Ye Lingling didn't answer directly. Instead, she looked toward Lan Si, seeking his opinion. This surprised everyone from the Shrek team, except Zhu Zhuqing. The girl with the Nine Hearts Begonia spirit valued Lan Si's opinion more than that of her own teacher.
This left Qin Ming feeling awkward, but luckily Lan Si nodded at Ye Lingling, easing the tension a little.
Before long, under the powerful healing ability of Nine Hearts Begonia, the Shrek team's injuries were completely healed, once again showcasing the astonishing healing power of this rare spirit.
"Dean, why hasn't Brother San woken up yet, even though his injuries are healed?" Xiao Wu asked Flander with red eyes, throwing a glare at Lan Si.
Flander walked over to Tang San, examined him, and replied, "There's nothing wrong with him. He's just exhausted his spirit power. After some rest, he'll be fine."
Hearing this, Xiao Wu finally sighed in relief, though her eyes still reflected anger toward Lan Si.
"Dean, this isn't the place for a conversation. After we finish calculating the points, could you and the teachers join us at the Suotuo City Hotel? I have something I'd like to discuss with you," Qin Ming suggested, looking around.
Flander's eyes lit up, "What? Are you planning to treat us?"
Qin Ming was momentarily stunned, but remembering the frugality of his old dean, he played along, "Of course! You're my elder, how could I let you pay?"
"Haha, now that's what I like to hear!" Flander clapped Qin Ming on the shoulder, laughing heartily. Despite having won 100,000 gold soul coins from the match, his stinginess hadn't changed.
The Suotuo City Hotel was close to the Great Spirit Arena, so while Qin Ming and Flander were handling the point calculations, Lan Si led the Shrek team, along with Zhao Wuji, to the hotel and ordered two tables of food—one for students and one for teachers.
The younger generation had more in common, so they naturally found things to talk about. However, due to the recent battle, there was still some tension between the two groups, especially from Dai Mubai, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and the now hairless Ma Hongjun, who decided to sit at the teachers' table instead.
Despite this, it didn't stop Dugu Yan and the others from teasing Lan Si and Zhu Zhuqing.
"Lan Si, I always wondered why you weren't interested in any of the girls at our academy. Not even Lingling—probably because she's your cousin! And now I see you've been hiding a little beauty here in Suotuo City all along!" Dugu Yan teased, sizing up Zhu Zhuqing and admiring her stunning figure.
"Cousin?" Everyone from Shrek, except Zhu Zhuqing, was wide-eyed in surprise.
Ning Rongrong, in particular, had a complex expression. In the world of auxiliary spirit masters, the only real rival to her Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda was Nine Hearts Begonia. If the Nine Hearts Begonia could produce more than one user per generation, the title of the most powerful auxiliary spirit might not belong to her pagoda.
And now, seeing that the Nine Hearts Begonia family had produced such a talented individual like Lan Si shocked her.
"Lan Si, does this mean your spirit is a mutation of Nine Hearts Begonia?" Ning Rongrong couldn't help but ask.
Lan Si was about to respond, but Zhu Zhuqing gently tugged at his sleeve, causing him to pause. He then answered, "You could say that."
Technically, his spirit wasn't solely derived from Nine Hearts Begonia; it had also been greatly enhanced by his cultivation of the Sacred Universe Technique. Without this technique, his Green Lotus spirit wouldn't have surpassed Tang San's Blue Silver Grass at this stage.
At the teachers' table:
Hearing the conversation, Ma Hongjun quietly whispered to Tang San, "Third Brother, no wonder that guy Lan Si is so ridiculously strong. He beat all seven of us from Shrek on his own. It turns out his spirit is a mutation of Nine Hearts Begonia. Even I, a chicken, could evolve into a phoenix, so of course Nine Hearts Begonia could become even more powerful. But wasn't it said that he, like you guys, came from Nuoding Academy? How could someone with such a rare spirit end up at a basic soul master academy?"
At that moment, Tang San was still reeling from the crushing defeat. Lan Si's words, "What have you been doing these past six years?" echoed in his mind. His fists clenched tightly, knuckles turning white from the pressure.
He felt immense frustration. Why was he so powerless?
He had promised to protect Xiao Wu, to avenge her. Yet when he finally met her enemy, not only did he fail to protect her, but he also let her get hurt again. His teacher was humiliated, and even his Tang Sect hidden weapons, which he prided himself on, were thoroughly defeated. Had he chosen the wrong path as a soul master?
No, he hadn't made a mistake. The Tang Sect's hidden weapons were not trivial things, as Lan Si had claimed. As a disciple of the Tang Sect, no one understood the power of its hidden weapons better than Tang San.
His Mysterious Heaven Skill had not yet reached its peak. The higher he climbed, the more powerful his hidden weapons would become, and that would be when the real strength of the Tang Sect's secret techniques would shine.
What about his soul cultivation?
He hadn't made a mistake there either. After all, Blue Silver Grass was a weak spirit, and to have progressed to the point where he could defeat someone like Dai Mubai with a top-tier assault spirit was already an achievement.
So the root of the problem must be this: he lost to Lan Si because his Blue Silver Grass was simply too weak.
If his Blue Silver Grass were stronger, he would have won.
Both of them had used their third spirit abilities, which were spider web-based. Even though his spirit ring had a higher age, Lan Si's technique had overwhelmed him. If his Blue Silver Grass had been stronger, he would have been the victor, not Lan Si.
"Third Brother? Third Brother?" Ma Hongjun nudged Tang San gently, bringing him back to reality.
"Oh, Fatty, what is it?"
"Are you alright?" Ma Hongjun asked, noticing the strange mood Tang San was in. He sighed softly, worried. Before meeting Lan Si, Tang San had been the most impressive young soul master he had ever known. Now, after this crushing defeat and with Xiao Wu injured, the blow was hard to bear. Not just for Tang San, but for all of them.
Shrek's so-called "monsters" had been utterly defeated by a single person. It was a hard pill to swallow.
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