Thinking it over, Lan Minghua had a good idea why the people from Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect weren't making a move against him.
Although the Upper Three Sects weren't as close as they claimed, neither the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan nor the Clear Sky Sect had come forward to deny it.
That was because they were all wary of Spirit Hall.
The people of the Upper Three Sects had seen through Spirit Hall's ambitions long ago.
Those ambitions meant that the Upper Three Sects were destined to stand opposed to Spirit Hall.
And in a one-on-one fight, no single sect among the Upper Three Sects could match Spirit Hall.
So when Ning Fengzhi declared that the Upper Three Sects were united as one, neither the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan nor the Clear Sky Sect came forward to deny it.
They knew that this statement would make Spirit Hall wary of them, even as they themselves remained wary of Spirit Hall.
Thus, the claim benefited the Upper Three Sects in every way. How could they not make use of it?
Spirit Hall wasn't attacking Lan Minghua because it wanted to see whether the Upper Three Sects truly stood united.
If the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Clear Sky Sect did nothing to help the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, then the idea that the Upper Three Sects stood united would be a joke.
If the Upper Three Sects really were united, then they would have to come after me.
Spirit Hall clearly knew how strong I was. It wanted me and the Upper Three Sects to cripple each other, so it could reap the benefits.
What a clever plan!
Lan Minghua sneered at the thought.
At last, he understood why the people from Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect hadn't made a move.
They were all waiting, each scheming against the others.
Spirit Hall wasn't acting because it wasn't in a hurry.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect wasn't acting because it lacked the strength—and because it was afraid its lie would be exposed.
Their schemes weren't costing Lan Minghua anything.
"Go on, keep dragging this out. The Heavenly Dragon Gang's name has already spread. The longer you wait, the more people will think you're afraid of the Heavenly Dragon Gang."
Lan Minghua knew that when news of Ning Fengzhi's death spread, his name and the Heavenly Dragon Gang's would spread with it.
With neither Spirit Hall nor the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect making a move, others would naturally assume they feared the Heavenly Dragon Gang's strength.
Lan Minghua had no objections to this free publicity.
"Go on, keep dragging this out. For me, that's the best outcome imaginable."
Lan Minghua had still been a little worried. After all, having strength equivalent to a Level 98 Titled Douluo didn't make him truly invincible on the continent.
Even with all kinds of martial arts, he might not be able to make up for the one-level gap.
If Qian Daoliu personally entered the fray, the outcome of a fight between them would be hard to predict.
But now there was no need to worry.
Lan Minghua looked at his Roleplay Progress, which had reached 49 percent, and felt his last lingering doubts disappear.
"I'll deal with whatever comes. Take your time dragging this out."
From then on, Lan Minghua stopped paying attention to Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's movements. He went back to taking it easy and teaching his disciples.
At Shrek Academy, Yu Xiaogang watched Lan Minghua lounging on the roof and felt incredibly envious.
After all, several of his disciples were geniuses who were no less talented than Tang San—and some were even more gifted.
"Damn it! If those people had become my disciples, I could have proven every one of my theories. It's just a pity they chose Lan Minghua, who knows nothing about Martial Souls, as their master."
Yu Xiaogang only dared to grumble those words to himself. He wouldn't dare say them aloud.
After all, he had seen Ning Fengzhi die right before his eyes.
Lan Minghua had killed the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect as easily as killing a chicken. Yu Xiaogang was only the son of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Sect Master—and hardly anyone even knew who he was.
What kind of clout did that give him?
Besides, Oscar and the others weren't fools. They wouldn't abandon a powerful Titled Douluo just to become the disciples of a Soul Grandmaster.
For the sake of his own life, Yu Xiaogang didn't dare try to poach them.
Still, he hadn't given up. He wanted to train Tang San and the others until they surpassed Oscar and his companions, and then make them reconsider.
After all, he had great confidence in his theories and his ability to teach disciples. He believed every genius ought to listen to him.
Thinking about it, Yu Xiaogang could barely contain his delight.
He kept a stern expression as he lectured Tang San and the others, who were running with stones on their backs. "You lot, run faster! Don't let those lazy people overtake you!"
Hearing that, Lan Minghua glanced at Yu Xiaogang from the rooftop.
Then he said two words: "What an idiot."
Did Yu Xiaogang still not know that Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing were already at Level 40, while Meng Yiran was at Level 39?
Among Tang San's group, Dai Mubai had the highest Soul Power, and he was only at Level 37.
And the advantages brought by the Immortal Herbs would last for a long time.
How were Tang San and the others supposed to catch up?
By banging their heads against a wall?
And Yu Xiaogang thought Oscar and the others were lazier than Tang San's group?
That was just poverty limiting his imagination.
Who still relied on carrying stones for weighted training? That was such a LOW way to train.
Yu Xiaogang had short hair and an even shorter view of the world. Lan Minghua wouldn't even give him a proper glance.
If any of Oscar's group really got fooled by Yu Xiaogang, then Lan Minghua didn't want such a stupid disciple anyway.
Not far away, Oscar and the two girls were training with their Gravity Sensing Bracelets. When they heard this, the corners of their mouths twitched.
"Pah! That old man was taking a dig at us. If he weren't the Dean's friend, I'd love to slap him across the face."
Oscar was completely at a loss. He couldn't understand why Yu Xiaogang would say something like that.
Zhu Zhuqing and Meng Yiran agreed wholeheartedly. They really wanted to slap Yu Xiaogang, a Level 29 Soul Grandmaster, twice.
But it wasn't as if they had no reason to feel that way.
The three of them had activated their Gravity Sensing Bracelets long ago, and the weights they carried were far heavier than the stones on Tang San's group's backs.
They couldn't even relax while sleeping. They were practically training under increased weight twenty-four hours a day.
Tang San's group only ran with stones on their backs in the afternoon, then soaked in medicinal liquid to relax that evening.
Compared to them, who the hell were the lazy ones?
Yu Xiaogang noticed that Oscar and the others had stopped moving and were staring straight at him.
He was delighted.
"They're looking at me! They're looking at me! It seems they're envious of the training I set for Xiao San and the others!"
Yu Xiaogang thought smugly, already imagining Oscar and the others switching sides and becoming his disciples.
If that really happened, Yu Xiaogang's name would resound throughout the continent.
After all, stealing disciples from a Titled Douluo would be a first.
At the thought, Yu Xiaogang's grin stretched almost from ear to ear.
Seeing his expression, Oscar and the girls looked disgusted and hurried back to their training.
It was as if one more glance would make their eyeballs explode.
Dai Mubai, running behind Tang San with a stone on his back, looked thoroughly impatient.
"Tang San, will the training your teacher set really make me stronger? Why don't I feel any effect at all?"
Watching Zhu Zhuqing grow stronger by the day had stirred up his competitive spirit.
He had only reluctantly joined the training after hearing Tang San boast that Yu Xiaogang's theories were unbeatable.
Hearing Dai Mubai question Yu Xiaogang, Tang San immediately darkened his expression. "Mubai, if you don't trust my teacher, then train by yourself."
Hearing Tang San's blunt reply, Dai Mubai explained helplessly, "Oscar and the others have Gravity Sensing Bracelets. Can carrying stones really help us improve?"
They had seen Lan Minghua give his disciples their gifts with their own eyes. They all knew Oscar and the others were training with Gravity Sensing Bracelets.
Those things were far more effective than training by carrying stones.
Tang San fell silent.
Compared to Oscar and the others, their training offered no advantages at all. If anything, it put them at a disadvantage.
Even so, he still believed in Yu Xiaogang—in his teacher, whose theories were second to none.
"Teacher must have his reasons for making us train this way. We just need to do our best."
With that, Tang San said nothing more and continued running with the stone on his back.
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