Yang Podi looked at Xue Qinghe's elegant face. "Your Highness, you summoned me here just for this? In that case, I thank Your Highness for your concern for the Second Team."
"No, it's just that Team Leader Teacher Yu Xiaogang has something he wants to discuss with you."
Yang Podi looked at Yu Xiaogang with some doubt. " Teacher Yu Xiaogang, is there anything you'd like to discuss with me?"
At this moment, Yu Xiaogang seemed to be beaming with joy and full of vigor. " Yang Podi, your second team's strength has weakened recently. How about we merge our first and second teams? Don't worry, you can still be the captain."
Yang Podi looked at Yu Xiaogang speechlessly. " Teacher Yu Xiaogang, I'm really sorry, but I have a lot of confidence in the strength of our second team. We probably don't need to merge with the first team."
Yu Xiaogang's smiling face suddenly changed, "Your second team has several Soul Ancestor, but since you're not going to achieve any good results anyway, why not let them join the first team? That way, our first team will be stronger, and I'm even confident we can win the championship."
Yang Podi stared speechlessly at Yu Xiaogang, thinking to himself, "Is this guy crazy? Even with a full lineup of Soul Ancestor, where does he get his confidence?"
" Teacher Yu Xiaogang, there's absolutely no need for that. I already said last time that I'm the one who makes the decisions regarding Team Two."
"You're acting recklessly. Haven't you considered the bigger picture?"
Yang Podi simply smiled and said, " Teacher Yu Xiaogang, if you really have an idea, you can personally recruit my team members and see if any of them want to join the team."
"Also, if you want to poach members from my second team, you'd better inform our three team leaders first, otherwise I'm afraid something bad might happen."
Before Yu Xiaogang could speak, Liu Erlong interjected, "Kid, what do you mean by that? It's just poaching a few of your team members, what could possibly happen? Besides, it's for their own good."
Yang Podi ignored Liu Erlong's words and instead glanced at the three education committee members.
Meng Shenji, the education committee member, then spoke up, "Teacher Yu Xiaogang, I hope you will be careful before you act. Otherwise, we will be unable to stop you from causing serious consequences. The current leader of Team Two is Yang Podi. Recently, two deputy leaders have been added: Teacher Li Xiang from Tiandou Royal Academy and Senior Poison Douluo Dugu Bo. So, unless there are special circumstances, it is best not to try to poach people from Team Two."
After hearing Meng Shenji's words, everyone fell silent. They hadn't expected Yang Podi to actually pull that old monster Dugu Bo into the second team. Xue Qinghe, on the other hand, looked at Yang Podi with a half-smile, as if he were teasing someone.
Yu Xiaogang's face darkened considerably. He had long heard that Dugu Bo was capricious and ruthless, especially in the use of poison, which made him deeply feared by all the major sects. Even the Upper Three Sects were wary of him. He didn't dare to ask Dugu Bo for the person.
However, Yu Xiaogang thought for a moment and then continued, " Yang Podi, could we switch teams one and two, so that team one can participate in the qualifiers and team two can directly participate in the finals?"
Yang Podi was speechless for a moment. " Teacher Yu Xiaogang, why do you think I wanted a spot in the second team instead of just the first team?"
"You want the second team to gain experience through the qualifiers? You actually thought of that already."
Seeing Yu Xiaogang's predicament, Ning Fengzhi seemed inclined to help. " Yang Podi, we've heard about the internal conflicts within your Four Single-Attribute Clans. Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is willing to mediate."
Yang Podi looked at Ning Fengzhi, that old fox, and said, "Thank you Sect Master Ning! There's a saying that those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. The Four Single-Attribute Clans are just on good terms. Each family has its own development and goals, and there's no need to force them together. It's not good for anyone."
"But it is because you have stood together through thick and thin for so many years that you have been able to face enemies from all sides and achieve better development."
Yang Podi shook his head. "My Breaking Clan is used to developing independently. We don't want to rely on anyone, much less be anyone's dog."
After saying this, Yang Podi bowed to everyone and left. He couldn't be bothered with these monsters and demons.
Yang Podi recently heard that Yu Xiaogang had also changed the training ground for the first team, basically copying the training methods of the second team, and even increasing the training intensity for all team members, vaguely showing a comparison with the second team.
Yang Podi was speechless. Although Yu Xiaogang had the title of Grandmaster, this was all he was capable of. He dared to copy others without understanding anything. Wasn't he afraid of ruining all the students? It would be quite a joke if he ruined Yu Tianheng and Ning Rongrong.
Five days later, the group set off in a carriage to train in the Sunset Forest.
Yang Podi made many preparations for this training, including Poison Douluo and Yang Wuju secretly protecting him, and preparing all kinds of supplies.
Sunset Forest is home to numerous Soul Beast, including many that are Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. It is extremely useful for training everyone's teamwork, reaction ability in the face of danger, and combat ability when encountering high-level Soul Beast.
Especially for Yang Tianyue, this little girl is only twelve years old and lacks both social experience and experience in dealing with enemies.
Yang Podi even demanded that everyone, when encountering Soul Beast under 30,000 years old, must fight together and must not show fear or run away.
The nights were even more difficult; the Sunset Forest was fraught with danger at night, making those days even more of a torment for them.
In just over ten days, everyone had lost a lot of weight. The initial excitement of entering Sunset Forest had vanished, replaced by wary eyes.
Especially when they first encounter Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Yang Podi will not personally intervene, but will let the seven team members face it together.
When they first faced the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, the seven of them showed absolutely no coordination, and the entire team was very disorganized and lacked any strategy. Several girls were even so frightened that they turned and ran away, completely unlike their usual spirited selves.
After each battle, Yang Podi with the group, including developing long-term strategies for dealing with the battle.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, half a year has passed. The entire team seems to have completely changed. Originally, everyone was full of naivety, but after half a year of training in Sunset Forest, everyone has drawn blood many times and fought with Soul Beast. Everyone's combat ability has greatly improved.
With their current combined strength, the seven of them are fully capable of fighting a 20,000-year-old Soul Beast. Even if they can't kill it, they can at least drive Soul Beast away.
Especially the younger sister Yang Tianyue, who is growing at an extremely fast pace. Although she is only Soul Elder, her combat ability is already comparable to that of an ordinary Soul Ancestor.
After six months of training in Sunset Forest, everyone's teamwork was excellent. Yang Podi even felt that with the strength of these seven people, they could probably at least get a top-three finish in the Soul Master Tournament.
When the training in the Sunset Forest came to an end, everyone's eyes were filled with ferocity, like those of a wild beast.
While Yang Podi's second team was training in Sunset Forest, it seemed that something had happened to the first team.
The entire team underwent prolonged, excessive training, followed only by a simple medicinal bath. Although everyone's Soul Power seemed to increase rapidly, the long-term, excessive training also left many hidden injuries in their bodies.
It might be relatively better for Beast Soul Master, but it's more troublesome for Weapon Soul Master or some support Weapon Soul Master.
Ning Rongrong was the first to sense something was wrong. Although she was a girl, Ning Rongrong was quite strong-willed. After often training beyond her capacity, she felt unwell and her physical condition seemed to have deteriorated.
Especially after Ning Rongrong returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo personally examined her body and found that Ning Rongrong had many hidden injuries. The two were puzzled and quickly arranged for Ning Heng, who was in the same team, to be examined as well. After a series of examinations, they found that Ning Heng also seemed to have deteriorated physical strength and had many hidden injuries.
Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi was immediately alarmed. After careful investigation, he discovered that the two individuals' condition was caused by prolonged overtraining, and that everyone had only undergone ordinary medicinal baths after training.
Ning Fengzhi cursed Yu Xiaogang countless times in his heart, never expecting that this so-called Grandmaster was only of this level.
Bone Douluo, however, found it rather strange. " Fengzhi, I think Yu Xiaogang's training methods are completely similar to those of the second team, or even borrowed from them. How come the second team hasn't had any problems for so long?"
Ning Fengzhi thought for a moment before speaking, "The second team must have some way to avoid hidden injuries caused by overtraining. It's probably that brat Yang Podi's doing."
" Yang Podi was born into the Breaking Clan, and his expertise in alchemy is practically unparalleled. It's likely that there's something wrong with the medicinal baths he provides to the other students in the Yang Podi team every day; he's not using the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's medicinal bath formula at all, but rather the Breaking Clan's."
Bone Douluo instantly flew into a rage. "I'm going to find Yu Xiaogang and that brat Yang Podi! It's those two who ruined Rongrong!"
Ning Fengzhi shook his head. " Yu Xiaogang is the son of the old dragon of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. If we go to cause trouble, wouldn't that ruin our cooperation with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?"
"As for that kid Yang Podi, what does this have to do with him from beginning to end? He designed this training plan for his own team members, and Yu Xiaogang just secretly copied it, but unfortunately, he copied it poorly."
" Fengzhi, what should we do now? Rongrong has some hidden injuries."
Ning Fengzhi thought for a moment before speaking, "I'll take Rongrong to Heaven Dou City to see Elder Ye Renxin. Elder Ye should be able to heal this kind of hidden injury. In addition, I plan to have Rongrong join the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team so that they can train together in the future. This will be better for Rongrong."
Bone Douluo seemed a little puzzled. " Fengzhi, that Yu Xiaogang clearly doesn't have any real skills, and that Tang San is also unreliable. Why do you still support them both so much?"
As Bone Douluo said, for some long-established sects, the so-called theoretical knowledge published by Yu Xiaogang has already been organized within the sects and is of little use.
Although Tang San was doing business with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, each set of Hidden Weapon sold for an extremely high price. Anyone with a discerning eye knew that the profit margin was very high. However, even though the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect provided Tang San with a lot of support, they never mentioned lowering the price. Furthermore, Tang San even tried to learn the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Heart Separation Control through Ning Rongrong, but he didn't ask for anything in return. It was as if he wanted to get it for free.
This back-and-forth is unsettling for anyone. On one hand, I buy your things at a high price and even give you all kinds of support, but in the end, you want to get my treasure for free.
Ning Fengzhi sighed, "How could I not know that these two, master and disciple, are unreliable? But Tang San is backed by the Clear Sky Sect, and Yu Xiaogang is backed by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Now, in order to fight against the Spirit Hall, we must stand on the same side. Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is, after all, a support sect, and in many aspects, it cannot compare with the other two major sects."