Dai Mubai and the Others' Schadenfreude at Tang San
The Training Ground of the Blue Tyrant Academy.
The Shrek team is training intensively.
The battle between the Imperial Fighting Team and the Blazing Fire Team truly spurred them on.
Dai Mubai slammed his fist into the testing stone, sending fragments flying.
He shook the dust off his hands, narrowed his Evil Eye, and glanced at Tang San, who was sitting cross-legged not far away.
The Blue Silver Grass stood crookedly in front of Tang San.
The leaves turned yellow and drooped limply to the ground, like a withered weed.
Without activating their Soul Skill, they can't even perform the most basic Entanglement maneuvers.
On the other side of the Training Ground, Yu Tianheng and his group were also busy.
The entire Training Ground was bustling with activity, and fluctuations of Soul Power rose and fell.
Except for the corner where Tang San was.
It was as deserted as another world.
Tang San sat cross-legged on the ground, his hands forming a hand seal, and the internal energy of the Mysterious Heaven Skill steadily flowed through his meridians.
He could feel that there was no obstruction in the path of his Soul Power circulating within his body, and his internal energy activation was also normal.
However, whenever Soul Power is poured into the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, it's like pouring water into a broken-bottomed vat.
There was absolutely no reaction.
The leaves of the Blue Silver Grass trembled slightly, then continued to droop.
Tang San took a deep breath, suppressing the surging agitation in his heart.
He tried to activate his Soul Power again, and the Blue Silver Grass barely managed to raise its tip, but it went limp again before it could last three breaths.
It felt like practicing punches against a wall; every punch landed squarely, but the wall didn't budge.
"It's happening again."
Tang San's brows furrowed even more deeply.
He had never encountered this situation before since awakening his Martial Soul.
Although many people looked down on the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, he always knew that the potential of this Martial Soul was far greater than it actually was.
In its current state, it cannot even properly unleash the most basic Soul Skill, let alone cultivate and improve them.
The internal energy of the Mysterious Heaven Skill circulated rapidly through the meridians twice.
He tried to nourish his Martial Soul with purer internal energy; the roots of the Blue Silver Grass glowed slightly before dimming again.
Tang San clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
He has tried every possible method over the past few days, whether it's increasing the input of Soul Power or changing the circulation route, the result is the same.
The Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul is like being sick, but there's no lesion to be found.
Just as Tang San was about to unleash his inner strength again, footsteps came from the entrance of the Training Ground.
Their footsteps were neither hurried nor slow, making a steady sound as they stepped on the stone pavement.
Tang San recognized the rhythm of the footsteps.
He opened his eyes and, sure enough, saw Yu Xiaogang walking towards him.
The Grandmaster wore a faded gray robe, his expression as solemn as ever.
But Tang San noticed that the Grandmaster's brows were furrowed more tightly than usual.
When his gaze fell on the withered Blue Silver Grass, the corner of his mouth pursed almost imperceptibly.
"The Xiao San."
Yu Xiaogang walked up to Tang San and said briefly and directly, "Stop cultivating and come with me."
Tang San was taken aback.
He glanced at the withered Blue Silver Grass in front of him, then looked up at the Grandmaster.
The Grandmaster never easily interrupted his practice.
Even if I practiced until dark, the Grandmaster would just watch quietly from the side, occasionally offering some pointers.
The fact that they came to the Training Ground today to call a halt is unusual in itself.
"Teacher, what happened?"
Tang San suppressed his irritation, stood up, and dusted himself off.
Yu Xiaogang didn't explain further, turned around and left, only saying, "Come with me, you'll know when we get there."
Tang San hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the Blue Silver Grass on the ground.
As if sensing his emotions, the Martial Soul plant swayed weakly at the tip, then transformed into a faint blue light and retreated back into his body.
Tang San stepped forward to catch up with Yu Xiaogang.
The stone path on the Training Ground was scorching hot from the sun, and the heat from underfoot rose through the soles of our shoes.
The sounds of fighting and shouting in the distance gradually faded away.
Tang San followed the Grandmaster through the side door and walked along a path paved with gravel.
The Grandmaster walked very fast, Tang San could feel the tension emanating from his teacher.
Behind him, Ma Hongjun, who had been secretly glancing over from the Training Ground, withdrew his gaze.
The Phoenix Fire in his palm had just gone out.
The fat man wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve, plopped down next to Dai Mubai, and his butt made a dull thud as it hit the stone steps.
His chubby face wore an expression that suggested he was enjoying the drama, and his eyes darted around a couple of times.
"Boss Dai, did you notice that?"
Ma Hongjun gestured with his lip in the direction Tang San had left.
Dai Mubai was wiping the sweat from his arms with a cloth when he heard this. He glanced at Ma Hongjun, draped the cloth over his shoulder, and said nothing.
Ma Hongjun lowered his voice even further, his tone carrying a clear hint of schadenfreude. "It seems like Tang San's Martial Soul is having problems."
"I've been observing him for the past few days. His Blue Silver Grass can't even use the most basic Entanglement, and its Soul Power fluctuations are getting weaker every day, showing absolutely no signs of improvement."
"You didn't see it last time, but when he tried to activate his Martial Soul, the grass blades trembled like they were having a seizure, but not even a single blade of grass lifted up."
He chuckled twice after he finished speaking and nudged Dai Mubai with his elbow.
"The Grandmaster came to see him specifically just now, probably because he discovered this matter."
"You said Tang San is usually quite capable, right? Twin Martial Souls, Innate Full Soul Power, and cultivation speed faster than anyone else."
"Now look what's happened, his Martial Soul is in trouble, let's see how arrogant he can be now."
Dai Mubai paused in wiping his sweat.
He was silent for two seconds, then casually tossed the cloth onto the stone steps beside him, and a slow smile crept onto his lips.
"Is there a problem with your Martial Soul?"
Dai Mubai leaned against a stone pillar, arms crossed over his chest, a barely perceptible hint of pleasure in his voice.
"That's an interesting piece of news. Twin Martial Souls backfiring? Nobody would believe that if you told them."
Oscar sidled over from the side, having already finished his Recovery Sausage.
He licked the grease off his lips, a meaningful smile spreading across his face.
"No wonder Tang San's complexion has been off these past few days, all gloomy and listless, just like his wilted Blue Silver Grass. Turns out he really is in trouble."
"His Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul already has a low bloodline; if something really goes wrong, it might be difficult to resolve. If it's crippled, then all that's left is—"
He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone could understand the meaning in his eyes.
Ma Hongjun immediately chimed in, his eyes narrowing into slits with a smile, "Only the Clear Sky Hammer left? Would he dare to casually reveal that thing!"
"Who knows? But it's not necessarily a bad thing for us."
Dai Mubai tossed the cloth aside, stretched his arms, and added casually,
"At least for now, I don't have to worry about being dominated by him."
The three men exchanged a glance and each chuckled.
Ma Hongjun's smile was the widest, making no attempt to hide his delight at Tang San's humiliation; his shoulders were shaking with laughter.
"I knew it! God is fair."
"So what if he has Twin Martial Souls with Innate Full Soul Power? Let him get cocky, now he's crashed and burned."
"Hehe."
Oscar's smile was more subtle, but a delicate ease emanated from his eyes and brows as he slowly pulled another Sausage from his pocket and took a bite.
Dai Mubai didn't laugh out loud, but the smile on his lips never faded.
His gaze lingered for a moment in the direction where Tang San had disappeared before he looked away.
He walked back to the center of the Training Ground, stretched his wrists, and his Evil Eye rekindled with fighting spirit.
It wasn't the same fighting spirit they had towards the Imperial Fighting Team.
Rather, it's a more private, darker kind of competitive spirit.
"Keep practicing," he said.