From the moment he laid eyes on her, Qi Lin was stunned by the silver-haired, purple-eyed woman standing before him. Her beauty was simply breathtaking. However, he couldn't immediately recognize her identity.
But the instant she opened her mouth to speak, he knew exactly who she was.
Perhaps this was what it meant to recognize someone by their voice alone.
Realizing who she was, a relaxed smile appeared on Qi Lin's face.
"So, it's you!"
"I thought you said you needed to rest and recover—what are you doing here?" Qi Lin asked curiously.
The Silver Dragon King smiled softly. "My injuries won't heal in just a few days. Since I have time, I figured I'd take a walk. Who knows, I might stumble upon something unexpected."
In the past, she would never have dared to leave the Lake of Life, fearing detection by the gods of the Divine Realm.
But ever since meeting Qi Lin, she had sensed a unique force of destiny emanating from him—similar to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, yet far more potent.
She had a hunch: staying by Qi Lin's side wouldn't just shield her from the Divine Realm's gaze—it might even bring her unexpected fortune.
More than that, Qi Lin gave her a feeling unlike anyone else.
That's why she'd made up her mind to leave the Lake of Life to find him.
"Oh, and I have a name now. From now on, call me Gu Yuena," she added.
Qi Lin chuckled. "Alright then, I'll call you Sister Na."
"As you like." Gu Yuena's response was brief, but the faint smile on her lips showed that she was quite pleased with his attitude.
"Sister Na, I'll be staying here at Shrek Academy for a while. If you're not used to the environment, you could live in Suotuo City instead. That might help you get more familiar with human society."
"Of course, if you'd rather stay at the academy, I can speak to the Headmaster," Qi Lin offered.
"I'll stay here for now," Gu Yuena replied calmly.
"Alright, then follow me."
With that, Qi Lin led her to Flender's office.
When Flender saw Qi Lin walk in with a woman whose beauty seemed out of this world, he was momentarily stunned. But he quickly gathered himself and looked toward Qi Lin.
"Qi Lin, who's this?"
Qi Lin smiled. "Headmaster, this is my elder sister, Gu Yuena."
"She came to visit me and will be staying at Shrek Academy for a while. While she's here, she'll help me teach Xiao Wu and the other two."
Flender frowned slightly.
"And how strong is she?"
"…Also, I won't need to pay her a salary, will I?"
Qi Lin smacked his forehead and said, "Headmaster, you're really obsessed with money, aren't you?"
"Don't worry, Sister Na is more than qualified to teach the students here. As for housing…"
"That house you had someone build for me—it's nearly done, right?"
"Just add an extra bedroom, and she can live with me."
Flender gave a dry cough. Though Qi Lin had just accused him of being stingy, he let it go. Instead, he brought up something else.
"Oh right—Xiao Gang asked me to talk to you about something."
"Huh?"
"The Grandmaster has a request?"
"Don't tell me it's about my training methods?" Qi Lin raised an eyebrow, already guessing the truth.
Flender nodded awkwardly. "You know how passionate Xiao Gang is about research. When he saw how effective your training was, he got curious."
"But given how tense things have been between you two recently, he didn't want to ask you directly. So he asked me to be the go-between."
"He just wants to observe while you're training them."
Qi Lin rolled his eyes inwardly.
Passionate about research? Please. Yu Xiao Gang just wanted to boost his reputation!
Still, Qi Lin casually said, "I don't mind. If he wants to watch, let him watch."
After all, his training methods weren't something you could just copy by looking.
If it were really that simple, someone would've already figured it out.
That said, Qi Lin wasn't above a little mischief. He knew exactly what Yu Xiao Gang was thinking and deliberately didn't mention how difficult it was to implement his methods. He wanted to see the so-called "Grandmaster" hit a wall and realize just how big the gap between them was.
Seriously, a twenty-ninth rank Grandmaster trying to take a forty-eighth rank Soul Ancestor as a disciple? What was that guy thinking?
Qi Lin didn't want to be rude, but even his patience had its limits.
Flender, on the other hand, was simply happy Qi Lin agreed. "Then I'll thank you on Xiao Gang's behalf."
Qi Lin smiled slyly like a fox. "No need to thank me for something so small."
"But Headmaster, I should warn you—this training system of mine isn't exactly easy to understand. You might want to prepare the Grandmaster mentally."
That line was clearly bait.
Yu Xiao Gang had never once thought of himself as "ordinary." He saw himself as a misunderstood genius—the strongest theorist in the world of soul masters.
Otherwise, why would he be so arrogantly convinced he could teach a twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor while being only a twenty-ninth rank soul master himself?
In that mindset, the more people doubted him, the more he wanted to prove himself.
Flender didn't catch the implication and just felt happy for his old friend.
Maybe he even believed Yu Xiao Gang might gain something from observing the training of Ning Rongrong and the others.
After leaving Flender's office, Gu Yuena glanced at Qi Lin.
"You didn't seem quite as generous as you sounded just now."
Qi Lin chuckled and began explaining the back-and-forth between him and Yu Xiao Gang.
Gu Yuena nodded in understanding. "So that's how it is."
"If it were me, I'd have killed him already. People like that are better off dead—makes the world a quieter place."
Qi Lin twitched at her bluntness and waved his hands quickly.
"No need for that! I'm not some bloodthirsty killer. The Grandmaster may be annoying, but he's not evil."
That was Qi Lin's nature—relaxed, easygoing, and calm.
Maybe life had always gone smoothly for him, so he carried a natural lightness. He often praised life, showed patience, and rarely held grudges—unless someone crossed his bottom line.
Of course, when someone or something did reach that line, they'd find themselves on the edge of destruction.
"Oh right, let me introduce you to three people. You already know one of them—Xiao Wu."
Gu Yuena's interest was piqued. "Are the other two girls as beautiful as Xiao Wu?"
"Yep. They each have their own charm. They're students at Shrek right now, and I'm personally training them."
"All girls?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You sure like pretty girls, don't you?"
Qi Lin looked puzzled. "Of course. What, you think I'd prefer handsome boys instead?"
Gu Yuena paused to think, then gave an approving nod.
"Fair enough!"