Chapter 94: Chain Reaction
Yu Xiaogang looked at Tang San and couldn't help but sigh. "Xiao San, just now on the arena, Yang Xiong had already announced his surrender, and the opponent was preparing to retract their soul skills. Some even prepared to take action. Why didn't you give up? Was it because of Xiao Wu or your unwillingness to admit defeat?"
Tang San remained silent for a moment before speaking. "Teacher, they hurt Xiao Wu. I won't let them off."
Yu Xiaogang's expression grew serious. "Xiao San, this is an arena match, a Soul Master competition. Some damage between opponents is normal. In the state you were in on the arena, it was indeed impossible to block Huo Wu's final soul skill. This is a soul skill released by three soul masters working together. Even if you were at your peak, it might have been impossible to block."
"On the arena, you're not the only one. There are two other relatively fragile support-type soul masters. Even Dai Mubai tried to advise you, but why did you persist?"
Tang San said, "Teacher, I understand everything you said, but I can't stand seeing Xiao Wu get hurt. Every time I see her hurt, I just want to kill the opponent."
"By the way, what was the final result of the match?"
Yu Xiaogang replied, "You all suffered significant injuries. You, Mubai, Xiao Wu, and Tailong are all healed, but you'll miss at least two more matches. Among the five of you, only Yang Xiong managed to hold on and didn't get injured."
Tang San looked puzzled. "How is that possible? I remember the five of us were on the arena, and though Yang Xiong was near the edge, Huo Wu's soul skill affected the entire arena."
Yu Xiaogang sighed. "I don't know. Yang Xiong's defense is far stronger than we imagined. His defense might even be stronger than Huyan Li's from the Elephant Armor Sect."
...
The two of them communicated for a while, and finally, Yu Xiaogang left the room.
Flander quickly found Yu Xiaogang. "Xiao Gang, how did your talk with Xiao San go? Did he say anything?"
Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "Flander, you should understand Xiao San's personality. He is stubborn, and his bond with Xiao Wu is deep. We should support him more. Otherwise, this team will lose its cohesion."
Flander's face became serious. "Xiao Gang, what are you really saying? There were seven people on the arena, and the other team didn't have Tang San's physical strength. Yang Xiong had already agreed to surrender when I gave him the signal, but Tang San insisted on taking the full brunt of their soul skills. Now, four people are injured."
"If it weren't for Yang Xiong decisively pushing Oscar and Ning Rongrong off the arena, we'd probably have six injured. Especially Oscar and Ning Rongrong, who are just support-type soul masters, would have been more seriously injured. Yang Xiong actually consulted with you before asking me, but you didn't notice his situation."
Yu Xiaogang was silent for a moment before speaking. "Flander, I'm really sorry. At that time, my mind was entirely on Xiao San, and I didn't pay attention to the others. I didn't expect Huo Wu's soul skill to be that powerful. I just trusted Xiao San's decision."
Flander shook his head. "Xiao Gang, I know Xiao San is your disciple, and you've invested a lot of effort into him, but now you're the leader of the entire team. You should think about the team as a whole."
"This is just an arena match, a regular competition. Injuries between opponents are normal. You can't let the team be thrown into a passive position just because Xiao Wu was injured. You can't ignore the safety of the entire team."
...
As Flander and Yu Xiaogang continued to argue about the events on the arena, Liu Erlong suddenly spoke up.
"Flander, don't you think you're making a mountain out of a molehill? I actually think Xiao San and Xiao Wu are both deeply committed to each other. Xiao San always acts decisively, especially when Xiao Wu is hurt. He always throws himself in to protect her. That's what it means to be a man."
Flander couldn't help but shake his head. "When Xiao San loses his composure every time and fails to judge the situation on the arena, that's a critical flaw for the core of a team. It's easy to make wrong decisions."
Liu Erlong said, "It's just a Soul Master competition. They're still young, and their psychological maturity might not be enough. We should just consider this as a training experience for them. Their real rise will be in the next competition."
Flander turned to look at Yu Xiaogang. "Xiao Gang, do you feel the same way? You don't really take this competition seriously, do you?"
Yu Xiaogang's expression became extremely serious. "Since we're on the arena, we should pursue victory. Every match should be about winning. I support Xiao San in this."
Flander, looking at Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong's expressions, couldn't help but shake his head. He wasn't sure how to view this Soul Master competition anymore.
While Flander and the others were conflicted, Yang Xiong was much more relaxed. He was casually walking around the academy, holding Ning Rongrong's hand. After all this time, they were already considered the "golden couple" of the academy. No one bothered them, and others simply accepted their relationship.
However, before Yang Xiong could enjoy his moment, an unusually serious figure appeared in front of him—it was Sword Douluo.
Yang Xiong felt a chill when he saw Sword Douluo. When he had just arrived at the Tiandou Royal Academy, Bone Douluo had given him a tough lesson. Recently, things had been a bit better, and neither Bone Douluo nor Sword Douluo had offered him any battle guidance.
Ning Rongrong was extremely happy. "Grandfather Sword, why are you here? Didn't you just meet with Dad and Uncle Bone?"
Sword Douluo smiled faintly. "I heard you were in danger on the arena. I couldn't rest easy, so I came to check on you."
Ning Rongrong laughed. "I wasn't in danger. Xiao Xiong made sure I left the arena the moment I needed to."
For the first time, Sword Douluo gave Yang Xiong a rare, positive look. "Yang Xiong, you did well this time. At least you didn't damage the dignity of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. But remember, on the arena, Ning Rongrong's safety comes first. As for things like winning or becoming champion, those are just child's play, not that important."
Yang Xiong smiled awkwardly. "Thank you for your guidance, Elder Sword. I will keep it in mind."
The next day, the teams were re-drawn for the next round of the competition. Yu Xiaogang, Flander, and the others all looked a little uneasy.
The opponent's name was the Flame Glory Academy. Among all the teams, they were a second-tier team, with average results, and only one soul master at the Soul Sect level.
However, compared to Flame Glory Academy, Shrek's situation was rather miserable. Out of the seven main members, four were injured, and Tang San and his team would miss at least two matches.
Yang Xiong quickly spoke up. "Master, Dean Flander, I suggest we forfeit this match. With our current lineup, we probably have no chance."
Yu Xiaogang's face grew serious. "Are you afraid? Don't forget, you're the elite of Shrek. Don't you want to show what you're capable of?"
The others looked at each other, unsure. Everyone wanted to show their abilities, but they couldn't be reckless.
Now, Shrek was left with only Yang Xiong, Ning Rongrong, Oscar, Zhu Zhuqing, Qin Shuang, Jiāng Zhū, and Ma Hongjun—four of whom were substitutes.
With this lineup, the highest level was Yang Xiong at level 38, while Ning Rongrong and Oscar were at level 36, Zhu Zhuqing and Qin Shuang at level 34, and Ma Hongjun at level 33. Jiāng Zhū had level 35.
Normally, a high-level academy team would have at least one Soul Sect soul master, and most of the others would be level 37 or above, with substitutes at level 35 or higher.
This lineup was unbalanced, with three support-type soul masters, while other teams usually only had one non-attacking support soul master. Two support soul masters were already considered extreme.
This meant on the arena, four battle soul masters would face six battle soul masters. If the opponents focused on their support, it would be very hard to defend.
Especially since in the previous match, due to the errors in decisions by the captain Dai Mubai and vice-captain Tang San, Shrek had been in a passive position for most of the time. Now, both of them were injured.
Yu Xiaogang carefully looked at the team and finally turned his gaze to Yang Xiong. "Yang Xiong, this time you'll be the main attacker. With your attack power, you should be able to break through their formation. Then, we might have some unexpected results."
Yang Xiong replied helplessly, "Master, are you mistaken? Teams need coordination. I've been working with other team members as a defense-type soul master for the past year. If you suddenly want me to be an attacking soul master, I don't think I'll coordinate well with others. It's easy for the opponent to exploit that."
"Besides, we have three support soul masters, and if they send two or even three to restrain me, our supports will be sitting ducks."
"And if Tang San doesn't participate, our team has no control-type soul master, which means our entire team has no brain, and we'll be at a huge disadvantage."
The others nodded in agreement, while Yu Xiaogang's face darkened.
Over the years, Yu Xiaogang had treated Tang San as the core of their tactics, and most strategies were built around him. The team only had one control-type soul master—Tang San. Even the three major committees had suggested adding a backup control-type soul master, but Yu Xiaogang had rejected it.
Now, the team was seriously imbalanced, and it seemed pointless to have them fight. They couldn't rely on Yang Xiong to fight alone. After all, every team had its own defense-type soul master and coordinated combat.
Over the past year, Oscar and Ning Rongrong had also felt a bit for Yang Xiong. Normally, his attack power was stronger than Tang San and Dai Mubai, yet he had been assigned as a defense-type soul master. On the arena, defense soul masters usually didn't stand out, especially compared to attack-type soul masters.
But Yang Xiong seemed unusually casual. He didn't mind just doing his part, as long as he protected his girlfriend and his brothers.
At least Yang Xiong had never planned to do something heroic. The better he performed, the more likely the Spirit Hall would target him. It was better to focus on training and wait for the right moment.
Yu Xiaogang suddenly coughed. "Little monsters, I've recently received some news. The final of this competition might be held in Spirit City, and the championship prize is beyond everyone's imagination. It's three top-tier soul bones."
The group was immediately in an uproar. Soul bones were known as treasures, incredibly rare in the Soul Master world. The entire Soul Master competition had only seen one soul bone so far.
It was said that since Huyan Li revealed his head soul bone, Huyan Zhen had been with him all the time, seemingly afraid his grandson would be in danger. This had gradually increased the attraction of soul bones to soul masters.
Huyan Zhen was an 88th-level top-tier Soul Douluo and the leader of the Elephant Armor Sect, a position of immense strength and status. Even so, he didn't trust Huyan Li's safety.
(END CHAPTER)
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