Chapter 231: A Failed Scheme Backfires, Another Rank Gained
Tang San stood in place for a long time, lost in thought. It wasn't until he heard Xiao Wu calling him that he snapped back to reality and returned to the training ground with a smile.
"Is Master alright now?" Xiao Wu asked, noticing he still seemed a bit distracted.
"He's fine. Fully recovered," Tang San replied dryly. He was about to say more when he noticed Dai Mubai walking toward them.
"Tang San, what did Master want from you?"
Perhaps due to his previous injuries, Dai Mubai's demeanor had changed drastically. He was no longer the bright and carefree young man he once was now, he seemed much more somber.
"Master got injured yesterday. He just came by to tell me I don't need to bring him lunch today," Tang San replied without the slightest change in expression as he glanced at Dai Mubai.
Ever since Zhu Zhuqing left, Dai Mubai was still a strong ally for the time being, but in Tang San's eyes, his importance had dropped significantly.
As for his status as a Star Luo prince, that title had already lost its power within the team. Even Ma Hongjun and Oscar no longer cared about it, and for Ning Rongrong and Tang San who knew even more Dai Mubai was as good as dead.
To be precise, the moment Tang San agreed to let Yu Xiaogang recommend him for the Emperor Battle Team, he had already given up on Dai Mubai.
Among the original Shrek Six Devils, none of them had any pressing need to win the Soul Master Tournament. At most, they saw it as an opportunity to secure better prospects. But for Dai Mubai, this tournament was his only shot at survival.
Tang San had considered bringing both Dai Mubai and Xiao Wu to the Emperor Battle Team with him. But after a few words of persuasion from Yu Xiaogang, he decisively abandoned the idea.
According to Yu Xiaogang, Dai Mubai was nothing more than a pawn that the Heaven Dou Empire used to humiliate Star Luo.
Even if he was stronger than Yu Tianheng, he would never be allowed to join the first team.
So, there was no point in even trying.
After a mere three seconds of thought, Tang San, though his expression darkened momentarily, nodded in agreement.
After all, this wasn't his decision he was merely following his master's orders.
When Yu Xiaogang saw Tang San's conflicted face, he had even offered him words of wisdom:
"Tang San, you're still too soft hearted."
"Even in the second team, he might still have a chance to prove himself."
"I know you value your friends, but you can't sacrifice your future for his sake. At worst, once you grow strong, you can help him later."
"If he truly sees you as a friend, he will understand."
…
After a round of 'persuasion', Tang San finally overcame his guilt and completely let go of any hesitation.
This was why he could now face Dai Mubai with calm indifference.
Dai Mubai stared at Tang San for a moment, as if trying to see through him. Finding nothing unusual, he relaxed slightly.
"Alright then. If Master ever needs help, just let me know," he said, giving Tang San a small nod before walking away.
"What kind of person is he, Brother San? The way he looked at you just now he doesn't trust you at all!"
Once Dai Mubai was gone, Xiao Wu angrily turned to Tang San.
Hearing this, Tang San chuckled and gently reassured her, "It's fine, Xiao Wu. We're teammates, after all. It's understandable he's changed because of what happened before. We couldn't help him back then, and he got injured. A change in personality is normal."
"Hmph, he deserved it! Zhu "
Xiao Wu's anger flared, but just as she was about to say a name, she hesitated.
Her mood suddenly dampened.
Right. Zhu Zhuqing was gone.
And during that last confrontation, she had stood against her.
Zhu Zhuqing had said some very cruel words to Tang San things that weren't true at all.
If she ever saw Zhu Zhuqing again, she would definitely explain everything to her.
She hadn't expected things to turn out like that.
She had just followed Tang San's lead, believing that he was helping everyone grow stronger.
Ever since Zhu Zhuqing's departure, Xiao Wu had stuck to Tang San's side like a shadow.
Ning Rongrong had a Titled Douluo protecting her, so after arriving in Heaven Dou City, Xiao Wu no longer dared to interact with her too much.
Among the original Shrek Seven Devils, the only person she had genuinely liked spending time with was Zhu Zhuqing.
Even though Zhu Zhuqing didn't talk much, Xiao Wu enjoyed listening to her quiet responses.
But ever since that day, everything had changed.
Before, it was Xiao Wu who distanced herself from Ning Rongrong.
Now, it was Ning Rongrong who was avoiding her.
Whenever they spoke, Ning Rongrong wore the same polite smile and only responded with short, indifferent replies like "Mm," "Oh," or "That's right."
Xiao Wu felt awful about it, but what could she say?
She could only cling to Tang San even more.
Humans were too complicated.
For a fleeting moment, she had even felt the urge to return to the Star Dou Forest.
But in the end, she suppressed that thought.
She still needed to remain among humans.
She needed their presence to continue her cultivation.
And most importantly, she couldn't bear to leave Tang San.
"You're all I have left, Brother San!"
Xiao Wu lifted her head and gazed deeply at Tang San, her sadness fading slightly.
Tang San let out a silent sigh of relief.
To be honest, seeing Xiao Wu sad made him hesitate.
For a brief moment, he had considered giving up on avenging himself against Zhu Zhuqing.
Thankfully, Xiao Wu quickly snapped out of it.
If she had actually begged him to spare Zhu Zhuqing, he wouldn't have known what to do.
Zhu Zhuqing… he would never let her go.
But for Xiao Wu's sake, he could consider crippling her spirit power instead of killing her.
That was already the greatest mercy he could offer.
The moment Tang San thought of Zhu Zhuqing, he felt a faint pain in his hands. Not wanting Xiao Wu to notice, he quickly lowered his head and did his best to suppress the killing intent in his heart.
Last night, on the way back from carrying his teacher to the medical room, he had received new information from Yu Xiaogang Zhu Zhuqing was most likely still alive.
Hearing this update, the regret that had been lingering in his heart vanished, replaced by renewed excitement. It was good that she wasn't dead because he had been planning to deal with her personally.
"By the way, Brother San, last night while you were with Master, that annoying Tailong sent another letter. He's inviting us to Tian Dou City this weekend," Xiao Wu suddenly remembered something, took out a letter, and handed it to Tang San with a helpless expression.
"Him again?" Tang San frowned as he took the already opened letter.
"Yes, I already said no, but the messenger just threw the letter down and left," Xiao Wu said with frustration.
She truly didn't want to have any interactions with Tailong.
Forget about avoiding misunderstandings with Tang San just the fact that Tailong's grandfather was a high level Spirit Douluo was enough for Xiao Wu to keep her distance.
So far, Tailong had been quite restrained in his actions. But knowing how nobles in Tian Dou City behaved, who could guarantee that his grandfather wouldn't one day take the initiative to seek her out?
Back when the Shrek Academy group was preparing to join Tian Dou Royal Academy, Xiao Wu had seriously considered escaping.
After all, the three great education committee members in Tian Dou City were all Spirit Douluo.
However, just before she could leave, she had encountered that senior, who not only helped conceal her aura but also convinced her to stay.
If it weren't for that senior, and if she hadn't been reluctant to leave Tang San, she might be living in some small town by now.
Thinking back to that encounter, Xiao Wu also recalled the harsh scolding she received from the senior, which had made her too ashamed to lift her head.
She still didn't know what race that senior belonged to, but next time next time they met she would be sure to ask.
Noticing that Xiao Wu seemed lost in thought, Tang San cleared his throat and looked at her.
"For now, let's just ignore him. There's nothing we can do about it anyway," he said.
Tang San felt utterly frustrated. He hated that Tailong kept harassing Xiao Wu, but for now, he simply couldn't afford to offend him.
His only option was to stay within the academy's protection fortunately, Xiao Wu was obedient and listened to him.
Meanwhile, in the Tian Dou Royal Academy's Emperor Team Office, the atmosphere was tense.
Yu Xiaogang was talking with Qin Ming, while behind a screen, one of the three great education committee members Wisdom Spirit Douluo Zhi Lin stood silently, listening to their conversation.
Yes, he was calmly listening, while Yu Xiaogang, who had been brought in by Yu Tianheng, was endlessly explaining to Qin Ming why replacing the Emperor Team's current control type spirit master with Tang San would be beneficial.
He went on and on about how Tang San was superior in every way, ignoring Qin Ming's increasingly dark expression and repeated attempts to speak.
Standing beside Zhi Lin, Flender was staring at the ceiling, looking both helpless and amused.
However, when he realized that Tang San would still remain in the second team, he too fell into silence.
Only when Yu Xiaogang finally finished his one sided speech did Qin Ming take a deep breath and look at both him and Yu Tianheng.
"Alright, Master, I've heard your proposal. But this is beyond my authority. I'll report it to the higher ups and let the education committee decide. How about that?"
"Also, Tianheng, you should get back to training. As team captain, you shouldn't be involved in matters like this. We'll talk later."
Hearing Qin Ming's words, Yu Tianheng's face burned with embarrassment.
He hurriedly bowed to the two of them and practically fled the office.
Now that his nephew was gone, Yu Xiaogang became even more brazen.
Glancing around, he asked, "Where's Flender? Qin Ming, you've already spoken to him, haven't you? As the lead teacher of the Emperor Team, do you really not have the authority to make this decision?"
"You've seen Tang San's strength. Yes, his spirit might be a bit weaker, but even so, he's clearly stronger than your current control type spirit master. I'm only asking you one thing can you do it or not?"
"Master, let me say this again," Qin Ming gritted his teeth. "I'm just a teacher. My only responsibility is training the team. I don't have the authority to "
Before he could finish, a calm yet authoritative voice sounded from behind the screen.
"Qin Ming, there's no need to explain. Just reject him outright."
"You have other people here?" Yu Xiaogang's expression darkened as he shot Qin Ming a disapproving look.
"Who are you? Why are you interfering? What gives you the right to "
Halfway through his sentence, Yu Xiaogang suddenly choked on his words.
From behind the screen, Zhi Lin emerged, followed by Flender, who was keeping his head down and staying silent.
"Zhi… Zhi Lin… Education Committee Member… Hello," Yu Xiaogang stammered, his confidence instantly crumbling.
"Does being a member of the Education Committee give me the right to speak?" Zhi Lin said indifferently, glancing at Yu Xiaogang.
Then, with a slight smirk, he added, "Oh, and that 'useless' control type spirit master you were talking about? His spirit is the Bluewood Vine.
He also happens to be my nephew.
Do you still have anything else to say?"
Yu Xiaogang fell silent.
He quickly shut his mouth, no longer daring to utter a single word.
Zhi Lin hadn't expected that his casual visit to check on his nephew would lead to such an amusing spectacle in Qin Ming's office.
Flender was understandable all he did was ask whether promising second team members might have a chance to join the Emperor Team for the Soul Master Tournament.
As a teacher, this was a reasonable request Zhi Lin could understand and even support it.
But what the hell was Yu Xiaogang doing here?
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen