The banquet was bustling with noise and laughter, but inside Huo Feng's mind, a cold, mechanical voice drowned out the surrounding sounds.
[System Reward: All of the host's Spirit Rings will have their lifespan increased by one thousand years!]
[Note: This includes Spirit Rings the host has already obtained, as well as those he will obtain in the future!]
Huo Feng's eyes instantly lit up with a sharp glint. He had naturally remembered the main quest all along. The ultimate goal was to sacrifice all of the Shrek Seven Devils to gain power. However, finding a suitable chance to act without exposing himself had been difficult.
There had never been a good opportunity before. But now, with the new rules for the sparring match involving random team scrambling, a perfect stage had been set.
"The quest reward is an increase of one thousand years to the lifespan of all Spirit Rings," Huo Feng silently repeated the system's offer in his heart.
He began to calculate the benefits rapidly. For a high-level Spirit Master, increasing a Spirit Ring's lifespan by one thousand years might have a relatively small effect on their later rings, which were already tens of thousands of years old. However, for his current level, the effect would be earth-shattering.
This boost would have a massive impact on his first few Spirit Rings.
Specifically, his first and second Spirit Rings would undergo a qualitative change.
His First Spirit Ability came from a ring that was roughly five hundred years old. With this reward, it would jump to one thousand five hundred years. It would transition from a yellow hundred-year ring directly to a purple thousand-year ring.
His second Spirit Ring, already at the thousand-year level, would increase from one thousand years to two thousand years.
In that case, the power of his first two Spirit Abilities would be greatly enhanced. The destructive force and utility of his skills would skyrocket. By then, Huo Feng's First Spirit Ability would be directly equivalent in power to an ordinary Spirit Master's Third Spirit Ability.
Coupled with his already overpowered innate strength and combat experience, he would be unstoppable. Even going head-to-head with an opponent using their Fourth Spirit Ability would be no problem at all.
Thinking of this, Huo Feng's lips curved into a slight, cold smile. The path to power was clear.
The banquet continued for another half an hour before it finally wound down. The group dispersed, full of food and wine, and the sparring match was officially set for one week later.
Everyone returned to their respective rooms to rest.
Flender, being the responsible Dean and old friend, naturally didn't forget about the two people who couldn't attend. He packed a generous amount of food for Tang San and Yu Xiaogang.
Carrying the food containers, Flender walked to their room. He pushed the door open gently, expecting to find them resting.
However, the moment he entered Yu Xiaogang's room, the atmosphere changed.
Yu Xiaogang had been lying on the bed with his eyes slightly closed. But as soon as he heard the door open, his eyes snapped open. He turned his head slowly and stared fixedly at Flender.
There was no gratitude in his eyes. Instead, his gaze was filled with deep, simmering resentment.
Flender's brows immediately furrowed in confusion.
What is wrong with this guy? Flender thought to himself. What kind of expression is this?
He had kindly brought him a hot meal from a high-end banquet. Yet, looking at Yu Xiaogang's twisted face, Flender felt as if he had brought him a bowl of poison or filth. If that wasn't the case, why would Yu Xiaogang look at him as if he had just eaten something disgusting?
Fortunately, Tang San did not notice the silent exchange of glares between the two older men. At this moment, the boy's attention was entirely focused on the food Flender was holding.
Tang San had not eaten anything all day. Since returning from the forest, he had been constantly by the bedside, taking care of Yu Xiaogang's medical needs, changing bandages, and cleaning wounds.
This selfless dedication led to Tang San being absolutely starving right now. His stomach was practically cramping with hunger.
"Thank you, Dean Flender!"
Tang San walked up to Flender with a weary but genuine smile on his face. He bowed respectfully to the Dean. Only then did he reach out and take the food containers from the other man's hands.
As the saying goes, if you take from others, your hands will be soft; if you eat from others, your mouth will be short. Tang San felt nothing but gratitude.
He sniffed lightly at the containers. It smelled so damn good! The rich aroma of meat and spices filled the small room instantly. The portion Flender had brought was generous, easily enough for both him and Yu Xiaogang to have a full meal.
Tang San impatiently turned around, preparing to divide the food into the two large bowls he had already set out on the table.
However, the next second, his body suddenly froze in place.
Yu Xiaogang's expression had changed from resentment to active hostility, and it scared Tang San.
Yu Xiaogang was trembling visibly on the bed. He looked at the steaming food in Tang San's hand with disgust, and then he glared venomously at Flender.
"Little San, give the food back to him!" Yu Xiaogang rasped, his voice shaking with anger. "We, master and disciple, will not eat this food! We don't need his charity!"
Yu Xiaogang's words completely baffled Tang San. He stood there, holding the bowls, unsure of what to do.
Not eat?
He was starving to death. Why wouldn't they eat? Tang San didn't understand why his teacher suddenly had such a strong, irrational reaction to a simple meal.
As soon as these words came out, Flender's brows also furrowed instantly. His patience, which had been wearing thin for days, finally snapped.
I kindly brought you two, master and disciple, food, and you still won't eat it? Flender thought angrily. Who do you think you are? I only helped you out of pity.
Don't forget, Yu Xiaogang, you are only half alive and lying in that bed right now because I saved you.
"Hmph!"
"Eat it or not, I don't care!" Flender snorted coldly.
A hint of heavy sarcasm appeared at the corner of Flender's mouth. He knew Yu Xiaogang too well. Once he left the room, Yu Xiaogang would probably eat the food more deliciously than anyone else. Yet now, to save his pathetic pride, he was putting on an act.
Flender also roughly guessed the source of this sudden aggression. The most likely reason for Yu Xiaogang's reactive behavior was the fact that he was no longer a complete man. His physical disability had twisted his mind, making his entire personality drastically more volatile and sensitive.
At the same time, Flender realized that Yu Xiaogang must have figured out the details of his amputation. It was Flender who had made the hard call and told Tang San to sever the arm back in the forest. Yu Xiaogang clearly harbored deep resentment towards him for that decision.
Despite the glare he was receiving, Flender was very glad that he had made Tang San do it back then. If he had personally cut off Yu Xiaogang's arm to save him, this guy would one hundred percent not appreciate the life-saving measure. Instead, he would treat Flender like a mortal enemy who mutilated him on purpose.
"Flender, was it you who told Tang San to act against me back then?"
Just as Flender turned to leave the room, Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and uttered these words. His voice was filled with accusation.
Flender stopped, his hand on the doorframe.
"What are you trying to say?"
Flender didn't turn back to look at him. His voice was very cold, devoid of the warmth he usually showed his old friend.
Since Yu Xiaogang didn't know what was good for him, Flender decided he didn't need to pity him anymore. Pity was wasted on the ungrateful.
As the saying goes, a pitiable person must have something hateful about them. Yu Xiaogang was the living proof of this proverb.
At this moment, Flender felt that the bond between him and Yu Xiaogang was completely severed.
Flender deeply felt that after Yu Xiaogang came to Shrek Academy, he had treated him with the utmost benevolence and righteousness. He had given him a home, authority, and respect. But this guy seemed to have no sense of shame whatsoever. Instead, he took kindness for granted and repaid it with spite.
Since that was the case, there was no need to care about Yu Xiaogang's fragile feelings anymore.
"Just say 'yes' or 'no'!" Yu Xiaogang shouted. His already limited brain was now completely overheating due to his exasperation and shame.
Flender turned his head slightly, casting a sharp look over his shoulder.
"I can tell you accurately, it was me who told Tang San to do it!" Flender stated firmly.
"Yu Xiaogang, you'd better remember one thing. I saved your pathetic life!"
Flender fully turned around now, his aura flaring slightly with indignation.
"Otherwise, by now, you would have already been fed to the Man-Faced Demon Spider! You would be nothing but bones rotting in the Sunset Forest!"
"If I hadn't made that decision, you wouldn't be here whining like a child right now. You would be dead!"
After speaking his piece, Flender opened the door and left without looking back. The door slammed shut with a heavy thud.
"You—"
Yu Xiaogang was breathing heavily, his chest heaving with rage. He was about to retort immediately, to scream insults at the closed door.
But the words caught in his throat. He opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say.
Because although Flender's words were very harsh and hurtful, they were indeed all facts. There was nothing wrong with them logically.
Tang San had also told him the detailed process before. After Yu Xiaogang was poisoned by the Man-Faced Demon Spider, the toxin had spread rapidly. Tang San himself was also in bad shape and couldn't operate. At that critical moment between life and death, Flender appeared. He made the hard choice that saved both of them.
Yu Xiaogang's face turned extremely grim. He was angry, humiliated, and powerless.
Tang San stood to the side, holding the food Flender had brought back. He didn't dare to say a single word. He felt like he was caught in the middle of a war between two titans, yet he was just a hungry child.
The aroma of the roast meat and vegetables wafted directly into his nostrils. It made Tang San, who was already extremely hungry, swallow his saliva uncontrollably. The sound was audible in the silent room.
The atmosphere was extremely awkward for a while.
Yu Xiaogang couldn't let go of his pride. Although he was equally hungry—perhaps even more so, as his body needed energy to heal—he would absolutely not open his mouth to Tang San and say he wanted to eat the food Flender had brought back.
He had just rejected it with such conviction. To eat it now would be a slap in his own face.
Now, Yu Xiaogang's only bit of authority and face was effective only with his disciple, Tang San. Other people, like Flender or the students, wouldn't even bother with his tantrums anymore.
Finally, after another two minutes of suffocating silence, Tang San organized his thoughts. He knew he had to be the one to break the stalemate.
"Teacher, you haven't eaten all day," Tang San said softly, his voice full of concern. "Your body needs nutrients to recover from the injury. Just eat a little bit."
Saying this, Tang San didn't wait for an answer. He turned around and started to divide the food into the bowls, the clinking of the spoon against the ceramic the only sound in the room.
Yu Xiaogang neither stopped him nor said a word of protest.
He just lay there, secretly glancing twice at Tang San's back with a slightly awkward expression. When the bowl was eventually placed in his hand, he didn't throw it away. He began to eat, his pride swallowed along with the food provided by the man he claimed to hate..
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