"A peerless genius?"
The Zhu Zhuqing Sisters and Xiaowu all exclaimed in surprise, showing curious eyes.
Only A Wu and Luo Yu exchanged a glance, their expressions odd.
Zhao Wuji turned his head to look at Flander, puzzled, "Dean, doesn't our Shrek also have its little monsters? What genius out there could shock you like this?"
Flander lowered his voice, mysteriously saying, "I'm going to tell you, but you must not spread this beyond us. The news about this genius is highly confidential, circulating only among the top forces on the continent."
Zhao Wuji asked skeptically, "Dean, how did you come to know such confidential information?"
Flander glared, holding his head high, as if he intended to show off his authority in front of the new students.
"Considering my reputation as the Four-eyed Cat Eagle Flander on the continent, isn't it normal for me to have a few friends working in major forces?"
"If it weren't for me, you guys probably wouldn't have the chance to hear such news."
Zhao Wuji, itching with curiosity, urged,
"Yes, yes, your venerableness is mighty, we get it."
"Just hurry up and tell us."
Flander turned to look at the Zhu Zhuqing Sisters and Xiaowu, "I have preliminarily investigated, and your talents are not bad. To have such cultivation levels at your age is quite precious."
"It's one in ten thousand."
"But, I hope you best not be proud and practice diligently."
"Because the person I'm about to talk about has a talent that is far, far superior to yours."
Seeing Flander about to get to the main point, the three girls and Zhao Wuji sat up straight, listening intently with rapt attention.
"Not long ago, scouts from various major forces lurking in the Martial Soul Hall simultaneously reported that during the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony, a peerless genius with Twin Martial Souls appeared."
"Twin Martial Souls?"
"Has another possessor of Twin Martial Souls, like the Female Pope, appeared?"
Zhao Wuji's rugged face was filled with shock, his tiger-like eyes wide open.
Flander scoffed, "Are you shocked by this? The more explosive news is still to come."
Zhao Wuji's hand trembled, "Twin Martial Souls isn't enough? There's even more explosive news?"
Flander asked, "What was your innate soul power level when you awakened?"
"Seven," Zhao Wuji replied.
Zhao Wuji shook his head, pointing to Zhu Zhuqing, Zhu Zhuyun, and Xiaowu in turn, "Then during your Martial Soul awakening, what was your innate soul power level?"
"Seven."
"Seven."
"Ten."
"Full innate soul power?"
Flander looked surprised at Xiaowu but eventually shook his head with a sigh.
"You're quite good, but just good, still at the level of mortals."
"Do you know how many levels of innate soul power that person I mentioned has?"
"That... hold on a second." Luo Yu looked at Flander, puzzled, "You've asked the three of them, why not ask me too?"
Flander, interrupted, glared annoyedly,
"Do you think I'm blind, unable to see your level? Barely over level 20, you just barely scraped into the academy, right? Don't you know your own level? What's there to ask about your meager cultivation level?"
Luo Yu: "???"
The Zhu Zhuqing Sisters: "???"
You're actually blind! Zhao Wuji's face twitched, cursing in his heart.
A Wu's beautiful eyes glared, already preparing to brandish a kitchen knife.
In reality, Flander had also not considered that someone could conceal their cultivation level to the extent that even he couldn't see through it.
Noticing the silence all around, Flander seemed to realize his words might have been too blunt and hurtful. He coughed and, with an old-fashioned pat, smacked Luo Yu's shoulder.
"You, my student, shouldn't mind. I, the Dean, am just straightforward, but I'm not a bad person."
"Rest assured, now that you've joined Shrek, no one will look down on you. As long as you're willing to work hard, even if your talent is lacking, I'm willing to help you succeed."
Luo Yu wore a strange expression, "Then, I'll... thank the Dean for cultivating me first?"
Flander, as if already familiar, patted Luo Yu's shoulder with a big hand, scolding with a smile, "You kid, why the reluctance? In the future, when traveling the continent and mentioning that you were taught by the Four-eyed Cat Eagle, it'll be enough for you to boast for a lifetime."
Zhao Wuji watched Flander's carefree actions, his heart racing with fear.
My Dean, this ancestor of ours is not someone we can afford to provoke!
He had planned to go back and tell Flander in detail about Luo Yu, but he realized it might not be okay to delay any longer.
He was afraid Flander might continue boasting for a while and annoy this esteemed ancestor, scattering even his ashes.
"Dean, you..."
Flander waved his hand dismissively and interrupted, "Okay, okay, I got it. Don't rush me anymore. I'll continue."
Zhao Wuji's face showed urgency. You know? You know what exactly?
"The geniuses we know of, at their highest, possess only innate full soul power. But you'll never guess—the innate soul power of this transcendent genius from Martial Soul Hall is—"
Flander deliberately drew out the suspense.
"How many levels?" The three girls simultaneously poked their heads forward, and Zhao Wuji glanced sideways.
"Level 40."
"Hiss!"
The Zhu Zhuqing sisters, Xiaowu, and Zhao Wuji were all wide-eyed in astonishment, inhaling sharply, struck with awe.
"Level 40? Am I hearing this wrong?" Zhao Wuji patted his ear.
"No, you heard right. That person is indeed Innate Level Forty."
Seeing the shock among everyone, Flander seemed pleased with the effect. After all, when he first received this news, he was even more shocked, almost popping his eyes out.
Even now, as he retold it, he felt a similar thrill inside.
Zhu Zhuqing swallowed hard, amazed, "Could it be someone made it up? How could anyone have Innate Level Forty soul power?"
"Yeah," Zhu Zhuyun nodded. "Twin Martial Souls are frightening enough, right? Innate Level Forty, would that even be human?"
"Cough cough."
Luo Yu couldn't help but cough lightly from the side.
The Zhu Zhuqing sisters' beautiful eyes faltered and turned towards Luo Yu simultaneously.
They were aware of Luo Yu's Twin Martial Souls.
It couldn't be, could it? Was it the man with whom they'd had their fish and water joy?
It surely couldn't be such a coincidence, right? The sisters were now uncertain.
"Sigh." Flander suddenly let out a long sigh, "Martial Soul Hall is thriving day by day, and now that they have such an extraordinary genius, what other powers could possibly survive?"
"Twin Martial Souls, Innate Level Forty, this is the epitome of a celestial being, a deity's gift. Once this fellow grows up, what chance do other powers in Douluo have?"
Luo Yu asked, "Why wouldn't the other powers in Douluo have a chance if he grows up?"
Flander glared, "Do you even understand what a landscape is, or the situation? That guy's combat strength will definitely alter Douluo's landscape; who could stand against him?"
"With Martial Soul Hall's full support for his development, the day they unify the continent is probably close at hand."
Luo Yu raised an eyebrow, "What if the person has no intention of conquest?"
"Tsch," Flander made a sneering sound. "Every person covets power. I don't believe someone that strong wouldn't have thoughts of unifying Douluo."
"You seem to know him quite well?" Luo Yu remarked quizzically.
"It's not hard to deduce," Flander replied with conviction. "I'm one hundred percent sure that he's currently being developed in secret by Martial Soul Hall, waiting to become unbeatable before making a comeback."
Luo Yu shook his head, "That doesn't sound likely to me, that's playing it too safe..."
Flander sighed wistfully, "You don't understand, such genius characters have remarkable temperaments. Lying low for ten or eight years is nothing significant to them."
"I can already imagine the earth-shattering moment when he makes his move," he said and then sighed deeply.
"If such a genius appeared in Shrek, how great would that be? To trade ten years of my life for that would be worth it, even twenty years, or thirty years I would accept."
"With such a genius at our side, I'd go to my grave with a smile."
Luo Yu said, "Aren't you exaggerating a bit?"
"Exaggerating?" Flander's voice suddenly rose, his eyes turning red. "If we had that genius at Shrek, I'd serve him every day as a father, no! Even a father wouldn't suffice, I'd serve him as an ancestor."
"To be a teacher for a lifetime, to have the chance to instruct such a genius, I'd be thrice fortunate."
"Stop pretending to be so noble. I think you just want to show off," Zhao Wuji muttered under his breath from the side.
Flander's face stiffened, glaring, "Zhao, don't you want a chance to strut and breathe easy too?"
Zhao Wuji consoled, "Alright, stop dreaming. The students we've recruited this year aren't so bad."
Flander sighed, "But no matter how good they are, they can't compare to that kind of genius, right? It's too disheartening."
At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing timidly stretched out her hand and asked,
"Um..."
"Dean, the genius you just mentioned, what does he look like?"
"What's his name?"
——————
ps: A 2600-word massive chapter, and Saturday and Sunday are coming! Finally, I have time to add more chapters for my brothers!
There will be another update around midnight tonight.