The sun slowly sank toward the horizon. Under the watchful eyes of Zhao Wuji and the other teachers, Tang San's heavy steps finally came to a stop.
Although Flender had said the punishment was to run until sunset, Tang San had been unable to keep going after just two laps. In the end, he could only walk slowly, and even that was exhausting.
When the sun finally set, Tang San let out a long sigh of relief. He collapsed to the ground with a thump and passed out.
"Ah..."
Zhao Wuji shook his head helplessly, picked Tang San up, and slowly carried him to his dormitory.
After laying Tang San on the bed, Zhao Wuji left without doing anything else.
Oscar glanced at Tang San but said nothing, then continued with his own cultivation.
An hour later, Yu Xiaogang's voice sounded outside the dormitory.
"Xiao San, Xiao San!"
Yu Xiaogang rushed in anxiously and quickly woke Tang San.
After sleeping for a little while, Tang San felt much better.
Although he had run all day, his legs only felt a little sore, and he wasn't tired.
What he didn't know was that the pain hadn't set in yet. He wouldn't feel it fully until the next day.
"Adoptive father."
Tang San sat up in bed and called out.
"Xiao San, you're awake. Hurry up and eat."
Yu Xiaogang took two lunch boxes out of his Soul Guidance Storage Bracelet.
"I bought some food. You've been hungry all day, so hurry up and eat."
At the sight of the lunch boxes in Yu Xiaogang's hands, Tang San swallowed. He hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day and was starving.
He quickly took a lunch box from Yu Xiaogang and opened it.
He took a deep whiff of the aroma inside.
"Y U E!"
Tang San nearly threw up after one bite.
A rotten stench filled his mouth. There was a hint of fragrance, but barely any at all.
"Adoptive father... this..."
"Xiao San, it's fine. Hurry up and eat."
Yu Xiaogang opened the other identical lunch box.
"It must have gotten a little smelly in this hot weather, but it's still fine to eat."
As if to prove it to Tang San, he picked up his chopsticks and wolfed down the food.
After spending the whole afternoon wandering around Suotuo City, Yu Xiaogang had finally managed to get two lunch boxes from an old man. The old man had been unable to sell them from noon until evening, and he'd only given them to Yu Xiaogang because he was disabled.
Tang San didn't suspect anything and started eating heartily. His hunger quickly drowned out the slight stink, leaving only the satisfying taste of food.
"Xiao San, our situation is that I'm out of Gold Soul Coins, and you're out of Gold Soul Coins too. We just collected the Spirit Hall subsidy this month, and it'll be a long, long time before the next payment."
"I've decided you should compete in Soul Fighting at the Soto Great Soul Arena. You'll get ten Gold Soul Coins for every match you win."
"As long as you win one match, things will get better for us."
"If you can find someone to team up with and win two matches, we'll earn a great deal of Gold Soul Coins!"
Tang San burped with satisfaction, exhaling a foul stench that made people want to gag.
"Okay."
"Adoptive father, I'll definitely win tonight!"
Tang San was brimming with confidence. He was sure he wouldn't lose tonight!
While Flender led Ye Lin and the other six toward Suotuo City, Yu Xiaogang took Tang San along as well.
In Flender's plan, they would compete at the Soto Great Soul Arena every day from then on, which would inevitably draw a great deal of attention.
To keep them from becoming famous at such a young age and attracting unnecessary trouble,
Flender had specifically asked each of them to prepare a mask and choose a code name to represent themselves.
The code names chosen by the others were exactly the same as in the original story.
Ye Lin had chosen her code name casually: Master of the Immortal Sword.
The master of the Immortal Sword Martial Soul.
When Yu Xiaogang learned that they all had masks and code names, he immediately came up with the code name Thousand Hand Silver Grass for Tang San.
He also casually tore a scrap of cloth from his sleeve, poked two holes in it, and added two straps. That was Tang San's mask for tonight.
Inside the Soto Great Soul Arena,
the group quickly completed their registrations and also created a team called the Shrek Eight Devils.
Originally, Flender had only wanted to create a team called the Shrek Seven Devils, without Tang San.
After Yu Xiaogang bombarded him with arguments and Tang Hao put pressure on him, Flender had no choice but to agree.
The moment they entered the Soto Great Soul Arena, they attracted a great deal of attention. In particular, eight of the ten people were wearing masks, and the spectators began to speculate about what kind of Soul Masters they were.
"The masks on those seven people are normal enough, but why is the eighth person wearing a scrap of cloth?"
"Come to think of it, doesn't that cloth look like it came from the clothes of that one-armed man beside him? There's a piece missing from the edge of his robe, too."
"Hahaha! He didn't have a mask, so he cobbled one together out of a scrap of cloth. He'd be better off without it. What a disgrace!"
"Hahahaha..."
Yu Xiaogang and Tang San showed no reaction. They didn't even look at the others, letting them mock all they liked. They would prove themselves soon enough!
The group quickly completed their registrations.
Ye Lin, Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, and Tang San would all compete in solo matches.
Dai Mubai and Oscar, along with Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, would compete in doubles matches.
Yu Xiaogang had originally wanted Tang San to team up with Ma Hongjun, but Ma Hongjun refused outright.
Ma Hongjun's reason was simple: he didn't team up with trash.
Tang San and Yu Xiaogang were angry, but there was nothing they could do.
"Don't worry, adoptive father. I'll prove myself in the arena soon!"
Tang San assured Yu Xiaogang.
"Don't worry, adoptive father. There's no need to be nervous. With your strength, you'll win easily."
Yu Xiaogang patted Tang San on the shoulder, encouraging him.
"Grrrgl!"
Suddenly, Yu Xiaogang felt his stomach rumble.
He had the urge to sprint to the toilet.
Had something really gone wrong with the food he'd eaten that evening?
"Next, let's welcome the two contestants in our next Soul Fighting match!"
"Thousand Hand Silver Grass, Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass!"
"Jiang Liu, Martial Soul: Three-Pointed Double-Edged Halberd!"
"Contestants, please enter the Soul Fighting Arena!"
Tang San and Yu Xiaogang exchanged a look and solemnly nodded before heading onto the Soul Fighting Arena.
Seeing Tang San already on the field, Yu Xiaogang didn't waste any time. He hurried toward the restroom at the Soto Great Soul Arena.
On the Soul Fighting Arena, Tang San looked at his opponent with disdain. The man was clearly an assault-type Soul Master, which meant he was countered by Tang San's control-type abilities. Winning would be easy.
"Grrrgl!"
A strange sound reached his ears.
Tang San's expression changed instantly.
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