Chapter 60 67. The Flat‑Headed Man by Yelin Lake (2)
Flander was born into the home of a wandering merchant.
His father traveled constantly, selling goods from place to place. With no steady clients and meager trade, he turned to deceit—peddling counterfeits, short‑weighing his sales, and cutting corners whenever possible.
His clientele consisted of small vendors and common folk rather than nobles or large factions, so in spite of his dishonesty, the family escaped retribution for years.
That same shrewdness and stinginess shaped young Flander, planting early the traits of greed, cunning, and a love of petty profit that followed him all his life.
Everything changed when Flander's martial spirit awakened.
He was found to possess innate spirit power of level 8.5—his spirit, a cat‑owl hybrid.
Such talent was rare across the entire Douluo Continent. If properly cultivated, he could elevate the family from humble traders to a proud clan of soul masters. (Had his father lived long enough to learn that Flander would grow old alone for love of one woman, the man's coffin lid would have exploded in fury.)
Abandoning frugality, his father poured every coin into his son's future—hiring strong spirit masters to hunt Flander's first century‑old ring, then paying for the best academy their money could reach.
It was there, at the spirit master academy, that Flander first met the woman who captured his heart—Liu Erlong.
Their bond began with an inexplicable resonance between their spirits. Such resonance usually signaled compatibility for a spirit fusion skill—a phenomenon that allowed two spirit masters to combine power through dual cultivation, greatly enhancing both strength and intimacy.
Throughout the continent, partners with fusion‑skill compatibility often became inseparable. Two men might become sworn brothers, two women close companions—but when it was between a man and a woman, love was almost always the result.
Flander was elated. If destiny had granted such resonance, then he and Liu Erlong must have been born for each other.
But—
Though they felt the spirit connection, their fusion skill never manifested. No dual cultivation worked. The academy instructors puzzled over it until declaring the "resonance" a misperception.
Flander was disappointed, but eventually accepted the verdict.
As for Liu Erlong—she had grown up under her mother's care, the by‑product of Yu Luomian's brief affair. Her father, a noble of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, paid them little attention until the day her spirit awakened.
Her innate power also measured level 8.5, and though her Fire Dragon spirit was a mutation of the clan's beast spirit, it wasn't a harmful one. With proper guidance, she could reach the rank of Contra and potentially even a Title Douluo.
For that, she grudgingly acknowledged her father's support. His influence had secured her admission to a good academy and a hundred‑year‑level ring instead of a mere ten‑year one. Though she disliked the man for his irresponsibility, she could not deny the debt.
Flander and Liu Erlong became friends through their so‑called resonance. Even lacking a fusion skill, their shared goal bound them together: both dreamed of founding a spirit master academy of their own.
Yet their ideals differed.
Liu Erlong, having witnessed through her mother's eyes the hardships of common spirit masters, wished to build a school open to the poor and humble.
Flander, born a merchant's son, approached the idea with a businessman's mind. "An academy needs branding," he would argue. "We must craft prestige—train exceptional talents, win glory at the continental tournament, and let fame create value. Only then will success follow."
Their disagreements didn't break them. Dreams take time, and they believed they still had years ahead to find common ground. (Of course, because Liu Erlong's heart later fixated completely on Yu Xiao Gang, her Blue Tyrant Academy evolved under Flander's commercial vision into what the world would know as Shrek Academy. Therefore, yes—it was all Yu Xiao Gang's fault.)
After graduating, the two set out to travel the continent. They sought gifted companions, connections, and experience—preparing for the day their academy would take shape.
Eventually, Flander brought Liu Erlong to Yelin City, a place famed as a haven for lovers. He had chosen the setting carefully: during the annual Lantern Festival, he planned to confess his love to her under the starlit sky.
He spared no effort in his preparations. Everything was ready—the only thing left was the perfect moment.
But the very first step failed.
His plan began with a romantic boat ride on Yelin Lake. Before it even started, both suddenly felt something… a strange spiritual resonance.
"Spirit resonance?" Flander said, startled.
"You felt it too?" asked Liu Erlong.
He nodded slowly, an incredible idea forming in his mind. "Then our spirit fusion might not belong to just two people—but three."
"Three? That's impossible!" she exclaimed.
"Nothing is impossible in the world of spirit masters," he reasoned. "We may be part of a tri‑fusion. We simply need to find the third."
Guided by that invisible pulse, they followed the resonance—and came upon a scene at the lakeside.
There, dressed in a black academy robe, a young man with a flat, cropped haircut stood by the shimmering water, his face etched with weary sorrow.
He stepped forward to the edge.
"What is he doing?" they wondered.
When he dipped a toe into the lake and quickly drew it back, realization struck Liu Erlong. "He's going to—"
Flander cut her off. "We have to stop him!" His spirit flared, wings of the cat‑owl unfurling behind him as he soared across the lake and landed lightly behind the stranger, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Brother," he said gently, "what could be so unbearable that you'd take such an extreme step?"
The flat‑topped young man turned, gazing first at Flander, then at Liu Erlong, who had just arrived. In that instant, all three felt a tremendous spirit resonance.
"You felt it," Flander said quietly.
The young man nodded, hands clasped behind his back, eyes gleaming with intelligence. "Our spirits are linked in fusion—a rare three‑person combination indeed."
And thus, the Golden Iron Triangle met for the very first time.
(END CHAPTER)
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