On the viewing platform, both Dai Mubai and Tang San appeared deeply serious, as Yang Xiong's combat power had once again exceeded their already high expectations.
Dai Mubai's face showed a hint of anger and frustration. "I specifically told Yang Xiong to hold back and show restraint, but he still used such overwhelming force against her."
Tang San shook his head thoughtfully. "Yang Xiong actually didn't use excessive force, otherwise Zhu Zhuqing would have suffered serious injuries. What concerns me more is that I sense Yang Xiong has become even stronger than before."
Dai Mubai looked puzzled for several moments. "How is that even possible? His soul power level hasn't changed significantly, and his speed appears roughly the same as when we usually spar during training."
Tang San explained his observations carefully. "It's not simply a matter of speed and raw strength. I can sense that Yang Xiong's techniques have become more refined and rounded. The transitions between different moves are noticeably faster and more natural. His self-created soul skill of using softness to overcome strength should have been successfully developed and perfected."
Tang San himself cultivated the Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon technique, and at this moment he felt that Yang Xiong was no weaker than himself in this particular aspect. In some areas, Yang Xiong might even be superior.
When Yang Xiong and Zhu Zhuqing returned to rejoin the team, Dai Mubai seemed to have obvious grievances written across his face. "Yang Xiong, didn't you promise me not to use heavy-handed attacks on Zhuqing? Why did she lose so quickly and decisively?"
Before Yang Xiong could respond to defend himself, Zhu Zhuqing, who appeared somewhat frustrated but determined, spoke up firmly. "This time I specifically asked him to use his full strength against me. Mind your own business in the future and stop interfering."
Dai Mubai immediately felt embarrassed when he heard this correction, and quickly said, "I'm sorry for misunderstanding the situation. I apologize to both of you."
"Zhuqing, are you injured or hurt?" he asked with genuine concern.
Zhu Zhuqing glanced at everyone present with her characteristic cold expression and turned to leave the scene without another word, while Dai Mubai quickly followed after her.
Yang Xiong couldn't help but shake his head as he watched the two of them depart. The personalities of these two individuals were dramatically different. Dai Mubai was unruly and somewhat careless, while Zhu Zhuqing appeared gentle on the surface but possessed equally stubborn determination. He genuinely didn't understand how the two of them managed to work together romantically.
Before Yang Xiong could fully process this thought, he felt a sharp pain in his side. It was Ning Rongrong pinching him hard with obvious displeasure.
Ning Rongrong's face showed clear signs of irritation and disappointment. "Little Xiongzi, I can't believe you bullied Zhuqing like that! Do you want all of us girls to team up and beat you up together?"
Yang Xiong responded helplessly, "This was specifically Zhu Zhuqing's request. She wanted me to use my full strength so she could accurately assess the gap between our abilities. Besides, I held back significantly at the end, otherwise she wouldn't have simply fallen off the stage."
Ning Rongrong snorted with indignation. "Just because she asked you to use your full strength doesn't mean you had to actually do it! Couldn't you have let her win a little bit? Zhuqing is the most hardworking and dedicated among all of us. If you had let her achieve some success, it would have increased her confidence in training. She might have become motivated to work even harder to catch up with your level. Instead, you just used your full strength, and now I'm afraid Zhuqing will be emotionally devastated."
Yang Xiong felt speechless as he looked at Ning Rongrong's angry expression. He constantly felt like he was somehow offending everyone no matter what he did.
Oscar quickly approached them with obvious urgency. "Brother Xiong, our competition is about to begin. You should be fine for this, right? You can handle fighting against two Spirit Elders simultaneously, can't you?"
Yang Xiong helplessly followed Oscar to prepare for their upcoming competition.
Oscar adopted a knowing expression as they walked. "Brother Xiong, have you been single your entire life since childhood?"
Yang Xiong appeared puzzled by this seemingly random question. "What does this situation have to do with being single?"
Oscar immediately spoke in what he considered an experienced and wise tone. "Brother Xiong, although you're incredibly strong in combat, you really don't understand girls very well at all. I originally thought that you and Ning Rongrong were developing a close relationship, but it seems you still need to study girls' minds and emotions much more carefully."
"Sometimes you should show vulnerability and weakness," Oscar continued with authority, "and sometimes you should even deliberately let the girl win occasionally. Maybe Ning Rongrong would become so excited and grateful that she'd fall directly into your arms."
"Especially for a proud little princess like Ning Rongrong," he added seriously, "you can't always be too dominant and overwhelming. If you're both too strong-willed, it becomes easy to push each other away instead of growing closer."
Yang Xiong felt speechless as he listened to Oscar's relationship advice, but after considering it carefully, what Oscar said actually made some logical sense. No wonder in the original story Oscar had been able to successfully pursue Ning Rongrong.
In the end, Yang Xiong shook his head with determination. "I don't want to think about these complicated romantic matters too much right now. I just want to focus on becoming stronger as quickly as possible."
Oscar looked at him with the expression of someone who felt disappointed that iron couldn't become steel. "You can't grasp this kind of golden opportunity while it's right in front of you. If she returns to her sect in the future and becomes a high and mighty little princess again, it will be even more difficult and troublesome for you to approach her."
"Brother, I've been through these situations before," Oscar continued earnestly. "I strongly advise you to take action as soon as possible. Otherwise, the cooked duck might just fly away when you least expect it."
Yang Xiong felt completely speechless at this moment. In the original story, Oscar and Ning Rongrong had been an official couple. Their romantic combination had been more touching and sympathetic than other pairings, especially since they were both auxiliary Spirit Masters. Being together had meant overcoming numerous obstacles and challenges. But now, somehow the situation had changed so that Oscar was guiding him to pursue Ning Rongrong instead.
During the following series of two-person soul fighting matches, Yang Xiong and his various partners achieved easy victories. Even when fighting alongside Oscar against a combination of two Spirit Elders, Yang Xiong didn't need to exert excessive effort to secure their wins.
After this extended period of intensive training, especially through battling against all his teammates, Yang Xiong's combat experience had become significantly more abundant and refined.
It appeared that most of Shrek Academy's students maintained winning records, with the sole exception of Zhu Zhuqing's recent loss. Everyone else achieved victories whether in two-person battles or team battles, which made all the supervising teachers extremely happy and proud.
According to the academy's practical arrangements, everyone stayed directly at the Soto City Hotel during the evenings. Yang Xiong directly secured a luxurious suite, which provided convenience for meditation and rest, while also allowing him space to pursue other cultivation activities.
According to Yu Xiaogang and Flender's comprehensive second-stage training plan, since the final soul fighting matches in the evening would conclude relatively late, everyone would remain in Soto City overnight. They could arrange their own schedules and activities during the daytime hours.
For Spirit Masters, they could receive ten gold soul coins monthly from the Spirit Hall, while Spirit Elders received one hundred gold soul coins. Considering the purchasing power of gold soul coins, staying in quality hotels presented no financial problems whatsoever. Additionally, there were certain monetary rewards for winning each soul fighting match, especially after achieving five consecutive victories, which provided one hundred gold soul coins per subsequent match.
After the soul fighting competitions concluded, everyone enjoyed dinner together with high spirits and enthusiasm for celebrating, especially when Dai Mubai served as host. He specifically thanked Tang San, probably for helping both himself and Zhu Zhuqing during the team battle.
This represented Yang Xiong's first experience drinking alcohol recently. Even without using soul power to neutralize the alcohol's effects, his strong physique and previous drinking experience made his alcohol tolerance genuinely stunning to everyone present.
Everyone laughed and celebrated together, and basically most of them became quite intoxicated, even several of the girls consumed considerable amounts of alcohol.
However, Ning Rongrong's drinking capacity proved extremely surprising. She drank directly and confidently with amazing tolerance, basically consuming one cup at a time with the fierce aura of a true party champion. Even several of the boys felt intimidated by her performance.
In the end, only Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong remained completely sober and clear-headed. Oscar, emboldened by alcohol, jokingly suggested that Ning Rongrong and Yang Xiong shouldn't be called the "Seven Treasures Combination" anymore, but rather the "Wine and Food Combination," since Ning Rongrong and Yang Xiong had consumed the most alcohol among everyone, while Yang Xiong had also eaten the most food.
The following morning, after Yang Xiong returned from his regular morning exercise routine, there was a sudden knock on his door.
However, when Yang Xiong opened the door, he discovered three girls coming to find him together, and their expressions appeared quite serious and determined.
As Yang Xiong looked at them with obvious confusion, Ning Rongrong took the lead and explained, "Little Xiongzi, this time it was Zhu Qing who specifically wanted to find you. Xiao Wu and I came along because we were concerned you might bully her again."
Yang Xiong helplessly invited all three into his room and carefully poured each of them a cup of tea in the small outer sitting area.
"Zhu Zhuqing, I wonder what important matter brings you here to see me today."
Zhu Zhuqing bit her lip nervously before speaking. "Yang Xiong, what percentage of your actual strength did you use during yesterday's battle?"
Yang Xiong took a thoughtful sip of tea before responding honestly. "Approximately seventy percent."
According to Yang Xiong's careful estimation, he had demonstrated about seventy percent of his available strength during yesterday's Soul Arena battle. However, if he were forced to fight desperately for his life, perhaps his displayed strength would represent less than fifty percent of his true capabilities. Yang Xiong preferred to conceal a significant portion of his abilities, whether in Soul Arena battles or other competitive situations. At minimum, until he removed his training weights, no one would understand his genuine combat power.
Zhu Zhuqing's face turned noticeably pale upon hearing this revelation. "I suspected there was a significant gap between our abilities, but I didn't expect it to be so enormous. I activated two soul skills consecutively and was completely unable to mount any effective counterattack."
Yang Xiong shook his head gently. "Everyone possesses their own unique strengths and specializations. You don't need to become obsessed with the strength gap between yourself and me. Consider Rongrong as an example—her support abilities are excellent, but she doesn't possess much direct combat power."
Ning Rongrong's expression darkened immediately. "Little Xiongzi, couldn't you avoid using me as your example? Do you want me to tell Grandpa Sword that you're bullying me?"
Yang Xiong chuckled softly. "Perhaps that analogy was misleading. Your martial soul and cultivation path are naturally inclined toward speed and stealth, and your concealment abilities are also very impressive. Your strength might not be properly showcased in standard Soul Arena competitions, but in intelligence gathering and assassination missions, especially during the darkness of night, your true combat potential could be fully displayed."
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head with obvious discouragement. "I understand you're trying to comfort me, but I've already been working incredibly hard. I constantly feel that the gap between myself and you is insurmountable. I've consistently been at the bottom among everyone in our group."
Yang Xiong smiled warmly. "Why become so obsessed with comparisons? People will demonstrate different performances in different situations and circumstances."
Zhu Zhuqing smiled bitterly. "So what difference does that make? My predetermined fate feels like an enormous shackle around my life. If I can't work desperately to become stronger, I'm afraid I won't even have a chance to survive what's coming."
Just as Yang Xiong was about to offer additional encouragement, there was another knock on the door. This time, Tang San and Dai Mubai appeared when he opened it. They seemed to have gone searching for the girls, and after making inquiries, they had traced them to his room.
Dai Mubai appeared somewhat anxious and protective. "Zhuqing, I will find effective ways to deal with our family situation. Please don't overthink these problems or worry yourself unnecessarily."
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent, though everyone understood that despite Dai Mubai reaching level thirty-seven, the gap between them and their powerful enemies remained tremendously vast.
After Yang Xiong invited both newcomers to sit down comfortably, he glanced at everyone present and couldn't help but sigh internally. As an outsider to their various family conflicts, he really shouldn't interfere too extensively in their complicated situations.
Zhu Zhuqing then spoke with genuine curiosity. "Yang Xiong, how exactly did you become so powerful? Why are you so much stronger than the rest of us?"
Yang Xiong considered her question thoughtfully and directly removed a wrist guard from his arm, placing it on the table for everyone to examine.
Everyone took turns lifting and observing the wrist guard, and they were collectively surprised and shocked. They hadn't expected that even an ordinary-looking wrist guard from Yang Xiong's body would weigh a full ten pounds.
Yang Xiong explained earnestly, "I don't possess more natural talent than any of you, and my innate soul power was actually the worst among our entire group. However, since I became a Spirit Master, I have consistently worn training weights. The so-called weight training from our first stage of academy training—I have actually experienced countless variations of that since early childhood."
"I understand that each of you has your own family background and even certain pressures and expectations," he continued seriously, "but I have only been the son of an ordinary outer sect deacon of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School since childhood. Throughout all these years, I have been working desperately to cultivate my abilities, solely to make myself stronger, solely to gain the power to control my own destiny."
Ning Rongrong asked with some confusion and concern. "Little Xiongzi, don't you think it's safe enough within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's protection?"
Yang Xiong smiled with a hint of philosophical sadness. "There is no such thing as absolute safety anywhere in this world. Relying on other people's protection for security is ultimately like grasping at a reflection in water. No matter what advantages it might provide, it can never compare to improving your own personal strength. Parents, friends, brothers, lovers—perhaps they can be relied upon temporarily, but no matter what happens, you ultimately have to depend on yourself."
"Moreover," he continued with growing intensity, "although the Spirit Master world appears peaceful on the surface, those experienced older individuals understand that this world represents only the calm before an approaching storm. Perhaps one day there will be a shocking war that will inevitably involve all of us. If we don't possess sufficient strength, we will lose our beloved relatives and friends, and potentially even our own lives."
After everyone departed thoughtfully from his room, Ning Rongrong remained alone, appearing somewhat angry and unsettled.
"Little Xiongzi, what exactly did you mean by those words you just spoke? What did you mean about controlling your own destiny?"
Yang Xiong stared at Ning Rongrong intently with unusual seriousness. "Rongrong, you have never truly understood what kind of person I actually am. I have been working desperately to become stronger, and I even have various long-term plans of my own, precisely because I refuse to be subservient to others for the rest of my life, regardless of who they might be."
Ning Rongrong seemed genuinely frightened by the intensity and determination behind these words.
Yang Xiong had been suppressing these thoughts for an extended period. Recently, his relationship with Ning Rongrong had been growing closer and more intimate. In everyone's eyes, they even appeared to be a romantic couple, but Yang Xiong had never been overly proactive in pursuing this relationship.
This restraint existed not only because of Yang Xiong's naturally cautious personality, but also because, according to his ultimate goals and ambitions, it was impossible for him to genuinely remain within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School forever as some kind of Sect-Protecting Douluo, much less dedicate his entire life to serving the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's interests.
Yang Xiong had never displayed hostility toward anyone, including Tang San, whom he regarded merely as an ordinary competitor without excessive antagonism.
Yang Xiong desperately absorbed various opportunities and advantages, solely to work relentlessly toward becoming stronger. Even if faced with gods themselves, he would refuse to remain subservient to others. Therefore, he aspired to become the strongest person possible, even the strongest god if necessary.
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