After the opening ceremony ended, just as the Spark Battle Team was about to leave, the members of Shrek Academy blocked their way.
"Excuse me, do you need something?" Mu Yuanfang asked.
Tang San said, "Tomorrow just happens to be our match against your team. It's the perfect time to wash away the shame of that year."
"Oh~" Lin Chen suddenly understood, "So you guys are that… uh, 'Sh-whatever' Academy."
"It's Shrek!" Dai Mubai shouted loudly. "Shrek is a kind of eccentric monster."
"So what, are you trying to say you're not humans, but a bunch of monsters?" Luo Xingqi said smugly.
Oscar shouted back, "Hmph, that's right, we are a bunch of monsters! Spark Battle Team, two years ago we lost to you. Tomorrow, we'll let you know—we're no longer the Shrek you defeated two years ago!"
Zhao Hengning chuckled, "Oh? So you're feeling pretty brave, huh. In that case, we'll wait and see tomorrow."
The tension between the two teams was like sparks about to ignite, but both sides tacitly agreed not to start a fight here.
That night, Shrek Academy held a mobilization meeting. After Flender spoke, Yu Xiaogang took the stage.
Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands clasped behind his back. His eyes carried the weariness and wisdom of middle age. He didn't care about the faint disdain in the Shrek Eight Monsters' eyes below the stage. He said calmly:
"Little monsters, being able to serve as your instructor and train you to your current level, I, Yu Xiaogang, feel very proud. One minute on stage takes ten years of effort offstage. All these years of your hard work—I've seen it all. You have not let down my teaching or my guidance. Tomorrow is your chance to prove yourselves."
"Your very first opponents will be the Spark Battle Team, the ones who once defeated you."
With that, Yu Xiaogang suddenly pulled out a blueprint from who-knows-where. On it were messy curves and lines. Then he began his crooked theory:
"Two years ago, Spark's strength was mostly at the Soul Elder level. Based on the information we gathered—their ages, martial spirits, spirit ring configurations—if we input it into the martial spirit cultivation curve I invented, we can deduce…" (blah blah, skipping tens of thousands of words).
"In conclusion, Spark is currently an all–Soul Ancestor team. At most, they may have two members above level 45, while the rest are below 45." Yu Xiaogang's calm tone carried smug satisfaction at his so-called "vast knowledge."
The Shrek Eight Monsters listened until they were practically dozing off. When it was over, their heads were full of mush, but the only impression left was: "It sounded really powerful… really amazing somehow."
Yu Xiaogang continued, "This team, though they'll feel pressure competing for the championship, is still a strong contender. Meeting them in the very first round is both your challenge and your opportunity. Use your strength to prove yourselves to the world."
(And also, let this be the start of my Yu Xiaogang's path to fame and glory, he added silently to himself.)
Everyone applauded.
Flender then stepped forward: "Alright, Tang San, the lineup and tactics for tomorrow will be left to you to arrange. I only have one demand: tomorrow, you must fight a beautiful victory and make the name of our Shrek Monsters resound."
Tang San nodded. "Dean, I promise to give you a satisfactory answer."
With that, Flender, Yu Xiaogang, and the other teachers left.
Only the Shrek Eight Monsters and their substitutes remained in the room.
Tang San swept his gaze across the others and announced: "Tomorrow, the ones to go on stage will be me, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Ning Rongrong, Huang Yuan, and Tai Long. The plan is as follows…"
Before he could continue, Yu Tianheng stood up: "Hold on! San, what do you mean by this? What about me? What about Xiao Wu? And my younger brother Er Ming?"
Tang San said coldly, "You three won't be needed tomorrow. The ones I've chosen are more than enough to take care of the enemy."
He had his own selfish reasons. He didn't want to see Xiao Wu performing a martial spirit fusion skill so intimately with another man.
If possible, he'd rather keep Yu Tianheng and Er Ming benched forever so they'd never have the chance. As for Xiao Wu, Tang San had already decided—he would arrange future matches so that he alone could pair with her. For now, though, it was enough for Xiao Wu to watch from the stands, admiring the heroic figure of her "Brother San."
As long as tomorrow's match is won beautifully, Xiao Wu will definitely be deeply attracted to me, Tang San thought to himself with satisfaction.
Yu Tianheng sneered, "That's easy for you to say. San, Spark is no ordinary team. Last time, because I couldn't perform a fusion skill with Xiao Wu, you all lost to them. Do you intend to lose to them again and disgrace Shrek?"
Before Tang San could reply, Dai Mubai jumped in: "Yu Tianheng, are you trying to say that last time you lost just because you couldn't use the martial spirit fusion skill with Xiao Wu?"
Er Ming cut in, "Dai Mubai, isn't Tianheng right? Last time you deliberately kept Xiao Wu off the stage in your lineup. That's why Shrek suffered that humiliating defeat."
Oscar snorted, "Hmph! The past is the past, the present is the present. Last time we made mistakes, but this time we won't. With San leading us, I believe we'll surely claim victory and wash away that shame."
Tension rose, both sides bristling.
At that moment, Xiao Wu stepped forward between them and shouted: "Enough! Stop arguing!"
The room fell silent at once, everyone's gaze turning to her.
She looked at Tang San with innocent eyes and asked softly: "Brother San, why won't you let me go on stage with Tianheng or Er Ming? If we performed our fusion skills together, we could easily win, couldn't we?"
Inside, Tang San screamed in anguish: You've even started calling him 'Tianheng' now…
But faced with Xiao Wu's pure eyes, he couldn't bring himself to scold her. Perhaps in her heart, she really sees it as just a pure martial spirit fusion partnership. It's Yu Tianheng, that bastard, who covets her innocence. Yes, it must be that.
After comforting himself, Tang San explained:
"Xiao Wu, actually I think your fusion skills with Tianheng and Er Ming should be saved for later. That's our trump card.
It's better not to let too many opponents know about it yet. Besides, I don't think Spark will send all their members onto the stage."
(Of course, if he could prevent it from ever being used at all, that would be ideal.)
Tang San's explanation couldn't satisfy everyone. Yu Tianheng crossed his arms over his chest and said disdainfully:
"Hmph, so what if it's as you say? What if—just what if—you lose? If you lose right at the beginning, it will be a heavy blow to the morale of our Shrek team. Can you shoulder that responsibility, Tang San?"
Ma Hongjun spoke up:
"With San-ge leading, we charge forward. There's no battle in this world we can't win."
"Don't be so full of yourself. The last time you lost to Spark was because we weren't on the field." Er Ming looked at Tang San coldly and said:
"First tell us this: according to your arrangement, if we lose, then what?"
If they lost, then what? Tang San clenched his fists, his body trembling as if caught in hesitation.
Dai Mubai elbowed Tang San and said firmly:
"San, I, Dai Mubai, will always stand behind you, supporting you."
"Yes! San, I, Ma Hongjun, also stand behind you!"
"We—the Shrek Three—will advance and retreat with you together."
"Little Lord, I support you too. What's there to be afraid of?" Tai Long added.
Hearing so many friends and followers stand with him, Tang San felt his eyes sting with emotion. Then, his reddened eyes turned toward Yu Tianheng:
"Do you dare… to make a bet with me?"
Tang San unleashed the God King's Wager.
"What kind of bet?" Yu Tianheng asked.
"Tomorrow we go according to the order I set. If I win, then you get the hell away from Xiao Wu!" Tang San roared, eyes bloodshot, breath heavy like a bull.
"And if you lose?" Yu Tianheng countered.
"If I lose… I, I, I—" Tang San faltered. The thought of leaving Xiao Wu was something he could never accept. So instead he asked back:
"Then what do you want?"
Yu Tianheng gave him a disdainful glance, and with one arm, pulled the unsuspecting Xiao Wu into his embrace. (At once, Tang San's eyes turned crimson and his breath grew ragged.)
Yu Tianheng said:
"Whether Xiao Wu is with me or not depends on her will, not mine. In my heart, Xiao Wu is the lover I pursue, not some object.
Love shouldn't be selfish—it should be selfless. To love her is to accept her unconditionally. How could a mere wager strip her of the right to choose who she's with?"
In that instant, Yu Tianheng seemed to stand upon the moral high ground, looking down at Tang San as he pointed at him.
"I accept your wager. But for Xiao Wu—my beloved—I will not make any bet that forces her hand.
I won't strip her of the right to be with you. San, if you lose, then the next match's lineup and tactics will be arranged by me, Yu Tianheng. How about that?"
Tang San's chest felt so suffocated he nearly spat blood. As astute as he was, he quickly understood Yu Tianheng's vile intent.
The man wanted to appear noble and righteous in Xiao Wu's eyes, while painting Tang San as selfish and vile.
No—he couldn't let the bet stand this way. If he did, Xiao Wu would only hate him more. Just as Tang San was about to object—
Dai Mubai spoke up first:
"Fine. Just as you said, the wager is made. If we win, Yu Tianheng, you get the hell away from Xiao Wu. She belongs to our San!"
Yu Tianheng replied calmly:
"Good. Then the wager is formally established."
At this point, Tang San was powerless to reverse it.
"Tianheng, you're so good to Xiao Wu." After saying that, Xiao Wu turned to look at Tang San, her eyes filled with distaste and reproach.
"San-gege, Tianheng is right. Xiao Wu isn't your possession. How could you use a wager to strip me of the right to interact with others? You're far too selfish. Xiao Wu hates you."
"Xiao Wu, that's not what I meant—" Tang San's voice trembled as he reached out a hand to explain. But Xiao Wu turned away, her scorpion-tail braid flicking across his face, leaving him only a vanishing back that he desperately yearned for.
Tang San's arm dropped weakly. His head lowered, hiding his expression (though his eyes burned red, his breath like an enraged bull). His hands clenched so tightly they trembled.
Yu Tianheng. Yu Tianheng. Yu Tianheng. You've signed your death warrant. I'll kill you. Not just you—your entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and every last bloodline tied to it.
Dai Mubai scratched the back of his head and stepped up awkwardly:
"San, I think I messed up. I thought the wager would be in your favor, so I quickly agreed. Who would've thought—"
Tang San raised his head and said to him:
"It's alright, Mubai. I know you didn't mean it."
In his heart, Tang San sighed. Mubai was a reliable brother, loyal to the core—but not the brightest. Too impulsive, often turning good intentions into blunders.
"What do we do next then?" Ma Hongjun asked anxiously. "San, you and Xiao Wu-sao…"
Tang San's voice turned cold:
"Yu Tianheng dares make this kind of wager because he's betting we can't win tomorrow. But if we do win, and he still clings shamelessly to Xiao Wu, then he's nothing but a dishonorable man."
"Exactly right." Oscar chimed in, his voice indignant:
"Hmph, Yu Tianheng that dog—what's so great about him? Just because his martial spirit can fuse with Xiao Wu's? His fast cultivation speed is only because of that martial fusion.
Besides that, in what way is he superior to our San? If you started cultivating the Clear Sky Hammer, San, would that dog even have a chance?"
"Hah. Before the Young Master's Clear Sky Hammer, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is nothing but a loach." Tai Long boasted.
"What's he so proud of? Once our San starts cultivating the Clear Sky Hammer, Yu Tianheng won't even be worthy of carrying his shoes." Dai Mubai said.
"Our San, when he detonates his rings, he can contend with gods. Can Yu Tianheng do that?" Ma Hongjun added.
Hearing the Shrek brothers speak up for him, Tang San was deeply moved. He raised his hand, and on its back appeared the phantom imprint of the Clear Sky Hammer spirit. For a moment, his eyes grew distant—then he lowered it again.
"Alright. Our focus now is tomorrow's tournament. We must win beautifully—not only for Shrek's glory, but also to wash away the shame of our past."
Silently, Tang San added in his heart:
And tomorrow, I will show Xiao Wu my brilliance on the battlefield. I'll prove to her who the man she should love truly is. Her enemy is Bibi Dong, and only a twin spirit can fight against a twin spirit. Yu Tianheng is nothing. Only I can avenge Xiao Wu.
When I reclaim her heart—that will be your death day, Yu Tianheng.
Tang San thought bitterly.