Chapter 75: Never Content to Be Below Others

On the stands, at this moment Dai Mubai and Tang San both wore serious expressions, and it was clear that Yang Xiong's combat power had once again surpassed their expectations.

A trace of anger appeared on Dai Mubai's face: "I told Yang Xiong to hold back, and he still went all out."

Tang San shook his head: "Yang Xiong didn't go all out; otherwise Zhu Zhuqing couldn't have escaped injury, and I think Yang Xiong seems to have become stronger."

Dai Mubai was puzzled: "How could that be? His soul power hasn't changed much, and even his speed is about the same as when he fights us normally."

Tang San said: "It's not a matter of speed or strength. I think Yang Xiong's techniques have become smoother, the transitions between moves are faster, and more natural. His Self-Created Spirit Skill that uses softness to overcome hardness should already be successfully developed."

Tang San himself has cultivated Crane Control and Dragon Capture, and now he feels that Yang Xiong is no weaker than him in this regard, and may even be stronger in some aspects.

When Yang Xiong and Zhu Zhuqing returned to the team, Dai Mubai seemed to have a complaint on his face: "Yang Xiong, didn't you promise me not to go all out against Zhu Qing? How did she lose so quickly?"

Before Yang Xiong could say anything, a somewhat dejected Zhu Zhuqing spoke from behind: "This time I asked him to use his full strength; leave my matters out of it from now on."

Dai Mubai was instantly embarrassed by that remark and hurriedly said: "Sorry, I wrongly blamed you."

"Zhu Qing, are you okay?"

Zhu Zhuqing glanced at everyone, turned her head, and left the scene, while Dai Mubai quickly followed.

Yang Xiong watched the two and couldn't help shaking his head; their personalities were poles apart—Dai Mubai was unruly, while Zhu Zhuqing seemed gentle yet equally stubborn. He truly didn't know how the two ended up together.

Before Yang Xiong could react, a sharp pain shot through his waist as Ning Rongrong beside him squeezed hard.

Ning Rongrong also showed a hint of displeasure on her face: "Xiao Xiongzi, I told you not to bully Zhu Qing. Believe it or not, we'll beat you up together."

Yang Xiong said helplessly: "That was Zhu Zhuqing's request; she wanted me to go all out to test the gap between us. Besides, I held back in the end, otherwise she wouldn't have just fallen off the Arena."

Ning Rongrong snorted: "She told you to use full strength, so you used full strength. Can't you hold back a bit? Zhu Qing is the most diligent among us; if you held back, it could boost her confidence in training, maybe she'd strive to catch up to you. But you went all out just now, which will probably hurt Zhu Qing's morale."

Yang Xiong looked at Ning Rongrong's angry little demeanor and was speechless, feeling as if he was neither inside nor outside a person.

Oscar hurried over: "Xiong Ge, our competition is about to start; you should be fine, you can defeat two Soul Elders, right?"

Yang Xiong helplessly followed Oscar to prepare for the next match.

Oscar made a squinting, winking face: "Xiong Ge, have you been single all your life?"

Yang Xiong was puzzled: "What does that have to do with being single?"

Oscar immediately adopted a seasoned tone: "Xiong Ge, although you're strong, you're too clueless about girls. I originally thought you and Ning Rongrong were close to something, but it seems you still need to study girls' minds more."

"Sometimes you should show weakness, even deliberately hold back a bit with girls; maybe Ning Rongrong would immediately get excited and fall into your arms."

"Especially with a proud Little Princess like Ning Rongrong, you mustn't be too overbearing; otherwise both of you being too strong‑willed will just push each other away."

Yang Xiong looked at Oscar and was speechless again, but upon reflection, Oscar's words did make some sense; no wonder the original work managed to pursue Ning Rongrong.

Finally, Yang Xiong shook his head: "I'm not really thinking about that now; I just want to get stronger as quickly as possible."

Oscar, looking like iron that won't become steel, said: "You can't even seize an opportunity like this now; if he returns to the sect later, becoming that lofty Little Princess again, you'll be in even more trouble."

"Brother, I'm an experienced one; I advise you to act quickly. Who knows, by then the cooked duck might have flown away."

Yang Xiong: …

At this moment Yang Xiong was also speechless; in the original, Oscar and Ning Rongrong are an official pair, and their pairing is more dazzling and pitiful than others, since both are Support Spirit Masters and being together required overcoming many obstacles. Yet now it's turned into Oscar coaching himself to pursue Ning Rongrong.

What followed were several consecutive two‑person Soul Fighting Competitions; each battle was won easily, even the pairing of Oscar and Yang Xiong against two Soul Elders didn't cost Yang Xiong much effort.

After this period of training, especially fighting against everyone, Yang Xiong's combat experience became richer.

Everyone at Shrek Academy seemed to have mostly positive records; except for Zhu Zhuqing, everyone else won both duo and team battles, making several teachers unusually happy.

According to the academy's schedule, everyone stayed overnight at a hotel in Suotuo City; Yang Xiong booked a luxurious suite, convenient both for Meditation and for his own additional cultivation.

Following Yu Xiaogang and Flanders' second‑stage training plan, because the final Soul Fighting Competition of the night would be later, everyone would stay in Suotuo City, while daytime schedules were arranged individually.

For a Great Soul Master, ten Gold Soul Coins can be claimed from the Spirit Hall each month, while a Soul Elder can receive a hundred. With the purchasing power of Gold Soul Coins, staying at a hotel is no issue, not to mention the rewards for winning each Soul Fighting Competition, especially after five consecutive wins, where each match yields a hundred Gold Soul Coins.

After the Soul Fighting Competition ended, everyone gathered for a meal; the enthusiasm for drinking rose, especially since Dai Mubai treated, and he especially thanked Tang San, presumably for helping him and Zhu Zhuqing in the team battle.

This was Yang Xiong's first time drinking in a while; even without using soul power to dispel the alcohol, his robust physique and past‑life drinking experience left everyone amazed at his capacity.

Everyone laughed together; most were drunk, and even several girls drank a lot.

But it was truly surprising: she drank directly in big gulps, with an astonishing capacity—essentially a cup per gulp—exuding a witch‑like aura, even scaring several boys.

In the end, only Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong remained fully sober; Oscar even, fueled by the alcohol, joked that Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong should no longer be called the Seven Treasure combo, but rather the Wine‑Bag Food‑Bag combo, since among everyone the biggest drinkers are the two of them, while the biggest eaters are Yang Xiong.

…

Early the next morning, after Yang Xiong returned from training, the door suddenly rang.

But when Yang Xiong opened the door, three girls were there looking for him, and they seemed rather serious.

While Yang Xiong wore a puzzled expression, Ning Rongrong spoke first: "Xiao Xiongzi, this time it's Zhu Qing who wanted to find you; Xiao Wu and I came over because we were afraid you'd bully her."

Yang Xiong reluctantly led the three into his room and poured each a cup of tea in the small hall outside.

"Zhu Zhuqing, I wonder what business you have in coming to see me today."

Zhu Zhuqing clenched her teeth before speaking: "Yang Xiong, what proportion of your strength did you display in yesterday's final battle?"

Yang Xiong took a sip of tea before replying: "About seventy percent."

According to Yang Xiong's estimate, yesterday he displayed about seventy percent of his strength on the Soul Fighting Arena, but if he gave his all, his true strength might not even reach fifty percent. Yang Xiong likes to hide three tenths of his power whether in Soul Fighting or elsewhere; at least before shedding his burdens, no one knows his real combat power.

Zhu Zhuqing's face turned ashen at that: "I know the gap between us is huge, but I didn't expect it to be this huge; I released two soul skills in succession and couldn't even counter."

Yang Xiong shook his head: "Everyone has their own strengths; you don't need to obsess over the gap between us, just like Rong Rong—her support is excellent, but she has little combat power."

Ning Rongrong's face darkened: "Xiao Xiongzi, can't you stop using me as a comparison? Believe it or not, I'll tell Sword Grandpa that you bullied me."

Yang Xiong sneered: "That analogy might be off; your martial soul and cultivation favor speed, and your hidden abilities are also impressive. In the Soul Fighting Arena you may not showcase your strength, but in intelligence gathering and assassination, especially at night, your combat power can truly shine."

Zhu Zhuqing shook her head: "I know you're trying to comfort me, but I've already worked hard; I always feel the gap between us is huge, and among everyone I've always been at the bottom."

Yang Xiong smiled: "Why be so fixated? People perform differently in different situations."

Zhu Zhuqing gave a wry smile: "So what? My fate is like a massive shackles; if I can't strive to become stronger, I might not even have a chance to survive."

Just as Yang Xiong was about to speak, the door rang again; this time it was Tang San and Dai Mubai. Judging by their looks, they seemed to have been looking for the two girls, and after some inquiries ended up at his place.

Dai Mubai sounded a bit hurried: "Zhu Qing, I'll find a way to handle our matter; don't overthink it."

Zhu Zhuqing fell silent; although Dai Mubai is at level thirty‑seven, the gap between him and their enemies is still enormous.

After Yang Xiong asked the two of them to sit down, he glanced at everyone present, let out a sigh, and thought that, given their situation, it was indeed not appropriate for an outsider like himself to interfere too much.

Zhu Zhuqing then spoke: "Yang Xiong, how exactly did you become stronger, and why are you so much stronger than me?"

Yang Xiong thought for a moment, then took a Bracelet from his hand and placed it on the table.

The others examined the Bracelet for a while, all of them surprised, not expecting that an ordinary Bracelet on Yang Xiong weighed ten jin.

Yang Xiong said: "I don't have more talent than you; in fact, my Innate Soul Power is the weakest among everyone, but ever since I became a Soul Grandmaster I have been wearing weight, and the so‑called first‑stage weight training is something I have already undergone countless times since childhood."

"I know each of you has your own background and even some pressure, but I was, from childhood, just the son of an ordinary Outer Sect Steward of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Over the years I have been diligently cultivating, solely to become stronger, to be able to grasp my own destiny."

Ning Rongrong opened, a bit puzzled: "Xiao Xiongzi, do you think the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect isn't safe enough?"

Yang Xiong smiled: "What safety is there in this world? Relying on others' safety is ultimately like a mirage; no matter what, it can't compare to improving one's own strength. Parents, friends, brothers, lovers may be relied upon, but ultimately one must depend on oneself at all times."

"Moreover, although the Soul Master World appears calm, those seasoned elders know that this world is merely the calm before a storm. Perhaps one day a cataclysmic war will engulf us all; without sufficient strength we will lose our relatives and friends, even our own lives."

……

After everyone left, deep in thought, Ning Rongrong stayed alone in the room, looking somewhat angry.

"Xiao Xiongzi, what did you mean just now? What does it mean to grasp one's own destiny?"

Yang Xiong stared intently at Ning Rongrong: "Rong Rong, you have never understood what kind of person I am from start to finish. I have been striving to become stronger, even devising all sorts of plans, because I refuse to spend my whole life staying beneath others, no matter who they are."

Ning Rongrong seemed to be frightened to the core upon hearing that.

Yang Xiong had actually held back these words for a long time; recently his relationship with Ning Rongrong has improved, and to everyone else they even appear to be a couple, yet Yang Xiong has never been overly forward.

It is not only due to Yang Xiong's personality; given his aims, he cannot spend this life forever remaining in the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect as some Guardian Douluo, nor can he devote his entire life to the sect.

Yang Xiong has never shown hostility toward anyone, even toward Tang San; he merely treats him as an ordinary rival, without excessive animosity.

And Yang Xiong scrambles to seize every opportunity, aiming to become stronger; even a god should not expect him to stay beneath others, so he intends to become the strongest person, even the strongest god.

(End of chapter)