The Grandmaster Arrives

"Third Brother, I understand everything you've said. I know what I'm doing."

Xiao Wu's tone softened slightly. "Alright, I won't say any more to you for now. I need to get these things back to the dormitory and put them away as soon as possible."

"These things are so heavy. Let me carry some for you." Tang San reached out as he spoke.

Xiao Wu hurriedly sidestepped. "No, no need! Some of these are... personal undergarments. It wouldn't be appropriate for you to see them. There are also items specifically for women that you shouldn't touch, so I'll handle them myself."

Rejected once again.

Tang San froze where he stood, feeling as though an invisible barrier had suddenly appeared between him and the girl who had grown up alongside him.

He realized that he seemed to understand girls not at all. How could someone change so quickly?

Hadn't he always helped her with these things before?

If Xiao Wu could hear his thoughts, she would probably helplessly tell him, Before? I hadn't started my period before! Before, we were both still children! Even you know that was before!

"Alright..."

Tang San said somewhat dejectedly, "Then hurry back. I'll wait for you so we can eat together."

Xiao Wu paused, a trace of awkwardness appearing on her face. "Um, Third Brother, you should go eat by yourself. I already ate with Rong Rong and the others earlier."

Tang San felt his chest tighten at those words, nearly coughing up blood. He had waited so long, only to get that answer?

He screamed soundlessly in his heart, Why? Why is this happening?

Ever since Xiao Wu had met Ye Feiyang, she seemed to have become a completely different person!

Someone who made him feel like a stranger!

She no longer clung to him like before, nor did she obey his every word.

Watching her walk away without looking back, he could only silently turn around and head to the cafeteria alone, his figure looking especially lonely.

Yet deep within his lowered eyes lurked a trace of gloom.

He hated that man named Ye Feiyang more and more.

Instinctively, he pinned the reason for Xiao Wu's changes squarely on Ye Feiyang.

If the gap between their strength had not been so immense, he truly wanted to rush over and have it out with him immediately!

Half a month passed quietly.

After Flender arranged for the Shrek group to train at the Soul Arena, Ye Feiyang suddenly smacked his forehead, remembering the important matter he had forgotten.

He had been so focused on making trouble for Shrek that he had forgotten such a perfect opportunity to make money!

With Zhu Zhuqing's current combat ability, sending her to the Soul Arena would be like handing him a humanoid money-printing machine!

Wouldn't that earn him a small fortune?

Ning Rongrong had not been idle during those two weeks either.

On the contrary, in order to perform well before Ye Feiyang, she had not fallen behind in her training at all.

Zhu Zhuqing had personally tested Ning Rongrong's Glazed Wall, and its defensive power was indeed astonishing.

Without attacks that penetrated or shattered armor, breaking that glazed shield through raw strength alone would be extremely difficult.

Ye Feiyang tailored a devilish physical training regimen specifically for them.

It covered everything from dawn until dusk.

The two girls were exhausted every day.

It included jump rope, squats, push-ups, planks, jogging, weightlifting, yoga...

When they learned that regular yoga practice could not only strengthen the body but also sculpt one's figure, both girls' eyes lit up.

Everything he arranged was aerobic exercise, not simply running or weighted runs.

With the previous example of him teaching cultivation techniques, they now trusted Ye Feiyang's theories without reservation.

They also did not want to disappoint him, so they completed every exercise seriously each day.

There were truly many items, and in the beginning, they were indeed tortured badly.

Still, the two girls gritted their teeth and persevered. Zhu Zhuqing managing it was understandable.

But Ning Rongrong completed everything as well, making Ye Feiyang regard her more highly.

Although Ye Feiyang's Third Soul Skill possessed healing abilities and could instantly relieve their fatigue and muscle soreness, he did not do so.

Because he knew well that true muscle growth came precisely from the repeated tearing and rebuilding after exercise.

Under his brutal training, their physiques became visibly stronger day by day, and their figures increasingly more perfect.

Of course, they had never slackened in cultivating their spiritual power.

Hard work did not betray those who put in the effort. After fifteen days of arduous cultivation, both girls actually broke through to Level Twenty-Nine.

After all, their starting points had been about equal since meeting Ye Feiyang, so there was nothing strange about them breaking through at the same time.

Recently, Ye Feiyang himself had also devoted most of his time to cultivating techniques rather than deliberately pursuing an increase in Soul Power Level.

From the techniques his two disciples cultivated, he picked out and practiced some methods suited to himself, such as the Exquisite Heart Aperture that enhanced mental perception and calculation, the eye technique Netherworld Eyes, the Soulmate Link for transmitting voices, and so on...

He did not want to be surpassed by his own disciples someday.

Xiao Wu would also sneak over from time to time to mooch meals, but Shrek's training seemed to have intensified recently, leaving her less freedom to slip away.

She rather envied the two girls' training methods, and she was especially skilled at yoga.

She even guided the two girls in return, helping them adjust some of their poses.

Ye Feiyang knew that she was skilled in contortion, so he did not find it particularly strange.

Half a month of spending time together had made the three girls extraordinarily familiar with one another. Whenever they gathered, they chattered, laughed, and played, showing every sign of becoming close girlfriends.

Every change in Xiao Wu was watched intently by a pair of eyes hidden in the darkness.

He sensed that Xiao Wu was gradually straying from the path he had expected, and he had also seen all of his son's recent despondency and depression.

He felt it was time to give someone a warning.

But he could not target Xiao Wu directly. If his son found out, Tang San would surely be the first to object.

Then the root of the problem naturally lay with the source that had caused all these changes.

One day, during the weekly meeting in the small courtyard of Supreme Academy.

Whenever this time came around, Ye Feiyang always carried himself like an unfathomable expert, calm and composed.

He paced with his hands behind his back and lectured his two disciples.

"You both know about the Soul Arena, I presume. I have seen your progress over the past half month. But true progress is never merely empty talk. It must be tested and consolidated in actual combat."

"So starting tonight, you will both participate in battles at the Soul Arena. What are your thoughts?"

Zhu Zhuqing was full of confidence and spoke first. "Master, I agree!"

Ning Rongrong blinked her large eyes and asked, "Master, do I have to participate in the individual matches too?"

She pointed at herself. "I'm a support-type Soul Master."

"Of course you do. What, you have no confidence in yourself?"

"That's not it!"

Ning Rongrong hurriedly shook her head, a sly smile appearing on her face.

"I'm afraid I might accidentally reflect an attack and shake my opponent to death. After all, we don't know how hard they'll hit. If someone dies, wouldn't we have to pay a lot of money?"

The words "pay money" struck Ye Feiyang's most sensitive nerve like a thunderbolt.

He wavered. Perhaps it was not absolutely necessary for Ning Rongrong to participate after all.

What if it happened? If they actually had to pay compensation, this deal would be a huge loss!

No, he could not allow that to happen.

"It won't, Rong Rong."

Zhu Zhuqing voiced her opinion at just the right time. She explained, "I tested your reflected damage effect. With your current mastery over the Glazed Wall, you can reflect at most fifty percent of your opponent's attack power. Unless your opponent is too fragile, or foolishly uses their full strength to strike your shield, no one will die."

Ye Feiyang nodded thoughtfully at her words.

If the risk was only at that level, then it seemed acceptable again!

One more participant meant one more opportunity to place bets and make money!

He even began considering whether he should devise some offensive methods for Ning Rongrong so she could attack proactively.

But seeing how busy she was from morning until night, exhausted like a dog every day, he felt somewhat reluctant.

"Good. Since that's the case, it's settled!" He made the decision directly.

"Besides the individual matches, you two will form a team and enter the two-on-two matches. That way, I can place three bets."

He did not conceal his true purpose at all.

He was still very confident in the two girls' strength.

Moreover, he had long had plans for the future. He intended to form a team and win the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament three years from now. After all, the reward was three soul bones.

Soul bones were incredibly valuable. If there was a chance to obtain them, he naturally had to fight for them.

With Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, and if Xiao Wu joined them too, they could win even if they brought along a few dogs.

And Ning Rongrong was an excellent candidate to serve as captain.

She now had extremely strong self-defense abilities. The techniques she cultivated allowed her to remain calm at all times, while the Soulmate Link could establish mental connections. She was perfect for commanding the rear and coordinating the overall situation.

Participating in more battles to hone their reactions and teamwork was crucial.

The Soulmate Link was such a useful skill and so easy to modify that Ye Feiyang had already decided to give one to everyone who joined his school.

Ning Rongrong was not worried about Ye Feiyang's decision. She knew clearly how much she had changed recently, and confidence naturally came with it.

She was no longer an ordinary support-type Soul Master who needed others to divide their attention protecting her.

Thinking about how her Master was so eager for her to compete because he wanted more chances to place bets and make money, a bold thought suddenly appeared in her mind: I really want to ask Master whether he would consider living off a woman.

She truly wanted to stuff her soft, sweet things right into his mouth!

Zhu Zhuqing was more straightforward. She threw a direct question at him. "Master, betting is gambling. That isn't good."

She knew that her Master was naturally betting to make money.

But Ning Rongrong was covering almost all of the academy's expenses now.

Ning Rongrong often asked her to help with small tasks, then casually handed her a large pile of Gold Coins as thanks.

When she had Ye Feiyang buy ingredients, Ning Rongrong had allocated one thousand Gold Coins per month.

Logically speaking, Master should not be short on money.

She secretly worried, Master absolutely must not develop a gambling addiction. Nine gamblers out of ten lose. I'm really worrying myself sick over this household.

"Hm?"

Ye Feiyang asked righteously, "Why refuse money that's there for the taking?"

That left Zhu Zhuqing speechless. She could only sigh quietly.

She secretly pondered, Should I give Master the two thousand Gold Coins I've saved as private funds?

Without realizing it, her little treasury had ballooned from the original few dozen Gold Coins to more than two thousand over the past half month, thanks to Ning Rongrong constantly rewarding and reimbursing her.

Now, almost everything she ate, wore, and used was paid for by Ning Rongrong.

She had to admit that having such a considerate, wealthy junior disciple was truly wonderful!

Most importantly, refusing was not an option.

Ning Rongrong would always put on an expression that said she would throw it away if Zhu Zhuqing did not accept it. Who could bear to let that happen?

Thus, Zhu Zhuqing could only accept it with peace of mind.

Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong was seriously considering another question: should she continue throwing money around? What if Master really became a tycoon someday and lost interest in her Gold Coin offensive?

A thought surfaced: Should I deliberately lose tonight's matches? Make all the money Master bet disappear? Make him poor again, so he'll be even less able to leave me?

As she thought about it, a sly smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

Ye Feiyang and his two disciples were holding their weekly meeting in the small courtyard.

Just as they were discussing how to make a fortune at the Soul Arena.

Over at Shrek Academy, someone Tang San had long awaited arrived.

It was the Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang.

His arrival gave the emotionally low Tang San a much-needed boost, dispersing more than half the gloom on his face.

Yu Xiaogang had always been extremely strict with Tang San.

He had heard from Flender about Tang San's despondent behavior over the past half month and was deeply displeased.

Naturally, he knew about Tang San's feelings for Xiao Wu, though he did not know how far things had progressed.

What surprised him even more was that Xiao Wu, who had always clung to Tang San, had begun keeping her distance as well.

The two had always been inseparable before. How had things become like this?

After learning that the root of everything seemed to be the newly opened Supreme Academy across the way, and that the two sides had even clashed, Yu Xiaogang's expression became particularly grim.

So he sought out Tang San alone for a talk.

"Little San, do you know what you did wrong? What have I taught you?"

Yu Xiaogang's voice was stern. "It would be one thing if your Soul Power had made no progress over the past half month, but are you planning to continue wasting away like this? Just because Xiao Wu no longer revolves around you as she did before, you've even abandoned cultivation?"

"Cultivation is your own matter. If you continue like this, you'll be ruined."

Tang San was rendered speechless, lowering his head and not daring to argue.

Seeing him like this, Yu Xiaogang knew that his guess was probably correct.

It had to be said, the dazzling world could cloud one's eyes.

It was not just boys who were easily dazzled. Girls could also easily be lured away by some blond punk from outside.

His impression of Xiao Wu worsened even further.

He had never particularly liked Xiao Wu's overly lively personality. In his eyes, Xiao Wu's existence had always affected Tang San's cultivation.

Now that she was voluntarily keeping her distance, perhaps it was actually a good thing.

If Tang San could let go, he would be able to focus more fully on cultivation.

"Master, I was wrong," Tang San admitted quietly.

Seeing Tang San's sincere attitude, Yu Xiaogang's expression eased considerably.

"It's good that you know your mistake and can correct it. Go prepare yourself. Tonight, I'll go to the Soul Arena too and see how you perform."

Perhaps because of Ye Feiyang's interference, the original course of events had shifted in subtle ways.

Tang San's cultivation progress was clearly much slower than expected.

After dinner,

when Xiao Wu learned that Ye Feiyang and the other two were also heading to the Soul Arena, she joined their group without hesitation and went with them to Suotuo City.

Ye Feiyang had already noted the Soul Arena's location during his last stroll, and since Xiao Wu had been there several times as well, the four of them soon arrived at their destination.

"This place is so grand!"

"Yeah, that was my first impression too." Xiao Wu nodded in agreement.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded calmly. "I heard it can hold over ten thousand spectators. It must be huge and lively inside."

"Hmph~"

Ning Rongrong lifted her little chin haughtily. "Compared to our sect, it's nothing special!"

Having grown accustomed to the splendor of big cities, she found it hard to feel much amazement at the Soul Arena in this small city.