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The sun was high, and the sky was perfectly clear. A gentle, warm breeze, hinting at the approaching heat, swept across the training grounds of Shrek Academy, where many students in their 'shit-green' uniforms moved about.
Not far away, Yu Xiaogang sat in a wheelchair, a thin blanket covering his legs. Although his complexion was still pale, he looked much better than he had a few months ago. Liu Erlong stood quietly behind him, holding half a bowl of unfinished medicinal soup.
It had taken a great effort. Liu Erlong had rushed back to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan overnight, kneeling to beg Yu Yuanzhen, who was in seclusion, to save him. When the Thunder Douluo learned that his own son had been severely injured by Dugu Bo, who had extracted his Bloodline, he was instantly furious.
Ultimately, though, logic overcame his rage. After all, making an enemy of someone like Dugu Bo for a mere 'good-for-nothing' was not a wise move.
In the end, his father secretly allowed Liu Erlong to take the Revival Grass and Dragon Blood Ginsengâprecious treasures from the Sectâwhich barely managed to keep Yu Xiaogang clinging to life.
A row of students now stood in front of Yu Xiaogang. They were Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, Oscar, Xiao Wu, and also Tai Long, Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, Jiang Zhu, and a few others.
These last four were the main force Liu Erlong had prepared for the Soul Master Competition before Lan Ba Academy was renamed Shrek Academy. They were all elites that Liu Erlong had carefully cultivated and kept at the Academy.
Looking at the group before him, Yu Xiaogang's expression was somber. He sighed and said, "Although Mubai has just broken through to rank forty in Spirit Power, the overall strength of the Shrek Team is nowhere near what it used to be.
Ning Rongrong has dropped out and returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and Little San is still missing... Alas, with the Soul Master Competition so close, we can't even assemble a complete seven-person lineup.
A Shrek like this might not even make it past the preliminary rounds." He shook his head grimly. "Shrek Academy... it's truly over."
Hearing this, Liu Erlong placed the medicine bowl on a nearby stone table and gently laid her hand on Yu Xiaogang's trembling shoulder. "Xiaogang, don't say that," she comforted him softly.
"The little freaks are still young. Even if we're eliminated this time, five years from now, they will surely become a team that will shock the entire Douluo Continent. For now, taking care of your health is the most important thing."
Yu Xiaogang sighed deeply, his cloudy eyes filled with despair. "Erlong, you don't need to comfort me," he said. "With the lineup so incomplete, and Little San's return uncertain, how can we talk about the future? How can Mubai alone bear this broken situation? My Spirit theory, I'm afraid..."
"How can you say that? The children are all working hard," Liu Erlong insisted, applying a little more pressure to his shoulder. "Mubai has broken through to rank forty, and Fatty, Zhuqing, and the others have also made rapid progress. Even if our performance isn't good this time, it will be a valuable experience. Your health has just started to improve, so you must not worry or grieve anymore."
At that moment, only Zhu Zhuqing noticed that Dai Mubai's expression had become extremely grim. His face was ashen, and his clenched fists were white at the knuckles. He was thinking of the cruel competition rules of the Star Luo Empire's imperial family.
If he lost to his brother in this competition, the tragic outcome awaiting him was not just failure, but having his Spirit Power crippled and being permanently exiled. Immense pressure, like a giant boulder, weighed on Dai Mubai's heart, nearly suffocating him.
"Yu Xiaogang! Besides sighing all day and saying we're finished, what else can you actually do?" His chest heaving violently, the long-suppressed anger in Dai Mubai's evil eyes finally erupted.
"Aren't you known for your invincible theories? Now that the team is short on people and lacks strength, isn't this precisely when you need to find a solution? You just sit in your wheelchair, complaining, 'It's over, it's over!' Constantly avoiding setbacksâis this your so-called Grandmaster demeanor?
"Dai Mubai took a sudden step forward, his voice filled with uncontrollable indignation. "We haven't even entered the arena, and you've already pronounced our death sentence! Since you already think we're bound to lose, why should we even participate? We might as well just disband!"
"You... you..." Yu Xiaogang trembled with rage at this sudden defiance, his finger shaking as he pointed at Dai Mubai. His face instantly turned crimson, and his chest heaved violently, almost causing him to faint.
Seeing this, Liu Erlong's face darkened, and she sharply reprimanded, "Mubai! Stop it! How can you speak to an elder like that!"
Dai Mubai was now consumed by fury and no longer cared about seniority. He abruptly turned to Liu Erlong, his evil eyes bloodshot, and his voice became even more agitated. "Elder? Look at him now! Besides lying there wallowing in self-pity and saying discouraging words that dampen morale, does he have any semblance of an elder?!"
Before Liu Erlong could retort, he aimed his criticism directly at her. "And you, Vice-Dean Erlong! Besides guarding him all day and feeding him medicine, humoring his 'it's over, it's over' nonsense, what substantial preparations have you made for the Academy? One of you only knows how to sigh, and the other only knows how to care for the one who sighs!
You don't care at all if Shrek is finished, do you?!" Dai Mubai's words poured out like a barrage, completely unleashing his inner panic, pressure, and long-suppressed unwillingness to face his situation.
"What do you know! No matter how strong my Spirit theory is, can it conjure Spirit Bones out of thin air? Can it bring back Tang San and Ning Rongrong?!" Yu Xiaogang was completely provoked by Dai Mubai's words. He slapped the armrest of his wheelchair, struggling to stand up, his pale face turning purple as he retorted sharply.
"On the contrary, it's you! Dai Mubai!" Immediately after, as if he had finally grasped some leverage, his finger trembled as he pointed at Dai Mubai, his tone becoming harsh and completely out of control.
"Don't think I don't know! You used to frequent brothels in Soto City every day, neglecting your cultivation! Now, with a great enemy before us, instead of thinking about how to improve, you have the audacity to criticize me?
If it weren't for your lack of effort in your own cultivation, why would you only be a Spirit Ancestor now? You should reflect deeply on whether you have cultivated diligently all these years!"
Yu Xiaogang's undignified shouts and public exposure of Dai Mubai's private shortcomings completely shattered the solemn atmosphere of the pre-competition pep rally, making it as awkward as a street argument.
Being publicly exposed by Yu Xiaogang, a cold killing intent suddenly flashed in Dai Mubai's eyes. His evil gaze revealed a distinct ferocity. He took one step forward, his surrounding Spirit Power fluctuating violently.
However, the moment his foot landed, an unexpected change occurred!
Over a dozen pitch-black Blue Silver Grass vines, shimmering with a dark luster, burst from the ground beneath his feet without warning. They coiled rapidly upwards like living venomous pythons, instantly converging above his head, and finally weaving into a sturdy prison, trapping him firmly in place!
"This is?!" Seeing this, Dai Mubai's face changed dramatically. This familiar method of control, and the powerful, icy aura, sent a huge shock through his heart. He subconsciously gasped in a low voice, "Black Blue Silver Grass? Tang San?!"
As this thought flashed, he abruptly turned his head to look.
A blue figure, swift as lightning, leaped from the roof beside the training ground, rushing toward him with an icy chill! The figure's speed was extreme, almost leaving an afterimage in the air. The next second, a sharp whooshing sound pierced towards his throat!
Dai Mubai didn't even have time to fully activate his Spirit Power when a spider leg, shimmering with a chilling purple light and appearing to be cast from metal, had already stopped precisely before his Adam's apple. Its icy tip instantly raised goosebumps on his skin. Just one more inch, and it could easily pierce his throat.
"Little... Little San? Is it really you? You're back?!" Seeing the familiar yet somewhat cold and unfamiliar figure, Yu Xiaogang was first stunned, then his face was overcome with ecstasy. He was so excited he almost struggled out of his wheelchair, his voice trembling. "Get up quickly, get up quickly! It's good you're back, it's good you're back! Not late, not late at all, it's just in time!"
Upon seeing the newcomer, the eyes of everyone on the training ground also burst with a light of surprise. Xiao Wu's eyes even reddened, and she excitedly cried out, "Brother!" Then, as usual, she rushed over.
However, Tang San did not greet her as he usually would. Instead, he fixed his icy gaze on Dai Mubai and said coldly, "Dai Mubai, you actually insulted my teacher while I was away. I see you... have a death wish!"
Hearing these words, Dai Mubai froze in place, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty beneath the sharp spear tip.
A sneer played on his lips, and Tang San continued coldly, "Considering our years as classmates, and with the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament about to begin, the Academy still needs people... I will spare you this time." His words paused slightly, and his killing intent grew stronger. "If there's a next time, I will use your blood to wash away your insult to my teacher!"
Having said that, Tang San's mind moved, and the pitch-black Blue Silver Prison instantly disintegrated, transforming into streams of black light that retracted into his body. At the same time, the Eight Spider Lances on his back also retracted with a whoosh.
No longer looking at the ashen-faced, silent Dai Mubai, Tang San turned and quickly walked to Yu Xiaogang. Under everyone's gaze, he knelt down without hesitation with a thud. "Teacher! Your Disciple is unfilial, I returned late! I made you worry, I made you suffer humiliation!"
Looking at the Disciple kneeling before him, Yu Xiaogang's eyes were full of excitement and relief. He quickly reached out his trembling hand to help him up. "Get up quickly, get up quickly! It's good you're back, it's good you're back! Not late, not late at all, it's just in time!"
Tang San stood up as instructed, but did not speak further. Instead, he slowly raised his right hand, and a faint black light surged from his palm.
Immediately after, a Blue Silver Grass, completely different in form from before, quietly emerged. Its leaves were wider and thicker, with fine serrations along the edges, and its entire body presented a deep, dark black color.
However, what made the entire scene fall silent and caused everyone's pupils to constrict was that with the appearance of this mutated Blue Silver Grass, four Spirit Rings also spiraled up from Tang San's feet! Two yellow, one purple, and... finally, that deeply unsettling black Spirit Ring! The moment this black Spirit Ring appeared, it seemed as if even the surrounding sunlight was slightly swallowed by it.
"Wh-what?!" Yu Xiaogang's exclamation suddenly rose in pitch. He leaned slightly forward, his gaze fixed on this black ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring, his voice completely changed. "This... how is this possible? A ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring! A black fourth Spirit Ring?!"
As he spoke, he vigorously rubbed his eyes, then shook his head, carefully observing the black ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring on Tang San. His theoretical knowledge told him that this was absolutely impossible! The limit for a fourth Spirit Ring was clearly around seven thousand years; how could one absorb a ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring?
"Teacher, have you forgotten that what I'm best at is making the impossible possible?" Tang San said with a slight smile. "Now, do you think we have a chance in this competition?"
Suddenly raising his head, the former dejection and despair in Yu Xiaogang's eyes were instantly replaced by a burning light, and his entire being seemed to be infused with boundless vitality. "Good! Good! This is excellent! Little San, you've returned at the perfect time!"
"As expected of my Disciple, Yu Xiaogang! A ten-thousand-year fourth Spirit Ring, throughout the entire Douluo Continent, is probably unprecedented and unmatched!" He grew increasingly excited.
"With your ten-thousand-year fourth Spirit Ring, coupled with your powerful control and command abilities, the advantage in this Soul Master Competition will undoubtedly be on our Shrek Academy's side! It's done! My Yu Xiaogang's Spirit theory is a success!
A ten-thousand-year fourth Spirit Ring! From today onwards, let's see who dares to question my Spirit theory?"