"Erlong, why are you and this kid—?"
Hearing Liu Erlong's words, Yu Xiaogang felt as if he'd been struck by the same misfortune.
At the assessment plaza, Tang San and Dai Mubai had been betrayed by Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing.
Back then, he'd found it rather amusing to watch.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that such an absurd farce would play out right before his eyes, leaving him feeling as miserable as if he'd swallowed a dead fly.
Vaguely, he seemed to glimpse the fate awaiting him.
After all, Tang San and Dai Mubai's examples stood right before him, and their situations were practically identical.
What kind of magic did this Xiao Yexuan possess?
It was downright terrifying!
But people always had a way of convincing themselves they were exceptional, believing they were utterly different from everyone else.
Yu Xiaogang was especially like that.
Though his Martial Soul was useless and his Soul Power had stagnated at level twenty-nine, leaving him unable to advance by even an inch, he had an inexplicable confidence in two things.
One was the Martial Soul Theory he prided himself on. The other was his unshakable belief in love!
He was utterly certain that those who truly loved him would never betray him, no matter what!
So Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath. His gaze swept indifferently over Xiao Yexuan before settling on Liu Erlong.
He thought that the colder and more distant he acted, the more anxious Liu Erlong would become, and the more she would humble herself to beg him to stay.
Thus, he spoke unhurriedly:
"Liu Erlong, have you looked into your disciple's background?"
Hearing this, Liu Erlong paid no attention to Yu Xiaogang's feigned coldness.
She folded her arms across her chest, curled her red lips, and gave a cold snort through her nose.
"Yu Xiaogang, are you questioning my judgment?"
"Hmph! Yu Xiaogang, you used your influence to bully my disciple before. How do you think I should settle that score with you?"
Liu Erlong had always had a fiery, forceful temper. It didn't take much to set her off.
She strode toward Yu Xiaogang, and with every step, the Soul Power radiating from her grew more powerful and overwhelming.
Yu Xiaogang was merely a level-twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster. Under the terrifying pressure of a Power Attack System Soul Saint, his legs trembled like sieves.
As Liu Erlong pressed closer, his knees nearly buckled, almost slamming him to the ground against his will.
Yu Xiaogang clenched his teeth. Turmoil surged in his heart as he cried out that this couldn't be happening.
His Liu Erlong had loved him so much. Why?
Why had he ended up just like Dai Mubai and Tang San, cast aside by her so cleanly?
He was sure he hadn't done anything wrong!
His venomous gaze darted toward Xiao Yexuan, who stood behind Liu Erlong.
Xiao Yexuan's face was as smooth as jade, his expression calm and composed, as if none of this had anything to do with him.
When Yu Xiaogang looked his way, Xiao Yexuan even gave him a faint smile, "graciously putting the past behind them."
But to Yu Xiaogang, that smile seemed so false it made him sick.
"Stop! Don't hurt my teacher!"
Just as Yu Xiaogang was about to buckle under the pressure of the Soul Power and collapse to his knees, Tang San darted forward, shooting in front of Yu Xiaogang like an arrow loosed from its string.
With his still-slender frame, he stubbornly took the full force of that overwhelming Soul Power in Yu Xiaogang's place!
"Yu Xiaogang's disciple, huh? Heh."
Liu Erlong's gaze fell on Tang San. Her voice dripped with mockery as she sneered:
"You're already a three-ring Soul Elder at such a young age. You really are a rare talent. It's a pity you chose the wrong person to follow."
"Yu Xiaogang is a complete waste with not a shred of responsibility. He actually raised you into this kind of shameless bully who picks on the weak!"
"You're a Soul Elder, yet you have the gall to challenge my precious disciple, who only broke through to Soul Master a few days ago and has just one Soul Ring, to a fight to the death? You even insist that neither of you will stop until one is dead?"
"Do you have no shame at all?"
So what if Tang San had stepped forward?
Liu Erlong released the full force of her Soul Power.
The next second, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San were both smashed face-down onto the ground by that overwhelming force, unable to move.
A crushing weight, like Mount Tai bearing down on them, swept over their bodies. They couldn't even lift their heads. Both were seriously injured and spat out blood.
Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu, watching from behind, were thrilled by the sight, feeling completely refreshed.
They couldn't help cheering Liu Erlong on in their hearts.
A teacher this domineering and fiercely protective was simply too cool!
And the way she flew into a rage for Xiao Yexuan only made the three of them admire her even more. They wished they could become just like Liu Erlong that very moment.
"Erlong! Stop!"
Liu Erlong was in a rage, showing no mercy to anyone and caring nothing for anyone's reputation.
Seeing Yu Xiaogang mercilessly crushed to the ground by Liu Erlong, Flender could no longer stand by and do nothing.
He flashed forward and hurried anxiously to Liu Erlong's side. Soul Power on the level of a Soul Saint burst from him as well, helping Tang San and Yu Xiaogang withstand the overwhelming pressure.
Only then did the two manage to struggle to their feet. They were drenched in cold sweat, their bodies still trembling uncontrollably as they stared at Liu Erlong in terror.
So this was the true power and pressure of a Soul Saint?
Tang San's heart churned with complicated emotions. He suddenly realized that when he'd fought Zhao Wuji, that Soul Saint hadn't merely gone easy on him—he'd practically held back an entire Pacific Ocean!
"Boss Fu."
Seeing the newcomer, some of the anger faded from Liu Erlong's face. She merely glanced at him, her tone distant:
"I wondered who was still protecting Yu Xiaogang. So it was you."
"I didn't expect that after all these years apart, you'd founded an academy too..."
Looking at the woman he'd once loved with all his heart, Flender awkwardly scratched his head. His voice carried a hint of embarrassment:
"Erlong, how could my lousy school compare to yours?"
"Look at you, in a place as expensive as Heaven Dou City, with such a vast campus. And what about me?"
"My academy only has a handful of people. Lately, we've been so short on funds that we old fellows had no choice but to bring our students out to look for another way to make a living."
"So, we swallowed our pride and came to seek your help."
"Seek my help?"
Liu Erlong reacted as if she'd heard the biggest joke in the world. She sneered and said:
"Flender, I never thought you'd become so shameless after all these years."
"Back then, the three of us traveled the continent together, championing justice."
"But... not long ago, Yu Xiaogang fell into the water and nearly drowned. Heh. What did you do then?"
"You might be a decent man, but you're certainly not a good teacher, much less a good role model!"
"With someone as selfish as you, no wonder you only have a handful of students."
"I wouldn't dare let a 'great figure' like you stoop so low as to teach at my school. Go find your own way!"
Before you continue