Same Path, Different Destinies; Joys and Sorrows Borne Alone

In another corner of the resting area, Chen Jieqi leaned back in his chair, seemingly lost in thought.

He was reviewing the match.

This was his habit; after every battle, regardless of whether he won or lost, he would replay the entire fight in his mind.

He looked for loopholes, flaws, and areas where he could have done better.

"Yu Tianheng."

He opened his eyes. His voice was not loud, but everyone fell silent.

"Your decision-making was correct. By breaking the formation at a single point and taking out Tang San, the Shrek system would have collapsed."

Yu Tianheng looked at him without interrupting.

"But you were held back by Tang San's maneuvering for too long."

Chen Jieqi's voice was calm, as if he were stating a fact rather than casting blame.

"When you charged forward, what were Yu Feng and Osler doing?"

Yu Feng and Osler exchanged a glance.

"I was pinned down by that fatty,"

Yu Feng grimaced, "That fire beam was like it had eyes; no matter where I moved, it burned right toward me."

"Tang San's hidden weapons and Blue Silver Grass... I couldn't break through."

Osler leaned against the wall, his voice muffled.

Chen Jieqi nodded.

"True, but have you ever considered that while Yu Tianheng was pinning down Tang San, if you had abandoned your individual targets and concentrated your firepower to press forward together?"

Yu Feng was stunned for a moment, "I... I couldn't get through, that fatty's fire beam..."

"You weren't alone."

Chen Jieqi interrupted him, "Osler cuts in from the flank, you dive from high above. If both of you strike at the same time, could that fatty's fire beam block both of your directions simultaneously?"

Yu Feng instinctively looked at Osler.

Osler was silent for two seconds, then slowly shook his head.

"Even if he could block one," Chen Jieqi continued, "What about the other person?

No matter how fast Tang San's hidden weapons and Blue Silver Grass are, they couldn't possibly seal off two agility-type attacks at once, especially when Yu Tianheng was still pinning him down from the front."

The resting area fell instantly silent.

"Yu Tianheng alone could pin down Tang San. If the two of you had pressed forward together, Tang San wouldn't have lasted long.

And over on Shi Mo's side, Tian Xuan's Azure Vine could have completely restrained Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing. Holding out until Tang San fell would have been enough."

Chen Jieqi's gaze swept across the three of them.

"Once Tang San falls, Shrek's core formation is gone. No matter how strong Dai Mubai is, he could only barely handle Shi Mo, let alone deal with Yu Tianheng as well.

No matter how fierce Ma Hongjun's fire is, it couldn't stop two agility-type attacks striking at once. Shrek's two support members would have been sitting ducks."

He paused, "Your tactics were correct, but during execution, you only achieved a 'point break' and failed to achieve a 'surface break'."

His tone softened slightly, "Of course, this is a post-match review. In the heat of the moment, no one can guarantee it would definitely work.

But at least, next time you face similar opponents, you will have one more option."

Yu Tianheng was silent for a long time.

His right hand clenched unconsciously; it was his habitual movement, an instinctive reaction whenever someone pointed out his flaws.

But this time, he slowly relaxed his fingers.

"It was my failure to coordinate."

He said.

"It wasn't just your problem."

Chen Jieqi said, "None of the three of you thought in that direction. You are used to fighting your own battles and forgot that you could combine your efforts to strike a single point."

He leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes.

"Remember for next time: the opponent has a core formation, and so do you."

The rest area was silent for a few seconds.

Yu Feng opened his mouth, "Captain Chen, why didn't you say that earlier?"

"You were all 'about to die' just now. Would saying that have been useful?"

Yu Feng shut his mouth.

Shi Mo said in a low voice, "Captain Chen is right. If Yu Feng and Osler had pressed the attack together, Tang San wouldn't have lasted long."

Yu Tianheng nodded without speaking, but his gaze changed; it wasn't frustration, but focus.

At the same time, the way they looked at Chen Jieqi became even more convinced.

Osler leaned against the wall, the corner of his mouth curling up.

"Remember that for next time."

Chen Jieqi didn't say anything else. He closed his eyes and tapped the armrest lightly.

In his mind, the Eight Spider Lances that Tang San had unfurled, his scarlet eyes during the berserk state, and that moment of clarity when he finally held back, played over and over again.

Xiao Wu was more important to Tang San than he had imagined. He had gone berserk for her in an instant, not hesitating to expose his External Spirit Bone.

But what Chen Jieqi cared about more was that Tang San was actually able to pull back while on the verge of losing control.

That wasn't willpower; that was fear. Was he afraid of the secret of the Eight Spider Lances being exposed? Or was it something else?

A trace of a smile appeared at the corner of Chen Jieqi's mouth.

"This Tang San... is more ruthless than I imagined. He knows how to hide, and he knows how to endure even better."

He opened his eyes and looked at the soul fighting arena outside the window. Most of the lights had dimmed and the audience was leaving, but the red crystals in the center of the ring were still radiating residual heat.

After tonight, Huangdou had become Gold Soul, but there was one name that would keep everyone awake.

Chen Jieqi closed his eyes and tapped the armrest lightly. Next time, it wouldn't be this easy.

On the other side, the door was pushed open, and seven people stumbled in.

There were no cheers, no celebrations; they had lost.

Ma Hongjun was being carried on Dai Mubai's back, still unconscious, while Zhu Qing leaned against Xiao Wu, her eyes closed.

Oscar lay on the floor, the wound on his shoulder still oozing blood. Ning Rongrong knelt beside him, rummaging for bandages, her fingers trembling so much she couldn't tear the packaging.

Xiao Wu sat down, clutching her waist, her face as pale as paper, but her first instinct was to look at Tang San.

Tang San stood at the doorway.

The clothes on his back were torn by the Eight Spider Lances, there were charred claw marks on his shoulders, his ribs were bruised, and there was blood at the corner of his mouth.

But his eyes weren't on himself.

He was looking at Xiao Wu, not out of fear of losing, but out of fear that something had happened to her.

Flender pushed the door open and entered.

He glanced at Tang San. The External Spirit Bone—twenty thousand pairs of eyes had seen it.

His brows were furrowed tightly.

He certainly knew who Tang San's father was; that man had dumped his son on him and left.

He had promised not to tell Tang San, but did that man know his son possessed an External Spirit Bone?

He opened his mouth, but in the end, he only patted Dai Mubai on the shoulder.

"Treat the injuries first."

Then he walked out. As the curtain fell, Tang San saw that his back looked very heavy.

As soon as Flender left, Zhao Wuji walked in.

His gaze swept over everyone and finally landed on Tang San.

"That was a damn ugly fight."

No one spoke.

Zhao Wuji walked over to Ma Hongjun, checked his pulse, and then walked over to check Zhu Qing's complexion.

Finally, he stopped in front of Oscar, looking at the wound that was still oozing blood.

While pulling out medicinal powder, he cursed under his breath.

"That Ghost Leopard Osler, he really fights dirty."

As the powder was sprinkled on, Oscar hissed.

"Endure it."

Zhao Wuji tossed a few more bottles of medicine to Dai Mubai and Xiao Wu.

"Apply this to them."

He stood up and looked at Tang San.

"External Spirit Bone, do you know how eye-catching this thing is?"

Tang San nodded.

"From today on, countless eyes will be fixed on you—some curious, some greedy, some wanting to destroy you. Are you prepared?"

"I am."

Zhao Wuji stared at him for three seconds, then suddenly laughed.

It wasn't a happy laugh, but a complex one, tinged with bitterness and pride.

"Fine. Then don't die."

He turned and walked out, running right 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?"

"It's not the time yet."

Zhao Wuji didn't say anything more and strode away.

Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath and lifted the curtain.

The resting area fell silent.

Xiao Wu was bandaging Oscar, and Dai Mubai walked over to Zhu Zhuqing with a medicine bottle. Ning Rongrong had finally torn open the bandage, but she didn't know where to start wrapping.

"Stop the bleeding first..." Oscar said, lying on the ground.

"I know!" Ning Rongrong's voice was choked with tears.

Tang San sat down, the bruise on his ribs making his movements a bit sluggish.

He closed his eyes, his mind filled with images: the sound of the Eight Spider Lances piercing the tortoise shell, the spider lances 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 opened his eyes abruptly.

The devouring ability of the Eight Spider Lances must never be revealed to anyone.

He looked at Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu raised her head and smiled at him, "Brother San, it's okay."

Tang San lowered his head and looked at his own hands; those hands had almost pierced through a person's chest today.

Next time, he couldn't let it happen again.

The curtain was lifted once more.

Yu Xiaogang stood at the entrance. He didn't look at anyone else, only at Tang San.

He walked up to Tang San, crouched down, and gently pressed on the claw marks on his shoulder.

"Teacher—"

"Don't speak."

He lifted the lapel to look at the charred wound, his fingers hovering over it, trembling slightly.

Then he looked at the bruise on his ribs, the blood at the corner of his mouth, and the clothes torn open on his back.

He examined him very carefully, as if checking something fragile.

"Does it hurt?"

Tang San shook his head.

Yu Xiaogang stared at him for three seconds and said softly, "You're lying."

He stood up and took out two pills, pressing them into Tang San's hand, "Eat them."

Tang San swallowed them.

Yu Xiaogang lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear.

"Today... did you use that?"

Tang San's body stiffened for a moment.

"No. I almost did... but I held back."

Yu Xiaogang's brow furrowed, then relaxed.

"It's good that you held back."

His voice was very soft, but Tang San could hear the lingering fear within it.

"The exposure of the External Spirit Bone is already a massive problem, but that ability... is ten thousand times more dangerous than the External Spirit Bone.

You held back, which is a stroke of luck, but what about next time?"

"I will control it."

Yu Xiaogang looked at him, remaining silent for a long time.

"I believe you."

He reached out and patted the back of Tang San's head, his movements very gentle.

"But remember, there are some things that must never be seen by others in your entire life. Once it is known, no one will be able to protect you."

Tang San raised his head. "I will remember."

Yu Xiaogang did not say anything more.

He stood up, his gaze finally sweeping over the others: Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, Oscar, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ma Hongjun.

He did not speak, his eyes filled with an indescribable emotion.

Then, he turned and walked out.

The resting area remained quiet for a long time.

Dai Mubai spoke up, his voice a bit hoarse. "Grandmaster... only looked at Tang San?"

No one answered.

Xiao Wu lowered her head and continued bandaging.

Oscar lay on the ground and said calmly, "Grandmaster... has always been like this."

Dai Mubai fell silent for a moment and nodded.

Tang San sat there, still clutching the porcelain bottle in his hand. He took a deep breath, stood up, and walked to Xiao Wu's side.

"Let me."

He took the bandage, his movements steady, as if he had done it ten thousand times.

Xiao Wu looked at him, her eyes turning red. "Brother San..."

"It's alright."

Tang San's voice was very calm. "Everything will be alright."

The night was very deep.

The gates of Shrek Academy stood open and dilapidated as the seven of them limped inside.

Tang San walked at the very back and looked back once; the lights of Suotuo City flickered, and the dome of the Arena was no longer visible.

He knew that from this night on, many people would remember his name, not because of the victory, but because of the Eight Spider Lances.

But at least, they did not know the true secret of the Eight Spider Lances.

He turned back around and quickened his pace.

Up ahead, Xiao Wu was waiting for him.

Flender stood in the shadows, watching them walk in.

Zhao Wuji leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

Yu Xiaogang stood further away, his back turned to everyone.

Flender walked over and lowered his voice.

"About his father... should we say something?"

Yu Xiaogang was silent for a long time. "I will find a way to contact him."

Zhao Wuji snorted.

"That bastard, dumping his son here and not caring about him at all."

Flender glanced at him. "Keep your voice down."

Zhao Wuji shut his mouth.

Yu Xiaogang turned around, watching the backs of the seven as they walked into the dormitory.

Tang San was walking at the end, his steps steady, but he was forcing himself to hold on.

Tang San, you must keep it under control; there are some things that, once exposed, no one can save you from.