Inside the training ground, dead silence.
"The captain actually lost."
Yu Feng and the others rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
In their minds, Yu Tianheng, as the captain of the Royal Fight Team, was the leading figure among the younger generation of soul masters.
But!
Being completely dominated by Teacher Lin Mu earlier was one thing, but now he had also been defeated by a Blue Silver Grass soul master.
What's more, this guy was several years younger than them, yet he was able to overcome a five-rank gap in soul power and defeat Yu Tianheng, who possessed the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
This utterly overturned their understanding.
Yu Tianheng stared blankly at the composed Tang San. The pride in his heart had been completely shattered.
Taking a deep breath, Yu Tianheng raised his hand and moved aside the leaf blade pressed against his throat. He said solemnly, "I lost. Brother Tang San, welcome to the Royal Fight Team."
As his words fell, Yu Tianheng turned his gaze toward Lin Mu in the distance. A guess had already formed in his heart.
Barring any surprises, Tang San should be Teacher Lin Mu's disciple.
If he could receive instruction from Teacher Lin Mu, he would surely grow stronger as well.
Immediately, Yu Tianheng quickly rose to his feet, strode over to Lin Mu, and declared in a clear voice, "Teacher, please instruct me in cultivation."
After this battle, he had truly come to recognize the gap in talent. Rather than waiting idly, it was better to seek to become Teacher Lin Mu's disciple.
Under Lin Mu's guidance, even the mere Blue Silver Grass martial soul had reached this level.
His Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was a top-tier beast martial soul—he would certainly become even stronger.
Faced with Yu Tianheng's request to take him as a disciple, a trace of surprise appeared on Lin Mu's face.
What a joke. Teaching one disciple already took considerable energy; taking on another, did he look like Yu Xiaogang, with nothing better to do than cultivate?
Besides, this guy was Yu Xiaogang's nephew.
Before Lin Mu could speak, Tang San strode forward quickly, blocking Yu Tianheng's path.
His voice was cold: "Stop dreaming. With your talent, my teacher would never accept you as a disciple."
Hearing this, Yu Tianheng nearly spat out blood. First he was mocked by Lin Mu, and now he was mocked by Tang San.
Was his talent truly that poor?
Taking another deep breath, Yu Tianheng forcibly suppressed the frustration in his heart and said earnestly, "Brother Tang San, if I become your teacher's disciple, you and I will be fellow disciples. Joining forces in the Soul Master Tournament, we can definitely claim the championship!"
"I already told you, with your talent, you are not worthy of becoming my teacher's disciple."
Tang San's expression remained cold, still leaving no room for discussion.
Seeing her man humiliated like this, Dugu Yan nearly erupted again, but Qin Ming acted first and held her back.
Hearing these words, Yu Tianheng's heart turned cold and bleak. With a hint of chagrin, he said, "Your talent is indeed superior to mine, and your strength is on par with mine, but… you don't understand humility at all!"
"Humility?"
Tang San was momentarily stunned. Upon careful thought, it seemed his teacher had never taught him the word "humility."
At this point, Lin Mu stepped forward and said calmly, "I have already decided to focus my efforts on cultivating Xiao San. I will not take on any more disciples. However, as your team leader, I will still offer you some guidance."
"Teacher…"
Tang San's heart warmed. To him, his teacher was the person who had treated him best.
Seeing this, Yu Tianheng looked deeply disappointed, feeling he had missed a tremendous opportunity. He mustered what spirit he could and said respectfully, "Then I thank Teacher Lin Mu."
Although his attempt to become a disciple had failed, gaining a more capable team leader was still a good thing.
After this match, the members of the Royal Fight Team were thoroughly convinced.
"Xiao Wu, demonstrate your strength."
Hearing Lin Mu's instruction, Xiao Wu immediately released Tang San's arm and hopped forward a few steps. Two yellow and one purple soul rings spiraled up around her, and she said cheerfully:
"Xiao Wu, Martial Soul: Soft Bone Rabbit, thirty-first rank, Attack System Battle Soul Elder. Please guide me~"
Seeing the three soul rings on Xiao Wu, Yu Tianheng and the others were stunned once more.
Although her cultivation wasn't as terrifying as Tang San's, she was still a Soul Elder at around thirteen years old!
In the presence of Tang San and Xiao Wu, how could they presume to call themselves geniuses?
Even Dugu Yan, who had been ceaselessly indignant, now pressed her lips tightly together, looking at Tang San and Xiao Wu with a complicated gaze. She could not help but feel a trace of shame.
There was no denying it—with their addition, the overall strength of the Royal Fight Team would increase dramatically.
"Yu Tianheng, your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul is top-tier in quality. However, with thirty-ninth rank soul power, you are clearly insufficient as the team's primary attacker."
Having said this, Lin Mu studied Yu Tianheng for a moment before continuing:
"Your focus from now on will be increasing your soul power and improving your practical combat ability. Only by feeling pressure will your soul power be stimulated to grow at an accelerated rate. Therefore, from now on, you will participate in at least three fights at the Spirit Arena every day. Sparring with Xiao San can also count as one."
Hearing this, Yu Tianheng's whole body trembled.
At least three fights at the Spirit Arena every day—this intensity was several times greater than his previous training.
"Teacher Lin Mu, no one can endure participating in the Spirit Arena with such frequency."
Dugu Yan stepped forward to plead.
Lin Mu glanced at her, his tone cold: "With a Nine Hearted Begonia soul master right here, yet you can't even endure this level of training. You're truly beyond hope."
Hearing these deeply stinging words, everyone fell silent.
Yu Tianheng took a deep breath. His gaze fell on Tang San, and he immediately resolved to make a change.
With a determined expression, he said, "Teacher Lin Mu, I am willing to accept your training."
After suffering a double blow, he had come to recognize the disparity in talent.
The only way to avoid being overtaken by Tang San now was to redouble his training.
Seeing that Yu Tianheng was willing to accept the regimen, Lin Mu gave a slight nod. He turned to Dugu Yan and said, "Dugu Yan, you only need to participate in two fights at the Spirit Arena each day."
Hearing this, Dugu Yan immediately became displeased. "Teacher Lin Mu, why does Tianheng have to participate in three fights a day, while I only have to do two?"
"Yu Tianheng still has some room for improvement. You, on the other hand, rely far too much on your Jade Phospor Serpent poison. Your potential for growth is limited."
Lin Mu spoke without mercy.
These words deeply provoked Dugu Yan.
This was the first time anyone had so thoroughly dismissed her Jade Phospor Serpent poison.
"No. I want to be the same as Tianheng. I'll participate in three fights at the Spirit Arena every day."
For the sake of her remaining pride, Dugu Yan voluntarily requested an increased workload. This left the others somewhat astounded.
"As you wish. Just ensure you complete at least two fights per day."
Lin Mu appeared completely indifferent. In his plans, he hadn't even considered Dugu Yan as a core member.
After all, Tang San's control abilities surpassed Dugu Yan's, and he also possessed a certain degree of offensive capability. He outclassed Dugu Yan in every aspect.
The Royal Fight Team itself had significant problems. One Attack System, one Control System, two Agility Attack Systems, two Defense Systems, and one Support System.
What kind of nonsense formation was this?
No matter how high the quality of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul, it could not possibly carry the majority of the team's offensive output.
The Royal Fight Team resembled a "protect the carry" formation. Its flaw was that Yu Tianheng wasn't strong enough—he couldn't defeat two opponents alone, let alone tie up even more adversaries.
With a formation of this sort, it was essential that the primary attacker be sufficiently powerful. Otherwise, everything else was meaningless.