Teacher, She is Xiao Wu

The next afternoon, the Closed Arena.

As the six members of the Blue Tyrant Academy just stepped onto the stage, Tang San swept a glance toward the spectator area.

Sure enough, there was no Ling Yun. That guy had not even changed into his team uniform and was just sitting on the sidelines watching the commotion. Judging by that posture, he truly had no intention of playing today. Tang San withdrew his gaze, feeling somewhat more at ease instead.

Yu Xiaogang had said last night that Ling Yun would most likely not take the field for the first match, so for today's match, the real task for them was not to win against Dai Mubai and the others, but to find a way to force Ling Yun out.

With the referee's single command, the martial souls of both sides were released simultaneously.

The light of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had just brightened when Dai Mubai already charged forward with the White Tiger Vajra Transformation activated. Zhu Zhuqing cut in from the flank, and Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Flame directly blanketed half of the arena.

Tang San was just preparing to control the Blue Silver Grass when his brow quickly furrowed.

No.

In the past, as long as Xiao Wu saw an opening in the back row, she would have long since teleported in. Yet today, clearly having the opportunity, she stubbornly held back and did not move, remaining on guard near Ning Rongrong.

Dai Mubai no longer charged forward recklessly on his own either. Every time Zhu Zhuqing attacked, she left herself a way out, and even Ma Hongjun, who usually lost his head the easiest, knew to change his position immediately after spitting out a round of fire.

They did not fight like this before. Tang San subconsciously glanced at Ling Yun outside the arena, and without guessing, he knew who had taught them.

It was precisely because of this momentary distraction that Dai Mubai already smashed a punch into Xu Lie's chest. Although the defense of Xu Lie's Ironback Bear martial soul was hard enough, he was still knocked back several steps by the blow, precisely blocking Luo Xiao's firing line in the rear.

The bow in Luo Xiao's hand was already drawn to the limit, yet he hesitated and dared not release the string.

Yu Xiaogang's voice came from the sidelines: "Do not let Xu Lie retreat. Luo Xiao, shoot past him."

Tang San was startled.

Xu Lie's footing was not even steady right now. To loose an arrow at this time, missing Dai Mubai was secondary; with the slightest deviation, his own teammates would be the ones taking the arrows first.

Yu Xiaogang clearly saw through his hesitation, his tone without the slightest change: "The Ironback Bear is not that easy to take down. Dai Mubai currently has the White Tiger Vajra Transformation active. If you do not pay a price to wear down his state, once he presses forward, it will only be harder for you to fight."

Tang San gritted his teeth and finally shouted: "Xu Lie, do not retreat! Luo Xiao, loose the arrows!"

"You fucking..."

Before Xu Lie could finish cursing, the arrows had already arrived.

Three arrow streaks grazed past his body almost by a hair's breadth, and one of the arrows directly sliced open his shoulder, blood gushing out on the spot. Yet with him blocking in front, Dai Mubai likewise had nowhere to dodge and could only raise his hands to take the other two arrows head-on.

Soul Power exploded with a roar.

Dai Mubai was forced back several steps. Xu Lie clutched his shoulder and turned around, his eyes completely bloodshot: "Tang San! I came to help you fight this match, not to be your human shield!"

Tang San's expression did not look good either, and just as he wanted to explain, Yu Xiaogang spoke a step ahead.

"I will be responsible for treating any injuries, and I will pay the money."

His tone did not even carry a single fluctuation.

"Since you want to win, do not be afraid of getting hurt."

Xu Lie's face turned livid from holding back, but as the match had not stopped, he could only charge back up.

Not far away, Flender slowly furrowed his brows. Having known Yu Xiaogang for so many years, he naturally knew that Yu Xiaogang loved to calculate, but what he used to calculate in the past were soul power, soul skills, and win-loss probabilities. Today, even human lives and injuries were practically being calculated into numbers by him.

The combat on the arena also grew increasingly ruthless.

The Phoenix Fire Line swept across half the field, and Gu Changfeng forcefully whipped up air currents to deflect the flames. Zhu Zhuqing took Han Ce's Soul-Locking Chain hit head-on and leveraged the momentum of her charge to cut toward Cheng Hai. Seizing the opening, Xiao Wu executed two consecutive teleports, closing in on Cheng Hai's face in the blink of an eye.

Right behind Cheng Hai was the edge of the arena.

As long as she landed this kick solidly, he would definitely be eliminated.

Tang San subconsciously shouted: "Dodge!"

"Do not dodge."

Yu Xiaogang's voice rang out almost at the same time as his.

Not to mention Tang San, even Cheng Hai was stunned for a moment.

Staring at the arena, Yu Xiaogang was frighteningly calm: "The Second Soul Ring has not been used yet. Take her hit and trigger the amplification. Exchanging one person to disrupt the opponent's formation is worth it."

Cheng Hai's face turned white. This was not a tactical arrangement; this was telling him straight to his face that he could roll off the stage, but he needed to use his skill before rolling.

Yet in just that instant, Xiao Wu had already arrived.

Cheng Hai bit his teeth fiercely, taking Xiao Wu's Waist Bow head-on to strike the Resonance Drum.

Hum! The soul power amplification instantly descended upon the rest of the teammates. The next second, Cheng Hai flew out of the arena entirely, but Xiao Wu also came to a halt in her tracks because of it.

Tang San's heart skipped a violent beat.

It was a trap!

Han Ce's chain had already swept over, Luo Xiao loosed three arrows simultaneously, and Gu Changfeng poured all the wind pressure toward Ning Rongrong's side, forcefully sealing off her retreat path.

"Xiao Wu, do not go over!"

Dai Mubai had already reacted, but it was too late.

Xiao Wu merely glanced at Ning Rongrong, and her body vanished from the spot.

Teleportation!

And at the exact same instant she disappeared, the Blue Silver Grass in Tang San's hand had already been whipped out in advance. The next moment, the instant Xiao Wu reappeared, her ankle was tightly bound by the Blue Silver Grass.

The entire arena fell silent.

Even Dai Mubai's expression changed. Tang San had actually calculated in advance where Xiao Wu would land after teleporting, yet Tang San himself could not feel happy in the slightest.

Because the other end of the Blue Silver Grass was tied to Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu lowered her gaze to look at the Blue Silver Grass on her ankle, then raised her head to look at Tang San, an indescribable complexity on her face.

"Third Brother, you knew all along that I would come from this direction?"

Of course he knew. Which side Xiao Wu liked to flash toward, how she would choose when facing teammates in danger, and even which foot she was accustomed to landing on first when saving people-he knew all of it.

In the past, these things existed because they were too familiar with each other.

Today, however, all of it had become things he used to capture Xiao Wu.

Tang San's fingers clenched tighter and tighter.

And hidden inside his sleeve was the very last thing.

A black needle whose medicinal effect was not fatal, yet it could rapidly paralyze the meridians and suppress soul power. With Ling Yun's freakish physical constitution, taking a hit from that needle would definitely not be comfortable.

Yet Xiao Wu was not Ling Yun. Just how severe the consequences would be if this needle were truly driven down-Tang San did not even dare to guarantee it. His hand had already reached into his sleeve, yet no matter what, he could not lift it up.

Seeing this scene, Yu Xiaogang finally furrowed his brows: "The person is already restrained. What are you still waiting for?"

Tang San's voice sounded somewhat strained: "Teacher, I am having some regrets right now. Xiao Wu cannot handle this dosage."

Yu Xiaogang only asked one question: "Will she die?"

Tang San fell silent. No, at least according to his judgment, she would not die.

Yet this was not a question of whether she would die or not.

Yu Xiaogang, however, did not give him any chance to continue thinking: "Since she will not die, then what are you afraid of? What you are standing on right now is an arena, and she is your opponent right now. Why not use a method that can make an opponent lose their combat capability?"

"Xiao Gang, enough."

Flender finally could not bear to listen any longer.

"This is merely an internal match; there is no need to play it to this extent."

Yu Xiaogang, however, acted as if he had not heard.

Staring at Tang San, his voice grew heavier and heavier: "How many more times do you want to lose?"

Tang San abruptly raised his head.

"You lost the single match to Ling Yun, you lost the team match to Ling Yun, and even the main team position that originally belonged to you is gone. Right now, he is standing on the sidelines watching you. You finally have a chance to win it back, yet because Xiao Wu calls you Third Brother, you do not even dare to strike?"

Tang San's breathing grew heavy. These few words pierced like knives into the most painful part of him.

With defeat after defeat, people used to subconsciously wait for him to speak, but now stepping onto the field, everyone's primary reaction was to look at Ling Yun.

Even Xiao Wu's fighting style from just now had been taught by Ling Yun.

Taking in all of his expressions, Yu Xiaogang finally added one last sentence: "If you do not even have this bit of ruthlessness, do not ever tell me in the future that you want to beat Ling Yun."

Lowering his head, Tang San remained silent: "Let alone calling yourself my disciple."

The moment those words dropped, Tang San's body stiffened abruptly. Slowly raising his head, in a daze, many things flashed rapidly through his mind.

The dormitory of Nuoding Academy.

Eating together, cultivating together, the first time Xiao Wu called him brother, and the words he used to say-as long as he was still alive, he would not let others bully her. Yet the very next moment, Tang San still suppressed all of these things completely.

It was only to temporarily make her lose her combat capability; she would not die. Once the match ended, he could immediately detoxify her. Teacher was right; if he could not even cross this threshold today, what else would he rely on to beat Ling Yun?

Tang San finally raised his hand, and the black needle appeared between two fingers. Seeing that object, the blood color on Xiao Wu's face instantly faded.

She had seen Tang San's hidden weapons before.

Therefore, she was all too clear on what such a close distance signified.

"Third Brother..."

Coming out with this call, Tang San's fingers trembled violently.

Yet from the sidelines came Yu Xiaogang's ice-cold voice.

"Do it!"

Swish! The black needle flew out, and Tang San ultimately made his move.

"Xiao Wu!" Dai Mubai's expression changed drastically.

Zhu Zhuqing desperately knocked away Han Ce who was blocking in front, and Ma Hongjun charged directly toward this side, but it was too late for anyone.

Xiao Wu's foot was still bound by the Blue Silver Grass, leaving her able only to watch the needle tip draw closer and closer.

Just as it was about to pierce in, a stream of water violently burst out from outside the arena, crashing into the black needle and sending it flying on the spot.

With a snap, it pierced deeply into the wooden board beside the arena, leaving only the tail of the needle visible.

The entire Soul Fighting Arena suddenly fell quiet. Everyone turned their gazes in unison toward the outside of the arena. Ling Yun had stood up, his right hand still maintaining the posture of executing an attack, and his second soul ring slowly extinguished.

The smile that had consistently hung on his face was gone as well.

Gangzi took two seconds to react before shouting on the spot: "Referee, personnel outside the arena interfered with the match. Blue Tyrant Academy should be ruled to have forfeited."

Dai Mubai and the others all looked toward Ling Yun.

Tang San also stood in place, his mind feeling somewhat empty.

The referee hesitated for a moment: "Personnel outside the arena directly interfered with the match, affecting the outcome... This match, Blue Tyrant Academy is ruled to have forfeited."

Only then did Yu Xiaogang nod.

"Very well."

Tang San abruptly turned his head to look at his teacher. At this moment, an indescribable chill suddenly welled up in his heart-when that needle flew out just now, Teacher did not ask what kind of injuries Xiao Wu would sustain, but instead focused on the match results. Before Tang San could fully process it, Ling Yun had already walked up to that wooden board.

Reaching out, he pulled out the black needle and brought it to the tip of his nose to sniff it, his gaze instantly turning cold.

"Good grief, this dosage is truly vicious enough."

Tang San's heart sank, while Yu Xiaogang remained silent.

Lifting his eyes to look at him, Ling Yun suddenly smiled: "So you knew all along. You knew this thing was originally prepared for me, and you also knew Xiao Wu's body simply couldn't handle this amount."

Yu Xiaogang furrowed his brows: "The match is already over."

"I know."

Ling Yun flicked the black needle in his hand: "I just figured something out. You never expected Tang San to actually rely on this needle to take down Xiao Wu."

Tang San's expression shifted drastically.

Ling Yun continued speaking: "You deliberately made him use it."

"Because you knew that as long as this needle was truly aimed at Xiao Wu, there is a high probability I wouldn't just sit and watch. The moment I make a move, Blue Tyrant Academy violates the rules. Therefore, the person you were really trying to fish out today was never Xiao Wu."

No one around spoke.

The expressions of Dai Mubai and the others grew uglier than the last.

Tang San remained standing in place, motionless for a long time.

It was only at this very moment that he suddenly realized.

Xiao Wu was the bait, and even he himself, who had been pushed step by step by his teacher to make his move just now... was similarly bait.

Slowly turning his head, Tang San looked toward Yu Xiaogang: "Teacher..."

Yu Xiaogang finally grew somewhat impatient: "Tactics must inherently utilize every available condition. At least right now, we won."

"Correct."

Ling Yun actually nodded.

"You won."

As he spoke, he looked toward the referee: "This match, Blue Tyrant Academy is ruled to have forfeited, right?"

The referee instinctively nodded.

"Correct."

"That's fine, then."

Casually pinning the black needle back into the wooden board, Ling Yun vaulted over the sidelines guardrail, yet instead of walking toward the arena, he walked straight toward Yu Xiaogang.

Flender immediately sensed something was wrong: "Ling Yun, what are you doing?"

Ling Yun ignored him.

Stopping when he was a dozen meters away, he halted his steps.

The phantom of Greninja slowly emerged from behind him.

Yellow, purple, purple, black.

Four soul rings rose in succession.

The moment the soul power pressure descended, Yu Xiaogang's expression finally changed.

Loosening his wrists with a stretch, Ling Yun looked at him and smiled.

"Grandmaster, after listening to you lecture for quite a while just now, I feel one sentence made a lot of sense. Since she won't die, in order to win, using some ruthless methods is nothing, right?"

Instinctively, Yu Xiaogang stepped back half a step: "Ling Yun, do not act rashly."

"Do not be nervous."

Ling Yun's smile instead grew even brighter: "I concede the match, and I recognize the rules."

Saying this, he cast another glance at the referee.

"The match just now is over, right?"

The referee dazedly nodded.

"It's over."

Satisfied, Ling Yun looked back toward Yu Xiaogang and slowly cracked his knuckles: "That's perfect. The beating coming up next has nothing to do with the match."