"Pain… it hurts so much. Why? Why is this happening to me?!"
As night fell, a heart-wrenching scream of agony echoed throughout the Shrek Academy rest area. The voice belonged to Tang San, who had suffered defeat during the daytime battle. Although the match ended in victory, Tang San felt like a fool.
He had achieved nothing, taken down in a single move.
"I just let my guard down for a moment! Just one moment of distraction!" he muttered to himself.
But in real combat, isn't it often that a single moment determines life or death, victory or defeat? What could he do? His opponent had launched a mental attack. Although the opponent suffered backlash, Tang San had still been "controlled" for that crucial moment.
Seeing Tang San in such a frenzied state, Yu Xiaogang, sitting in a wheelchair nearby, didn't know what to say.
He stared at Tang San, torn over whether he should give up on his disciple.
Tang San had once been obedient and mature, always treating Yu Xiaogang as his ultimate guide. Whatever Yu Xiaogang suggested, Tang San followed without question. If Yu Xiaogang said east, Tang San would not go west; if he said left, Tang San would not go right.
Tang San's dedication to his mentor had deeply moved Yu Xiaogang, especially when he expressed, "A teacher for one day, a father for life." Moved by this loyalty, Yu Xiaogang had unreservedly imparted all his knowledge, including what he had gleaned from the Spirit Hall and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, to Tang San.
In the original story, Yu Xiaogang, a man stuck at level 29 for life, was depicted as a genius in spirit theory. But without the knowledge from the Spirit Hall and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, what was he really? Just a scholar who could talk big! Without those resources, how could he even begin to understand external spirit bones or the absorption limits of spirit rings after level 30?
Yet he claimed these were his theories, and the six-year-old Tang San from another world believed him.
Without that knowledge, Yu Xiaogang was nothing!
"Sigh…"
"One day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father…"
"Tang San hasn't betrayed me. He's just going through a rebellious phase. Compared to the unscrupulous lengths I went to for knowledge in my youth, this is nothing."
With this thought, Yu Xiaogang dismissed the idea of abandoning Tang San to seek another prodigy.
"Tang San, one defeat is nothing. You're still young. You can win next time," Yu Xiaogang consoled him. He was genuinely worried that Tang San might lose himself to madness if he continued down this path.
This was Spirit City, after all. If Tang San succumbed to inner demons and went on a killing spree, Yu Xiaogang doubted he'd live to see another sunrise.
Tang San's anger nearly consumed his reason, but Yu Xiaogang's words pulled him back to reality.
Yes, one victory or defeat didn't mean much. Besides, his opponents were the formidable Seven Devils of the Emperor Team, a group with no lack of strength.
If it had been a single-elimination match, instead of a group battle, he could've defeated all seven of them alone!
Tang San had that confidence. He believed in his strength.
"Teacher, how did we win?"
Tang San had passed out during the match—no, more accurately, the young man had fainted from exhaustion. He didn't know what happened afterward.
How had Dai Mubai managed to clinch the victory when even Tang San had collapsed?
Yu Xiaogang breathed a sigh of relief at Tang San's calmer demeanor and recounted the events of the match. Of course, he subtly embellished the part about Dai Mubai's battle with Yu Tianheng. Instead of admitting that Dai Mubai had easily defeated him, Yu Xiaogang described it as an arduous struggle.
Listening to Yu Xiaogang's words, Tang San's expression darkened. He believed he had been the key to their victory.
If he hadn't forced the Spirit Master specializing in mental attacks into backlash, how could Dai Mubai have defeated their opponent so easily?
"Rest well. Jiangzhu treated your injuries earlier. You should recover in a couple of days," Yu Xiaogang said gently, patting Tang San on the shoulder.
But Tang San's mood worsened at this. He had contributed so much to Shrek Academy, yet they had only arranged for Jiangzhu, a mere Spirit Elder, to treat his injuries?
What about Ye Lingling? She was not only a Spirit Ancestor but also the most powerful healing spirit master—someone capable of bringing someone back from the brink of death.
Why hadn't they arranged for Ye Lingling to treat him? With her help, he could have fully recovered by tomorrow!
"Why… why wasn't Ye Lingling sent to heal me?" Tang San questioned angrily.
His frustration boiled over, but he didn't know that Flender hadn't even arranged for anyone to treat him.
Jiangzhu had only come to help after Yu Xiaogang thickened his skin and begged her repeatedly.
Initially, Jiangzhu had been reluctant. Tang San always seemed to court death. Why should she care about him?
However, her kind nature and Yu Xiaogang's persistent pleading had eventually swayed her to help.
Although she and Ye Lingling were both healing spirit masters, her Healing Scepter martial soul was far inferior to Ye Lingling's Nine-Star Begonia, which was practically miraculous. Moreover, she was only a Spirit Elder, while Tang San was nearing the Spirit King level. The fact that she could heal most of his injuries was already her limit.
Yu Xiaogang understood this but still internally grumbled about how useless Jiangzhu was as a healer.
This wasn't the time to provoke Tang San further. The priority was for him to recover. Everything else could wait.
"Tang San, don't overthink it. Dai Mubai was injured too, so Ye Lingling is likely treating him. There are only two healing spirit masters in the team, and Ye Lingling is Dai Mubai's girlfriend. It's natural for her to prioritize him."
Yu Xiaogang forced himself to say this with a straight face.
Who knew what Dai Mubai and Ye Lingling were really doing? Dai Mubai wasn't injured at all!
"So Dai Mubai was injured too? Hmph, he's not so impressive after all!" Tang San remarked, nodding in understanding.
The relationship between Ye Lingling and Dai Mubai wasn't exactly a secret. It made sense for her to heal her boyfriend first before attending to others. As an outsider, why would she prioritize him, Tang San?
With this thought, Tang San felt a twinge of discomfort but ultimately accepted it.
Yu Xiaogang's lips twitched. Thankfully, Tang San's room was far from the others, especially Dai Mubai's. Otherwise, if Tang San saw Dai Mubai perfectly fine, it would've sparked another bout of overthinking.
Ah, Tang San used to be such a good kid. How did he end up like this?
Was winning the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament championship really worth all this?
Sacrificing his future for a slim chance at victory—when the Shrek team didn't even need his contribution!
As a bystander, Yu Xiaogang could see this clearly, which was part of why he was so frustrated with Tang San.
You could've just ridden on the team's coattails and claimed victory. Instead, you insisted on overexerting yourself, ruining your future in the process!
How foolish could you be?
(Chapter ends)