Huo Feng's face was calm, and he spoke with a relaxed smile, but Yu Xiaogang couldn't accept a word of it.
If everything Huo Feng said was true, then his prized disciple, Tang San, had not only failed to bring him the honor he expected but had thoroughly disgraced him. How could he ever introduce Tang San as his student to anyone in the future? The thought was mortifying.
But then, as his mind reeled, another idea began to form. Maybe his expectations for Tang San had been too high all along. He thought of Huo Feng, the boy standing before him who had broken through to become a Spirit Elder at the tender age of thirteen. Talent like that was exceptionally rare, even across the entire Douluo Continent. Calling him a genius was no exaggeration.
Yu Xiaogang had always regretted his failure to recruit Huo Feng as his disciple back at Notting Academy. That failure had festered, and he had poured all his subsequent hopes into Tang San, wishing for the day his new disciple would defeat Huo Feng and vindicate his judgment. But that day had never come.
Perhaps I put too much pressure on Tang San, the thought came to him suddenly.
According to his own "invincible theory," placing an individual under immense pressure could produce wildly different results. Some could channel that pressure into motivation, achieving rapid breakthroughs in their cultivation. Others, however, would crumble, unable to perform at their normal level. In his mind, Tang San clearly belonged to the latter category.
Watching Yu Xiaogang's expression shift from shock to a strange sort of calm, Huo Feng was amazed. It had only been a minute or two, but the Grandmaster had already constructed a theoretical framework in his mind to explain away Tang San's repeated humiliations. His theory truly was invincible, capable of explaining anything.
At that moment, Flender, who had been observing quietly, finally spoke up. "Huo Feng, is everything you just said the truth?" His tone was even, but his eyes darted toward Yu Xiaogang, making it clear he was asking on his friend's behalf. He could see that the Grandmaster was now too embarrassed to ask any more questions himself.
"Of course," Huo Feng answered without a moment's hesitation. He then looked at Xiao Wu, who stood beside him. "Xiao Wu was with me all three times I ran into Tang San. She can confirm everything."
He paused, tapping his chin as if remembering another detail. "By the way, Dean, you could also ask Dai Mubai. He just so happened to be present on all three occasions as well."
It was a strange coincidence. Every time Tang San had a miserable encounter, Dai Mubai was somehow involved. It was as if Dai Mubai had a radar that pinged whenever Tang San was nearby, leading him right to the source of the trouble.
"Hahaha, there's no need to feel any pressure," Flender said with a reassuring smile. "The master and I were just asking casually." He didn't want Yu Xiaogang's foolish and intense questioning to negatively affect the students of his academy, especially a prodigy like Huo Feng, who was one of the most talented geniuses in Shrek's history.
Huo Feng simply shook his head, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to the flustered Grandmaster next to him. One was a "master" renowned throughout the spirit master world for his theories; the other was a thirteen-year-old boy. The difference in their composure was striking.
Feeling that the conversation was over, Huo Feng turned his gaze back to Flender. "Dean, if there's nothing else, we'll be leaving now." Having Yu Xiaogang stand right in front of him, silent and brooding, was incredibly grating. He couldn't stand being around the man any longer.
"Of course. There are no classes today, so go get some rest," Flender said with a polite smile.
Huo Feng nodded, took Xiao Wu's hand, and they turned to leave.
Once the two students were out of earshot, Flender turned his attention back to Yu Xiaogang. His friend was still completely lost in his own world, so deep in thought that he hadn't even noticed Huo Feng and Xiao Wu walking away.
Suddenly, Yu Xiaogang raised his head, his eyes focused on the empty space where Huo Feng had been. "How many days ago was it when you last saw Tang San at the Soto Great Spirit Arena?"
He looked around, confused by the silence. Seeing Huo Feng and Xiao Wu already far in the distance, he froze for a moment.
Flender sighed, feeling a bit helpless. He stepped in to answer the question his friend had asked to no one. "They've only been to the Soto Arena once. It was for their first lesson before we left for the Star Dou Great Forest. It was probably… about seven days ago."
"Seven days?" Yu Xiaogang muttered to himself. "I wonder if he's still in Soto City." A lot could happen in a week.
Suddenly, a crucial detail came back to him: Tang San had tried to get his registration fee refunded after being rejected by Shrek. Ten gold soul coins. For Tang San, that was a significant amount of money. Yu Xiaogang knew this for a fact. Before they had parted ways, he hadn't given Tang San any money, which meant his disciple likely only had those ten gold soul coins to his name.
With so little money, he wouldn't have been able to leave Soto City. The fact that he had appeared in the Soto Arena—a place where one could earn money quickly—only confirmed his theory.
"Tang San must still be in Soto City," Yu Xiaogang declared, his voice filled with renewed excitement as his analysis seemed to fall perfectly into place. "I'm going to find him!"
However, before he could take a single step, Flender stopped him.
"And you're just going to go looking for him like that?" Flender asked, his voice sharp. "Where will you look? How will you find him? Have you even thought about it? I think you've lost your mind!"
The three blunt questions hit Yu Xiaogang like a physical blow, leaving him stunned and speechless.
Flender continued, laying out his own thoughts. "Tomorrow night, I'm taking the students back to the Soto Great Spirit Arena. You can come with us. Since Huo Feng saw Tang San there once, it's likely he's been back. We can start looking for clues there."
Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. Flender was right. His analysis was logical and sound. As much as he hated to admit it, it was the best plan.
Without another word, Yu Xiaogang turned and walked away. His frantic pace was gone, replaced by a steady stride, a silent acknowledgment that he agreed with Flender's proposal.
The day passed quickly.
The following evening, the seven Shrek students, led by Flender, arrived at the Soto Great Spirit Arena once again. Yu Xiaogang was with them, his sole purpose to find any trace of Tang San.
After entering the bustling arena, Huo Feng and the others went to register for their matches and headed to the lounge. Yu Xiaogang followed Flender to the registration counter, where the dean got straight to the point.
"Hello," Flender said to the staff member. "I'd like to check the spirit fighting record of a person named Tang San."
"Sorry, we can't—"
The official began to refuse, but Flender cut him off by tossing a gold soul coin onto the counter. The man's eyes lit up, and his entire demeanor changed in an instant.
"Sir, please wait just a moment." Rules were one thing, but money was another.
A few moments later, the official returned with a wide smile.
"Tang San's record in the Soto Great Spirit Arena is two fights, two losses. The most recent defeat was just last night."
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