"Bang!"
A dull impact exploded across the arena.
Yu Xiaogang had not even seen how Ling Yun moved before his abdomen violently clenched. As though struck by a heavy hammer, his feet instantly left the ground, and he flew backward several meters!
But before he could land, Ling Yun had already caught up with him. "Weren't you full of things to say?"
Ling Yun seized Yu Xiaogang by the collar and forcibly hauled him back out of the air. "Come on, keep analyzing for me!"
Smack!
He delivered a ringing backhand slap. Yu Xiaogang's head snapped to one side, leaving him completely stunned.
Another slap followed a second later!
"In theory, how should you dodge that slap?"
"And this one!"
After several successive slaps, the crisp sounds made everyone watching twitch.
When had Yu Xiaogang ever suffered such humiliation?
Though his strength amounted to little in the soul master world, the reputation of his Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul earned him some respect wherever he went.
Especially after coming to Shrek, with Flender backing him, Liu Erlong protecting him, and a prodigiously talented disciple like Tang San, who would not address him as Grandmaster?
But Ling Yun bought none of it. Grandmaster? Bullshit!
If he deserved a beating, he got one!
"Ling Yun!"
Shocked and furious, Yu Xiaogang's face flushed crimson. "All you know is brute force! If you have the guts, let me summon my martial soul!"
"Go on. I'll give you the chance."
Yu Xiaogang clenched his teeth and hurriedly channeled his soul power.
"Come out, Luo Sanpao!"
Poof!
With a ripple of soul power, the plump, round Luo Sanpao appeared in the arena.
"Sanpao, let-"
Yu Xiaogang did not even finish speaking.
Whoosh!
Ling Yun vanished.
"What?!"
By the time he could see clearly again, Ling Yun was already standing beside Luo Sanpao.
Man and beast stared at each other for half a second.
Luo Sanpao: "Luo luo?"
Ling Yun grinned. "Your master's getting beaten up, and you want in on it too?"
One kick!
Luo Sanpao instantly became a yellow blur and went flying!
Yu Xiaogang's face turned deathly pale.
"Impossible! How could you-"
"Bang!"
Ling Yun drove another punch into his stomach.
Yu Xiaogang immediately doubled over like a shrimp. The theory he had been about to spout was punched straight back into his belly.
Ling Yun grabbed his shoulder, raised his leg, and threw another punch. "So many theories? Tell them to my fists."
After several blows in succession, Yu Xiaogang had no power to fight back.
Yu Xiaogang trembled with rage. "You're refusing to listen to reason!"
Ling Yun laughed.
"When I tried reasoning with you, you lorded your credentials over me. When I started throwing punches, you wanted me to reason with you. So you get to have it both ways?"
As his words fell-another punch!
Yu Xiaogang went flying again.
Just then, Liu Erlong and Zhao Wuji finally arrived.
Zhao Wuji had rushed over intending to break up the fight, but after the students nearby explained what had happened, especially that the Black Needle had originally been prepared specifically for Ling Yun, he immediately slowed his steps.
He looked at Yu Xiaogang sprawled on the ground, then at Ling Yun, and simply folded his arms and stood aside. "Well, I'll watch for now. As long as he doesn't actually beat him to death, it should be fine."
Liu Erlong shot him a fierce glare, but she did not step forward either.
Upon seeing Liu Erlong arrive, Yu Xiaogang's first reaction was not even to ask for help. Instead, he gritted his teeth and said, "Erlong, you're just in time! The referee ruled on that match. Blue Tyrant broke the rules, and that's that. Even if he beats me to death now, he can't change the result!"
Liu Erlong's temples throbbed with anger. "You've been beaten to this state, and you're still thinking about the match?"
"They're two separate matters!"
"Fine. You've got guts."
Liu Erlong laughed in exasperation and simply stepped aside. "Then keep talking. I'd like to see how you get yourself out of this today."
Ling Yun felt relieved too. Since even Liu Erlong would not speak up to protect him, why hold back? Over the next few minutes, Yu Xiaogang truly learned what it meant for theory to be full and fleshy while reality was solid and hard.
He wanted to run, but could not outrun him.
Most infuriatingly, Ling Yun kept controlling the force of his blows. The pain was real, and so was the humiliation, but he deliberately avoided striking any truly vital spots.
Every time Yu Xiaogang caught his breath, Ling Yun would even ask considerately, "Grandmaster, you can still hang in there, right? Don't worry. I've calculated it. You won't die."
"Enough!" At last, a shout came from afar as Flender hurried over.
His face turned green at the sight. If this continued, his old friend would probably have to be carried back!
"Ling Yun, stop!"
Ling Yun did show him some respect, stopping his fist in midair.
His other hand, however, still held Yu Xiaogang up.
The corner of Flender's eye twitched. "Put him down first!"
Ling Yun thought for a moment, then casually let go.
With a thud, Yu Xiaogang landed sitting on the ground.
Flender: "..."
Couldn't you be gentler? But he also knew Ling Yun could not bear all the blame for this. Rather than losing his temper, he quickly walked over to Liu Erlong and lowered his voice.
"Erlong, isn't that enough?"
Flender sighed. "If we let him keep hitting him, Xiao Gang really will have to go back lying down tonight."
After a moment of silence, Liu Erlong finally nodded. "You talk to him. Don't try to argue on his behalf. Just say the two of us will owe Ling Yun a favor."
Only then did Flender enter the arena, without putting on any airs as dean. "Ling Yun, that's enough. I won't whitewash what Xiao Gang did today. He's taken the beating he deserved. Erlong and I will owe you a favor. How about leaving it here?"
"All right. I'll do it out of respect for you and Teacher Erlong."
Tang San immediately walked over, helped Yu Xiaogang up, and took out medicine to treat his injuries.
There was not the slightest rift between master and disciple.
Yu Xiaogang did not vent his anger on Tang San either. He merely took a long while to recover, then suddenly looked up at the referee. "Did we win that last match?"
The referee visibly froze. Even in this state, he was still thinking about that?
But the rules were there, so he could only nod. "Blue Tyrant Academy had interference from someone outside the arena, so Tang San's side did indeed win the first match."
The swelling on Yu Xiaogang's face had not even subsided, yet he forced the corners of his mouth into a faint smile.
"Did you hear that?"
He looked at Ling Yun.
"You said plenty just now, and you certainly enjoyed beating me, but a match is a match. We won the first round."
Everyone around them abruptly fell silent.
Ling Yun, however, did not get angry. Instead, he nodded.
"That's right."
Even Yu Xiaogang was stunned by that.
Ling Yun said quite frankly, "You won the first match. I accept that. After all, the referee has already ruled. A loss is a loss. I'm not interested in wriggling out of it."
Confidence immediately returned to Yu Xiaogang's eyes. "In that case, the starting lineup qualification-"
"What's your rush?"
Ling Yun cut off the rest of his sentence.
"You challenged Blue Tyrant Academy's main team, sure. But did I participate in the first match?"
Yu Xiaogang's expression stiffened. Ling Yun had sat outside the arena from beginning to end.
Before the first match even began, Ling Yun had explicitly said he would not participate.
Ling Yun pointed at Tang San. "The seven of you spent all that time recruiting people, studying soul skills, and putting together a lineup. You even prepared hidden weapons for me. Yet I never entered the first round at all. You won a round because I broke the rules outside the arena, and now you're ready to declare the challenge a success?"
"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourselves?"
Hearing this, Zhao Wuji immediately nodded. "There's nothing wrong with that argument. Haven't you kept saying this team was put together specifically to deal with Ling Yun? The man himself hasn't even taken the field yet."
Yu Xiaogang's expression darkened again.
Tang San, however, already understood. "You want a second match?"
Ling Yun looked at him and smiled.
"Of course. I sat out the first match because I wanted to see what this makeshift team of yours had actually trained to do. Now I've seen it."
Ling Yun rolled his shoulders, his gaze sweeping over the teammates behind Tang San one by one.
"In the second match, I'll fight personally."
Tang San's gaze immediately grew serious.
Yu Xiaogang had just been beaten so badly that he could barely stand, yet upon hearing this, he immediately sneered. "Ling Yun, don't assume the outcome will change just because you enter the arena. From the moment Little San's team was formed, you were the one they studied."
Ling Yun nearly laughed. This old bastard really never learned. His face was swollen like that, yet his mouth still refused to yield.
"Isn't that perfect, then?"
Ling Yun looked at Tang San. "Haven't you wanted to fight me all along? In the second round, you'll get your chance."
Tang San stared at him for several seconds, then slowly nodded.
"All right."
Supported by Tang San, Yu Xiaogang still could not fully straighten his back, yet he did not forget to add, "But let's make this clear first. If we win the second match too, there can be no further dispute over the starting lineup qualification."
Ling Yun's smile grew even brighter. "Fine. But remember this too. Once I enter the second match, no one will find you a third."
Before you continue