The Honeymoon Phase Ended, a Crisis of Trust Emerged

Seeing Yu Xiaogang's distraught state, Lin Qingmo's last vestige of warmth vanished from her eyes.

He knew.

For someone like Yu Xiaogang, the collapse of his faith is more painful than being killed.

But this path was chosen by Yu Xiaogang himself.

"Yu Xiaogang".

Lin Qingmo spoke.

His voice carried a clear indifference.

It's no longer a debate, but a statement.

"Talking about war on paper is like sitting in a well and looking at the sky."

"True theory is never dogma derived from old books."

"It should originate from the real land beneath our feet, from the myriad living beings we see and touch."

"Grandmaster is not someone who merely borrows theories from others."

After saying that, he stopped looking at the figure that seemed to have aged considerably in an instant.

His gaze shifted to the side.

Xiao Wu stood there quietly, his image reflected in her pink eyes.

Lin Qingmo's gaze softened instantly, and his tone became relaxed and natural.

"Xiao Wu, let's go, let's continue today's training."

"Um!"

Xiao Wu nodded immediately, and without hesitation, she quickly stepped forward and tightly took his arm, leaning some of her weight on him, a gesture of complete dependence and side-by-side companionship.

Before leaving, she turned back, wrinkled her nose at Yu Xiaogang, and snorted, clearly expressing her attitude.

The two turned and left.

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged a glance and followed.

Flender watched this scene and let out a long sigh.

That sigh contained so much.

There's a sense of helplessness regarding the stubbornness of an old friend.

There is a lingering concern about the future of the Academy.

There was also weariness due to Lin Qingmo, this powerful variable.

He rubbed his throbbing temples hard, waved his hand, and said in a rare, heavy voice:

"Everyone, you can leave now."

"That's enough for today."

The last sentence was delivered in a stern voice.

Oscar, Dai Mubai, and the others felt a chill run down their spines and quickly nodded in agreement.

No one said anything more, and they all turned and left, each with their own thoughts.

The open space, which had just been the site of a heated debate, quickly fell silent, leaving only the two of them.

Yu Xiaogang remained frozen in place, like a weathered stone statue.

as well as.

Tang San, now fully awake, was slowly sitting up straight against the tree trunk.

Tang San's face was still pale, his lips were chapped, and there were charred marks left by lightning at the corners of his mouth.

But his eyes were churning with intense emotions.

He was actually fully conscious long ago.

Or rather, he had fully regained consciousness when Yu Xiaogang and Lin Qingmo were arguing at the most crucial moment.

He heard every word that followed about the repetition of Soul Skill and the Thunderous Hell Vine, and it was all etched into his mind.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze falling on Yu Xiaogang's dejected figure.

My throat felt tight, and I swallowed before I could make a sound.

"Teacher..."

The voice was low and hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time, with a tremor he himself wasn't even aware of.

"Teacher."

He called out again.

Yu Xiaogang shuddered violently, as if startled awake, and abruptly turned around.

When he saw Tang San's clear and complex eyes, a look of panic and urgency flashed across his face.

"Xiao San! How are you?!"

He rushed to Tang San in a few steps.

"Listen to me, Lin Qingmo was confusing us with what he just said!"

He crouched down, speaking quickly and urgently, with a tone of explanation.

"My theory is not wrong, it's just... it's just that the kind of Soul Beast he described is too special, an extremely rare exception, and cannot represent the general rule!"

"Your development path is still correct, and it's the best fit for you..."

"..."

Tang San listened quietly.

His face was expressionless.

It wasn't until Yu Xiaogang stopped, slightly out of breath from his eagerness, and looked at him with expectant yet fearful eyes that he finally stopped.

Tang San spoke softly again, interrupting him.

"Teacher."

It's still those two words.

But the tone had changed somewhat.

"Lin Qingmo..."

Tang San stared intently at him. "Is everything he said true?"

He didn't ask about theories, nor about his own path; he only asked about this simplest and most concrete fact.

"..."

The urgency on Yu Xiaogang's face froze instantly.

He stared, mouth agape, into Tang San's overly calm eyes.

The confusion and exploration within were like a fine needle, pricking his heart with pain.

All the long-winded arguments he had prepared about the correctness of the theory, about particularity and universality, got stuck in his throat.

A very simple question of right and wrong.

He found himself unable to give a straightforward "yes" or "no".

Because... he didn't know.

He, the Theory Master Yu Xiaogang, really doesn't know if Lin Qingmo's theory is correct!

I saw the panic and evasion flashing in the teacher's eyes, and the authority that was being forced but was already riddled with holes.

Tang San suddenly felt a little tired.

It's not physical fatigue.

It was not so much the feeling of exhaustion that came from the subtle shift in something that had been supporting him all along.

He didn't ask any further questions.

He simply clenched his fist and gave Yu Xiaogang a deep look.

In that glance, there was lingering filial piety, deep confusion, and wavering after being struck by reality.

There was also a sense of distance that he himself didn't fully understand, a sense that quietly grew...

Then, he braced himself with his hands on the ground and, gritting his teeth, struggled to his feet.

His body was still somewhat numb from the lightning strike, causing him to stagger slightly as he stood up.

But he kept his composure and didn't reach out to help Yu Xiaogang, who had instinctively reached out his hand.

"Teacher."

Tang San shifted his gaze to the direction of the dormitory, his voice low.

"I'm a little tired and want to go back to rest."

After saying that, he didn't linger. He turned around and limped slowly toward the dormitory.

His steps were slow, even somewhat unsteady.

The setting sun cast a long shadow of his, which appeared particularly heavy on the empty ground.

Something seemed to be slowly changing in that silhouette.

"The Xiao San..."

Yu Xiaogang's outstretched hand remained frozen in mid-air.

He stared blankly as Tang San walked away step by step.

The figure that once trusted and relied on him didn't even turn its head back at this moment.

The evening breeze blew by, stirring up the dusty, open Theory Manual on the ground, making the pages rustle.

Yu Xiaogang stood still, motionless.

The last trace of color drained from his face.

Shame burned his face like fire, and anger churned in his chest with nowhere to vent it.

The deepest sense of loss is the boundless bewilderment and emptiness left behind after the theoretical world built on sand dunes collapses.

He didn't know what to do next.

I don't know how to face Tang San.

He has no idea how he should continue his life as a "Theory Master" in the future.

"A-Qing, what's going on between Tang San and that Yu Xiaogang?"

Xiao Wu, who was starting her training session in the distance, tilted her head and asked.

Lin Qingmo grinned as he saw this from afar. "They've probably finished their honeymoon phase, master and disciple."

Tsk tsk, it seems Tang San really believed him.

Others may not know, but Lin Qingmo himself is very clear that his theories are all based on a series of great opportunities.

For example, the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, Whale Rubber, and Immortal Herb.

Without these, these theories are utter nonsense.

But no one else knew that he had used them.

All that is known is the fact that his Blue Silver Grass is more powerful than Tang San's Blue Silver Grass.

But this very fact will create an invisible barrier between Tang San and Yu Xiaogang.

This is called a crisis of trust!

This is what Lin Qingmo see.