Chapter 138: An Outrageous Demand

Lin Yun treated Yan Shaozhe's words as nothing more than hot air.

Exchange?

What could Yan Shaozhe possibly offer in return?

It wasn't that Lin Yun looked down on him—it was just that this old man didn't even have a 100,000-year soul ring himself. His highest-tier soul ring was a black one tinged with red, barely over 90,000 years. Pathetic.

While Ma Xiaotao was valued at Shrek Academy, she wasn't that indispensable.

As for spirit herbs—to borrow Tang San's words, "Such treasures belong only in the heavens; how often do they grace the mortal realm?" Lin Yun had indeed brought the main body of the Blazing Flame Scorching Sunflower with him. Moreover, its effects were even more potent than its fiery essence, making it effortless to help Ma Xiaotao evolve into a true Ultimate Fire Phoenix.

The question was—could Yan Shaozhe even afford it?

"Dean Yan, I happen to have a spirit herb that can resolve your disciple's issue. But you must understand just how precious such a treasure is, right?" Lin Yun smiled faintly, his words instantly stunning both Yan Shaozhe and Xiao Xiao.

"I won't ask for much—just an equivalent exchange. A 100,000-year fire-attribute spirit herb in return for a full set of six 100,000-year soul bones. Payment upfront, goods upon delivery."

Soul bones enhance combat power; spirit herbs elevate potential!

Shrek Academy had been passed down for ten thousand years. Nearly every generation's Sea God Pavilion Master had been a Limit Douluo (Xuan Zi: "???"), and the elders of the Sea God Pavilion were almost all at least Rank 95 or above.

With such a legacy, how could they possibly lack 100,000-year soul bones?

Shrek alone had likely slain over a dozen 100,000-year soul beasts.

Forcing them to cough up a full set of 100,000-year soul bones would hurt, but they could grit their teeth and do it.

Under normal circumstances, the main body of a 100,000-year Blazing Flame Scorching Sunflower—without its fiery essence, soul ring, or soul bone—wouldn't be worth a full set of 100,000-year soul bones.

But the problem was… these people at Shrek didn't know any better!

For ten thousand years, no other spirit herbs had appeared. Only the original Shrek Seven Monsters, who had consumed them back then, had all ascended to godhood together.

Nowadays, consuming a spirit herb was practically synonymous with having the qualifications to become a god.

Which was more important—godhood or soul bones?

That wasn't even a question worth pondering for a second.

Hesitating for even a moment would be an insult to the spirit herb's value.

But alas, Yan Shaozhe's pockets were empty! He only possessed a single 100,000-year soul bone himself—a gift from the Sea God Pavilion, led by Mu En, upon his appointment as Shrek's dean.

Even this soul bone would have to be returned to Shrek Academy after his death.

Tempted as he was, if Yan Shaozhe actually went ahead and handed over a full set of 100,000-year soul bones in a moment of recklessness, Mu En would probably teleport out of nowhere and murder him on the spot.

Wait, no—Mu En might actually agree.

Among Shrek's current leadership, aside from Mu En, the rest were nothing but incompetent deadweights. Mu En's foresight was beyond theirs, especially now—with the Sun Moon Empire poised to wage war at any moment, the continent on edge, and Shrek Academy's future hanging by a thread.

Having an Ultimate Fire soul master might not guarantee another victory like the one four thousand years ago, but it could at least preserve Shrek's legacy and maintain its status as the continent's top academy.

If their very inheritance was at risk, what was the point of hoarding soul bones?

Given Mu En's vision, he might very well choose to pay up, settle the matter peacefully, and forge goodwill with Lin Yun. The fact that Lin Yun could produce two spirit herbs spoke volumes about his background.

But here was the thing…

Who would've thought Mu En's judgment would fail him just this once, saddling him with a disciple as useless as Yan Shaozhe?

After the initial excitement faded, Yan Shaozhe immediately dismissed the idea in his heart. His upbringing had instilled in him absolute loyalty to Shrek and the duty to secure its greatest interests.

Ma Xiaotao was his disciple, true—but before the altar of Shrek's faith, even she had to take a backseat. Using the academy's resources to save his own disciple?

If the price were smaller, he might've considered it—after all, as the dean, he did have some personal savings.

But demanding six 100,000-year soul bones—and a complete set at that—right off the bat?

What constituted a complete set?

A skull bone, a torso bone, left and right arm bones, and left and right leg bones—covering all six absorbable slots a soul master had.

Limb bones were one thing, but 100,000-year head and torso bones were at least twice as valuable as their limb counterparts.

With that single sentence, Lin Yun had essentially asked for eight 100,000-year soul bones' worth of value from Shrek Academy.

Wasn't this just an outright extortion?

Even if Yan Shaozhe believed a 100,000-year spirit herb was worth the price, he couldn't bring himself to part with them—nor did he even have the authority to do so!

"Could… could you give me some time to consider?" Yan Shaozhe finally managed to close his gaping mouth, hesitating for a long while before speaking.

"Of course. Even if the deal falls through, there's no harm in maintaining goodwill." Lin Yun smiled. "Once the academy makes its decision, just let me know. I'll send word to my sect, and our Guardian Douluo will personally bring the spirit herb to Shrek City. We can verify its authenticity and proceed with the exchange face-to-face."

"Oh, and our Beast Taming Sect's Guardian Douluo has already reached the Limit Douluo realm—Rank 99. You can rest assured, Dean Yan, that no… unforeseen incidents will occur during the transaction."

"...?" You call that reassuring?!

This is just a blatant threat!

Yan Shaozhe was utterly speechless, any underhanded ideas he'd been entertaining vanishing on the spot.

Whether Lin Yun actually had the spirit herb on him was questionable—Yan Shaozhe doubted it. Such a treasure wouldn't be entrusted to him, no matter how highly his sect regarded him.

As for whether Lin Yun's sect had a Limit Douluo…

Yan Shaozhe was inclined to believe they did.

If they could assign a powerhouse—likely around Rank 98—to lurk in the shadows as Lin Yun's protector, was it really so strange for the sect to have a hidden Limit Douluo as well?

The Beast Taming Sect… what a terrifying faction!

Yan Shaozhe left.

Lin Yun's words had only worked on him because Yan Shaozhe was just cunning enough to be cautious—but not enough to be truly dangerous. At most, he'd resort to petty schemes, never reckless force.

If this had been Xuan Zi instead, things would've been different. At Rank 98, the old beast would've had the confidence to bulldoze through any opposition. He'd have probably tried to kidnap Lin Yun outright.

"The bait has been cast. Now, let's see if the fish finds the scent tempting enough~" Lin Yun chuckled meaningfully.

(End of Chapter)

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