Yu Xiaogang looked at Tang San and couldn't help sighing.
"San, just now in the arena, Yang Xiong had already conceded. The opponents were preparing to withdraw their spirit abilities, and some people were even ready to step in. Why didn't you back down? Was it because of Xiao Wu, or did you just not want to lose?"
Tang San remained silent for a while before answering.
"Teacher, they hurt Xiao Wu. I won't let them get away with it."
Yu Xiaogang's expression turned serious.
"San, this is a tournament. It's a spirit battle. It's normal for both sides to get hurt. Given the situation on the platform, it's true that you couldn't block Huo Wu's final spirit ability. That was a full-power attack from three Spirit Masters. Even if you all were at full strength, you might not have been able to defend against it."
"It wasn't just you on the stage. There were two physically weaker support Spirit Masters. Even Dai Mubai tried to persuade you in the end. Why did you insist on going through with it?"
Tang San said,
"Teacher, I understand all of that. But I just can't bear seeing Xiao Wu get hurt. Every time it happens, I feel like I could kill the person who did it."
"By the way, what was the final outcome of the match?"
Yu Xiaogang replied,
"This time, the injuries were quite serious. You, Mubai, Xiao Wu, and Tailong have all been treated, but you'll need to miss at least two days of competition. Among the five of you, only Yang Xiong held on and came out unscathed."
Tang San was puzzled.
"How is that possible? I remember that all five of us were still on stage. Even though Yang Xiong was near the edge, Huo Wu's spirit ability covered the entire arena."
Yu Xiaogang sighed.
"I don't understand it either. Yang Xiong's defense is even tougher than we thought. It might even surpass Hu Yanli from the Elephant Armored Sect."
...
The two talked for a long time before Yu Xiaogang finally left the room.
Soon after, Flender rushed over to Yu Xiaogang.
"Xiaogang, how did the talk with Tang San go? Did he say anything?"
Yu Xiaogang shook his head.
"Flender, you know Tang San's personality. He's proud, and his bond with Xiao Wu is deep. We should support him more. Otherwise, the team will lose its cohesion."
Flender's face turned grim.
"Xiaogang, what are you really trying to say? There were seven people on the stage. Not everyone has Tang San's physical endurance. Yang Xiong had already received my signal and agreed to concede, but Tang San went ahead anyway and forcibly took the full hit of the enemy's spirit ability. Now four people are injured."
"If Yang Xiong hadn't quickly pushed Oscar and Ning Rongrong off the platform, we might have had six people injured. Especially since Oscar and Rongrong are just support; their injuries could've been even worse. Before Yang Xiong asked for my decision, he tried to talk to you first, but you didn't notice him."
Yu Xiaogang was silent for a while before responding.
"Flender, I truly regret that. My attention was entirely on Tang San at the time. I didn't notice the others' situation. I didn't expect Huo Wu's ability to be that powerful either. I just trusted Tang San's judgment."
Flender shook his head.
"Xiaogang, I know Tang San is your disciple, and you've put a lot into his training. But you're also the team's head coach. You should be thinking about the entire team."
"This is just a regular tournament. Injuries are part of the game. You can't let Xiao Wu's injury drag the entire team into a passive state and risk everyone else's safety."
...
As Flender and Yu Xiaogang argued, Liu Erlong suddenly spoke up.
"Flender, aren't you making too big a deal out of this? I think Tang San and Xiao Wu are very loyal and responsible. Especially since Tang San always risks everything to protect Xiao Wu whenever she gets hurt. That's real manliness."
Flender couldn't help but shake his head.
"Every time Tang San gets like this, he loses his composure and can't make proper battlefield judgments. That's dangerous for a team's core member. It can lead to fatal mistakes."
Liu Erlong replied,
"It's just a spirit master tournament. The kids are still young and immature. We're using this tournament as training. Their real rise will be in the next tournament."
Flender turned to Yu Xiaogang.
"Xiaogang, do you think that too? Do you really not take this tournament seriously?"
Yu Xiaogang looked extremely serious.
"Since we're stepping into the arena, we must care about winning or losing. We must pursue victory in every match. In that sense, I support Tang San."
Flender looked at both Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong and sighed. He didn't know how to view this tournament anymore.
Compared to the others' conflicted emotions, Yang Xiong was much more relaxed. He strolled around the academy hand-in-hand with Ning Rongrong. By now, the two were recognized as an official couple by the whole academy. No one even batted an eye or interrupted them.
But before Yang Xiong could enjoy himself too much, a stern figure suddenly appeared in front of him, it was Sword Douluo.
The moment Yang Xiong saw Sword Douluo, he felt a chill down his spine. When he first arrived at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, Sword and Bone Douluo had been incredibly strict with him. Lately, they'd eased off and stopped giving him combat training.
Ning Rongrong was delighted.
"Grandpa Sword, what are you doing here? Didn't you already meet with Dad and Grandpa Bone today?"
Sword Douluo finally showed a trace of fondness.
"I heard you were in danger on the stage. I wasn't at ease, so I came to check on you."
Ning Rongrong smiled.
"I wasn't in danger at all. Xiongzi got me off the stage right away."
For once, Sword Douluo gave Yang Xiong a rare smile.
"Yang Xiong, you did well this time. At least you didn't disgrace the honor of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. But remember, on the stage, Rongrong's safety is always the top priority. Victory or championships are just child's play, not that important."
Yang Xiong could only grit his teeth and reply,
"Thank you for the guidance, Elder Sword Douluo. I'll remember it."
The next day, the tournament resumed with a new draw. This time, Yu Xiaogang and Flender both looked troubled.
Their opponent was the Blaze Radiance Academy, a second-tier school with mediocre results and only one Spirit Ancestor.
But compared to the Blaze Radiance Academy, Shrek was in a dire state. Of their seven core members, four were injured. Tang San and the others would miss at least two matches.
Yang Xiong quickly suggested,
"Master, Dean Flender, I think we should just forfeit this match. With our current lineup, we probably don't stand a chance."
Yu Xiaogang responded seriously,
"Are you scared? You're all elite students of Shrek. Don't you want to prove yourselves?"
Everyone looked at each other. Sure, they wanted to perform well, but not at the cost of common sense.
Currently, the remaining team members were Yang Xiong, Ning Rongrong, Oscar, Zhu Zhuqing, Qin Shuang, Jiangzhu, and Ma Hongjun, four of whom were originally substitutes.
Among them, Yang Xiong was level 38, Ning Rongrong and Oscar were level 36, Zhu Zhuqing and Qin Shuang were level 34, Ma Hongjun was level 33, and Jiangzhu was level 35.
Typically, top academy teams had at least one Spirit Ancestor and the rest above level 37, with substitutes around level 35 or higher.
This current lineup was very unbalanced, three support Spirit Masters, while most teams only had one. Two was already rare.
That meant only four combat-focused members would be up against six on the opposing side. If the enemy targeted their supports, they'd be overwhelmed.
Worse still, due to poor decisions by captain Dai Mubai and vice-captain Tang San in the last match, the team had been on the back foot the whole time, and now both were injured.
Yu Xiaogang observed everyone, then fixed his gaze on Yang Xiong.
"Yang Xiong, this time you'll be our power attacker. With your offensive strength, you should be able to break through their formation. We might even pull off a surprise win."
Yang Xiong replied helplessly,
"Master, aren't you mistaken? Team synergy matters. I've spent the past year training as a defense-type Spirit Master, working on coordination. Now you're suddenly asking me to switch to offense. It'll be hard to sync with others, and any gaps could be exploited."
"Also, we've got three support members. If the enemy assigns just two or three people to hold me back, our supports will become sitting ducks."
"Without Tang San, we've got no control-type Spirit Master, which means the team has no brain. That puts us at a huge disadvantage in battle."
The others nodded in agreement. Yu Xiaogang's face turned sour.
For years, Yu Xiaogang had built the entire strategy around Tang San. He was the team's only control-type Spirit Master. Even when the three academy elders suggested adding a backup control type, Yu Xiaogang rejected it.
Now, the team's structure was completely lopsided. There was no point in even sending them to the stage. They couldn't possibly rely on Yang Xiong to pull off a 1-vs-7. Every team had specialized defenders and tight coordination.
Even Oscar and Ning Rongrong had privately expressed sympathy for Yang Xiong. His offensive power actually exceeded both Tang San and Dai Mubai, yet he was relegated to defense, a role that never stood out like offense did.
Yang Xiong, however, was unusually laid-back. As far as he was concerned, his job was to support his girlfriend and his brothers, that mattered most.
He never aimed to be a hero or steal the spotlight. Performing too well might only draw the Spirit Hall's attention later. Better to train steadily and wait for the right time.
Just then, Yu Xiaogang cleared his throat.
"Little monsters, I recently received some news. The finals of this tournament may be held in Spirit City. And the prize for the champion is beyond everyone's expectations , three top-grade spirit bones."
Everyone was stunned. Spirit bones were known as the blood treasures of the spirit world, incredibly rare. Up until now, only one had ever appeared in the tournament.
Ever since Hu Yanli showcased a head spirit bone, Hu Yanzhen never let his grandson out of his sight, worried about danger, a testament to the irresistible allure of spirit bones.
Hu Yanzhen was a level 88 top-tier Spirit Douluo, patriarch of the Elephant Armored Sect, a man of immense power and status. And even he wasn't at ease regarding his grandson's safety.
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