Hearing this, Gu Ling looked at Tang San, then slowly raised an arm and pointed at the stark white Bone Armor covering his skin. He said calmly:
"The reason is actually very simple."
"After my Bone Dragon Martial Soul possesses me, most of my body is covered in Bone Armor, especially my shoulders and chest. Its defense is far beyond that of ordinary Soul Masters."
"Although the spikes on your Blue Silver Grass carry the Mandala Snake's paralytic venom, the venom must first pierce into my body before it can take effect. Those spikes could not even penetrate my Bone Armor just now, so how could they possibly inject venom into me?"
After hearing Gu Ling's explanation, Tang San froze for a moment.
Then, as though he had suddenly understood something, he subconsciously looked toward Gu Ling's waist.
Sure enough, although the pale Bone Armor plates bore some marks from where the Blue Silver Grass had Entangled them, there was not a single puncture on them.
"So that's how it is. It wasn't that the Mandala Snake's paralytic venom failed to work—it was that the poisoned spikes on my Blue Silver Grass never entered his body from beginning to end!"
With that thought, the confusion in Tang San's heart was finally resolved.
A moment later.
He withdrew his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul and turned to walk off the field.
Xiao Wu had just been about to go over and say something when Tang San headed straight to Yu Xiaogang. He gave a slight bow, his face carrying a trace of apology.
"Teacher, I'm sorry."
"I lost this match. I disappointed you."
Upon hearing those words, Yu Xiaogang's expression immediately became somewhat unnatural.
After all, before the match had begun, he had confidently told Director Su that Gu Ling was overestimating himself for daring to challenge Tang San. Yet what happened? Tang San had lost!
But before Tang San, Yu Xiaogang naturally could not admit that his earlier judgment had been wrong. He merely snorted coldly, clasped his hands behind his back, and said in a deliberately calm manner:
"Little San, don't be upset. The outcome of one sparring match proves nothing."
"Gu Ling only won this time because he had certain advantages in his Martial Soul and Soul Skill."
Tang San paused slightly, confusion appearing on his face.
"Your Blue Silver Grass is merely an ordinary plant-type Martial Soul, while his Bone Dragon is one of the continent's top beast Martial Souls. In terms of Martial Soul quality alone, there is already a considerable gap between you."
"Moreover, once the Bone Dragon Martial Soul possesses him, it directly strengthens his body and grants him powerful defense as well as sharp bone claws."
"Your First Soul Skill happens to focus on Entangling and venom. Against a Martial Soul covered entirely in Bone Armor, it is naturally at a considerable disadvantage."
At this point, Yu Xiaogang's tone gradually regained its confidence.
"As for that Soul Skill of his that allows bone spikes to traverse space... it is indeed somewhat special, but he was merely lucky enough to obtain a relatively rare Soul Skill."
"A Soul Master's cultivation is a long process."
"A powerful First Soul Skill does not mean every Soul Skill afterward will be equally powerful."
"You have only just become a Soul Master, and your control over Blue Silver Grass is not yet proficient enough. The advantages of your Martial Soul have also not been fully brought out. Once you truly become familiar with the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul and gain more actual combat experience, the outcome may not necessarily be like today's."
Hearing this, Tang San's low spirits from his defeat finally eased somewhat.
Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang continued to comfort him.
"Besides, you are a Control System Soul Master. The true value of a Control System Soul Master was never in defeating assault-type Soul Masters head-on, but in restraining enemies during battle and creating opportunities for teammates."
"It is inherently unfair to compare your weakness against an enemy's strength. So there is absolutely no need for you to take today's battle to heart."
After saying that, Yu Xiaogang raised a hand and patted Tang San on the shoulder.
"Little San, your talent is no worse than his. Trust your teacher. As long as you cultivate according to the path I have planned for you, it is still too early to say who will be stronger in the future."
After hearing Yu Xiaogang's words, Tang San remained silent for a moment, but he eventually nodded lightly. Thinking it over carefully, he felt that Yu Xiaogang's words were not without reason.
Although he had lost today's battle, it did not mean he was necessarily inferior to Gu Ling. At the very least, he still had many methods that he had not truly used.
At that thought, Tang San subconsciously lowered his head and glanced at his left hand.
There, his second Martial Soul was still hidden.
Ever since awakening his Martial Souls, Tang San had always kept Tang Hao's teachings firmly in mind: before he possessed sufficient strength, he absolutely could not easily reveal his second Martial Soul in front of others.
Therefore, during his spar with Gu Ling just now, he had used only Blue Silver Grass from beginning to end.
Furthermore, Tang San believed that what he truly excelled at was not merely Martial Souls, but also the Tang Sect hidden weapons he had cultivated for many years in his previous life!
But that had only been an ordinary spar between classmates. He could not possibly use hidden weapons against Gu Ling for real. Yet if it were a true fight to the death...
At that thought, Tang San's gaze flickered slightly. If he used hidden weapons to catch his opponent off guard, then combined them with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and Blue Silver Grass control, it was still uncertain who would emerge alive.
With that in mind.
The slight frustration Tang San had felt from his earlier defeat gradually dissipated.
On the other side.
Gu Ling paid no attention whatsoever to what Tang San and Yu Xiaogang were saying. Compared to winning a sparring match, he cared more about the problems he had exposed during the battle.
Lowering his head to look at the Blue Silver Grass he had torn apart on the ground, he said thoughtfully, "It seems my Bone Dragon Martial Soul still has flaws at present."
When Tang San had first used Entangling, Gu Ling could easily rely on his bone claws to tear apart the Blue Silver Grass in front of him. But when Tang San changed his approach and had large amounts of Blue Silver Grass surround him from all directions, Gu Ling was clearly unable to deal with it all.
Although that Blue Silver Grass ultimately could not truly hurt him, it had indeed restrained him.
"This time, my opponent was Tang San. His Blue Silver Grass lacked offensive power, and its poisoned spikes could not pierce my Bone Armor, so even being Entangled was not a major problem."
"But what if I encounter a more powerful Control System Soul Master in the future?"
"What if the opponent's Martial Soul is tough enough that even my bone claws cannot tear it apart quickly, or if they possess a Soul Skill capable of directly restricting the body?"
In Gu Ling's view, if that happened, then once his movements were restricted, the situation would be entirely different.
More importantly, although his First Soul Skill possessed spatial attributes, what could traverse space at present were his bone spikes, not himself.
Spatial Rift Bone Spikes could indeed make his long-range attacks exceptionally unpredictable, making it difficult for enemies to determine where an attack would appear.
But Gu Ling's own mobility had not improved much because of it.
In other words.
His attacks could traverse space, but his body could not.
Once he encountered an agility-type Soul Master with extreme speed, or someone like Tang San who used wide-range control Soul Skills to restrict his range of movement, he could easily fall into a disadvantageous position.
With that in mind, Gu Ling quickly identified what he needed to make up for most at present.
That was mobility.
If he could obtain a Soul Skill that allowed his body to use Spatial Traversal while launching attacks, then even if he truly encountered a life-or-death crisis, he could swiftly escape control and change positions.
After this match ended, the relationship between Gu Ling and Tang San gradually grew more distant. It was not because they bore any deep hatred for one another.
It was simply that Gu Ling and Yu Xiaogang had always been at odds, while Tang San was Yu Xiaogang's disciple.
As time went on, the two naturally had little contact. Though they continued living in the same Seventh Dormitory and saw each other often, they rarely actually spoke. Aside from the occasional exchange over academy matters, they mostly cultivated on their own.
As for Yu Xiaogang, after experiencing the previous incidents, he had clearly realized that Gu Ling was not someone easily provoked. Whenever he argued with Gu Ling, he was usually the one who ended up at a disadvantage.
Thus, over the following years, Yu Xiaogang rarely took the initiative to lecture Gu Ling again, nor did he continue forcing him to cultivate according to his so-called defense-type path.
However, not saying anything openly did not mean he said nothing behind the scenes. Especially before Tang San, Yu Xiaogang had almost never truly acknowledged Gu Ling.
Before you continue