"Tang San, you lost!"
The familiar whistle of something cutting through the air rang out once more!
Even though Tang San tried to raise his hand to block it, his entire body had been slowed, and he couldn't put up an effective defense.
Su Yun gripped the long staff and arrived in an instant. His Piercing Heart Staff struck Tang San squarely in his slight chest.
"Bang!"
A dull thud rang out across the dueling area. Tang San's face paled, and he staggered backward uncontrollably.
Knowing that his First Soul Skill's duration was about to end, Su Yun refused to give Tang San any chance. He pressed forward, and his staff rained down on Tang San's chest with a series of thuds.
Though Tang San was versed in the Tang Sect Secret Arts, Su Yun's relentless assault kept him so thoroughly suppressed that he couldn't even find an opening to counterattack. Several times, he tried to use Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to interrupt Su Yun's movements, but Su Yun caught the motion out of the corner of his eye and swept Tang San's arm aside with his staff, cutting off the technique.
"Bang!"
With the final dull thud, Tang San's feet were finally driven beyond the dueling area by Su Yun.
Being driven out of the dueling area counted as a loss!
"Winner: Su Yun!" Seeing that the match was over, the academy's referee immediately entered the dueling area and loudly announced the winner of the day's match to the crowd.
"Nice!"
"Well fought!"
"As expected, both sides are geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power. Tang San's footwork and combat skills are impressive, but he still fell short when facing Su Yun."
"That's because Tang San's Martial Soul was suppressed by Su Yun's Martial Soul. His First Soul Skill was practically useless against Su Yun."
"Without his First Soul Skill, Tang San had no choice but to accept defeat against Su Yun, who's so skilled with a staff."
"Whatever the reason, Su Yun won."
"My goodness, a seven-year-old, seventeen-level First Ring Tool Soul Master who's also so talented with a staff. If he married into someone's family, that family would surely rise to great heights!"
The crowd nodded at these words, and their eyes immediately turned fervent as they looked at Su Yun.
According to the rules of the Heaven Dou Empire, a Soul Master whose Soul Power Level exceeded thirty and who became a Three-Ring Soul Elder could be granted the title of baron. Becoming a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor earned one the title of viscount. For ordinary wealthy merchant families, that was the highest honor imaginable!
Although Su Yun's Martial Soul was only Blue Silver Grass, they had just witnessed it suppress Tang San's Blue Silver Grass!
What did that mean?
It meant Su Yun's Blue Silver Grass must have some kind of special strength!
"Hey, do you remember the wager Grandmaster mentioned earlier?"
Someone in the audience suddenly reminded everyone. All eyes immediately shifted away from Su Yun and landed on Yu Xiaogang, who sat beside the dean of Notting Academy.
Yu Xiaogang instantly felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, cold sweat trickling down his back.
Only now did Yu Xiaogang finally realize he had truly gone too far!
He had originally spread the news and gathered everyone to motivate his disciple, and, along the way, restore his own reputation. He hadn't expected things to go so badly wrong: his disciple had actually lost to Su Yun.
Yu Xiaogang had assumed there was no teacher behind Su Yun at all. The teacher Su Yun claimed to have was nothing more than a figure he'd made up out of wounded pride.
But now, Yu Xiaogang was certain that Su Yun did have a teacher who was extremely skilled in actual combat. That teacher had been hiding in the shadows all along, teaching Su Yun. Otherwise, Su Yun couldn't possibly have been so skilled with a staff or so strong in actual combat.
At the thought, Yu Xiaogang clenched the hand hidden in his sleeve. The look in his eyes revealed how unwilling he was to accept this.
Why was he unwilling to accept it?
Because Tang San and Su Yun's Soul Power Levels were still low.
Su Yun and Tang San were only at the seventeenth level. Each of them had only one Soul Skill, with no combinations or synergies to speak of.
In other words, Yu Xiaogang believed his Martial Soul Theory couldn't be fully demonstrated in this match.
By contrast, Su Yun's skill with a staff was extremely effective in battles between Soul Masters of lower levels.
But despite his unwillingness to accept the result, the countless eyes fixed on him made Yu Xiaogang feel increasingly uneasy.
He knew that good news traveled slowly, while bad news traveled far.
If he failed to honor his promise today, word of his breaking it would spread throughout the entire Heaven Dou Empire within a day!
No! Not just the Heaven Dou Empire—it could even reach the Star Luo Empire and Spirit Hall!
By then...
Yu Xiaogang's face turned deathly pale. He realized that whether he honored his promise or not, he was destined to become a laughingstock across the continent!
He was instantly filled with regret. Why had he been so confident a year ago when he made that wager with Su Yun? And why had he been so sure of himself that he let the entire city of Notting know about it?
Hadn't he brought this on himself?
Just then, Tang San came over to Yu Xiaogang. His young face was tinged with guilt as he lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry, Teacher. I lost."
Tang San felt that he had lost completely.
He had been overconfident.
He'd confidently assumed Su Yun's Soul Skill was unlike ordinary Soul Skills, never imagining that it would be one of the Soul Skills best suited to counter him.
Most importantly, his mistake meant his teacher would have to pay the heaviest price!
He had wanted to use this fight to clear his teacher's name of the old "injustice," but now, because of his failure, he had only added another layer of humiliation to his teacher's reputation!
Hearing his disciple apologize, Yu Xiaogang waved a hand to signal that he should say no more.
At the same time, a flash of light passed through Yu Xiaogang's eyes.
Yu Xiaogang's breathing suddenly quickened. I think I've found a way to make up for the reputation I'm about to lose.
"Xiaogang..." Sitting nearby, the dean saw his old friend's state and assumed he was devastated. He was just about to comfort him when Yu Xiaogang stood up.
Under the gaze of everyone at Notting Academy, Yu Xiaogang walked over to Su Yun.
"I'm sorry, Su Yun. I lost our wager. From this day on, I'm no longer worthy of the title of 'Grandmaster.'"
The crowd erupted in an uproar!
Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang had actually apologized!
Even Su Yun hadn't expected Yu Xiaogang to really apologize. He'd thought Yu Xiaogang would come up with some excuse to weasel out of it.
"But..." Yu Xiaogang suddenly changed course and declared loudly, "I hope to win back the title that was once mine from you!"
The crowd erupted again!
Win it back?!
Su Yun was even more bewildered.
What are you trying to do?
Yu Xiaogang's voice rang out clearly as he explained his idea from beginning to end.
Finally, he met Su Yun's gaze, his expression utterly resolute. "Su Yun, like Xiao San, you're both still young and will continue to grow. Your paths as Soul Masters can't possibly end here."
"You've defeated Xiao San for now, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to defeat him in the future."
"I want to make another wager with you."
"This time, we'll bet on ten years!"
"If Xiao San defeats you ten years from now, please return the title of 'Grandmaster' to me."
"If Xiao San loses ten years from now, I'll take my own life!"
Take his own life?!
The crowd erupted into an uproar once more!
Wasn't that taking things a little too far?
"G-Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, what's gotten into him? Tang San already lost to Su Yun, and he still wants another wager?"
"I think he has a point. Soul Masters compete through their Martial Souls and the ways they combine and use their Soul Skills."
"Even though Su Yun has beaten Tang San for now, it's only temporary."
"If he doesn't get guidance from a good teacher, how will his path as a Soul Master go from here? Is he really going to rely on one staff to fight all the way to becoming a Titled Douluo?"
"Well..."
While the audience chattered among themselves, Yu Xiaogang didn't rush to ask Su Yun for an answer. Instead, he turned to his disciple, Tang San, and asked solemnly, "Tang San, are you confident you can fight Su Yun again ten years from now?"
Tang San didn't answer. He stood there, stunned.
The moment Yu Xiaogang said the words "take my own life," Tang San's mind had exploded.
He had thought that his careless defeat would earn him his teacher's reprimand. He'd even prepared himself to be punished.
But what he hadn't expected was that his teacher would be willing to challenge Su Yun again, staking his own life for him!
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