The air on the training field was frozen, thick with a silence that was far heavier than any gravitational field. Every eye was locked on the scene at the center: the defeated prince of the Star Luo Empire, pinned to the ground by crimson vines, his face being unceremoniously ground into the dirt by the sole of a boot.
And standing over him, enduring the full, crushing pressure of a Spirit Saint's aura without buckling, was Zhang Tian, his blue eyes blazing with a cold, defiant fire.
"Zhang Tian!" Flender's voice was a furious roar, laced with disbelief. "Did you not hear us?! I told you to stop!"
Yu Xiaogang stepped forward, his own face a thundercloud of righteous indignation, his usual stiff composure cracking under the strain of such blatant insubordination. "Your actions are beyond disrespectful!" he snapped, his voice sharp and lecturing. "Dai Mubai is your senior, a fellow student of this academy! To humiliate him in such a manner, even after your teachers have commanded you to halt… this is an egregious breach of discipline! It shows a profound lack of character!"
Zhang Tian slowly removed his foot from Dai Mubai's face. The pressure from Flender's aura lessened slightly, but the tension in the air remained razor-sharp. He didn't look flustered. He didn't look apologetic. He simply turned his calm, analytical gaze upon the two furious teachers.
"A question, Dean Flender, Grandmaster," he began, his voice perfectly even, betraying no hint of the physical strain he was under. "When you both arrived here and saw that a fight was about to begin, why did you not stop it at that time?"
The question was so simple, so direct, that it caught both men completely off guard. They stared at him, momentarily speechless.
"What?" Zhang Tian pressed, his voice acquiring a subtle, dangerous edge. "Did you truly believe that a spar between myself, a Level 27 Spirit Grandmaster, and Dai Mubai, a Level 37 Spirit Elder, was a fair fight? Or perhaps," he added, a faint, mocking smile touching his lips, "it was only acceptable for me to be defeated, but it is unacceptable for him to lose? Is that how it is?"
The words were a mirror, reflecting their own unspoken biases back at them. Flender had the grace to look deeply uncomfortable. Yu Xiaogang's jaw tightened, but he remained silent. They had indeed expected, even hoped for, Zhang Tian's defeat.
But Zhang Tian wasn't finished. His gaze hardened. "Every single attack from this 'senior' of mine was aimed at me with malicious intent. He sought to cripple me, to inflict grievous injury. If I had been even slightly weaker, slightly less prepared, I would be the one lying on the ground right now, my bones broken, my future as a Spirit Master in jeopardy."
He let out a soft, contemptuous snort. "And you are angry because I stepped on his face? After all that, am I not even permitted to vent a small amount of my anger?"
Flender, seeing the irrefutable logic in the boy's argument, wisely chose not to speak. Yu Xiaogang, however, could not let his authority be so thoroughly dismantled. His pride demanded a response.
"That does not change the facts," the Grandmaster declared, his voice regaining its eloquent, lecturing tone. "Dai Mubai is still the senior-most student of Shrek Academy. There must be a basic level of respect between juniors and seniors. Your actions were an affront to that hierarchy, a detriment to the very structure of this team. It was not appropriate."
Zhang Tian just smiled, a cool, dismissive expression. "With all due respect, Grandmaster, I believe it is not seniority that should command respect, but strength. Today, despite being three years younger than him and ten levels weaker in cultivation, I have defeated him. Thoroughly."
He glanced down at the groaning, humiliated prince on the ground. "As of now, he no longer deserves to be my senior. He is, at best, a troublemaker who has been properly subdued."
"That's right!" Ning Rongrong's voice rang out, sharp and clear. She ran forward to stand beside Zhang Tian, her hands on her hips as she glared furiously at Yu Xiaogang. "You're just playing favorites! Dai Mubai was the one who wanted this spar first and he even tried to harm Zhang Tian so maliciously, and you didn't say a word or try to stop the spar! But when Zhang Tian defeats him, you want to blame him and even question his character? What kind of ridiculous teacher are you?!"
Tang San could no longer remain silent. His loyalty to his teacher was absolute. He stepped forward, his expression cold as he stared at Ning Rongrong, and then at Zhang Tian. "How dare you speak to my teacher like that!" he said, his voice tight with anger. "He is only worried that this kind of internal conflict will greatly affect the team's coordination when we fight together! He is thinking of the greater good!"
Zhang Tian's eyes narrowed as he saw the icy glare Tang San directed at Ning Rongrong. A dangerous, cold current flowed through him. He turned his focus inward, to his spiritual sea.
'Ah Yin,' he projected, his mental voice devoid of all warmth. 'Your son is beginning to make me very, very angry. If he dares to harm Rongrong, even in the slightest… I will not hold back. I will take action against him, even if it means incurring your wrath, turning you against me, and facing the full fury of Tang Hao.'
He let the threat settle. 'Even if you wish to protect him, even if his father intervenes, I am not helpless. I can cripple him permanently before anyone can even react.'
The spiritual sea trembled. Ah Yin knew he was not bluffing. She knew about the spores. The silent, undetectable seeds of Blood Silver Grass he had planted within Tang San's body during their time as roommates. With a single thought, Zhang Tian could activate them. They would sprout within Tang San's meridians, shredding them from the inside, destroying his organs, turning his body into a garden of death. Even if Tang Hao saved his life, he would be a cripple forever.
She saw the look in her son's eyes, the righteous fury aimed at Zhang Tian and his friend. Her heart tore in two. She did not want this. She did not want them to fight.
'Please, Zhang Tian,' she begged, her voice a whisper of pure, maternal anguish. 'Don't… don't kill him. Don't injure him so badly. Please. Just… teach him a lesson. A painful one. In return… I will do anything you ask of me. Anything.'
'Anything, you say?' Zhang Tian's mental voice was cold. 'I will hold you to that, Empress.'
He turned his attention back to the external world, shrugging dismissively at Tang San's outburst. "A brute like Dai Mubai, whose attacks are so straightforward and thoughtless, wouldn't be much help in a team matchup anyway. The only thing he can do is charge forward without thinking. That is not an asset; it is a liability."
He then looked at Flender and Yu Xiaogang, a final, weary expression on his face. "I will take my leave now. This unnecessary fight has taken up precious time I could have spent walking with my friends."
He turned, but before he left, he shot one last, cold glare down at Dai Mubai. "Think carefully before you involve yourself with Zhuqing again," he warned, his voice a low promise of violence. "Until you can defeat me… stay away. Next time, I assure you, I will not stop at just stepping on your face."
His gaze then flickered to Ning Rongrong, and he gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod towards Zhu Zhuqing. Ning Rongrong, understanding his meaning instantly, went over to Zhu Zhuqing, took her hand, and gently led her away from the tense, fractured group.
With his parting shots delivered, Zhang Tian turned and walked away, his posture relaxed, leaving chaos and shattered egos in his wake.
The remaining students were quickly dispersed by a grim-faced Flender and Zhao Wuji.
"Xiao San, Xiao Wu, Mubai, Oscar, Hongjun," Flender said, his voice heavy. "Go back to your dorms. Rest."
Oscar quickly produced a Big Recovery Sausage, handing it to the still-dazed Dai Mubai, who accepted it with a numb, vacant expression. His pride, his arrogance, his entire world had been shattered.
Once the students were gone, Flender approached his old friend, a deep, worried sigh escaping his lips. "Xiaogang," he said, "what are we going to do now?"
Yu Xiaogang stood silently for a long time, his mind processing the disastrous outcome of the spar. Finally, he spoke, his voice a clinical dissection of their problems.
"The negative consequences are significant," he stated. "First, Dai Mubai's pride and confidence, the very foundation of a power-attack type's fighting spirit, has been completely shattered. Second, any slight progress we had made in mending the relationship between him and Zhu Zhuqing is now lost. There is little to no chance of them cooperating enough to use their Martial Spirit Fusion skill."
He shook his head. "Furthermore, Dai Mubai will now be subjected to constant, daily humiliation. His fiancée will grow closer to the man who defeated him, and because of Zhang Tian's threat, he won't even dare to approach her confidently. This will only fester and create more conflict."
"Should we… replace him?" Flender asked hesitantly. "Replace Dai Mubai with Zhang Tian? Team coordination might improve. Rongrong and Zhuqing would certainly follow him, and the others don't have a major issue with him, not like with Mubai."
Yu Xiaogang immediately shook his head. "No. That is not an optimal solution. While bringing Zhang Tian into the fold might solve some interpersonal issues, it creates a tactical one. He is a control-type Spirit Master. The team already has a control-type in my disciple, Little San. A team with two control types would be unbalanced. It would lack the raw, overwhelming power that only a top-tier Power Attack type can provide in certain situations."
He continued his analysis. "Without the Martial Spirit Fusion, Zhuqing's offensive power is insufficient for a primary assault role. Her Hell Civet is a step weaker than Dai Mubai's Evil Eye White Tiger, and her spirit rank is significantly lower. While Ning Rongrong's support can compensate for this to some degree, it is not an ideal arrangement. The problem is truly… complicated."
Flender let out another depressed sigh. Zhao Wuji just listened quietly, a newfound respect for Zhang Tian's unconventional power warring with his loyalty to his old comrades.
After a long, thoughtful silence, Yu Xiaogang's eyes narrowed, a cold, calculating light entering them. "There is only one path forward," he declared. "We must help Dai Mubai regain his confidence. And the only way to do that is to make him defeat Zhang Tian."
He looked at Flender. "We must push him. Within the next year, we will focus all our resources on getting Dai Mubai to Level 40. Once he becomes a Spirit Ancestor and acquires his fourth spirit ring, the gap in their cultivation bases will be immense. A Spirit Elder versus a Spirit Ancestor is a different world. He should be able to rely on his sheer spirit rank to suppress and defeat Zhang Tian at that time."
Meanwhile, far from the plotting of the teachers, Zhang Tian was walking with Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing through one of the academy's outer training grounds. The moon was high, casting a serene, silver light over the quiet field.
Zhang Tian stopped and turned to Zhu Zhuqing, his expression serious. "With what has happened today, Zhuqing," he asked, his voice gentle but direct, "do you still hold any unrealistic hopes for Dai Mubai? Do you truly believe that man can help you survive the battle against your sister and his brother?"
Zhu Zhuqing looked at him, her beautiful eyes filled with a new, sober clarity. She thought of Dai Mubai's pathetic rage, his foolish wager, his utter defeat. She shook her head slowly. "No," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "I see no hope in him now. None at all."
"Then you should leave the Grandmaster's training and join ours," Zhang Tian said confidently. "He will only continue to push you and Dai Mubai together, trying to force the Martial Spirit Fusion for the sake of his 'perfect team.' He does not care about your feelings, only your utility. Under my guidance, I promise you, your strength will grow faster than you can imagine."
Ning Rongrong immediately chimed in, grabbing Zhuqing's hand. "He's right, Zhuqing! Join us! His training methods are amazing! You won't regret it!"
Zhu Zhuqing hesitated, a final flicker of doubt in her mind. "But… the Grandmaster is still a renowned theorist. He trained Tang San, and his strength is no joke…"
To settle her doubts, Zhang Tian proposed a final demonstration. "Zhuqing," he said, "you are an agility-type Spirit Grandmaster. Possess your Hell Civet spirit, but do not use any of your spirit ring abilities. Your only goal is to strike Rongrong three times. If you can land a single clean hit within your first three attacks, I will not mention this matter again."
He looked at her seriously. "Remember, I have only been training Rongrong for a little over a week. This will show you the results of my methods."
The challenge was intriguing. Zhu Zhuqing nodded, a curious light in her eyes.
Ning Rongrong, on the other hand, looked nervous. "Against a power-type, maybe… but against Zhuqing? She's so fast!"
"Trust your training, Rongrong," Zhang Tian said calmly. "Trust your eyes. You'll be fine."
She took a deep breath and nodded, her trust in him overriding her fear.
They took their positions in the center of the field. The spar began.
Zhu Zhuqing moved. She was a black phantom, a blur of motion as she activated her spirit possession, her sharp claws glinting in the moonlight. She lunged, her speed incredible.
But Ning Rongrong's eyes, trained for days to see everything, didn't see a blur. They saw the subtle shift of Zhuqing's weight, the tensing of her calf muscle just before she launched. She saw the trajectory.
With a small gasp, Ning Rongrong took a single, sharp step to the side. Zhuqing's claws sliced through the air where her head had been a moment before.
First attack, dodged.
Zhuqing was shocked, but she didn't stop. She twisted mid-air, launching a second, sweeping claw attack at Rongrong's legs.
Again, Rongrong saw it coming. She hopped backwards, a simple, almost clumsy-looking movement, but it was just enough. The claws missed by a hair's breadth.
Second attack, dodged.
Zhuqing was now truly stunned. She landed, her mind reeling. She launched a third, desperate lunge, feinting high before striking low.
Ning Rongrong, her heart pounding, followed the feint with her eyes but her body reacted to the true threat, dropping into a low crouch.
Third attack, dodged.
Zhuqing continued, her pride as an agility master on the line. She attacked a fourth time, and then a fifth. It was on the fifth attack, a complex combination of speed and misdirection, that she finally managed to get through. Her clawed fingers gently tapped Ning Rongrong's forehead. The spar was over.
But the result was already clear. Zhuqing stared at her hand, then at the panting but unharmed Ning Rongrong, her mind completely blown. To dodge her first three attacks… it was unbelievable. After just a week of training.
She turned her wide, disbelieving eyes to Zhang Tian. She finally understood. His methods weren't just creative; they were revolutionary.
She walked over to him, her decision made. She looked him in the eye and gave a deep, respectful nod.
"From tomorrow," she whispered, her voice filled with a newfound hope. "I will join your training."
Zhang Tian smiled, a calm, satisfied expression on his face. The pieces were all falling into place.
~~
A/N: Check out my other novels like "Harem Master: Seduction System" and the "Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist" and I hope you like this story and those stories as well.
Check out more chapters on my P.atreon. The P.atreon will have 20+ Chapters ahead for this story. I hope you like it.
The link of p.atreon is: bit.ly/evildragon