"You!"
As the saying went, lies did not hurt people; the truth was the sharp blade!
Was there anything wrong with what Ning Rongrong had said? Not a thing! Knowing every detail about the team members under him was precisely what a team instructor was supposed to do. Everyone in the Shrek Seven Devils knew what Shangguan Hong's Third Soul Skill was. Only Yu Xiaogang, their team instructor, did not, and he stubbornly refused to ask! What was this? He had banned Shangguan Hong's Second Soul Skill, and now he would not let him use his Third Soul Skill either? Then what the hell was the point of fighting?!
A short crew cut, a rigid face-except his complexion had now turned somewhat purple, making him look like a stunted eggplant.
Shangguan Hong stifled his laughter. He had not taken Yu Xiaogang's aggression to heart, nor did he think much of Yu Xiaogang himself. It was just that the current situation really made it hard to keep a straight face.
Dai Mubai and Oscar looked perfectly serious, but the two had nearly pinched their own legs purple. The cool, aloof Zhu Zhuqing's lips twitched slightly as she forcibly resisted the urge to smile. Xiao Wu burst out laughing, then hid behind Tang San like a little girl who had done something wrong. Tang San looked up at the sky and let out a long, stale breath. Only he knew what was on his mind.
The atmosphere in the square suddenly turned strange. Yu Xiaogang held himself back for a long time, glaring furiously at Ning Rongrong. He wanted badly to vent outright, but considering the magnificent Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in her hand, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, whose overall strength even surpassed that of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, he ultimately did not dare go too far. He merely offered a couple of lukewarm rebuttals to express his displeasure and attempted to explain his unique foresight as Grandmaster before turning his attention back to Shangguan Hong.
He did not dare target the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but surely he dared target a penniless boy of common birth?
Yu Xiaogang vented almost all the anger in his heart on Shangguan Hong.
"Shangguan Hong, do you have any idea how many mistakes you made in yesterday's match? I banned your Second Soul Skill because I was afraid you would rely on its unfair properties for too long and lose the drive to improve! You hid your Third Soul Skill. That's nothing in itself. But the summon from your Third Soul Skill is clearly a frontline fighter with high defense and high attack. Why didn't you have it charge straight at the enemy's Support System Soul Master after defeating the Mad Battle Team's captain? If you had made your decision a little faster, the Mad Battle Team might never have had the chance to use their Frenzy Soul Skill!"
Yu Xiaogang focused his criticism on Shangguan Hong's poor decisions and lack of awareness of the bigger picture. He dressed his ban on Shangguan Hong's Second Soul Skill in lofty justifications, yet expected a Summoning System Soul Master to take charge of the overall situation.
These were not demands one made of an ordinary team member, but of the team's central pillar.
In reality, however, if Shangguan Hong had sent Mordekaiser charging straight at the enemy's back line yesterday, there was no telling whether the cumbersome Mordekaiser could have broken through Spider Woman's defenses and eliminated Wishful Disc without revealing his trump cards. And if the attempt failed, the rest of Shrek would immediately have faced a coordinated assault from four highly agile Soul Elders, making the situation even more dangerous.
Yu Xiaogang's criticism rested on ideal circumstances. It was like writing an essay: he pointed out what format should be used and how much ornate language should go into it, but putting it into practice was another matter entirely.
Yet Tang San found such theories utterly convincing, and Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing also felt they made some sense. Shangguan Hong likewise put on a humble expression and accepted Yu Xiaogang's criticism. His heart remained completely unruffled. After all, who would get angry with a dead man?
Yu Xiaogang talked until his mouth and throat ran dry, while Shangguan Hong's obedient attitude somewhat soothed his anger. He paused briefly to catch his breath, then pointed out the shortcomings everyone had displayed in yesterday's battle. Unfortunately, under Shangguan Hong's influence, the others took little of it in. They, too, felt that Yu Xiaogang's theories were somewhat flashy but impractical.
"Team matches test your mutual understanding. Someone needs to charge at the front and make sacrifices, and someone also needs to serve as the team's brain! Little San's command yesterday was very good. In my opinion, we can leave all future command to Little San!"
Yu Xiaogang forcibly elevated Tang San to the position of the team's brain. Since Tang San had indeed performed well yesterday, no one objected. After establishing everyone's positions within the team, Yu Xiaogang turned his gaze back to Shangguan Hong before they departed for the Great Soul Arena.
"By the way, Shangguan Hong, what is your First Soul Skill?"
He had, after all, learned something from this.
"My First Soul Skill?"
Shangguan Hong's expression did not change. After gaining Void Dominance, he no longer needed to hide his First Soul Skill. It was just that the Void Fish was indeed very weak, and its pure malevolence also made him unwilling to use his First Soul Skill frequently. Now that Yu Xiaogang had asked, and the others beside him also looked curious, Shangguan Hong naturally did not conceal it and summoned the Void Fish.
The Void Fish's chilling malevolence made every hair on Yu Xiaogang's body stand on end. The Void Fish was indeed weak, but it could still easily tear Yu Xiaogang to pieces.
"What is that thing?"
Everyone's expressions shifted slightly. After all, the Void Fish looked far too strange, and the feeling it gave them was unpleasant as well. Just then, Tang San provided Shangguan Hong with the perfect assist, recounting the excuse Shangguan Hong had given him back then. Upon hearing that Shangguan Hong's First Soul Skill came from an evil-attribute Soul Ring, everyone looked enlightened. Ning Rongrong even stepped forward curiously and poked the blank-looking Void Fish with a finger.
"This little thing looks so unusual! Once you look at it long enough, it's even a little cute..."
Hearing Ning Rongrong's innocent words, everyone smiled warmly. The corners of Shangguan Hong's mouth rose slightly, while his heart was filled with coldness.
Cute?
The Void Fish's urge to devour Ning Rongrong had already reached Shangguan Hong's mind. But under his forceful suppression, the Void Fish held itself back, allowing Ning Rongrong's finger to poke its head over and over.
"Mm, a reasonably good First Soul Skill!"
A smile unconsciously appeared on Yu Xiaogang's face. It seemed that Shangguan Hong's Soul Skills were not all beyond the norm. At most, he was merely a brat with a little more luck and talent. He was not worth worrying about.
It was just an ugly fish. It probably could not even compare to his Luo Sanpao...
Yu Xiaogang lowered his guard and let out a breath, believing he had secured his standing in the hearts of the Shrek Seven Devils. Tang San was also relieved that his teacher had not come into conflict with his companions. The others in Shrek had differing opinions of Yu Xiaogang, but they certainly did not trust him as they had in the original storyline. Shangguan Hong had cleared himself of suspicion and accomplished his goal. See? Everyone was happy!
For the Shrek Seven Devils, today's incident could only be considered a minor interlude. Little did they know that it marked the beginning of a rift!
After this minor interlude passed, the Shrek Seven Devils threw themselves into the Great Soul Arena once more. Everyone honed themselves like mad through actual combat, winning some and losing some. In team matches, however, they maintained an undefeated record. There were hardly any Soul Master teams in the Suotuo City Great Soul Arena that could rival them!
Until...
"The Imperial Fighting Team?!"