"Elder Xuan, did Teacher really say that?"
Ma Xiaotao asked again, still unwilling to accept it.
Elder Xuan's words were simply too hard for her to accept. She could not believe—or rather, was unwilling to believe—that the academy she trusted most would choose to leave them to fight alone at such a critical moment.
At the very least, her teacher—Yan Shaozhe, the man she regarded as a father—would not do such a thing!
"No."
Sure enough, Elder Xuan's single word immediately rekindled Ma Xiaotao's hope.
Someone was still standing by her side!
But before Ma Xiaotao could continue celebrating, Elder Xuan's next words plunged her back into an icy abyss.
Elder Xuan slowly said:
"This was Elder Mu's arrangement. But Shaozhe also sided with Elder Mu and believed it was necessary to give the team members a little more training."
Upon hearing that, Ma Xiaotao froze once more.
Her face was filled with disbelief.
How could this be?
Her teacher understood her best and knew the flaws of her martial soul more clearly than anyone. Usually, at the academy, he tried every possible way to help ease her evil fire.
So how could he, when she was injured, at her most vulnerable, and in greatest need of support, not only refuse to help her but instead support this so-called training?
Couldn't training happen at any other time? Did it have to be now, during the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament?
Did they think that placing them over a fire pit and subjecting them to immense pressure would bring about a breakthrough?
For a moment, Ma Xiaotao's emotions were a tangled mess.
And it was not just her. Nearly every team member felt the same way.
They had exhausted every means to persevere until now, hoping for reinforcements