While Wu Lan was laughing as he imagined Yu Xiaogang's future, Flender brought Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar to rest in the room provided by the Soul Arena, then left to bring in temporary teammates to join them.
Tang San and Rongrong also joined.
Yu Xiaogang, meanwhile, went to gather information about the opposing group.
When Rongrong arrived, Oscar immediately tried to speak with her, but she ignored him and instead stuck close to Tang San, attempting to start a conversation.
Oscar burned with jealousy at this sight.
Tang San, on the other hand, did not reject her attention. In fact, he felt a sense of pride that such a beautiful woman would follow him around, though he also felt a trace of sadness that this woman was not Xiao Wu.
If Wu Lan had known this, he would have scolded him as a double-standard dog, mocking him for always shouting that he would only ever love Xiao Wu while still accepting the attention of other women.
And if another woman showed him affection, Tang San would just excuse it by saying he had been "caught by surprise."
Mighty Tang San, the one who could evade any attack, failed to evade a kiss from a woman.
Who would believe such nonsense?
Suddenly, Tang San's thoughts were interrupted when kicked open the door by a large man with spiky hair and strode inside, holding a woman in his arms.
Everyone turned their eyes toward him as he walked forward.
Unlike in the anime, this time only Rongrong was present, so spiky hair guy approached her directly and demanded she accompany him.
This made Rongrong explode in anger.
"How dare you!" she shouted.
While the others were furious, Tang San was actually delighted. An opportunity to impress Rongrong had arrived right at his doorstep. Without hesitation, he stepped toward the spiky haired man and threw a punch.
The man responded with his own punch.
When their fists collided, the impact created a powerful air shockwave.
Tang San remained standing firm, a smile still on his face, while the spiky haired man was pushed back, shock flashing across his expression.
Just as they were about to continue, a middle-aged man named Director Ao arrived and stepped between them, stopping the fight.
After warning them, the spiky haired man, whose name was revealed to be Kuang Xi, apologized and left the room.
Director Ao then informed them that in their next match, they would be facing Kuang Xi's team, and warned them of how dangerous they were. Every opponent who had faced Kuang Xi's team had either ended up crippled or dead.
Mubai and the others were shocked, their faces pale, but Tang San dismissed the warning and did not take them seriously.
After wishing them good luck, Director Ao left.
Yu Xiaogang soon returned with information about their opponents:
- One Rhino martial spirit user.
- Two attack-type martial spirits.
-Two speed-type martial spirits.
- One disc-type support martial spirit.
- One spider-type control martial spirit.
All of them are above level 35.
Just as Yu Xiaogang was about to discuss the strategy, Flender returned, bringing with him two people around eighteen to twenty years old.
"These are the temporary teammates who will play with you from now on," Flender introduced. "Bai Lang, level thirty-five, his martial spirit is the Silver Moon Wolf, an agility-type. And Hu Ge, level thirty-four, a weapon-type martial spirit master. His martial spirit is the spear."
After introductions, they all greeted one another and discussed their abilities.
Bai Lang and Hu Ge were surprised that Tang San, with a Blue Silver Grass martial spirit, was considered the strongest among them. Though curious, they didn't ask further questions, it wasn't their business, and they were being paid to participate in these battles.
Yu Xiaogang, wanted his disciple to stand out even more in the fights. To achieve this, he needed everyone to follow Tang San's instructions during battle. So, he began his act.
"Since you now know each other's abilities, you also know that my disciple Tang San is the strongest among you. He is the controller of the group, so all of you must follow his commands during battle."
As he said this, he cast a meaningful look toward Tang San.
Tang San was delighted at the opportunity to command the group. Seeing his teacher's look, he understood the hidden meaning.
"Now, I will explain the strategy," Tang San began confidently. "Mubai will hold their leader, and Fatty…"
Tang San quickly analyzed the opponents' team, assigning each ally a target, and finally declared that he would personally take on the enemy support-type opponent.
His logic was that he would eliminate the support first and then return to provide backup for his teammates.
Flender felt that something was wrong with this strategy, but he chose not to interfere. He had already left training matters to Yu Xiaogang, so he simply cast them one last look before heading to the spectator seats.
If Wu Lan had been there, he would have cursed Tang San on the spot. Every target Tang San assigned to his allies was one they could not possibly defeat quickly. Tang San's real intention was clear: he wanted Mubai and the others to hold off the enemy, exhausting their stamina and soul power, while he swooped in to defeat the opponents himself.
If the team won, all the credit would go to Tang San. If they lost, people would still praise Tang San for trying so hard to carry the team.
A brilliant plan for fame, no matter the outcome.
Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up with excitement upon hearing his disciple's idea. He understood Tang San's plan perfectly. No one else grasped the true meaning of this "strategy."
Thus, teacher and disciple walked the same path, fooling others together.
Wu Lan would have clapped sarcastically and said, "If I didn't already know Tang Hao, I would have thought the two of you were father and son."
Wait, according to Tang San himself, they actually are father and son.
Once a teacher, always a father.
While they were still discussing the strategy, they suddenly heard their team name being called.
Tang San ordered everyone to follow the strategy without fail, then walked out with the others following behind him.
Soon, they arrived at the arena.
Wu Lan, Xiao Wu, and Zhuqing were still present in the Soul Arena, since Wu Lan wanted to watch their performance, Xiao Wu and Zhuqing followed him.
Inside the arena, Kuang Xi stepped forward and openly mocked Shrek's team.
Everyone was furious upon hearing his remarks.
Tang San, hearing Kuang Xi insult the team he was leading, allowed his expression to turn cold. He had already labeled Kuang Xi as an evil person.
The battle began.
Tang San went straight to deal with the support-type soul master.
Mubai engaged Kuang Xi, who possessed the Rhino martial spirit.
The two attack-types tried to break into other battles but were held back by Fatty's long range fire attacks.
The two speed-types were intercepted and restrained by Bai Lang and Hu Ge.
Rongrong provided boosts from the air after eating Oscar's sausages.
Oscar, also in the air, was busy producing more sausages.
The opposing spider-type control martial spirit user, a woman, focused entirely on protecting her team's support-type from Tang San.
Observing the formation, Wu Lan chuckled. He clearly understood Tang San's intentions just from the arrangement.
Both Xiao Wu and Zhuqing were also spectating the battle. As they watched, they felt that something seemed off, though they couldn't pinpoint exactly what.
"Brother, I feel like there's something wrong with this battle," Xiao Wu finally said.
"Oh? You noticed?" Wu Lan replied, smiling faintly. "This entire battle is staged to give Tang San the spotlight. If you observe carefully, Mubai is barely holding his ground against the Rhino spirit master, and that's only thanks to Rongrong's boosts. As for the two new temporary teammates, they are struggling to deal with the speed-type opponents, only managing to dodge rather than counterattack. Fatty is holding off the two attack-types, but while they can't land a hit on him, he also can't accurately strike them with his fire. Meanwhile, Tang San is fighting against the support and control soul masters, who lack much offensive power." Wu Lan paused, giving them time to process his words.
Xiao Wu tilted her head, not fully grasping it, but Zhuqing's eyes widened in realization.
"So, while Tang San flights to eliminate his opponents, everyone else is only fighting to hold theirs back?" she asked in surprise.
Wu Lan was impressed that Zhuqing understood so quickly.
"Very good, Zhuqing, you've become smart," Wu Lan praised her, patting her head gently.
Zhuqing blushed, her heart pounding with happiness as Wu Lan patted her. She basked in the warmth of his praise until a soft pouting sound reached her ears. Looking over, she saw Xiao Wu glaring at her with a resentful expression. In response, Zhuqing gave her a smug smile.
Xiao Wu narrowed her eyes at Zhuqing's smug look. Determined to win back her brother's attention, she quickly set her little rabbit brain to work, searching for an answer that would earn her praise and wipe the smugness off Zhuqing's face.
After combining Wu Lan's explanation with Zhuqing's deduction, she suddenly pushed Zhuqing aside and blurted out eagerly, desperate to claim the reward for herself.
"Brother, I figured it out! While Shrek's team is fighting, everyone's soul power will deplete quickly except Tang San, since he doesn't need much soul power to deal with support and control soul masters. That way, Tang San will have the advantage in the battle!"
Wu Lan was stunned for a moment. Not only was he surprised by her answer, but he was even more shocked that Xiao Wu had managed to grasp it so quickly.
"Rabbit, you've grown up," he said warmly, patting her head. Xiao Wu beamed with joy, then turned to Zhuqing with a triumphant smirk. Zhuqing, in turn, pouted and turned her head away. Their antics were undeniably adorable.
"Yes, you both understood," Wu Lan continued. "This entire battle strategy is staged so that by the time Tang San finishes with the support and control soul masters, the other opponents will already be exhausted of soul power. At that point, Tang San can eliminate them one by one, taking credit for all the achievements. A brilliant plan to gain fame."
As Wu Lan spoke, the disgust he and his companions felt toward Tang San grew deeper.
Meanwhile, the battle unfolded exactly as Wu Lan predicted. Tang San eventually defeated all the opponents and finally faced Kuang Xi.
Once in front of him, Tang San launched a sneak attack, breaking Kuang Xi's leg.
With a scream of agony, Kuang Xi collapsed to the ground. Before Tang San could break his other leg, the referee intervened to stop him. Seeing their leader writhing in pain, Kuang Xi's teammates immediately surrendered.
The moment the battle ended, the audience erupted in cheers, chanting Tang San's title: Thousand Hands Asura. The praise made Tang San swell with pride.
Yu Xiaogang was even more ecstatic.
"Look, Flender! Because of my disciple, our team won!" he declared proudly.
Flender could only reluctantly agree.
Meanwhile, Mubai and the others were utterly exhausted, breathing heavily and unable to move. But Tang San didn't even glance at them. He simply walked away, with Rongrong quickly following after him.
Oscar watched, torn between following Rongrong and helping his weary teammates. Finally, gritting his teeth, he turned toward Mubai and the others to lend them his support.
At the same time, Wu Lan and his group rose to leave.
"Let's go," Wu Lan said calmly.
"Yeah! Brother, let's go to Soto City to play!" Xiao Wu cheered, tugging Wu Lan along.
Wu Lan didn't resist, and Zhuqing quickly took hold of his other hand, laughing as she followed. She even teased Xiao Wu while doing so.
One month passed.
The Shrek Seven Devils and the Thousand Hands Asura had become famous.
As for the others, they were overshadowed by Tang San and Yu Xiaogang's manipulative strategies in group matches. In single and double matches, the others lost half their battles and barely managed to win the rest. Their reputations remained only average.
Mubai grew weaker and weaker, his body accumulating hidden injuries from constant close-range combat.
Fatty and Oscar fared slightly better: one fought from long range, while the other flew on sausages to avoid heavy damage.
Yu Xiaogang began throwing his weight around in the Soul Arena, flaunting his status as the teacher of the Thousand Hands Asura and leader of the Shrek Seven Devils.
Just like in the anime, the Emperor Team finally arrived, and Director Ao requested Yu Xiaogang to have his students play against them.