One day, while Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang was training the Shrek Eight Devils on their team synergy, Yu Tianheng suddenly challenged Tang San:
"Tang San, I challenge you. You're just a Soul Ancestor—what right do you have to be our Shrek Team Captain?"
That challenge made Yu Xiaogang's face darken. After all, Tang San was his disciple. Questioning Tang San meant questioning him.
"Even if Xiao San's current strength is lacking, he has the greatest potential among you," Yu Xiaogang defended.
"Potential isn't the same as strength," Yu Tianheng shot back bluntly.
Just as Yu Xiaogang was about to say more, Tang San stepped forward.
"Fine. I accept your challenge. Whoever wins becomes the captain."
"Xiao San, don't be reckless!" Yu Xiaogang quickly pulled at him. "You're only a Soul Ancestor. How can you possibly fight a Soul King like Yu Tianheng?"
"Soul King?" Tang San sneered coldly. "He's not the first one I've beaten."
The two went to a dueling arena at Blue Tyrant Academy. Standing at opposite ends, Tang San glanced at Xiao Wu out of the corner of his eye—only to find her gaze focused on Yu Tianheng. A sharp pain stabbed at Tang San's heart.
Damn it, Yu Tianheng! You think you're all that just because you have a fusion skill?!
(Yu Tianheng: Sorry, having a fusion skill does make me do whatever I want.)
Tang San remembered how Xiao Wu disliked him winning battles with hidden weapons. So he restrained himself and announced:
"In this match, I won't use any of my hidden weapons. Let's have a fair duel."
Yu Tianheng sneered:
"In that case, if I use even a single soul skill from my martial soul, I'll consider it my loss. Winner gets to be the captain."
Then, both sides activated their martial souls.
Yu Tianheng: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Soul rings: Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black.
Tang San: Blue Silver Grass. Soul rings: Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple.
(Due to the lack of immortal herbs, Tang San had to settle for absorbing thousand-year soul rings. His fourth soul ring came from an Earth Demon Spider. Why that one again? After three failed attempts with other soul rings, Tang San was already a bit disheartened and thought: "Whatever. Once Xiao Wu sacrifices herself for me, I'll be replacing my first six soul rings to revive her anyway, so who cares." So he simply picked a soul beast whose abilities he was familiar with.)
The duel began.
Tang San launched with his first soul skill: Entangle, followed by the second: Parasite.
But the moment his Blue Silver Grass tendrils touched Yu Tianheng, the latter's footwork turned ghost-like, nimbly dodging Tang San's vines.
As he watched Yu Tianheng's eerie, familiar steps, Tang San's heart skipped.
This footwork… seems familiar…
Seeing that his first move failed, Tang San quickly changed tactics. His legs burst with speed, using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to dash toward Yu Tianheng, then struck with Mysterious Jade Hand.
But just as he brought his palm down, another Mysterious Jade Hand intercepted his arm.
Tang San looked—Yu Tianheng had used the same move!
"How do you know this move?!" Tang San demanded.
Yu Tianheng grinned and followed up with another technique Tang San knew all too well—Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon—grabbing and throwing Tang San to the ground.
"This was a gift from Xiao Wu~" Yu Tianheng said smugly.
"Xiao Wu… why?" Tang San clung to the arena's edge, looking toward her.
"Ah San-gege… Xiao Wu did it for the good of the Shrek team," Xiao Wu replied with pitiful eyes. "You're not mad at Xiao Wu, are you?"
PUFF—Tang San spat out a mouthful of blood.
If anyone else had leaked his core secrets, he would fight them to the death. But since it was Xiao Wu, Tang San didn't even dare to have a single murderous thought.
It must've been Yu Tianheng… he must've forced Xiao Wu to give up my secret techniques. Damn you! You're dead meat!
Tang San completely forgot he was in a duel. When he snapped back to reality, Yu Tianheng had already grabbed him and slammed him off the platform.
As he lay on the ground like a rag doll, the realization sank in—his lapse in focus had cost him the match. He lost.
And to someone he shouldn't have lost to—Yu Tianheng.
"You lost, Tang San." Yu Tianheng stood over him. "You're no longer fit to be the captain. From now on, I, Yu Tianheng, will lead Team Shrek."
"Shut up!" Dai Mubai stepped forward, helped Tang San up, and fed him three of Oscar's big recovery sausages. Then he barked at Yu Tianheng:
"Yu Tianheng, the position of Shrek's team captain is appointed by the school! A single duel isn't enough to decide that!"
"What's the matter? You lost and now you're going back on your word?" Er Ming stood beside Yu Tianheng and said coldly.
"I never said I—" Tang San was just about to admit defeat when Dai Mubai suddenly covered his mouth. Tang San looked at him in confusion.
Dai Mubai whispered, "Ah San, did you forget? The captain has the authority to decide who participates in matches. If Yu Tianheng becomes captain, he'll put himself and Xiao Wu in every match, and they'll use Martial Soul Fusion every time. What will you do then? You can't lose the captain's position."
Tang San fell silent. Refusing to admit defeat might be shameful, but if admitting it meant watching Xiao Wu and Yu Tianheng perform Martial Soul Fusion every day... that was something he could never accept.
Between two evils, choose the lesser one.
Tang San stiffened his neck and said, "That's right. The captain was appointed by Teacher Yu Xiaogang. How could such a position be changed by a simple wager? That last match doesn't count!"
Yu Tianheng gave him a disdainful glance. "You're the one who agreed to the wager, and now you're the one backing out after losing. I didn't expect you, Tang San, to be such a sore loser."
"How about this," Ma Hongjun stepped forward. "Let's have an internal vote among the Shrek Eight Devils. A fair vote. Whoever wins becomes the captain—it'll be more convincing that way."
"Fine." Yu Tianheng nodded.
"Those in favor of Tang San remaining as captain of the Shrek Eight Devils, raise your hands," Dai Mubai said while raising his own hand.
Ma Hongjun and Oscar quickly followed suit.
"Those in favor of me, Yu Tianheng, being the captain, raise your hands," Yu Tianheng announced.
Er Ming and Ning Rongrong raised their hands. (In this lifetime, Ning Rongrong wasn't as close with Tang San and naturally looked down on someone who couldn't accept defeat.)
That made it 3 to 2. Everyone turned their eyes to the last person who hadn't voted—Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu looked at Tang San and said apologetically, "Ah San gege, although I really want to support you, for the sake of the Shrek team, I think it would be better for a strong man to lead us."
With that, she raised her hand.
This scene caused Tang San immense pain. He didn't hate Xiao Wu; he hated his own weakness. In his heart, he roared:
Why? Why, even with twin martial souls, is Xiao Wu still looking at Yu Tianheng? Am I still not good enough?
Yu Tianheng looked at Tang San smugly and, right in front of him, pulled Xiao Wu into his arms and taunted, "See that, you loser? Beauty belongs to the strong. Get it, you little weakling?"
Tang San's eyes turned red, and his breath grew heavy like an angry bull. Pointing at Yu Tianheng, he shouted, "Yu Tianheng! Your triumph is temporary. When I fully develop my twin martial souls, you'll only be able to admire my back as I surpass you!"
"You've got twin martial souls? So what?" Yu Tianheng sneered. "What use is that if you can't use a Martial Soul Fusion technique right now? Do you have one? Huh?"
"I—" Tang San desperately wanted to shout that in the future, he and Xiao Wu would develop a supreme fusion skill called Twin Gods Coexist, but at this moment, he couldn't say a word.
Yu Tianheng released Xiao Wu and leaned close to Tang San's ear. "So what if you've got potential? Right now, you're just a loser I beat."
Tang San's eyes were so red they looked ready to burst, steam flaring from his nostrils. He was right at the brink of exploding. His sleeve dart was already loaded, and he was just about to fire a nasty surprise shot at Yu Tianheng...
Until he saw Xiao Wu watching him.
He remembered—Xiao Wu didn't like the use of hidden weapons. Resigned, Tang San could only swallow his rage.
Yu Tianheng swept his gaze around like a lion surveying its territory. "Thank you all for your support. I, Yu Tianheng, will lead us to victory in the Soul Master Tournament!"
Then, to add insult to injury, he patted Tang San on the shoulder, pulled out a green hat from his soul tool, and carefully placed it on Tang San's head.
"Little loser," he said, "Blue Silver Grass was never meant to stand on a grand stage. Relax. With me leading Shrek, you won't have to worry. You can enjoy watching from the sidelines as I, Xiao Wu, and Er Ming unleash our glorious fusion techniques. And then, you'll quietly follow behind us onto the victory podium. You know what that's like?"
Ning Rongrong's sharp voice cut in: "Like a eunuch walking behind the emperor and empress!"
"Sigh, exactly!" Yu Tianheng gave her a thumbs-up.
Tang San: "..."
Seeing that Tang San was on the verge of snapping, Dai Mubai quickly pressed down on his shoulder, silently signaling him to calm down. Oscar and Ma Hongjun also placed their hands on Tang San's shoulders.
Oscar said, "Yu Tianheng, don't get cocky. So what if Xiao Wu supported you? The vote's still tied 3:3. Our Ah San didn't lose to you."
Yu Tianheng shrugged indifferently. "Oh? Then how do you plan to decide?"
"Let's have Teacher Yu Xiaogang decide who the Shrek captain should be."
So, the group went to Yu Xiaogang and explained the results of the previous duel.
Yu Xiaogang, hands clasped behind his back, said, "Since it's up to me, then I choose Tang San to remain captain of the Shrek team."
"What?! Uncle, that's not fair! I clearly beat Tang San!" Yu Tianheng protested.
"Raw strength isn't the only trait a captain needs," Yu Xiaogang said resolutely. "A captain must have a calm mind to analyze opponents, a flexible brain for tactics, and the ability to find a path to victory in difficult situations. Yu Tianheng, do you have Tang San's steadiness? His strategic thinking? In these areas, you fall short. That's why Tang San remains the better choice."
Yu Tianheng clenched his fists tightly, then loosened them. With a cold expression, he walked up to Tang San and pointed at his nose.
"Fine. Keep your damn position. But don't forget this one truth: You lost to me. You're just too much of a coward to step down."
Tang San: "..."
Our little loser still had his pride. He wanted to be captain—but he wanted to win it fair and square. If he truly lost and still clung to the role, then what kind of man would he be?
But then he thought: If Yu Tianheng became captain, every match would pair him with Xiao Wu and Er Ming for fusion techniques, and Tang San would have to stand on the sidelines watching. And in the end, like some pathetic eunuch, he'd have to follow them onto the winner's podium.
How could he possibly accept that?
So, even if it meant throwing away his dignity, he had to cling to that captain's position.
Still, this captaincy—
For me, Tang San, it's a position I hold in deep humiliation.
Yu Tianheng, just wait—one day, I will defeat you.