Tang San stood behind Yu Xiaogang's seat. As he watched the look his teacher directed at him, he seemed to understand in an instant why his teacher was challenging Su Yun again.
He immediately stepped forward, walked in front of his teacher, and looked at Su Yun. "Su Yun, I lost to you today because I was careless. I have nothing to say."
"But my teacher once taught me that a temporary victory or defeat isn't frightening. What's frightening is becoming obsessed with a temporary victory or defeat."
"If you have the guts, will you dare to fight me again in ten years? This time, I won't wager my teacher's life. I'll wager my own!" By the end, the fighting spirit blazing in Tang San's eyes had been thoroughly roused. "You and I, our lives on the line. Dare you?"
His teacher was willing to wager his own life to challenge Su Yun for his sake. How could Tang San back down so easily?
"Good! That's my disciple!" Yu Xiaogang clapped his hands in approval. Seeing that Tang San had understood what he meant and stepped forward of his own accord to say those words made him very happy.
Although Xiao San had lost the first fight, and he himself had even lost the title of Grandmaster in front of everyone, he had now gained something far more precious.
First, if Su Yun refused to accept the match ten years from now, he would inevitably face criticism from others. The reason was simple: Yu Xiaogang had laid all the groundwork before issuing his second challenge.
What could a fight between two One-Ring Soul Masters prove?
In the eyes of Soul Masters above Soul Emperor rank, it was no more than two little brats playing in the mud.
As long as Su Yun refused the match, then even if Yu Xiaogang had lost the title of Grandmaster, that loss would only be temporary.
Xiao San had Twin Martial Souls and the talent of Innate Full Soul Power. Raising him to the rank of Soul Douluo wouldn't be easy, but it certainly wouldn't be difficult.
What's more, Xiao San's Second Martial Soul was the Clear Sky Hammer, known as the greatest Tool Martial Soul in the world. His father might even be the former Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao. With his help in the future, Tang San's growth into a Titled Douluo wouldn't be impossible, either!
As for the Clear Sky Hammer...
As for how to cultivate that Martial Soul... Once he had grown up, Yu Xiaogang could go talk to her and see if he could get the cultivation manual for the Second Martial Soul. He just had to keep Xiao San's identity as an heir to the Clear Sky Sect secret.
Just imagine: once Xiao San became a Titled Douluo with Twin Martial Souls, the world would once again remember the name of Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang.
By then, the loss of his title today would be nothing more than a joke. This was what they meant by first suppressing someone before raising them up.
Second, if Su Yun really did accept the match ten years from now, that would suit Yu Xiaogang just fine.
Ten years would be enough time for Xiao San to grow under his guidance and reach the strength of a Level Forty Soul Ancestor.
Su Yun had a teacher backing him, too, but that teacher could only give him some support in actual combat.
When it came to Martial Soul Theory, Su Yun's teacher was certainly no match for Yu Xiaogang. Yu Xiaogang had not only his own research to rely on, but also the ancient records of Spirit Hall and his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect. No one could possibly understand Martial Souls more thoroughly than he did.
Su Yun had won this contest, but the fight had also exposed a weakness in his first Soul Skill: it had to make contact with the opponent to be effective.
Xiao San had only lost this match because he'd been careless. With his nimble footwork, he would hardly ever be touched by an opponent's attacks unless he deliberately sought an opening to attack.
Compared to Bind, the Soul Skill Yu Xiaogang had chosen for him, one could only attack, while the other could attack or defend. The difference was obvious.
This only proved all the more that Su Yun's teacher knew next to nothing about Martial Soul Theory.
Xiao San would definitely defeat Su Yun in their match ten years from now. And when that happened, Yu Xiaogang's reputation would naturally be restored.
So whether Su Yun accepted his second challenge or not, the advantage was in Yu Xiaogang's hands.
It was just a pity for Su Yun. He had Twin Martial Souls, too, but no good teacher of Martial Soul Theory, and he hadn't figured out how to cultivate them. Sooner or later, that uncut jade of his would be riddled with flaws.
Xiao San, on the other hand, would become the symbol of Yu Xiaogang's return to the Soul Master World—a true gem!
At the thought, Yu Xiaogang grew overwhelmingly excited!
He hadn't expected his disciple's loss to Su Yun to turn out to be a good thing instead of a bad one!
Was this what people meant when they said that good fortune came after great misfortune?
While Yu Xiaogang was getting worked up inside, Ah Yin's voice also rang out in Su Yun's mind.
"Heh, Xiao Su Yun, this man called Yu Xiaogang is really quite scheming. I used to think he deserved the title of Grandmaster, but now it seems he really doesn't."
Ah Yin was gentle and kindhearted, but she had still spent time in the human world.
Even though she didn't know that Yu Xiaogang knew Tang Hao and Bibi Dong, she could tell something was off from the look in his eyes and his conversation with that impostor.
"Whether you accept his challenge or not, the situation is already clear."
"With a few words, he just dismissed the fight you had as if it meant nothing. What he's basically saying is: today's fight was just for fun. If you're any good, wait ten years and fight me again."
"What a shameless man."
After spitting out her opinion of Yu Xiaogang, Ah Yin added, "But since that impostor said he wants to wager his life, why don't we..."
She stopped halfway, as though she'd suddenly thought of something, and quickly swallowed the rest of her words. With a light laugh, she said, "Sorry, Xiao Su Yun. I got a little carried away. If I really made you wager your life against that impostor and something went wrong, I'd be the one to blame."
Honestly, seeing that impostor occupying her child's body had kept Ah Yin in a constant state of distress.
She had wanted to kill the bastard in front of her every moment of every day.
So when she heard "Tang San" say he wanted to wager his life, Ah Yin had truly been tempted. That was why she'd started to speak, but halfway through she realized she was asking too much and took it back.
Hearing that, Su Yun smiled to himself. Of course he knew what Ah Yin was thinking, so he comforted her silently.
"It's fine, Sister Yin. A wager doesn't matter. What's important is finding a way to help you regain your human form."
"And as for that impostor, do I need a wager to bully him?"
"When he goes to an intermediate Soul Master Academy, I'll just follow him there and bully him every day until you take human form again. Then we can find a chance to..."
Su Yun wasn't a fool. He could naturally guess some of Yu Xiaogang's intentions.
At worst, he'd beat Tang San every time and have a tabloid publish a story: "In the Douluo Calendar year XXX, former Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's personal disciple Tang San was beaten by Su Yun again on X month X day, bringing the total to XXX times..."
Ah Yin laughed and teased him, "You really are a clever little guy."
The little guy sure had an open mind.
"Heh-heh. Right, Sister Yin, did the system give us a prompt for this fake Tang San's challenge?" Su Yun suddenly asked.
He wasn't very interested in the wager, but if the system was willing to offer a reward, he'd be happy to accept it, even if only reluctantly.
Understanding what Su Yun meant, Ah Yin paused for a moment, then shook her head. "No."
The system hadn't given her a quest.
No system quest?
Then there was even less chance he'd accept.
I'm not your punching bag, Tang San. Why should I be your sparring partner?
Rather than fight you, I might as well figure out how to get Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong into my harem ten years from now.
With that thought, Su Yun prepared to deliver the classic line, "I refuse," to the two ingrates standing before him.
But just as he was about to speak, a tremendous pressure from nowhere suddenly descended from the void and crashed down on him!
An ancient voice, full of authority and absolute certainty, sounded beside Su Yun's ear at the same time:
"Boy, accept his challenge!"
"Boy, accept his challenge!"
The voice boomed beside his ear like a divine decree. Before Su Yun could react, he felt an invisible force seize control of his body, leaving him unable to move.
"Tang Hao!"
Su Yun's pupils suddenly contracted, and he was deeply shaken.
Although the owner of the voice was concealing his identity, anyone capable of transmitting his voice across a distance and wielding such strength could only be one person. Even a fool could guess who he was.
The Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao!
"Xiao Su Yun! What's wrong?" Ah Yin sensed something was off. As Su Yun's Martial Soul, she also felt an overwhelmingly powerful presence lock onto him.
That presence controlled him so perfectly that no one in the academy could detect it, even from right beside him. Su Yun was in danger, and they were the only ones who knew.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Ah Yin, inside the Martial Soul Space, suddenly narrowed her eyes as well.
"How could this be... This presence... It's... Ah Hao!" Recognizing the familiar aura, Ah Yin couldn't believe it. She suddenly appeared on the spot, her soul-form looking around in an attempt to find her husband. But among the endless crowd, her current strength was nowhere near enough to locate a Titled Douluo.
Ah Yin never imagined that the one behind the sudden presence suppressing Su Yun would be her husband.
Why was Ah Hao targeting Su Yun?
Was it for the sake of that impostor?
Catching a glimpse of Ah Yin's panic from the corner of his eye, Su Yun immediately understood that she had recognized the owner of the presence suppressing him as Tang Hao. Anxious, he replied to her in his mind, "Sister Yin, it feels like some invisible pressure has pinned me down. I can't move at all."
"And just now, I heard a man's voice. He wants me to accept a match against that impostor ten years from now." At that moment, Su Yun could only move his eyes and mouth, so he looked toward Yu Xiaogang and Tang San in front of him. They both seemed perfectly normal, which meant Tang Hao hadn't met with either of them.
Did Tang Hao appear to suppress me just to restore Grandmaster and Tang San's pride?
Or had he recognized what was special about my Martial Soul?
Su Yun was filled with speculation. After all, Tang Hao had once been with Ah Yin. He might know more about Blue Silver Grass than Grandmaster did.
Before Su Yun could think for long, Tang Hao's voice sounded in his ear again. "Boy, I know you're wondering who I am, but I suggest you think about something else right now."
"Listen carefully. I'll say this only once."
"If you agree to fight that boy called Tang San ten years from now, I'll let you go at once and guarantee your safety for the next ten years."
"But if you refuse, I'll kill the people around you. For example, that little girl who's always been close to you."
"Her life is entirely in your hands now. Whether she lives or dies depends on your choice."
Before you continue