From the moment they left the Suotuo City Grand Hotel and walked back to the inn, Tang San's mind kept replaying the entire battle in the soul fight against the Emperor Team—or more specifically, against Lan Si.
For him, this wasn't just a simple win or loss.
His pride, accumulated over the years since his rebirth as a disciple of the Tang Sect, had been utterly shattered.
Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang had once told him that the Shrek Seven Monsters were the most talented team he had ever seen. While they might lose to teams with older soul masters, they would never lose to their peers.
If the entire Emperor Team had defeated the Shrek Seven, Tang San might have consoled himself by pointing out that the Emperor Team was older and had higher spirit power.
But this time, it was a single peer who defeated them—Lan Si, and he did it without any help from others.
First, Lan Si used incredible speed to instantly eliminate their two support-type soul masters. Then, with his plant-based spirit, he resisted the evil fire from the Phoenix and reflected it back, eliminating it. His third spirit skill easily took down Zhu Zhuqing, who wasn't weak in Tang San's eyes.
After that, Lan Si single-handedly defended against the combined attack of Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Xiao Wu. His Green Lotus Martial Spirit seemed flawless, excelling both offensively and defensively, and even surpassing Tang San's Blue Silver Grass in terms of control.
These scenes kept replaying in Tang San's mind. Lan Si's powerful variant green fire lotus martial spirit had shaken him to his core.
Tang San was a determined person. In his previous life, he risked being hunted by the Tang Sect to obtain the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record. This life was no different.
So, after returning to the inn, he said goodbye to Xiao Wu and Yu Xiaogang and didn't return to the room he shared with Oscar. Instead, he rented a room for himself to reflect and sort out his thoughts.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't return to the inn with them either. Just before they left the Suotuo City Grand Hotel, Ye Lingling had asked her to stay. This had been arranged by Lan Si.
Everyone understood, but no one said anything—after all, Zhu Zhuqing and Lan Si were a confirmed couple now. Even Dai Mubai had no choice but to swallow his frustration.
Watching Tang San's dejected figure, aside from Zhu Zhuqing, the other five members of the Shrek Seven Monsters felt similarly dispirited.
They empathized with Tang San. Since the formation of the Shrek Seven Monsters, they had won their first team soul fight against the ruthless Mad Battle Team, whose entire team had spirit power a whole level higher.
Since then, they had enjoyed smooth victories, winning 27 team matches without a single loss. But today, they suffered their greatest defeat. The Shrek Seven Monsters had been powerless against a single person, Lan Si.
Even though Tang San had brought out his secret weapon, the Eight Spider Lances, and the deadly Zhuge Divine Crossbow that had killed a 2,000-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider, it wasn't enough. He had nearly revealed his second martial spirit, yet the battle couldn't be salvaged.
In the end, they hadn't even managed to touch Lan Si's clothes.
Xiao Wu wanted to follow Tang San and comfort him, but she couldn't bring herself to take a step forward. She knew that approaching him now would only trouble him more. Helpless, she threw herself into the arms of Ning Rongrong, another female member of the team, and quietly sobbed, her tears blurring her vision.
"Cough, cough." Shrek Academy's dean, Flender, noticed the strange atmosphere among the group. Slightly tipsy, he awkwardly coughed and changed the subject, "This past month has been intense for everyone. Let's all rest."
Hearing this, everyone dispersed, leaving only Flender and Yu Xiaogang behind.
"Xiaogang, you're Xiao San's teacher. Right now, you're probably the only one who can talk to him." Flender patted Yu Xiaogang on the shoulder seriously.
Yu Xiaogang nodded solemnly. He didn't go directly to Tang San, knowing that everyone has barriers in their hearts. He had once felt the same way when his spirit power had been unable to break through the 30th rank. He had fallen into a slump until he found a new path as a soul master theorist, which had led him to successfully nurture a talent like Tang San.
Since he had managed to overcome it, he believed his disciple, Tang San, would too.
However, he decided to give Tang San some time to calm down before speaking with him as a mentor.
The night passed quietly.
The next morning, the Emperor Team departed for Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. Zhu Zhuqing, though reluctant to part from Lan Si, returned to the inn where the Shrek team was staying. Meanwhile, Tang San remained in his room, sitting dazedly on his bed, having not slept all night.
He hadn't practised cultivation, nor had he eaten breakfast. He just sat there, lost in thought, and if no one disturbed him, he might stay like this for several days.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Yu Xiaogang's voice called from outside, "Xiao San, open the door. I want to talk to you."
If it had been anyone else, Tang San would have ignored them, but he respected Yu Xiaogang. Hearing his teacher's voice, he slowly got up and opened the door, forcing a smile. "Teacher, come in."
Yu Xiaogang, carrying breakfast, noticed Tang San's weary, bloodshot eyes and tired demeanor, and frowned slightly as he entered the room.
"It looks like you didn't sleep all night. Eat something first, and we can talk while you eat." Yu Xiaogang placed the food on the bedside table, pulled up a chair, and sat down.
"Teacher, I—" Tang San wanted to say he wasn't hungry, but seeing Yu Xiaogang's stern gaze, he swallowed his words and took a few bites.
The room fell into a brief silence before Yu Xiaogang sighed and asked, "Tell me, what have you been thinking about all night?"
Tang San replied, "I've been wondering where I fall short compared to Lan Si."
Yu Xiaogang continued, "So, what do you think?"
Tang San hesitated, "In many aspects—speed, strength, reaction time. In almost every way, I'm inferior to him. And most importantly, our martial spirits. My Blue Silver Grass is far weaker than his Green Lotus. If, in our final confrontation, my martial spirit had been stronger, maybe the outcome would've been different."
Yu Xiaogang sighed, "Yes, even I have to admit I underestimated him. Lan Si is related to that girl with the Nine Heart Begonia martial spirit, which is as strong as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. This means that his Green Lotus is a variant of the Nine Heart Begonia. The higher the quality of a martial spirit, the less likely it is to mutate, and even if it does, it often mutates for the worse. But in Lan Si's case, his mutation has clearly been beneficial, granting him extraordinary combat strength."