Chapter 193: Conflict Escalates! The First Soul Ring of the Clear Sky Hammer!
After hearing Tang San's almost psychologically twisted words, Flander's chest heaved violently. After a moment, he could no longer suppress his indignation and said in a deep voice:
"Tang San! How... how could you suddenly become so unable to distinguish right from wrong?!"
"The strong prey on the weak? Yes! This is indeed one of the laws of Douluo Continent, but laws do not mean there are no bottom lines! We Soul Masters hunt Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Rings for survival, to improve our strength, to gain a foothold in the human world, to fight against evil spirits, and to protect what is worth protecting! This is a balance built on necessity, a rule that has been passed down for countless years in the Soul Master world!"
"But look at what you are doing now?!"
As he spoke, Flander pointed to the corpses of the surrounding Soul Beasts, raising his voice.
"This isn't for survival or necessary advancement; this is torture! This is indiscriminate killing! It's a meaningless slaughter for the minuscule probability of obtaining a soul bone! This is not the behavior of a soul master, but the act of a fallen, evil soul master."
"Yes, others' futures may not directly concern us, but this world isn't just about Shrek Academy! A delicate balance exists between soul masters and soul beasts. If this balance is completely shattered because of your selfishness, the consequences will be the collapse of the entire world!"
"At that time, the continent's soul master traditions will be severed, resources will be depleted, and turmoil will erupt. Even if Shrek Academy becomes powerful for a time, can it remain unscathed? How long can it truly stand firm? As the saying goes, if the skin is gone, where will the hair attach?! Don't you understand such a simple principle?"
With that, he abruptly flicked his sleeve, turned his back, and refused to look at the bloody slaughterhouse or the unfamiliar Tang San, his tone cold and resolute:
"Tang San, if you insist on continuing to slaughter the soul beasts in Sunset Forest for their bones, I, Flander, and Shrek Academy, which I represent, will no longer provide you with any assistance, nor will we help you capture even a single soul beast! You'd better watch yourself!"
Although Flander was greedy, as a soul master, he still possessed the most basic professional ethics. Tang San's current short-sighted behavior disgusted him!
At this moment, Tang San's face showed no remorse whatsoever. Instead, a cold smile mixed with mockery and arrogance appeared on his face as he retorted:
"Bottom line? Heh... How naively laughable."
As he spoke, he took a step forward, his gaze sweeping over the corpses of the soul beasts, as if admiring his masterpiece.
"You call this torture, indiscriminate killing? In my opinion, this is simply making the best use of resources!"
"These beasts are born to be resources for us Soul Masters, stepping stones for cultivation! Their existence is meant to make us Soul Masters stronger! What's wrong with me using them to improve my own strength? Do I have to be like you, hypocritically taking only Soul Rings and leaving the complete corpses as mercy? Hypocritical!"
"The so-called balance, inheritance? Those are just excuses fabricated by the weak to comfort themselves! True strength should seize all the resources it can, stepping on corpses to reach the peak! History is written by the victors. As long as I am strong enough, my words are the rules, and I set right and wrong! Then, who will dare to say that what I did today is wrong? They will only look up to Shrek's glory; who will care how many ants they have crushed under their feet?"
Turning his gaze to Flander, Tang San said with undisguised contempt.
"You say I'm no different from an evil soul master? Dean Flander, you're too pedantic! Power is power; what's the difference between good and evil? Is it good when used for good, or evil when used for evil? That's just the self-imposed constraint of the incompetent! As long as the goal is achieved, does the means matter? As long as Shrek Academy can rise above all other forces, even if they use some extreme methods, they're still heroes, not evil souls!"
After hearing Tang San's sophistry, Flander felt a surge of anger rush to his head, so angry that his soul power fluctuated unstably.
If... if this kid wasn't Tang Hao's son, based on his inhuman and evil soul master-like remarks, Flander would have slapped him to death right there, eliminating a potential scourge for the continent!
Just as the atmosphere was about to reach its climax, Grandmaster and Liu Erlong saw this and immediately stepped forward to stand between the two.
"Little San! Stop talking!"
Grandmaster grabbed Tang San's arm and shouted in a deep voice.
On the other side, Liu Erlong took Flander's arm and gently comforted him,
"Brother Flander, calm down, calm down! Little San... he's probably just too eager to improve his strength and got stuck in a rut. Why are you arguing with a child? Don't hurt yourself." As she spoke, she gently patted Flander's back to help him calm down.
Under their persuasion, Tang San snorted coldly and turned his head away. Although he didn't say anything more rude, he clearly had no intention of apologizing.
Flander looked at him like that, his anger and disappointment intertwined, but in the end, for the sake of Grandmaster and Liu Erlong, he forcibly suppressed the urge to fight.
Seeing that the situation had been temporarily stabilized, Grandmaster sighed helplessly, turned to Flander, and said with a hint of weariness and complexity in his voice,
"Flander, it will take some time for Tang San to attach the spirit ring to the Clear Sky Hammer. Why don't you… if you don't have anything else to do, go back to the academy first. Erlong and I will keep an eye on things here; we won't let him do anything too outrageous."
His words seemed to be for Flander's sake, to prevent him from further angering him.
In reality, he also didn't want Flander to continue witnessing Tang San's almost evil soul master behavior, lest the conflict between the two escalate again.
Upon hearing this, Flander gave Grandmaster a deep look, then glanced at the indifferent Tang San, a sense of powerlessness and sorrow welling up inside him.
He knew that Grandmaster had ultimately chosen to stand on his disciple's side, even though his disciple's actions had strayed from the right path.
"Hmph!" Flander ultimately said nothing, only letting out a displeased snort. He stopped looking at anyone, his soul power surging, and a powerful surge of soul power erupted instantly.
The next moment, a pair of enormous, metallic-shimmering cat-owl wings unfurled behind him. With a loud eagle's cry, he soared into the sky, transforming into a streak of light, and flew away without looking back from the suffocating and disappointing Sunset Forest.
Flander's departing figure had barely disappeared into the distant horizon when the oppressive atmosphere in the forest seemed not lessen, but rather became even more tense with his departure.
Seeing Flander leave, Liu Erlong's gentle expression, which had been used to mediate, vanished instantly.
She turned her gaze to Tang San, showing no dissatisfaction or doubt regarding his previous remarks, but rather a decisive, almost indulgent, approval.
Then, Liu Erlong strode to the side, effortlessly lifting a soul beast that had been beaten to the point of near death, as if carrying an ordinary piece of luggage.
With a muffled thud, a massive ape with fur like burning flames was tossed in front of Tang San.
Although the spirit beast's aura was weak, the remaining violent fire attribute energy on its body was still scorching. It was none other than a ten-thousand-year-old Explosive Fire Ape.
"Little San, Xiao Gang asked me to capture this ten-thousand-year-old Explosive Fire Ape for you. It took some effort. He said that this spirit beast's fire attribute is fierce and explosive, which is perfect for adding a spirit ring to your Clear Sky Hammer, greatly enhancing its fire attribute explosive power. Don't delay, kill it quickly and absorb the spirit ring!" Liu Erlong clapped her hands, her tone crisp and decisive.
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