Flender paused for a moment and then said, "In a while, each of you should pay 100 gold soul coins to Teacher Li, who is in charge of finances."
Su Ming frowned and stepped forward, saying, "Headmaster, didn't we already pay the registration fee?"
Flender's mouth twitched. It was this troublemaker again. If it weren't for Su Ming, he wouldn't have had to return all those registration fees. However, Su Ming's talent was the best he had ever seen, and with him, Shrek Academy could truly flourish in the future. So, Flender held his patience and explained, "That was the registration fee. What you're paying now is the tuition fee."
Su Ming didn't want to pay any tuition fees, especially not 100 gold soul coins, which could last him a long time. "Headmaster, Xiao Wu, Tang San, and I were recommended by Master Yu Xiaogang. And Tang San is Master's disciple. Master told us that coming to this Monster Academy would exempt us from tuition fees, and that the teachers here are strong enough to help us improve. Otherwise, with our abilities, we could easily attend any prestigious intermediate academy."
"If the headmaster insists on collecting tuition, Xiao Wu and I will have no choice but to transfer to another academy."
"Isn't that right, Tang San?"
Tang San weighed the situation and nodded. "Yes, headmaster. My teacher said that he and you are old friends and asked me to attend this academy. He also mentioned that he would visit soon and hoped you could help me hunt for a Man-Faced Demon Spider for my third spirit ring."
In truth, Yu Xiaogang never mentioned anything about a tuition exemption, but Tang San figured that if they could save some money, why not? After all, Su Ming was leading the charge, and 100 gold soul coins was a lot. He needed to save up for crafting more advanced hidden weapons.
Flender had no response to that. The soul tool on Tang San's waist clearly indicated that he was indeed Yu Xiaogang's disciple. However, Flender wasn't happy. He didn't get the registration fee, and now he was short on tuition from three students.
Flender forced a smile. "Since you were recommended by Xiaogang, you don't have to pay tuition. But Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong will still need to pay."
Ning Rongrong didn't mind. A mere 100 gold soul coins was nothing to her—barely a fraction of her allowance.
Zhu Zhuqing, although estranged from her family, had taken all her wealth with her when she left. She didn't care about the cost either; as long as it helped her grow stronger, that was enough for her.
Seeing that these two had no intention of avoiding payment, Flender felt a bit relieved. He had no choice but to waive the tuition for Su Ming, Xiao Wu, and Tang San since Yu Xiaogang would soon be visiting. Flender was greedy, but he also knew when to show face, and there would be plenty of opportunities to make up for the lost tuition later.
Suddenly, Flender's eyes gleamed. "Su Ming, why do your dormitory and the girls' dormitory look different now?"
Su Ming replied casually, "I rebuilt the dormitory using my spirit. The original dorm was too small and didn't offer enough privacy, so I changed it."
Flender's eyes brightened, and he grinned, "Su Ming, how about helping the academy rebuild all the buildings?"
Su Ming stared at Flender in shock. Was this guy serious? Did he think I was some free labor? Absolutely not! Su Ming smiled faintly and said, "Sure, but you'll have to pay me. Rebuilding the academy using my spirit takes a lot of energy!"
Flender's face twisted in frustration. "You're already a student here. What's wrong with contributing to your own academy? Don't you want the place to look better?"
Su Ming blinked innocently. "Of course I do. But what does that have to do with me? If you want it done, you'll have to pay! No freebies!"
Flender waved his hand in resignation. "Fine, fine. We'll talk about it later."
In his heart, Flender was already scheming ways to get Su Ming to renovate the academy for free. Such a useful talent was too good to waste.
Flender then addressed the group, "Everyone except Ning Rongrong and Oscar can go back to rest. Our first class will start tonight. Mubai, explain the academy rules to them. Let me be clear: our academy is different from others. You may face real danger here, so make sure you're in your best condition by evening!"
Su Ming rolled his eyes inwardly. Yeah, right. Aside from Qin Ming, none of the academy's graduates are well-known. Most of them probably died because of the so-called 'danger' you keep talking about.
Ning Rongrong had expected this, so she calmly stepped forward. Oscar, however, looked miserable—he knew the headmaster was up to something again.
Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun took off like a rocket, not wanting any part of what was coming next.
Su Ming, Xiao Wu, Tang San, and Zhu Zhuqing stayed behind, curious to see how Flender would train Ning Rongrong and Oscar.
Flender didn't mind the extra audience. He turned to Oscar and Ning Rongrong and said, "You two are both support-type spirit masters—one focused on attribute boosts, the other on food. Spirit masters like you usually need protection in battle. But you can't always rely on others to protect you, so as support-type spirit masters, it's crucial to have the ability to escape. A support spirit master who can't run isn't a good one. And running requires stamina, which is why you both need physical training. In a critical moment, being able to run even a little further could save your life."
Oscar already knew what was coming. He couldn't escape this grueling training.
Ning Rongrong, however, wasn't fully convinced. While she understood the importance of what Flender was saying, she also thought that no matter how much stamina a support-type spirit master had, they couldn't outrun a much stronger battle spirit master. Take her Sword Grandpa and Bone Grandpa, for example—no amount of running would help when they could finish an opponent in one strike or teleport to them instantly. Relying solely on running seemed ineffective.
Su Ming also found Flender's reasoning flawed. He didn't mind physical training for the sake of stamina, but thinking a support-type spirit master could escape a battle spirit master just by running was unrealistic.
However, Flender's words gave Su Ming an idea. Ning Rongrong was indeed vulnerable without proper escape or attack abilities. He could consider giving her some help in the future to boost her abilities—and gain more favor from her in the process.
Finally, Flender concluded his lecture with their training assignment. "Today's lesson is stamina training. Starting now, you'll run 20 laps around the village. If you don't finish by lunchtime, no food for you!"