly want by enrolling as a student here?"
Zhao Wuji, also looking frustrated, chimed in,
"That's right! I even took a beating for nothing! I was in charge of the fourth round—the combat assessment—but who would've expected a Titled Douluo to show up pretending to be a student?"
The two of them then recounted everything Lin Fan had done at Shrek Academy over the past few days.
Hearing all this, Flender suddenly grew nervous and asked,
"Xiao Gang, why are you asking so much… Don't tell me Lin Fan's from the Spirit Hall? Is he here to poach Oscar or the others?"
Flender, after all, was well aware of Oscar and Ma Hongjun's talents—they were easily among the top tier across the entire continent.
A food-type soul master with innate full spirit power, and another with a mutated martial soul—how could they not attract attention?
Yu Xiaogang shook his head and said gravely,
"He may have stayed at Spirit City before, but he's not someone from Spirit Hall."
"Twenty years ago, I met him at Spirit City. Do you know what identity he used to study at Spirit Hall's headquarters?"
"What identity?" Both Flender and Zhao Wuji looked puzzled.
Yu Xiaogang's voice lowered,
"They called him the Seer, or 'Prophet.' And to think… after all these years, he's somehow reached the rank of Titled Douluo. Don't forget, back then, his innate spirit power was only at level six."
Both men were stunned even more. Zhao Wuji, ever the blunt one, couldn't help but say,
"Prophet? That sounds like some scam."
"Innate spirit power of just six?! And he became a Titled Douluo in forty years? Impossible!" Flender exclaimed in disbelief.
"It's hard to believe, isn't it?" Yu Xiaogang said, shaking his head slightly. "But compared to his cultivation, what's truly terrifying about him is his mysterious, unfathomable abilities and the depth of his scheming mind."
"Back then, I also thought his so-called prophecies were nonsense—until everything he warned me about became reality. Only then did I realize how terrifying he was. Many of his predictions about Spirit Hall also came true."
Yu Xiaogang sighed softly.
He would never forget the day in Spirit Hall's library when Lin Fan warned him:
'The two of you are destined for tragedy. You may escape through cowardice, leaving her to bear the pain alone. In the end, you'll find yourself a new companion—someone whose status mirrors your own. Together, you'll live under the gaze of the world's scrutiny for the rest of your days.'
"Come on, no way he's that magical…" Zhao Wuji scratched his head, still skeptical.
Flender, fully intrigued by now, asked eagerly,
"He said something like that to you? Xiao Gang, what exactly did he predict about you?"
But Yu Xiaogang didn't want to bring up this painful topic. It was his scar.
He simply replied softly,
"Flender, back then, he even predicted that I'd meet you and her… and that we'd eventually form the Golden Iron Triangle."
"I later heard that he visited every one of the Upper Three Sects in turn, before vanishing without a trace. I never thought he'd resurface here."
"One thing's for sure—Lin Fan only acts when there's profit. There must be something he wants from Shrek Academy."
As Yu Xiaogang finished, his expression suddenly changed.
He thought to himself,
"Little San! Right, they entered Shrek together that day. He must've come here for Tang San! With his insight, he must already know that Tang San has twin martial souls."
"And the fact that he even went so far as to enroll as a student… could it be that he's trying to get close to Tang San? That must mean he's already seen Tang San's future and believes he'll become an exceptional figure."
If Lin Fan had known what Yu Xiaogang was thinking right now, he definitely would've laughed and said:
"Your guess is spot on—but I didn't come to befriend Tang San. I came to steal his opportunities."
Zhao Wuji, still a bit slow on the uptake, muttered,
"But Headmaster, our Shrek Academy is poor and shabby—what could we possibly have that Lord Swordshadow would be interested in?"
Flender immediately retorted,
"Zhao Wuji! Who are you calling poor and shabby? Our academy has plenty of talented students!"
But halfway through his protest, Flender suddenly froze.
"Wait a second… Xiao Gang, don't tell me… he came here to recruit disciples?"
"Could it be that he's planning to snatch Ma Hongjun or Oscar as his apprentices?!"
Yu Xiaogang lowered his head slightly and thought for a moment before saying,
"That's not impossible. Lin Fan is far too enigmatic."
Hearing this, Flender grew uneasy.
He sighed helplessly,
"Ugh… after hearing all this, I feel unsettled. Should we just go ask him directly?"
Yu Xiaogang quickly stopped him,
"Don't. If this man doesn't want to talk, even Spirit Hall couldn't force it out of him. Besides, it's already late. We just returned from the Star Dou Forest—if we go question him now, even if he answers, it's unlikely to be the truth."
"True enough… I'm exhausted too. I'll head back to my room and rest." Zhao Wuji yawned and left the balcony.
Flender sighed again.
"Fine, whatever. But I have a feeling I won't sleep well tonight."
Yu Xiaogang also left, returning to his room.
As he gazed out the window, he muttered to himself,
"Lin Fan… what exactly is your purpose in coming to Shrek?"
The next morning, as Lin Fan was washing up, the system's mechanical voice echoed in his mind:
[New Task Issued: Yu Xiaogang will soon take over Shrek's student training. Your task is to publicly expose Yu Xiaogang's incorrect teachings, leaving him speechless. Once you dominate him, he will no longer be able to lecture you.]
[This task can be abandoned.]
[Task Reward: +3 spirit ranks (Soul Elder level), +500 years to your third spirit ring's age, and the Poison Immunity Physique.]
Lin Fan raised his brows.
"Pfft… System, he doesn't even dare to boss me around right now."
"But this 'Poison Immunity Physique' sounds pretty interesting."
"Alright, fine. This task is simple anyway—just some verbal sparring. It'll take a few minutes at most."
"I'll reluctantly accept this one… Otherwise, if I keep abandoning every task, it'll seem like I'm not respecting the system."
With a half-amused attitude, Lin Fan accepted the task to correct Yu Xiaogang.
Stepping out onto his balcony, he saw that Tang San and the others were already gathered at the training grounds.
After briefly tidying up, Lin Fan walked over casually.
Soon enough, he arrived at the square.
"Lord Swordshadow, good morning!" Several students greeted him warmly.
"Morning," Lin Fan replied with a faint smile.
Before they could say more, Tang San's eyes lit up with excitement as he looked toward the front.
"Teacher, you're here!"
Flender walked over with Yu Xiaogang beside him.
Yu Xiaogang immediately spotted Lin Fan standing there among the students.
"It really is him… the Seer, Lin Fan… And he still looks so young," Yu Xiaogang thought, somewhat unable to meet Lin Fan's gaze.
Lin Fan, meanwhile, wore a faintly amused smile.