I Refuse, It'll Stunt Our Growth

"The outcome is decided," Flender announced, glancing at Yan Zu with a complex expression.

Dai Mubai struggled to his feet, covered in dust and dirt, gritting his teeth and remaining silent as he silently retreated back into the ranks. He knew in his heart that Yan Zu had already shown mercy.

Yu Xiaogang's expression was not good. He stared at Yan Zu, his lips moved, and after a long while, he finally spoke, "Yan Zu, your Soul Skill does have its merits, but it relies too much on the shield's backlash. If your opponent understands the characteristics of your Soul Skill and creates distance in advance, you won't have a chance to get close at all. In this battle, you seem to have used tricks."

Yan Zu did not refute, but simply nodded slightly. "Grandmaster's teachings are correct."

Xiao Wu was unhappy and muttered under her breath, "I clearly won, but they're still finding fault with me..."

Yu Xiaogang ignored her and looked at Dai Mubai, saying in a deep voice, "Dai Mubai, your level is higher than his, and your Martial Soul is also of the Power Attack System, but because you underestimated him and were careless, you didn't go all out at the beginning, giving him an opportunity. In this battle, you lost because of your mentality, not because of your strength. Go back and reflect on it."

Dai Mubai's face was ashen, as if he'd swallowed a fly. He opened his mouth, wanting to say, "I went all out from the start," but meeting Yu Xiaogang's stern gaze, he swallowed back and mumbled, "... Yes."

Xiao Wu almost burst out laughing, but Ning Rongrong grabbed her sleeve.

Yu Xiaogang's gaze swept across the students, finally landing on Tang San and Xiao Wu.

He had other plans in mind— Tang San's Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul excelled in control, while Xiao Wu was a close-range Agility Attack System, which was precisely countered by the Blue Silver Grass's Entanglement.

If Tang San could be arranged to defeat Xiao Wu, it would not only demonstrate Tang San's fighting prowess but also impress Xiao Wu Tang San, while simultaneously highlighting the teacher's own teaching abilities.

"The second match," Yu Xiaogang, "Tang San, you will face Xiao Wu."

Tang San's eyes lit up, and he almost instinctively looked at Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu was standing next to Yan Zu, the sunlight shining on her long pink hair, making her look radiant and beautiful.

A complex mix of emotions welled up within Tang San —the embarrassment of rejection, the urge to prove himself, and a secret sense of anticipation.

He walked to the center of the arena, took a deep breath, and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xiao Wu: "Xiao Wu, please give me your guidance."

Xiao Wu pouted and glanced at Yan Zu. Yan Zu nodded slightly and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Don't go too far."

Xiao Wu blinked, then walked forward with a grin. "Alright, I'll play with you then."

Flender shook his head helplessly and raised his hand. "Begin!"

Before she finished speaking, Xiao Wu's figure suddenly vanished from the spot— her Second Soul Skill, "Moon Shadow Instant Step," was activated!

Tang San's pupils suddenly contracted. Before he could react, a pink figure had already appeared beside him.

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Wu's Third Soul Ring lit up, and "Jade Rabbit Clone" was activated. Two clones identical to Xiao Wu appeared out of thin air, and the three "Xiao Wu" formed a triangular formation to surround Tang San in the middle.

Tang San hurriedly released the Blue Silver Grass, and the deep blue Blue Silver Grass surged wildly from the ground, trying to Entanglement Xiao Wu.

But Xiao Wu was too fast; the coordination between her clone and her main body was exquisite. Tang San couldn't tell which was the real body at all, and his Blue Silver Grass's Entanglement repeatedly missed.

Xiao Wu's three figures had already surrounded him like butterflies flitting among flowers, launching an attack—one kick to the left, one kick to the right, one kick in front, and one kick behind.

"Bang bang bang bang--"

Tang San was kicked so hard he staggered repeatedly. The Blue Silver Grass didn't even have time to Entanglement. He was like a mouse being toyed with by a cat, rolling back and forth between the three "Xiao Wu". The scene had both a sharp attack rhythm and a touch of comicality.

In no time, Tang San was covered in footprints and looked utterly disheveled.

However, Xiao Wu clearly didn't use her full strength; each kick avoided vital points, only causing him pain and embarrassment without inflicting any real harm.

"Stop!" Flender shouted.

Xiao Wu finished her stance, her clone dissipated, and she landed lightly back on the ground. She patted off non-existent dust from her skirt and looked at Tang San with a smile, "Thank you for the favor."

Tang San pushed himself up, his body aching but unharmed. He looked at Xiao Wu, his gaze filled with a complex mix of emotions—defeat, but even more so, a strange... sweetness?

She didn't want to hurt me. This thought suddenly popped into his head, and even the pain became less unbearable.

Yu Xiaogang's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He had originally thought that Tang San could use the control ability of the Blue Silver Grass to restrain Xiao Wu's close combat, but he did not expect that Xiao Wu's speed was so fast that Tang San did not even have a chance to make a move. This was not restraint, but a complete crushing defeat.

He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Xiao Wu, this was just a friendly spar; you went too far."

Xiao Wu blinked her big eyes, looking completely innocent. "Huh? Is it heavy? But Grandmaster, didn't you just criticize Dai Mubai for not going all out? I learned from his mistake and went all out from the start. That's called—respecting your opponent!"

Ning Rongrong chimed in from behind, "Yes, yes, going all out is the greatest respect you can show your opponent."

Yu Xiaogang's face turned pale.

Xiao Wu turned to Tang San and asked with a grin, "Tang San, did I hit you too hard? Are you hurt anywhere? Do you want your teacher to take a look?"

Tang San quickly shook his head, his voice a little tense. "... No. Xiao Wu, she held back. I'm fine."

Yu Xiaogang glanced at Tang San, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes. He had hoped to use this sparring match to let Xiao Wu Tang San demonstrate his strength, but he hadn't expected Tang San to be so easily defeated by Xiao Wu. What was even more frustrating was that even Tang San himself was speaking up for Xiao Wu.

After all that fuss, neither of today's two objectives—to suppress Yan Zu and to highlight Tang San— was achieved. Both had the opposite effect.

He waved his hand, his expression grim. "Fine, everyone return to your ranks." Having failed to achieve his objective, he didn't bother arranging any more competitions for the remaining people.

Tang San silently returned to the queue, head down, lost in thought. Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun exchanged a glance, both seeing the complexity in each other's eyes.

Yu Xiaogang composed himself and spoke again, "I have a general idea of your combat abilities. Next, it's physical training."

He pointed to the stones and baskets that had been prepared long ago by the edge of the playground, his voice cold and hard. "Starting today, every morning you will run laps with weights. Each person will carry twenty pounds of stones and run twenty laps around the college. This is basic training, and no one is allowed to slack off."

Before he could finish speaking, Ma Hongjun wailed, "Twenty laps? And with twenty pounds of weight? Grandmaster Yu, that's too cruel!"

Yu Xiaogang gave him Lengleng glance. "There are no shortcuts on the path of Soul Master. If you want to become stronger, you have to endure hardship! Either obey or get out of Shrek!" Ma Hongjun was so frightened that he immediately shut his mouth and dared not complain anymore.

Just as everyone was about to collect their weights, "Grandmaster Yu," Yan Zu spoke, his voice calm yet clearly carrying across the playground.

Everyone looked over. Yu Xiaogang's gaze sharpened. "Yan Zu, what's the problem?"

"There's a problem." Yan Zu nodded, looking directly at Yu Xiaogang. "I oppose this training plan."

"Objection?" Yu Xiaogang frowned, his tone turning serious. "Could it be that you can't endure hardship? Don't forget, Shrek students who can't endure hardship will never amount to anything."

Yan Zu looked at him and said calmly, "It's not that I can't endure hardship, it's that there's no need to do it this way."

Yu Xiaogang frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We're still growing," Yan Zu's voice clearly reached everyone present. "This kind of training will damage our joints and affect bone growth. To put it bluntly—it will affect our development and stunt our growth."

On the playground, Tang San, who was putting stones into his basket, paused and subconsciously touched the top of his head.

Ma Hongjun was completely stunned. He looked down at his legs, then looked up at Yan Zu, his lips trembling slightly.

Yu Xiaogang's expression changed slightly, then he sneered, "Ridiculous! Soul Master cultivate, why would they care about height? Tang San and the others—"

"How tall is Tang San now?" Yan Zu interrupted him.

Tang San??? Yan Zu, do you have any manners?!

(Thanks to the following readers for their monthly ticket support: Time Lord Shichen, ALing Dream, and numbers ending in 2817, 5449, and 8041)