"I will, Teacher. If he dares to step on the field, I'll make him understand what cruelty means. Anyone who dares to hurt Xiao Wu will not be forgiven," Tang San said confidently. With his external soul bone, he wouldn't hesitate to take on any soul master, even a Soul Sect.
"San Ge."
"Xiao Wu."
Hearing Tang San vow to avenge her, Xiao Wu looked at him with deep affection, their eyes locking in a moment of intensity.
Seeing this scene, everyone in the box exclaimed about Tang San and Xiao Wu showing off their affection, while Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged serious glances. Zhu Zhuqing shook her head at Ning Rongrong, signalling her to act as if she didn't know.
Ning Rongrong nodded reluctantly but didn't want to be someone who backs down from a challenge. Facing the Emperor Team, she still pointed out the importance of the Nine Heart Begonia martial soul, just as in the original story.
"I never expected there to be such a miraculous martial soul in the world," Yu Xiaogang said, stunned by Ning Rongrong's description of the Nine Heart Begonia. Having never heard of such a martial soul, he felt the chances of Shrek Seven Monsters winning were extremely slim with such a perfect combination.
"We can win."
As morale dipped, Tang San's booming voice suddenly rang out, capturing everyone's attention.
"Indeed, they are strong, but don't forget, Mubai, Oscar, Fatty, Xiao Wu, Rongrong, and Zhuqing. We have already achieved twenty-seven consecutive victories in team battles! We have Mubai's top attack martial soul, Oscar's continuous combat support, Fatty's incredible flames, Xiao Wu's superb agility, and Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, which is praised as the continent's top support martial soul. And Zhuqing, everyone has seen her strength improve during this time. Even I find it hard to win as easily against her at the same level. With so many advantages, what do we have to fear?"
"I believe we can win. And even if we lose, so what? We can just come back stronger next time. The Emperor Team is probably older than us, and I firmly believe that we may lose to an older team, but we will never lose to those our age because we are all monsters!"
Tang San's words reignited everyone's confidence. Even Zhu Zhuqing, who understood Lan Si's strength and had little hope for this battle, felt her blood pumping with excitement.
No sooner had he finished speaking than others chimed in.
Ma Hongjun excitedly declared, "San Ge is right! We are monsters, and we will definitely win! It's just the Emperor Team—watch me burn them like featherless pigs with my Evil Fire Phoenix!"
Dai Mubai also stood up and patted Tang San on the shoulder. "Exactly, little San is right. We can win."
Even though Zhu Zhuqing had parted ways with him and Dean Flander had hinted that he shouldn't pursue Zhu Zhuqing, Dai Mubai saw hope in Tang San to defeat Davis. With Tang San around, once he overcame Davis, what women wouldn't be within his grasp?
He could always choose a woman from the Zhu family as his queen when he ascended to the throne; after all, the Zhu family was just there to breed with him.
At that time, what would Zhu Zhuqing or Lan Si mean to him? They would all be beneath his feet, subject to his whims. The thought of flaunting his power over Zhu Zhuqing in front of Lan Si excited Dai Mubai, a sinister light flashing in his dark eyes.
"Teacher, let me handle the arrangements for this soul fight," Tang San insisted, looking steadfastly at Yu Xiaogang, his tone a mix of request and determination.
Naturally, Yu Xiaogang wouldn't refuse his most valued disciple. Fire flickered in his eyes as he provided more intelligence before handing over full control of the strategy to Tang San.
The captain of the Emperor Team, Yu Tianheng, was his nephew, and his martial soul was their clan's pride, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
Today, his disciple Tang San would face off against the best of the young generation from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.
He firmly believed that his disciple, trained by him, possessing twin martial souls, an external soul bone, and an exceptionally absorbed third soul ring, would lead Shrek Seven Monsters to victory against the Emperor Team.
When that time came, he would prove to everyone from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect that he, Yu Xiaogang, was not a failure. Even with a reputation as a waste, being scorned by the world, thanks to Tang San, a product of his invincible theory, he would eventually earn respect and admiration as a true master.
Not long after, once Tang San finished laying out the strategy, Ning Rongrong eagerly pulled Zhu Zhuqing out of the box.
"Zhuqing, what will you do if Lan Si enters the arena this time?" Ning Rongrong asked earnestly.
After four months of close companionship, Ning Rongrong was no longer the spoiled young lady she once was. She had gradually integrated into the Shrek collective, and Tang San's recent words had ignited a fierce passion within her.
Although she held a generally positive impression of Lan Si, they had only met once. Being a genius by nature, she was inherently competitive; she would not easily concede against the Emperor Team led by Lan Si.
If Zhu Zhuqing hadn't stopped her just now, she would have nearly revealed that Lan Si was "I Love Eating Rabbit Meat." After all, Lan Si's tricky soul skills could be the key to determining Shrek's victory.
Hearing Ning Rongrong's question, Zhu Zhuqing let go of her hand and scrutinized her once more. For the first time, she felt a strange distance from Ning Rongrong. Was this still the Ning Rongrong she knew?
After a moment, Zhu Zhuqing's expression returned to its usual icy demeanor, similar to how she treated Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Dai Mubai.
She said coldly, "No matter whether Lan Si appears or not, I will give it my all." Long ago, Lan Si had told her that if one day, Shrek faced the Emperor Team, she shouldn't hold back but give her all, treating it as a training opportunity for both sides.
As long as she had Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia martial soul with her, there was no need to worry about Lan Si getting hurt.
If it came to injuring Lan Si, Zhu Zhuqing knew she could never bring herself to do it. However, if they were to spar, the idea of possibly defeating Lan Si gave her a sense of satisfaction in conquering her own man, something she longed for—even if it seemed nearly impossible at the moment.
She hoped that one day, she could possess the strength to protect Lan Si instead of being protected by him. For this reason, she had always worked hard in her training and never dared to slack off.
This was Zhu Zhuqing—a strong girl who dared to challenge her fate because of Lan Si.
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