Your Theory is Trash, My Resources are Truth

The midday sun was glaring, but it couldn't warm the dilapidated thatched huts of Shrek Academy.

A middle-aged man with a crew cut, wearing a gray cloth robe, dustily pushed open the rickety door of the boys' dormitory. The cloth shoes on his feet were covered in mud, and his face carried a hint of arrogant self-importance and a trace of imperceptible anxiety.

"Xiao San, Teacher is here..."

Yu Xiaogang's words got stuck in his throat.

What greeted his eyes was not his spirited disciple, but a "creature" completely wrapped in bandages, its face swollen like an over-fermented purple sweet potato, groaning and moaning on the wooden board bed.

Beside him, Flender was holding a bowl of dark herbal soup, looking embarrassed.

"Who... who did this?!" Yu Xiaogang's voice instantly rose by eight octaves, his stiff face twitching violently with anger, "Who beat my disciple like this? Where is Zhao Wuji? Is he dead?"

Tang San struggled to open his eyes, which were swollen into mere slits. Seeing Yu Xiaogang, two lines of tears instantly slid down, mixing with the ointment on his face, smearing it all over.

"Teacher... you're finally here..." Tang San's voice was hoarse, filled with a thick crying tone, "It was Qian Mo... someone from Martial Soul Hall. He bribed Xiao Wu and Oscar with money, and took Ning Rongrong away... He humiliated me, humiliated your theory..."

"Martial Soul Hall?!"

A flicker of apprehension flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, but it was more the rage of having his reverse scale touched.

"Well done, Martial Soul Hall! Bullying others and snatching what they love!" Yu Xiaogang suddenly turned around, hands behind his back, striking a righteous and awe-inspiring pose, "Don't worry, Xiao San, no matter who the opponent is, in this world, reason must prevail. Money might buy temporary comfort, but it can't buy the dignity of a strong person!"

Flender put down the medicine bowl and sighed, "Xiao Gang, that Qian Mo... is a bit strange. And what he gave was simply too much..."

"Too much?" Yu Xiaogang snorted coldly, interrupting his old friend, "Flender, you've also degenerated. Take me to see him! I want to ask him face-to-face, why did he ruin someone's future!"

The three of them, a group, aggressively headed towards the back of the academy.

Passing through the overgrown wasteland, the scene before them made Yu Xiaogang pause.

The original forest was gone, replaced by a magnificent palace suspended in mid-air, flowing with light and color. White marble formed the steps, gold for the tiles, and the dense spirit power fluctuations had almost solidified into mist. Even standing a hundred meters away, one could feel their pores opening.

In comparison, the thatched huts of Shrek behind them were simply a pigsty.

"Extravagance! Lost ambition through indulgence!" Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth, giving an eight-character commentary to hide the fleeting jealousy in his eyes.

He took a deep breath, channeled his spirit power, and shouted towards the Cloud Top Heavenly Palace, "Qian Mo! Come out!"

As soon as the voice fell.

"Boom--!!!"

A seven-colored light pillar shot up from the top of the palace without warning, instantly piercing the clouds. Heaven and earth changed color, and auspicious qi swept in all directions like a tsunami.

Yu Xiaogang was pushed back three steps by the shockwave, almost falling to the ground.

"What... what anomaly is this?" he asked, bewildered and uncertain.

The gates of Cloud Top Heavenly Palace slowly opened.

Qian Mo, clad in a platinum robe, leaned lazily against the door frame, holding a string of crystal clear grapes. He looked down at the disheveled Yu Xiaogang, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"What stray dog is barking nonsense at the entrance of my divine temple?"

"You!" Yu Xiaogang's face turned red with anger, his hand pointing at Qian Mo trembling. "I am Yu Xiaogang! Known as 'Master'! As a junior, how can you be so disrespectful to your elders? Is this the upbringing of Martial Soul Hall?"

"Master?" Qian Mo chuckled, casually popping a grape into his mouth. "That Level 29 Soul Grand Master? That theory peddler who pieced together the so-called 'Ten Core Competitiveness' by plagiarizing Martial Soul Hall's data?"

His shortcomings exposed in public, Yu Xiaogang was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "What do you know! There are no useless martial souls, only useless spirit masters! My theory is a treasure of the spirit master world!"

"Is that so?"

Qian Mo sidestepped and snapped his fingers.

"Rongrong, come out and open the eyes of this 'Master'."

A crisp sound of footsteps echoed. Ning Rongrong, dressed in a gorgeous glazed skirt, walked out slowly. A sacred nine-colored halo swirled around her, and with every step, an illusory lotus bloomed beneath her feet.

She opened her palm.

"Weng!"

An extremely brilliant pagoda appeared.

Not seven layers.

One, two, three... eight, nine!

A nine-layered pagoda, radiating immense light, its divine might like a prison!

"Nine... nine layers?!" Yu Xiaogang's eyeballs nearly popped out. He stared intently at the pagoda, his whole body struck as if by lightning. "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is restricted by its martial soul, only able to reach seven layers in a lifetime. This is an iron law! My theory states it clearly..."

"Your theory?" Qian Mo sneered, his voice like a knife. "Your theory is a joke."

"Your so-called iron law is merely because your knowledge is shallow, and you haven't seen true immortal grade herbs. Your so-called 'no useless martial souls' is just an excuse to cover up your inability to break through to Level 30 for thirty years."

Qian Mo descended the steps one by one, each step feeling like it was crushing Yu Xiaogang's heart.

"Admit it, Yu Xiaogang. You've studied your whole life, and your so-called 'Master' title isn't even as valuable as a single herb I'd casually give away."

"No... this isn't real..." Yu Xiaogang staggered back, his face pale as paper. His academic mansion collapsed at this moment.

"Also," Qian Mo turned to Oscar, who was watching the show nearby, "Xiao Ao, take this."

A bone emitting an ice-blue light flew over.

"Ten Thousand Year Mirror Shadow Beast Skull," Qian Mo said casually, as if throwing away trash. "Since you've followed me, such a meeting gift is indispensable."

Oscar fumbled and caught it, feeling the terrifying Spirit Power Fluctuation. He was so excited he almost knelt down, "Thanks, Boss!"

Absorption on the spot.

Ten minutes later, Oscar's Spirit Power surged, directly breaking through the Level 30 bottleneck and even soaring to Level 33!

Qian Mo looked at the master and disciple, their faces ashen, and spread his hands, "See? Tang San, you've been with this 'Master' for six years, and besides learning how to sneak attack with hidden weapons, how much has your Spirit Power increased? Oscar followed me for one day, and one Spirit Bone is equivalent to your three years of arduous training."

"This is reality."

"Resources will always be greater than your laughable theories."

Tang San clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails piercing his palm. He wanted to refute, to say that his foundation was unstable, to say that external objects were ultimately external objects. But looking at Oscar, whose Spirit Power had soared and whose face was full of joy, all his words turned into pale groans.

Just as Yu Xiaogang's mental defense line completely collapsed and he was about to drag Tang San away from this painful place.

"Aunt Erlong, since you're here, why hide?"

Qian Mo suddenly shouted into the void.

At the edge of the forest, a fiery red figure froze.

Liu Erlong had heard that Flender, that old ghost, had struck it rich and had come specifically to "mooch" and see if she could merge Blue Tyrant Academy. She never expected to run into the person she had been thinking about day and night, yet hated to the bone.

"Xiao... Xiaogang?"

Liu Erlong trembled as she walked out from under the shade of the trees, her beautiful eyes instantly filling with tears.

Yu Xiaogang stiffened and abruptly turned around, not daring to look at that woman. He subconsciously grabbed Tang San and was about to run, "Let's go! Hurry!"

"Why run?"

Qian Mo flashed and blocked their path.

"What? You abandoned your bride on your wedding night and ran away. Now that you've met, you don't even dare to say sorry?" Qian Mo wore a devilish smile, "Yu Xiaogang, you are not only trash, but also a coward."

"Shut up! This is between us!" Yu Xiaogang roared hysterically, trying to maintain his last shred of dignity.

"Between you?" Qian Mo took a Recording Stone from his embrace. "No, no, no, this is about 'using'."

Spirit Power was injected.

A light screen was projected into the air.

Although the image was blurry, the sound was clear. It was a young Yu Xiaogang, talking to Bibi Dong (from behind).

"Dong'er, as long as you help me get the library materials from Martial Soul Hall, I can prove I'm a genius! Those people from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family who looked down on me will regret it!"

"Erlong? Heh, her temper is too violent, how could she be as gentle as you? I approached her simply because... she was a link in the Golden Iron Triangle and could help me complete the research on the Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

The screen abruptly cut to black.

Although this was black propaganda edited by Qian Mo using the system's "Magic Modification," its destructive power at this moment was nuclear explosion level.

The entire place fell into dead silence.

Liu Erlong stood frozen, her tears stopped. She looked at the man who didn't dare to turn back, the deep affection in her eyes gradually fading, replaced by despair after being deceived and... anger.

"Xiaogang... is this true?" Liu Erlong's voice was as cold as ice.

"No! Erlong, listen to me! That's fake! He fabricated it!" Yu Xiaogang panicked, waving his hands desperately.

"Real or fake, you know best in your heart," Qian Mo delivered the final blow. "A person who wouldn't even spare his own niece to prove his theory; a person who used Bibi Dong and then used Liu Erlong. Does such scum deserve to be a teacher?"

"Ah--!!!"

Liu Erlong let out a piercing howl, the Fire Dragon Phantom around her going berserk, and the surrounding trees instantly turned to ash.

"Get out!!"

She didn't kill him; that was her last act of mercy. But this one word completely severed twenty years of love threads.

Yu Xiaogang's face turned ashen, as if his spine had been removed. He didn't dare to linger for another second, dragging Tang San, who was equally distraught, and fleeing Shrek Academy like two lost dogs.

Watching their retreating figures, Qian Mo clapped his hands and turned to the group of "new team" members behind him, their eyes burning with fanaticism.

Ning Rongrong clutched the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Zhu Zhuqing wiped her sharp claws, Oscar caressed his newly acquired spirit bone, and Xiao Wu's eyes were cold.

"From today onwards, Shrek Academy will be renamed 'Martial Soul Hall Divine Academy'."

Qian Mo waved his hand grandly, full of heroic spirit.

"I want to form a team, and its name will be... the God Slaying Squad."

"Target: Suotuo City Spirit Arena. I want the entire continent to know that following me, Qian Mo, even a pig can fly; following Tang San, even a dragon has to coil up like an insect!"

Late at night.

In the basement of a cheap inn in Suotuo City.

Yu Xiaogang was dead drunk, his head on the table, muttering nonsense.

Tang San sat in a dark corner, using the faint candlelight to look at a bottle of ink-green liquid in his hand. It was the venom of a Thousand Year Man Faced Demon Spider, bought from the black market with the last of his money.

"Teacher lost... his theory lost..."

Tang San mumbled to himself, a purple glint flashing in his eyes, revealing a hint of madness.

"But I cannot lose."

"Since the righteous path is blocked, since I can't compete with resources..."

Tang San pulled out the bottle stopper, and a fishy, sweet, and pungent smell spread out.

"Then I'll trade my life for it!"

He tilted his head back and drank the entire bottle of venom, enough to kill a cow, in one gulp.

"Ughhh--!!!"

A roar of pain echoed through the Basement, and Tang San's skin instantly turned a strange purplish-black.