In another corner of the rest area, Chen Jieqi leaned back in his chair, seemingly deep in thought.
He was reviewing the battle.
It was a habit of his. After every fight, win or lose, he went over the entire battle in his mind,
looking for flaws, openings, and things he could have done better.
"Tian Heng."
He opened his eyes. His voice wasn't loud, but everyone fell silent.
"Your decision was right. Strike at the weak point to break the whole formation. If we took down Tang San, the Shrek team would collapse."
Yu Tianheng looked at him without interrupting.
"But Tang San's hit-and-run tactics kept you tied up for too long."
Chen Jieqi's voice was calm, as if he were stating a fact, not laying blame.
"When you charged in, what were Yu Feng and Osler doing?"
Yu Feng and Osler exchanged a glance.
"That fatty had me pinned down,"
Yu Feng grimaced,
"Those streams of fire were like they had eyes. Wherever I went, they went."
"I couldn't break through Tang San's Hidden Weapons and Blue Silver Grass..."
Osler leaned against the wall, his voice muffled.
Chen Jieqi nodded.
"Right. But did you ever consider that while Tian Heng was keeping Tang San occupied, you could abandon your separate targets and attack together?"
Yu Feng froze.
"I... couldn't get through. That fatty's streams of fire..."
"You wouldn't have been alone."
Chen Jieqi cut him off.
"Osler could have cut in from the side while you swooped down from above. If you both attacked at once, could that fatty's fire have blocked you from both directions?"
Yu Feng instinctively looked at Osler.
Osler was silent for two seconds, then slowly shook his head.
"Even if he could block one of you," Chen Jieqi continued,
"what about the other? No matter how fast Tang San's Hidden Weapons and Blue Silver Grass were, he couldn't seal off two agility-type Soul Masters attacking at once—not with Tian Heng keeping him occupied from the front."
The rest area fell silent.
"Tian Heng alone could keep Tang San occupied. If you two had charged in together, Tang San wouldn't have lasted long.
Shi Mo could hold off Xiao Wu, and Tian Xuan's Azure Vine could hold off Zhu Zhuqing. They only needed to last until Tang San went down."
Chen Jieqi's gaze swept over the three of them.
"Once Tang San fell, Shrek would lose the heart of its formation. Dai Mubai might be strong, but he could barely handle Shi Mo, let alone Tian Heng as well.
No matter how fierce Ma Hongjun's flames were, they couldn't stop two agility-type Soul Masters attacking at once. Shrek's two support members would have been sitting ducks."
He paused.
"Your strategy was right, but when you carried it out, you only broke through at one point. You didn't break the whole formation."
His tone softened a little.
"Of course, this is a review after the fact. In a real fight, nobody can guarantee it would have worked.
But at least, next time you face a similar opponent, you'll have another option."
Yu Tianheng was silent for a long time.
His right hand clenched unconsciously—a habitual reaction whenever someone pointed out a problem.
But this time, he slowly relaxed his fingers.
"I didn't coordinate well enough."
He spoke quietly.
"It wasn't just your fault."
Chen Jieqi said,
"None of you thought of it. You're used to fighting separately, and forgot you could work together to break through at a single point."
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
"Remember this next time: the other side has a formation's heart, and so do you."
The rest area was quiet for a few seconds.
Yu Feng opened his mouth. "Captain Chen, why didn't you say this earlier?"
"You were all 'about to die' back there. What good would it have done to say it then?"
Yu Feng shut his mouth.
Shi Mo said quietly, "Captain Chen is right. If Yu Feng and Osler had attacked together, Tang San wouldn't have lasted long."
Yu Tianheng nodded without speaking, but his expression had changed. He wasn't discouraged; he was focused.
He looked at Chen Jieqi with greater respect, too.
Osler leaned against the wall, the corner of his mouth lifting.
"I'll remember next time."
Chen Jieqi said nothing more. Eyes closed, he gently tapped the armrest.
In his mind, Tang San's spread Eight Spider Lances, his blood-red eyes as he went berserk, and the brief moment of clarity when he finally held back replayed again and again.
Xiao Wu mattered more to Tang San than he had imagined. Tang San had gone berserk for her in an instant, even at the cost of revealing his External Soul Bone.
But what concerned Chen Jieqi even more was that Tang San had managed to stop himself at the brink of losing control.
That wasn't willpower. It was fear. Was he afraid the secret of his Eight Spider Lances would be exposed—or was it something else?
A faint smile rose on Chen Jieqi's lips.
"That Tang San... he's more ruthless than I thought. He knows how to hide his strength, and he knows how to endure."
He opened his eyes and looked out at the Spirit Fighting Arena. Most of the lights had dimmed, and the audience was gradually leaving, but the red crystal at the center of the arena still radiated warmth.
After tonight, Huangdou had become a Gold Soul team, but one name would keep everyone awake.
Chen Jieqi closed his eyes and gently tapped the armrest. Next time, it wouldn't be so easy.
On the other side, the door flew open, and seven people stumbled inside.
There were no cheers, no celebration. They had lost.
Dai Mubai carried Ma Hongjun on his back; he was still unconscious. Zhu Zhuqing leaned against Xiao Wu, eyes closed.
Oscar lay face-down on the ground, the wound in his shoulder still oozing blood. Ning Rongrong crouched beside him, fumbling for a bandage with trembling fingers that couldn't tear it open.
Xiao Wu lowered herself into a seat, holding her waist. Her face was as pale as paper, but the first person she looked at was Tang San.
Tang San stood by the door.
The Eight Spider Lances had torn through the back of his clothes. A charred claw mark marred his shoulder, his ribs were badly bruised, and blood stained the corner of his mouth.
But he wasn't looking at himself.
He was watching Xiao Wu—not afraid of losing, but afraid something might happen to her.
Flender pushed the door open.
He looked at Tang San. The External Soul Bone—twenty thousand pairs of eyes had seen it.
His brows drew together.
Of course he knew who Tang San's father was—the man who had left his son in Flender's care and walked away.
He had promised he wouldn't tell Tang San,
but did that man know his son had an External Soul Bone?
Flender opened his mouth, but in the end, he only patted Dai Mubai on the shoulder.
"Treat your wounds first."
Then he walked out. As the curtain fell, Tang San saw how heavy Flender's steps seemed.
Flender had barely left when Zhao Wuji came in.
His gaze swept over everyone, then settled on Tang San.
"That was one damn ugly fight."
No one spoke.
Zhao Wuji went over to Ma Hongjun, checked his pulse, then walked over and examined Zhu Zhuqing's complexion.
Finally, he stopped in front of Oscar, looking at the wound that was still oozing blood.
As he took out some medicinal powder, he muttered a curse,
"That Ghost Leopard, Osler, really went too far."
When the powder touched the wound, Oscar hissed.
"Bear it."
Zhao Wuji took out several more bottles of medicine and tossed them to Dai Mubai and Xiao Wu.
"Apply it to them."
He stood and looked at Tang San.
"An External Soul Bone—you know how much attention that thing attracts?"
Tang San nodded.
"From today on, countless eyes will be fixed on you. Some will be curious, some greedy, and some will want to destroy you. Are you ready?"
"I am."
Zhao Wuji stared at him for three seconds, then suddenly smiled.
It wasn't a happy smile, but a complicated one, tinged with bitterness and pride.
"Good. Then don't die."
He turned and walked out, running straight into Yu Xiaogang, who was standing outside.
Zhao Wuji lowered his voice. "That kid... does his father know?"
Yu Xiaogang shook his head.
"Should we tell him?"
"Not yet."
Zhao Wuji said nothing more and strode away.
Yu Xiaogang drew a deep breath and lifted the curtain.
The rest area fell quiet.
Xiao Wu was bandaging Oscar. Dai Mubai carried a bottle of medicine over to Zhu Zhuqing. Ning Rongrong had finally torn open the bandage, but didn't know where to start wrapping it.
"Stop the bleeding first..." Oscar said from the floor.
"I know!" Ning Rongrong's voice trembled with tears.
Tang San sat down. The bruising along his ribs made him move more slowly.
He closed his eyes. His mind was full of images: the sound of the Eight Spider Lances piercing the tortoise shell, a Spider Lance stopping an inch from Yu Tianheng's throat, the blood at the corner of Xiao Wu's mouth, and twenty thousand pairs of eyes.
He snapped his eyes open.
No one could ever learn about the Eight Spider Lances' ability to devour.
He looked at Xiao Wu.
She lifted her head and smiled at him. "Third Brother, I'm fine."
Tang San lowered his head and looked at his hands. Those hands had nearly pierced someone's chest today.
He couldn't let that happen again.
The curtain was lifted again.
Yu Xiaogang stood in the doorway. He didn't look at anyone else, only Tang San.
He walked up to Tang San, crouched down, and gently touched the claw mark on his shoulder.
"Teacher—"
"Don't speak."
He opened Tang San's shirt to examine the charred wound. His fingers hovered over it, trembling slightly.
Then he checked the bruising along Tang San's ribs, the blood at the corner of his mouth, and the clothes torn open across his back.
He examined him carefully, as if he were something fragile.
"Does it hurt?"
Tang San shook his head.
Yu Xiaogang stared at him for three seconds, then said softly, "Liar."
He stood, took out two pills, and pressed them into Tang San's hand. "Take these."
Tang San swallowed them.
Yu Xiaogang lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear.
"Today... did you use that?"
Tang San's body stiffened.
"No. I almost did... but I held back."
Yu Xiaogang's brows tightened, then relaxed.
"Good. You held back."
His voice was soft, but Tang San could hear the fear in it.
"Your External Soul Bone has been exposed. That's already enough trouble to cause a world of problems, but that ability... it's ten thousand times more dangerous.
It's fortunate you held back, but what about next time?"
"I'll keep it under control."
Yu Xiaogang looked at him and remained silent for a long time.
"I believe you."
He reached out and gently patted Tang San on the back of the head.
"But remember, there are some things that must never be seen by anyone, not in your entire life. Once people find out, no one will be able to protect you."
Tang San looked up. "I'll remember."
Yu Xiaogang said nothing more.
He stood up, his gaze finally sweeping over the others: Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, Oscar, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ma Hongjun.
He didn't speak. There was an indescribable emotion in his eyes.
Then he turned and walked away.
The rest area remained quiet for a long time.
Dai Mubai spoke, his voice a little hoarse. "Grandmaster... did he only check on Third Brother?"
No one answered.
Xiao Wu lowered her head and continued bandaging her wounds.
Oscar lay on the ground and said calmly, "Grandmaster... has always been like that."
Dai Mubai fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
Tang San sat there, still clutching the porcelain bottle. He took a deep breath, stood up, and walked over to Xiao Wu.
"Let me."
He took the bandage, his hands steady, as if he'd done this ten thousand times.
Xiao Wu looked at him, her eyes red-rimmed. "Third Brother..."
"It's all right."
Tang San's voice was calm. "It'll be all right."
It was late at night.
The gates of Shrek Academy stood open and battered as the seven of them limped inside.
Tang San walked last. He looked back once at the flickering lights of Suotuo City. The dome of the Spirit Fighting Arena was no longer in sight.
He knew that from tonight onward, many people would remember his name—not because he'd won, but because of the Eight Spider Lances.
But at least, they didn't know the Eight Spider Lances' true secret.
He turned back and quickened his pace.
Up ahead, Xiao Wu was waiting for him.
Flender stood in the shadows, watching them enter.
Zhao Wuji leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
Yu Xiaogang stood farther away, his back to everyone.
Flender walked over and lowered his voice. "Should we let his father know?"
Yu Xiaogang was silent for a long time. "I'll find a way to contact him."
Zhao Wuji snorted. "That bastard just abandons his son and leaves him to fend for himself."
Flender glanced at him. "Keep your voice down."
Zhao Wuji fell silent.
Yu Xiaogang turned around and watched the seven disappear into the dormitory.
Tang San walked last, his steps steady, but he was forcing himself to keep going.
Xiao San, you have to keep it under control. If certain things are exposed, no one will be able to save you.