"The match is over!"
"The winner of this match is-Heaven Dou Royal Academy!"
With this match finished, the preliminaries officially came to an end.
The New Shrek Seven Monsters had achieved a perfect record of unbroken victories, thoroughly stealing the limelight.
Having become gods, making them fight these teenage Soul Masters again was rather too much of a mismatch. The enormous gap in combat experience allowed them to win with ease.
Smiling, Gangzi went to greet them as they left the arena, feeling increasingly certain that his judgment had been correct.
The Shrek Seven Devils were a whole. God King Tang was indeed the most outstanding among them, but in Gangzi's view, without Xiao Wu's repeated sacrifices and the seven devils working together with one heart, God King Tang could not have succeeded either.
Choosing one of the seven monsters or choosing six-who would not know which to pick? Gangzi had only one thing to do: keep Xiao Wu settled and have her remain at Shrek.
"Well done. The only ones we need to guard against are the Spirit Hall Academy Team in the finals. They have three Soul Kings."
Gangzi clapped his hands and said, "The gap between a Soul King and a Soul Ancestor isn't something experience can bridge. We can't let our guard down during this period either. We must cultivate diligently."
Hearing this, Ma Hongjun looked indignant.
"If we had the Immortal Herbs, how could things have come to this? Tang San really went too far, taking every last one of them!"
Ning Rongrong blinked. "There's nothing we can do about that. After all, he's the only one who can neutralize the poison, but that's all. Tang San took so many Immortal Herbs that he can't consume them all himself. Once we're powerful enough, we'll get them back sooner or later."
Those Immortal Herbs were the key to her Martial Soul Evolution. Ning Rongrong would not give up so easily.
Dai Mubai sneered and nodded.
"Exactly. We've joined Heaven Dou Royal Academy this time, and we also have our previous cultivation experience. Our Soul Power will catch up very soon. We'll talk about it then."
None of them were fools. Naturally, they understood God King Tang's importance. He had indeed been the core of the seven monsters before.
But the crucial point was that some of the things God King Tang had done afterward were truly too bizarre. Before joining Shrek, which of them had not been a favored child of heaven? Could they really resign themselves to having God King Tang remain above their heads forever?
It would have been one thing if they had not been reborn. But if they let God King Tang stay at Shrek after their rebirth and followed the course of their previous lives, how would that be any different from not being reborn at all?
Thus, when they had spoken with Gangzi at Shrek Academy, they had already decided to drive God King Tang out. They believed that even without him, they could still become gods.
If Tang San could become a God King, why couldn't they?
Just as Gangzi was about to speak again, a fierce gust swept past.
Dugu Yan's eyes lit up. "Grandpa, you're here?"
They looked in the direction of the wind and saw an old man in green robes standing behind them, his face dark with exasperation as he stared at Gangzi with hostile eyes.
Gangzi immediately recalled being laid low by Dugu Bo's poison at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Senior Dugu?"
"May I ask what brings you here, Senior Dugu? Your granddaughter's Soul Power has increased considerably under our guidance. I imagine you've also heard about our recent results."
In Gangzi's view, there was absolutely nothing wrong with his teaching. After all, he was a man who had once taught gods.
Dugu Bo sensed several gazes from the VIP seats falling on him and knew that the others had noticed his absence. Forcing down the urge to strike, he slowly spoke.
"Yu Xiaogang, were you the one who had my granddaughter absorb a Man-Faced Spider Emperor?"
"Do you have any idea that this will weaken her Martial Soul's toxicity, and that every new Soul Ring afterward could also cause a conflict?"
"And you, Xiao Yan, didn't I already tell you what Soul Beast to absorb? All you had to do was follow my path!"
Dugu Yan froze at his words, not expecting this to be why Dugu Bo had come. She immediately waved her hands and said, "Grandpa, Grandmaster knows about this, and so do I."
"Grandmaster said the weakening of its toxicity is only temporary. If I absorb other kinds of Soul Beasts afterward, adding new types of poison to form a mixed poison, it'll be even more powerful. I think that makes a lot of sense."
Hearing this, Dugu Bo felt his vision go black and nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Absurd! You actually believe that nonsense? And to think I thought you, Yu Xiaogang, really were some grandmaster. Pah!"
As soon as he said this, everyone's expression changed, with Gangzi reacting most strongly.
Gangzi usually relied on his grandmaster title to swindle and deceive... no, to earn his living. Naturally, being challenged to his face on an occasion like this displeased him immensely.
"Senior Dugu, what are you saying?"
"I admit that you may be stronger than me when it comes to cultivation, but your research into Martial Souls is absolutely nowhere near as deep or thorough as mine!"
As he spoke, Gangzi silently added to himself, I have all the materials Spirit Hall has gathered over so many years. How could you possibly know more than me?
Steadying himself, Gangzi continued.
"Do you know that Soul Masters fall into two types? One is the extreme type, which enhances a single attribute. The other is the balanced type, which develops in every direction."
"Your approach will only turn Dugu Yan into an extreme-type Soul Master. That would undoubtedly waste her Martial Soul's potential!"
In Gangzi's view, Dugu Yan was meant to replace Tang San. Although her Martial Soul was slightly inferior to the Clear Sky Hammer and Blue Silver Emperor, the difference was not actually that great. What mattered was still the Soul Master.
He had always firmly believed that there were no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters-Luo Sanpao excepted, of course.
Thus, Gangzi's training of Dugu Yan resembled his previous training of Tang San, while placing even greater emphasis on the future. Giving her several more kinds of poison was also preparation for her becoming the Poison God later.
After all, if Blue Silver Grass and the Clear Sky Hammer could become the Sea God and Asura God, who said a Jade Phosphorus Snake could not become the Poison God?
But Gangzi had not considered that Dugu Yan was not like Tang San.
The former Tang San had been born but left unraised, believing whatever casual nonsense he was fed. Even teaching him incorrectly had been no problem. But if Dugu Yan was taught incorrectly, Dugu Bo really would not stand for it!
Hearing this, Dugu Bo once again laughed in fury. Pointing a trembling finger at Gangzi, he said, "You... you call yourself a grandmaster? A mediocre master, more like!"
"The extreme and balanced approaches—do you really think I don't know about them? Do you know that poison is a broad category? Xiao Yan's first few Soul Skills have different poisonous effects. Does that not count as balance?"
"Most importantly, the Way of Poison is nowhere near as simple as you imagine! Mixed poisons are something you can only encounter by chance, not seek at will. Do you understand how to use poison?!"
"Come with me, Xiao Yan. Grandpa will find you a suitable teacher. Wouldn't that previous teacher at Heaven Dou Royal Academy do?"
Dugu Bo's barrage left Gangzi somewhat dazed. He really did not understand the Way of Poison, but he could not possibly force himself to concede defeat in front of so many people. Wouldn't that be a tremendous loss of face?
"Just wait. You'll learn what real poison is!"
Dugu Bo wished he could slap Gangzi to death. Had they not been at the tournament venue, he probably would have struck long ago. Helplessly, he could only pull Dugu Yan's hand toward him.
"You're not participating in the remaining matches. Come with me."
Before you continue