Chapter 94: Chain Reaction

Yu Xiaogang looked at Tang San and couldn't help sighing, "Little San, just now on the Arena, Yang Xiong had already announced surrender, the opponent was also preparing to withdraw the soul skill, even someone was ready to step in; why didn't you give up? Is it because of Xiao Wu or because you yourself refuse to admit defeat?"

Tang San was silent for a moment before speaking, "Teacher, they injured Xiao Wu; I won't let them get away with it."

Yu Xiaogang's expression turned serious: "Little San, this is an Arena match, this is a Soul Fighting Competition, injuries on both sides are normal. Given your condition on the Arena, you truly cannot block Huo Wu's final soul skill; it was unleashed by three Soul Masters at full power, even if you were at your peak you might not be able to withstand it."

"On the Arena it's not just you; there are also two relatively fragile Support Spirit Masters, and even Dai Mubai eventually advised you, yet why did you act stubbornly?"

Tang San said, "Teacher, I understand all the reasoning you give, but I just can't stand seeing Xiao Wu injured; every time I see Xiao Wu hurt I feel like killing the opponent."

"By the way, what was the final result on the Arena?"

Yu Xiaogang said, "This time your injuries were relatively severe; you, Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, and Tai Long have recovered, but you must miss at least two days of matches. Among the five of you, only Yang Xiong held on without injury."

Tang San was a bit puzzled: "How could that be? I remember the five of us on the Arena; although Yang Xiong was near the edge, Huo Wu's soul skill covered the entire Arena."

Yu Xiaogang sighed, "I'm not sure about that; Yang Xiong's defense is stronger than we imagined, perhaps his defense even surpasses Hu Yanli of the Elephant Armor Sect."

……

The two communicated for a long time, and Yu Xiaogang only then left the room.

Flanders quickly found Yu Xiaogang: "Xiao Gang, how did your communication with Little San go? Did Little San say anything?"

Yu Xiaogang shook his head, "Flanders, you should know Little San's personality; he himself is strong, and his bond with Xiao Wu is deep. We should support him more, otherwise our team would lose cohesion."

Flanders' face showed a hint of seriousness, "Xiao Gang, what on earth are you saying? There were seven people on the Arena; the other teammates didn't have Tang San's robust physique. Clearly, Yang Xiong had already received my order to concede, yet Tang San stubbornly endured the opponent's soul skill, and now four people are injured."

"If Yang Xiong hadn't decisively pushed Oscar and Ning Rongrong off the Arena, perhaps six would have been injured this time. Especially since Oscar and Ning Rongrong are only Support, their injuries would likely be worse. Moreover, before consulting me, Yang Xiong actually came to you; you just didn't notice his condition."

Yu Xiaogang was silent for a while before speaking, "Flanders, I'm really sorry about this. At that moment my mind was entirely on Little San, I didn't pay attention to others, and I didn't anticipate Huo Wu's soul skill being this powerful. I just trusted Little San's decision."

Flanders shook his head, "Xiao Gang, I know Little San is your disciple; you've poured a lot of effort into him, but now you're the team leader, you should consider the whole team."

"It's just an Arena match, just an ordinary competition; injuries on both sides are normal. We can't let the team become passive just because Xiao Wu is injured, nor disregard the danger to all members."

……

Seeing Flanders and Yu Xiaogang arguing about some matters on the Arena, Liu Erlong suddenly spoke up.

"Brother Flanders, are you making a mountain out of a molehill? I think the bond between Tang San and Xiao Wu is deep, they act boldly and take responsibility; especially each time Xiao Wu is injured, Tang San throws himself into protecting her—that's true manliness."

Flanders couldn't help shaking his head, "When Tang San repeatedly loses his composure and judgment on the Arena, that's deadly for a team's core and leads to wrong decisions."

Liu Erlong said, "It's just a Soul Master Competition. The Little Monsters are still young, their minds may not be mature yet. Anyway we're treating this Soul Master Competition as training; the Little Monsters will truly rise in the next Soul Master Competition."

Flanders turned his head toward Yu Xiaogang, "Xiao Gang, do you feel the same? Do you really not value this Soul Master Competition that much?"

Yu Xiaogang at this moment looked extremely serious, "Since we're on the Arena, we must pursue victory; in every match we must aim to win, and I support Little San on that."

Flanders, seeing Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong's expressions, couldn't help shaking his head; he now didn't even know how to view this Soul Master Competition.

Compared to the tangled feelings of Flanders and the others, Yang Xiong was much more relaxed, strolling around the Academy hand‑in‑hand with Ning Rongrong. After such a long time, the two are widely regarded as a Golden Boy and Jade Girl; others weren't surprised, and no one bothered the young couple.

But before Yang Xiong could get too happy, an unusually solemn figure appeared before him: the Sword Douluo.

Yang Xiong felt a chill when he saw the Sword Douluo; when he first arrived at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the Sword Douluo had badly beaten Yang Xiong, but lately things have improved and they haven't given him any combat guidance.

Ning Rongrong was unusually happy, "Grandpa Sword, why are you here? Didn't we see Dad and Grandpa Bone today?"

The Sword Douluo then showed a hint of indulgence, "I heard you were in danger on the Arena, I couldn't help but come to check on you."

Ning Rongrong laughed, "I wasn't in any danger; Xiao Xiongzi got me off the Arena right away."

Usually impartial toward Yang Xiong, the Sword Douluo unusually gave him a favorable look, "Yang Xiong, your performance this time was good; at least you didn't tarnish the prestige of our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. But remember, on the Arena you must still prioritize Rong Rong's safety. As for victory or the championship, it's just kids playing, not that important."

Yang Xiong then mustered the courage to speak, "Thank you, Elder Sword Douluo, for your guidance; I will certainly keep it in mind."

When the next day arrived and the draw was redone for the competition, Yu Xiaogang and Flanders and the others all looked pale.

The opponent's name was the Flame Radiance Academy; among all teams it was merely second‑rate, with average results, and the team had only one Soul Ancestor.

However, compared with the Flame Radiance Academy, the Shrek squad fared worse; among its seven main members, four were injured, and Tang San and three others would have to miss at least two matches.

Yang Xiong hurriedly said, "Master, Dean Flanders, I suggest we just concede this match; with our current lineup we probably can't fight."

Yu Xiaogang's expression was serious, "Are you scared? You're also elite members of Shrek; don't you want to show yourselves?"

Everyone who heard Yu Xiaogang's words exchanged glances; they all wanted to play and prove themselves, but they couldn't be overconfident.

Now Shrek only has seven members left: Yang Xiong, Ning Rongrong, Oscar, Zhu Zhuqing, Qin Shuang, Jiang Zhu, and Ma Hongjun, of whom four were originally substitutes.

With this lineup, the highest is Yang Xiong at Level 38, while Ning Rongrong and Oscar are Level 36, Zhu Zhuqing and Qin Shuang are Level 34, Ma Hongjun is only Level 33, and Jiang Zhu is Level 35.

One should know that a typical Advanced Soul Master Academy team usually has one Soul Ancestor, and the others are generally Level 37 or above, while substitutes are Level 35 or above.

Especially this lineup is extremely unbalanced, with as many as three Support, whereas other teams usually have only one non‑offensive Support; having two Support Soul Masters is already relatively extreme.

That means on the Arena, four Battle Soul Masters face six opposing Battle Soul Masters; if the opponent targets our Support, it would be hard to cover.

Especially since in the previous match, due to Captain Dai Mubai and Deputy Captain Tang San's various mistaken decisions, we were basically on the defensive the whole time, and now both of them are completely injured.

Yu Xiaogang examined everyone, finally fixing his gaze on Yang Xiong, "Yang Xiong, this time you'll be the aggressive attacker; with your attack power you should be able to break through the opponent's formation, and we might achieve an unexpected result."

Yang Xiong replied helplessly, "Master, are you mistaken? Teams need to gel. For a year I've been paired with Defense System Soul Masters, and suddenly being made an aggressive attacker, I might not sync well with others, making it easy for opponents to exploit gaps."

"Moreover, we have as many as three Support; if the opponent assigns two or even three to tie me down, our Support become live targets."

"Besides, with Tang San not on the field, the whole team lacks a Control System Soul Master, essentially no brain, making us at a severe disadvantage in battle."

The other teammates, hearing Yang Xiong's words, all nodded in agreement, while Yu Xiaogang's expression turned rather grim.

Over the years Yu Xiaogang has cultivated Tang San, essentially treating him as the tactical core; most tactics are based on Tang San's developments, and the whole team has only Tang San as a Control System Soul Master. Even the Three Education Commissioners once suggested adding a Control System substitute, but Yu Xiaogang vetoed it.

As a result, the team is now severely malformed, with no real need to field anyone; we can't expect Yang Xiong to take on seven. Every team has dedicated Defense System Soul Masters and corresponding coordination.

In the past year, Oscar and Ning Rongrong have privately felt some sympathy for Yang Xiong; normally his attack power surpasses Tang San's and Dai Mubai's, yet he's been assigned as a Defense System Soul Master. On the Arena, Defense System Soul Masters don't have particularly striking performances, certainly not as dazzling as aggressive attackers.

But Yang Xiong seemed unusually carefree; after all, he only contributes that much, and the priority is protecting his girlfriend and brothers.

At least Yang Xiong has never thought of doing anything to turn the tide; the better he performs now, the more likely the Spirit Hall will target him later, so he'd rather train peacefully and wait for the right moment.

Yu Xiaogang suddenly cleared his throat, "Little Monsters, I've recently received news: the finals of the competition may be held in Spirit City, and the champion's reward exceeds everyone's imagination—three top‑level soul bones."

The crowd was shocked; soul bones are famed as the treasure of Blood River, extremely rare in the Soul Master World, and only one soul bone has appeared in the competition so far.

It is said that since Hu Yanli displayed a head soul bone, Hu Yanzhen stays with him daily, as if fearing his grandson might be in danger, gradually increasing the soul bone's attraction to Soul Masters.

One should know that Hu Yanzhen is an eighty‑eight‑level top‑tier Soul Douluo and also the Sect Leader of the Elephant Armor Sect, with extremely high power and status; yet he still worries about Hu Yanli's safety.

(End of Chapter)