Chapter 106: Yu Xiaogang's Dilemma
Unexpectedly, Shrek's team drew Blaze Fire Academy in the first round of the tournament, but Blaze Fire Academy surprisingly forfeited, and Shrek's team won without any effort.
When Divine Wind Academy came up for their match, three Soul Emperors from Blaze Fire Academy appeared in their ranks. Just like in the original story, the two teams combined all their Soul Emperors into one, forming a seven-member team of Soul Emperors.
When the Tiandou Empire's Divine Wind Academy faced a team from Xingluo, they managed to win in just one minute. The teamwork between Huo Wu and Feng Xiaotian was seamless, with fire boosted by wind, and wind enhancing fire's power. Both their wind and fire attributes were greatly amplified.
Everyone was shocked. It seemed that with the combination of Divine Wind Academy and Blaze Fire Academy, their power had increased significantly. A team with seven Soul Emperors seemed on par with other top teams.
Watching Huo Wu's spirited display, Yang Xiong couldn't help but internally mock: Only Feng Xiaotian, that two-faced dog, would come up with such a terrible idea. It was likely the result of the pressure from their defeat in the promotion tournament, trying to show off in front of Huo Wu.
But this fool didn't consider that Divine Wind Academy's success in the preliminaries wasn't due to individual power. The real advantage came from their seven wind element Soul Masters, all of whom could fly. With the addition of three Blaze Fire Soul Emperors, they had given up the very advantage they once held.
In the second round, Shrek's team took a break while the three seed teams entered the arena. Tiandou's first team made a grand appearance, and Oscar and Qin Shuang were part of the team. However, despite facing a rookie team from Xingluo, they were crushed without any suspense, quickly becoming the laughing stock.
Of course, the other two seed teams also made their appearances. Xingluo Royal Academy's team, with seven Soul Emperors, especially Davis, who was at level 49, was the second highest in soul power among all the teams, right after Spirit Hall. Yang Xiong could tell that Davis was much stronger and more imposing than Dai Mubai.
As for Spirit Hall's team, their strength was even more exaggerated. Not only did they have three Soul Kings, but all their members were above level 45. Their soul power advantage was immense, and each member seemed to have extensive battle experience. They truly deserved their reputation as the Golden Generation.
After two rounds of competition, almost every team had shown some of their strength. From Yang Xiong's perspective, Spirit Hall, Xingluo Royal Academy, and the newly-formed Divine Wind Academy seemed to be the top three teams. They were much stronger than Shrek, both in terms of soul power levels and team coordination.
In comparison, Shrek's team seemed a lot more average. They lacked powerful martial soul fusion techniques, and there were noticeable gaps in both soul power and teamwork.
While Yang Xiong remained nonchalant, everyone else in the team seemed unusually serious, especially Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, Dai Mubai, and even the substitute Zhu Zhuqing.
After the second round, there was another day off, and Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong decided to spend the day in Soul Master City, completely ignoring any team-related matters.
Soul Master City wasn't as bustling as Seven Treasure City or Tiandou City, but it had a peaceful vibe. The entire city was populated by soul masters, and ordinary people couldn't enter. There were no conflicts between the soul masters, and there were no slaves either. The city seemed to be thriving.
In contrast, Yu Xiaogang, Qin Ming, and the others appeared very busy and somewhat disheveled.
Yu Xiaogang, in particular, had bloodshot eyes and was constantly writing and calculating something on paper. The whole room was filled with papers, seemingly analyzing the strength of each team, with the three strongest teams occupying the central position.
Tang San, seeing Yu Xiaogang in this state, felt a pang of sympathy.
"Teacher, don't be so tense. We'll give it our all, and we won't lose to any other team."
Yu Xiaogang forced a bitter smile: "Xiao San, after my analysis these past few days, I'm afraid we don't have much of a chance against these three strong teams, especially Spirit Hall's team. Their strength completely crushes all other teams, they don't even seem like they're in the same league."
Tang San quickly reassured him: "Teacher, we're still young. The members of Spirit Hall are clearly all over twenty years old. By the next Soul Master Tournament, we'll have several Soul Kings in our team, and our strength will definitely surpass theirs."
Yu Xiaogang smiled faintly: "The next tournament? I'm just a little reluctant. You've worked so hard, and you're now the youngest Soul Sovereign in history, yet you can't achieve the results you desire."
"And after so many years of planning, we've finally come to Soul Master City, only for it to be this difficult. These three strong teams would have been certain champions in any other year."
Tang San said: "Teacher, we still have a chance. At least against the new Divine Wind Academy and Xingluo Royal Academy, we don't necessarily have to lose."
Yu Xiaogang smiled bitterly: "It's not that simple. Feng Xiaotian and Huo Wu are naturally a strong counter to you and Dugu Yan. And Feng Xiaotian himself has formidable combat strength. We lost to these two teams in the preliminaries, so it's clear there's still a gap between our strength."
"As for Xingluo Royal Academy, Davis and Zhu Zhuqing's strength is also extraordinary, and they haven't even revealed their trump cards yet."
Tang San was puzzled: "Teacher, are you saying Davis and Zhu Zhuqing can perfectly control the Netherworld White Tiger?"
Yu Xiaogang nodded: "There's no doubt about it. Both Davis and Zhu Zhuqing are high-level Soul Sovereigns. According to my research on Xingluo, once they reach the Soul Sovereign level, if they have enough coordination, they can use the Netherworld White Tiger."
"Originally, I wanted to have Zhu Zhuqing join the team so she could team up with Dai Mubai to form the Netherworld White Tiger, which could have been one of our trump cards. But Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai still aren't fully in sync, and the Netherworld White Tiger's effectiveness is inconsistent."
"Given Davis's soul power, the Netherworld White Tiger formed by him and Zhu Zhuqing would at least have the combat strength of a mid-level Soul King, possibly even the strength of a top-tier Soul King. Even with Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda enhancing us, it would be hard to match up."
Hearing this, Tang San's disappointment grew deeper. He wanted to prove himself, to show the world his strength on the grandest stage in the continent.
Yu Xiaogang continued: "I've analyzed every member of the Shrek team. From a pure combat power standpoint, you, Yu Tianheng, and Dai Mubai are all quite strong, but you're barely at the 45-46 level. You're still somewhat weaker compared to Feng Xiaotian, but the one I can't figure out is Yang Xiong."
Tang San was puzzled: "Yang Xiong? His combat strength is certainly stronger than mine, but if I use my external soul bones, I shouldn't be far behind."
Yu Xiaogang shook his head: "It's not that simple. I once spoke with Sect Master Ning. He himself doesn't know the full extent of Yang Xiong's combat power, but he mentioned that Yang Xiong is at least as strong as anyone in the entire Soul Master Tournament."
"I've been thinking about what this means. So far, Yang Xiong has never used a soul skill. We don't even know what his soul skills are, but this may be the key to us overcoming the strong teams. He might even be the one who gives us the strength to face Spirit Hall's team."
Tang San's eyes showed a hint of reluctance: "Teacher, I'll work even harder. I won't be weaker than Yang Xiong."
Yu Xiaogang sighed: "Xiao San, I have a lot of faith in your strength and your talent. You're truly unmatched."
"But after these two years, I've been very curious about Yang Xiong. Although he's still training at the academy, you should understand that he hasn't even reached his limit yet. He has his own training methods, and even I can't interfere too much."
"Just like the four wristbands Yang Xiong wears. Back when he was first at Shrek, you said they were for weight training, but I've recently noticed that he still wears them in battle, and his weight seems to have increased compared to when he started. That shows his strength is far beyond what we imagined."
Tang San quickly said: "Teacher, that's not right. Yang Xiong is just an ordinary martial soul. How could his physical strength be this formidable? Especially with his training speed in the past year, I feel like he's progressing faster than me, maybe even faster than everyone else. This doesn't seem to fit with his innate soul power being only level six."
Yu Xiaogang shook his head: "I don't know either. Perhaps he's found a whole new way of training. I even suspect that he's had some great opportunity. Maybe Senior Bone Douluo has paid special attention to him, after all, Title Douluos are beyond what we can understand."
Tang San remained silent, thinking about what Yu Xiaogang had said. Though Yu Xiaogang had a wealth of knowledge, Tang San had started to see some limitations in his teacher's theories as he himself had gained more experience over the years.
But after spending so many years together, it felt like a father-son bond, and Tang San didn't doubt Yu Xiaogang at all.
When Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong returned to the hotel after a day of sightseeing, the atmosphere was unusually heavy. Even Xiao Wu, who was usually so lively, was silent.
Clearly, after two rounds of competition, everyone had come to realize the gap between them and the strong teams.
Dai Mubai, in particular, didn't seem as spirited as before. There was even a hint of frustration in his eyes. It was obvious that, strength-wise, he was far outclassed by Davis. Dai Mubai was only level 42, but Davis had reached level 49. Davis also seemed to have undergone very intense training, making his combat power extremely formidable.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang appeared as though he wanted to speak but hesitated, leaving Yang Xiong unsure of how to respond.
(END CHAPTER)
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