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"You are Tang San's teacher, and therefore, you are my enemy."
The Grandmaster's expression shifted to one of utter bewilderment. He had anticipated many responses, but certainly not this. The conflict between them existed simply because he, Yu Xiaogang, was Tang San's mentor?
"Little San should have had almost no interaction with you, right? Even back in Notting City, there was no friction between you two," the Grandmaster pressed, his mind racing for a reason.
Jealousy? That was the first motive that sprang to his mind.
"No. My hatred for him was set in stone before he was even born." Su Wen's eyes narrowed into slits, and a palpable aura of killing intent began to bleed into the air. "And I know you're lurking in the shadows as well. Just wait, Tang Hao. I will kill you."
He spoke to the empty air, his words dripping with lethal intent. Even at Level 59, Su Wen now possessed the confidence to challenge Tang Hao openly. The stinging sensation at the center of his brow kept him on high alert, ready to trigger his fifth spirit skill to escape at a moment's notice.
However, Tang Hao did not dare to strike. The Royal Hunting Grounds currently housed too many Titled Douluos. Tang Hao didn't even dare to use his spirit power to pressure Su Wen, fearing discovery. He could only harbor a cold, silent killing intent in his heart, unable even to lock his aura onto the boy.
At this point, the Grandmaster was frozen in shock. He couldn't begin to fathom how Su Wen could have a blood feud with Tang Hao.
"You are from New Moon Village. I see." Tang Hao's voice manifested as he stepped into the tent, his form shrouded beneath a heavy black robe.
"It's good that you know," Su Wen replied indifferently, seemingly devoid of any fear toward the man before him. "Regardless of the reasons, my parents died because of you. For that, you must pay with your life. Your entire existence is a mistake—a tragedy that drags down everyone around you. If I were you, I wouldn't have the face to blame others, let alone speak of revenge."
Tang Hao remained silent beneath his hood, but his heavy, ragged breathing was clearly audible. He was visibly incensed by Su Wen's words.
"You can try to kill me," Su Wen said calmly, "but Grandpa Dugu will surely slaughter Tang San in return. As for the Clear Sky Sect, I imagine Grandpa Dugu would be more than happy to ensure your bloodline ends with you. Furthermore, I can guarantee that if you lift a finger against me, you won't make it out of these Royal Hunting Grounds alive."
"I will wait for you to break through to become a Titled Douluo," Tang Hao said after a deep breath. "At that time, I will unleash my full power. If I cannot kill you then, you may kill me." With that, he turned and vanished from the tent.
The Grandmaster stood there like a jester, no longer certain why he had even come.
"Furthermore, I hope you stop referring to yourself as 'Grandmaster' from now on," Su Wen added, essentially issuing an eviction notice. "I believe you understand the weight that title carries, and you surely know the true depth—or lack thereof—of your theoretical achievements. Stop misleading the Spirit Masters of this world."
A sudden surge of spirit power erupted, and Yu Xiaogang found himself stumbling backward, forced out of the tent by the sheer pressure. He turned away with a dark expression and retreated.
"This is outrageous!"
Inside the Shrek Team's tent, Liu Erlong's voice boomed with fury upon learning that Yu Xiaogang had been so crudely expelled. Even Flender didn't bother to play the peacemaker this time; he sat with a grim face, equally displeased by Su Wen's actions.
Tang San's gaze turned icy. Seeing Su Wen treat his teacher with such disdain, he felt a genuine killing intent rise within him. Su Wen... you truly have a way to seek death.
Yu Xiaogang sighed. "Forget it. It doesn't matter. My purpose in going there involved his fundamental secrets, after all." He framed it as a matter of professional prying gone wrong, keeping the deeper grudge between Su Wen and Tang Hao a secret from the rest of Shrek.
Su Wen ignored Shrek's reaction. He didn't have the energy to care. After throwing the Grandmaster out, he returned to his cultivation. While he had stood his ground today, he knew it was only because of his survival skills and the leverage he held over Tang Hao. It wasn't his own absolute power yet. Despite speaking his mind, a lingering sense of suppressed frustration remained.
"It won't be long now. Very soon. Not ten years—just give me five, and I will have the power to kill you."
Su Wen adjusted his state of mind and began focusing on the details of his virtual world construction, using the mental process as a form of alternative mimicry to accelerate his cultivation.
If the qualifiers were a time for teams to hide their strengths, the Ranking Matches were the opposite. The defeats of Tianshui Academy and the Elephant Armored Sect had served as a wake-up call. Being caught off guard by a team without a Soul Ancestor was the ultimate humiliation. While Tianshui hadn't been so careless as to miss using their fusion skill, Shrek had still seized a massive advantage in the early phase of the fight.
Even though Water Bing'er and Water Yue'er unleashed their fusion skill, it differed from the Hell White Tiger in that it wasn't a physical-suppression type but an area-of-effect elemental attack. Tang San, despite lacking ice immunity, possessed the Eight Spider Lances which far exceeded the quality of his Blue Silver Grass. Combined with his agility and the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps, he had managed to endure the onslaught.
Beyond these upsets, the tournament format itself forced teams to show their hands. Ranking was crucial for the final seedings, and a better position in the Ranking Matches provided significant advantages in the grand finals.
"A Sunflower Martial Soul... that's worth replicating," Su Wen noted, his interest piqued by a student from the Botanical Academy. Throughout the month, many unique souls caught his eye. These 1v1 gauntlet matches were the perfect stage to witness the maximum individual potential of a Spirit Master.
Lin Dong and Ye Luochen also gained a great deal from spectating. Lin Dong, in particular, found the various applications of spirit skills useful for his own five-element mutation. Once his soul underwent its final metamorphosis, he would digest these insights to fuel his own skill development.
As the month-long Ranking Matches came to an end, Su Wen opened his eyes and sighed. "As expected, just watching provides no breakthrough stimulus."
Though his gains in knowledge were significant, his spirit power remained stuck at the threshold of Level 60. He had hoped the pressure of the tournament would push him over the edge, but he was simply too strong; there was no pressure to be found.
"Perhaps this is the price of being a genius."
As Emperor Xue Ye gave his final remarks on the month's matches, Su Wen noticed an unfriendly gaze from the crowd.
Tang San stepped forward slowly. "Su Wen, you shouldn't use your high spirit power as an excuse to be so disrespectful to my teacher."
(End of Chapter)