As Long as You Win, Do the Methods Matter?

Shen Tingfeng did not agree right away. He merely tilted his head. "First, tell me who we're fighting."

"Ling Yun, from Blue Tyrant Academy."

After Tang San gave the name, the others nearby, who had been discussing soul fighting, noticeably fell silent for a moment. Shen Tingfeng had clearly heard the name too, and the casual curve of his lips slowly faded.

"That genius from Blue Tyrant Academy?"

"That's him."

"You have a grudge against him?"

Tang San fell silent for half a second. "I want to beat him."

That only piqued Shen Tingfeng's interest. "Just beat him?"

Yu Xiaogang spoke from beside them. "An ordinary sparring match. As long as no one's life is endangered, use your respective abilities to their fullest."

The words sounded admirable, but Tang San understood the latter half. As long as no one died, that was enough.

Shen Tingfeng finally opened his eyes.

His irises were a very pale gray and seemed unfocused, yet when he truly looked at Tang San, it inexplicably felt as though a gust of wind had swept over him.

"I can come, but I don't fight for free."

Tang San was prepared. "For each training session, I'll pay twice the Great Soul Arena's rate for soul fighting at your level. If we ultimately beat Ling Yun, I'll pay you an additional three times that amount."

Shen Tingfeng finally showed a clear reaction. "Cash?"

"Deal."

Standing beside them, Yu Xiaogang's eyes flashed with satisfaction. With money involved, things were simpler than appealing to feelings.

That evening, Xu Lie, Gu Changfeng, and Han Ce were called to a lounge at the Great Soul Arena, one after another.

Ironback Bear Xu Lie was built like a wall. After hearing the pay, he was the first to slap the table. "As long as you're not making me fight a Titled Douluo, anything's negotiable if the money's right."

Gu Changfeng was more cautious. "You're targeting Ling Yun?"

"We aren't targeting him."

Yu Xiaogang corrected him. "We're devising tactics based on our opponent's characteristics."

Han Ce sat in a corner, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "Isn't that still targeting him?"

The lounge fell briefly silent.

Tang San looked up at him. "Competition is about finding weaknesses in the first place. If you won't even study what your opponent is good at, you're only letting yourself down."

Han Ce did not argue. He asked only one question. "Then how are you planning to fight him?"

This time, Tang San held nothing back. He spread a simple map of the training grounds across the table.

"The biggest problem with Ling Yun isn't his attacks. It's that you can't pin him down at all. Once he activates Mist Veil, it cuts off your vision and disrupts soul power fluctuations. Chase him by conventional means, and his clones and feints will lead you around by the nose."

Shen Tingfeng leaned against the wall. "So that's why you came to me."

"Right."

Tang San placed his finger at the center of the map. "You'll listen."

"Whenever Ling Yun moves, call out his location. Gu Changfeng will use Wind Pressure to clear the mist. Han Ce, don't worry about catching him. Just use the Soul-Locking Chain to block the routes where he's most likely to appear."

At this, Han Ce finally grew a little more serious.

Tang San then looked at Xu Lie. "You'll handle the front."

Xu Lie raised an eyebrow. "You want me to take his Water Shuriken?"

"Your defense is best suited to it."

"In plain terms, you want me to take a beating."

"If you're scared, you can back out."

Xu Lie stared at Tang San for two seconds, then suddenly grinned. "Trying to goad me? Fine. That works on me."

For the first time, they had truly come together around the same table.

But Yu Xiaogang was clearly still unsatisfied. "These measures can only restrict Ling Yun."

He looked at Tang San. "It's not enough."

Tang San nodded. "I know."

With that, he took a small black box out of Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges and gently set it on the table.

Shen Tingfeng opened his eyes. "What's that?"

"Hidden weapons."

Xu Lie instinctively leaned back a little. "Those needles the Blue Tyrant people were talking about?"

Tang San offered no explanation. He simply opened the lid, revealing twelve black needles neatly arranged inside.

Gu Changfeng glanced at them. "Poisoned?"

"No."

Tang San answered very quickly.

But Yu Xiaogang suddenly asked, "What if they're only paralytic drugs?"

Tang San looked up. For the first time, master and disciple met each other's gaze over a question like this.

Gu Changfeng frowned. "Didn't you say this was an ordinary sparring match?"

Yu Xiaogang's tone remained level. "Paralysis and injury aren't the same thing."

"There are poison-type soul masters in the Soul Master Tournament already. If Dugu Yan can use her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison, why can't other means of inducing paralysis be used?"

The reasoning seemed sound, but Shen Tingfeng slowly sat upright. Looking at Tang San, he said, "You don't just want to win. You want to leave that kid unable to fight back at all."

Tang San did not deny it. "Is there a difference?"

The room fell silent at once. Even Yu Xiaogang glanced at him.

Tang San's fingers brushed lightly over the black needles. "I used to think a match should be decided head-on."

"Later, I realized that wasn't true."

"Ling Yun uses mist, uses terrain, tricks his opponents into misjudging him, and takes out support soul masters first."

"Since he uses whatever works..."

Tang San raised his eyes. "Why should I impose rules on myself?"

After hearing this, Yu Xiaogang actually nodded. "San, you've finally figured it out."

In the past, he might have reminded Tang San to exercise restraint. Now, things were different.

Over the past few days, Ling Yun had humiliated him in public again and again. Even his proudest disciple had been forced onto the bench. Yu Xiaogang said nothing, but his resentment was no less than Tang San's.

"Real combat was never a game of house."

Yu Xiaogang spoke slowly. "If Ling Yun can use his Fourth Soul Skill to suppress visibility, you can use hidden weapons. As long as you control the dosage and leave no permanent damage, it doesn't cross the line."

Han Ce narrowed his eyes. "So you're planning to coat the needles with something?"

Yu Xiaogang answered for Tang San. "Ideally, something that slows his reactions for a short time. What's truly frightening about Ling Yun is his mobility. Once he slows down, many of his advantages will disappear along with it."

Shen Tingfeng suddenly chuckled. "Your teacher is even more ruthless than you."

Yu Xiaogang's expression did not change. "I'm only helping my disciple win."

That single sentence made his position perfectly clear.

Xu Lie could not be bothered with any of it. "Just so we're clear beforehand, I'm only responsible for tanking him head-on. Needles, drugs, whatever-you handle those yourselves. Just don't stick them in me."

Gu Changfeng, however, gave Tang San another look.

He finally understood that what this quiet-looking young man truly wanted was far more than an ordinary sparring match.

"We're still two people short."

Han Ce reminded them.

Tang San put away the map. "I'll find the support myself. The last spot goes to a ranged attacker."

"Why?"

"Because once Ling Yun's speed is restricted, I don't intend to give him another chance to escape."

Tang San's voice was very soft when he said this.

But everyone understood. This setup was not meant to put on a fine fight against Ling Yun. It was designed to pin him down and crush him.

Looking at the lineup around the table, Yu Xiaogang felt, for the first time, that some of the frustration bottled up inside him these past days had eased.

"One more thing."

He suddenly said, "Don't make the training public."

Tang San understood. "You're afraid Ling Yun will find out beforehand?"

"Not just him."

Yu Xiaogang narrowed his eyes. "Dai Mubai and the others are with Ling Yun now, after all. If they find out what you're practicing and how, the other side will be prepared."

Tang San nodded lightly. He did not want to gamble now. "Starting tomorrow, we'll move our training to the rear section of the Great Soul Arena."

Tang San put the black box back into his soul tool. "If anyone asks, say it's ordinary soul fighting."

Shen Tingfeng stood. "Don't forget the money."

Xu Lie headed out as well. "Let me know in advance when the actual fight is."

They left one after another.

In the end, only master and disciple remained in the lounge.

Yu Xiaogang asked quietly, "San, what are you planning to coat those needles with?"

Tang San fell silent for a moment, then pressed his palm against Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges again.

"Ordinary anesthetic won't be enough."

"Ling Yun's constitution is too strong."

Yu Xiaogang frowned. "Then what do you want to use?"

Tang San did not answer. He merely took a tiny jade vial from the deepest part of his soul tool.

The moment the vial was set on the table, Yu Xiaogang caught an extremely faint fishy odor.

"This is..."

Tang San stared at the jade vial without the slightest hesitation in his eyes. "Something left over from when I used to prepare hidden weapons. It won't kill anyone, but once it takes effect, even circulating soul power normally becomes difficult for a short time."

Yu Xiaogang was silent for only two seconds before saying, "Halve the dosage. Don't let Erlong and the others notice."