The Next Day.
That morning, Lin Mu had just arrived at the Royal Fighting Team's training ground, preparing to gather everyone for their daily drills.
Suddenly, Yu Tianheng stepped forward a few steps, his tone slightly heavy, and said, "Teacher Lin Mu, I believe I am no longer capable of serving as captain. Tang San is more suitable than me."
After a night of careful consideration, he had completely made up his mind.
Now, Tang San's soul power had surpassed his by five levels, and his overall strength far exceeded Yu Tianheng's own. Rather than stubbornly holding onto the title and risking the team's cohesion, it was better to voluntarily relinquish the position with grace.
This would not only resolve any potential leadership conflicts but also gain Lin Mu's favor.
Moreover, although he was nominally the captain, he had no real power; the management authority was entirely in Lin Mu's hands. Even if Lin Mu kicked him out of the Royal Fighting Team entirely, the three Educational Board Members would likely not object.
Seeing that Yu Tianheng was about to relinquish his captaincy, Dugu Yan's expression changed slightly. She quickly walked to Yu Tianheng's side and whispered, "Tianheng, why didn't you discuss such an important matter with me first?"
"Yan Yan, you don't need to persuade me anymore. Tang San is not only stronger than me, but his understanding of tactics is also superior. Only if he becomes captain can he lead us to win the championship."
Yu Tianheng's eyes were firm. He looked at Tang San behind him and said with a hint of shame, "Actually, I should have relinquished the captaincy before. I was selfish and held onto it for my pride. Now that Tang San's cultivation is far above mine, I have no reason to remain captain."
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. They hadn't expected the usually proud Yu Tianheng to have such awareness and be willing to give up his captaincy voluntarily.
"Tianheng..."
Dugu Yan opened her mouth but couldn't find a reason to refute him.
From the perspective of the Royal Fighting Team's success, Tang San was indeed more suitable to be captain than Yu Tianheng.
Faced with Yu Tianheng's suggestion to relinquish the captaincy, Tang San didn't show any excitement. Instead, he calmly looked at Lin Mu and Yu Tianheng.
For him, the captaincy of the Royal Fighting Team held little allure; in fact, it was a considerable burden.
Of course, if his Master felt he was suitable for the role, he certainly wouldn't refuse.
After last night's events, he had lost hope in his irresponsible father. His Master was the best person to him, far superior to that slovenly drunkard.
Due to Tang San's change of heart and deepened loyalty, the completion rate of Lin Mu's main quest skyrocketed, reaching over 60%.
Therefore, Lin Mu unlocked the use of the Tsunami Armor.
After a moment of silence, Lin Mu looked up at Yu Tianheng and praised, "Not bad. Your willingness to voluntarily relinquish the captaincy for the sake of the team truly impresses me."
"Teacher Lin Mu, you flatter me. It's what I should do."
Yu Tianheng's expression was calm, his gaze sharp. Compared to a year ago, he was noticeably more composed and mature.
Previously, Lin Mu had considered installing Tang San as captain, not for his own benefit, but simply because doing so would improve the overall strength and coordination of the Royal Fighting Team, increasing their chances of winning the championship.
For a team, the captain is crucial.
Before Lin Mu took over as team leader, Yu Tianheng wasn't a particularly qualified captain, and the entire Royal Fighting Team was quite underwhelming despite their talent.
However, after nearly a year of training, Yu Tianheng was a completely different person; at least he hadn't made any major tactical errors recently.
That's why Lin Mu hadn't removed Yu Tianheng from his captaincy earlier.
With Yu Tianheng's current abilities, although he could serve as the team's main attacker, he still relied on Tang San for overall strategy and decision-making. He was barely qualified as captain, mostly because he hadn't caused internal strife.
However, since Yu Tianheng was willing to voluntarily relinquish the captaincy now, Lin Mu naturally wouldn't refuse the optimization.
"In that case, Tang San will succeed as Captain of the Royal Fighting Team, and Yu Tianheng will serve as Vice-Captain. Tang San will be fully responsible for match tactics, and everything else will remain the same."
Lin Mu's gaze swept over everyone, his tone leaving no room for argument.
No one objected to Lin Mu's decision; not even Dugu Yan dared to question it.
The group continued training as usual.
That evening, after everyone had left, Lin Mu specifically kept Dugu Yan behind to address her martial soul problem.
"Teacher Lin Mu, are you going to help me detoxify?"
Dugu Yan looked up at Lin Mu, a hint of surprise in her eyes. The Jade Phosphor Serpent martial soul had a flaw, why had her grandfather never told her about it?
For the past few months, Dugu Bo had been staying at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and hadn't had a chance to discuss the specifics with her.
Lin Mu then gave Dugu Yan a brief explanation.
In Lin Mu's view, the problem with the Jade Phosphor Serpent lineage wasn't due to excessive toxicity per se, but rather the uncontrollable nature of the venom, or rather, the incompatibility between the Soul Master and their own martial soul.
Logically, although a martial soul possesses a form of life, it is bound to the Soul Master. The toxins produced by one's own martial soul shouldn't harm the user.
For example, when Luo Sanpao was bitten by a Mandala Snake, Yu Xiaogang immediately fell into a coma after retracting his martial soul into his body because they shared damage.
This means that a Soul Master and their martial soul are a life-sharing entity. No creature in the biological world has ever been seen to poison itself to death with its own venom.
While Poison-attribute Soul Masters are not uncommon, only the Jade Phosphor Serpent lineage has this specific backlash problem.
Therefore, the problem is not that the martial soul is too strong, but that the Soul Master's body cannot completely contain or control the toxins it produces.
After listening to Lin Mu's detailed explanation, Dugu Yan's beautiful eyes widened. It took her a long time to recover before she hurriedly asked, "Teacher Lin Mu, do you have any solutions?"
"I have two plans: one that is quick and effective, and one that requires gradual conditioning."
Lin Mu said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Dugu Yan frowned slightly and asked, "Teacher Lin Mu, won't the first plan have any side effects?"
"On the contrary," Lin Mu replied, his expression growing more serious after a pause. "The first plan is quick and risk-free for you, but it cannot cure the problem completely for your bloodline. The symptoms of poisoning will still appear in your descendants."
He continued, "The second plan might be able to cure the lineage completely, but I'm not absolutely certain of success."
The first plan was simple and direct: Dugu Yan would absorb a soul bone to act as a storage vessel, transferring the toxins into it.
Lin Mu happened to have a 30,000-year-old soul bone, but unfortunately, it possessed both Fire and Earth attributes, which weren't a perfect match for Dugu Yan. However, soul bones are different from soul rings; even if the attributes didn't match perfectly, they could still function as a container.
Even as a precaution, this bone could be exchanged for a Poison-attribute soul bone if necessary.
The second plan, however, was much more complex. It required addressing the root cause: ensuring the toxins produced by the Jade Phosphor Serpent remained within a controllable range or were fully assimilated by the body.
However, there was a relatively simpler method to achieve this: evolving the Jade Phosphor Serpent martial soul itself into something greater.
After careful consideration, Dugu Yan looked up at Lin Mu and said firmly, "Teacher Lin Mu, I want to choose the second option."
"This option requires long-term treatment and may involve some risks. Please be mentally prepared."
Lin Mu said earnestly.