Tang San firmly said, "Teacher, this is not your fault. Nine Heart Begonia is an auxiliary-type martial soul, and Lan Si's martial soul mutated from it. Back then, without any data, you correctly judged that Lan Si should pursue the auxiliary path, and that wasn't wrong."
"You sure know how to comfort people." A stiff smile of relief appeared on Yu Xiaogang's face, though it was almost more painful than crying.
Tang San sighed, "In the end, it's still because my Blue Silver Grass martial soul is too weak. Teacher, based on my explorations over the past six years, I feel that my second martial soul is extraordinary. Do you think if I switched to training my second martial soul, would that..."
"No, absolutely not." Yu Xiaogang interrupted Tang San. "Yes, if you chose to train your second martial soul now, with the right soul rings, you could quickly improve your strength, maybe even surpass Lan Si. But have you thought about this: If you start training your second martial soul after reaching level ninety, what kind of soul rings would you be able to get? You might even be able to acquire nine one-hundred-thousand-year soul rings by then."
"Moreover, so what if Lan Si is powerful now? Once you've fully trained your second martial soul, with nine soul rings comparable to his ninth soul ability, do you think he'd still be a match for you?"
Tang San's eyes lit up, and a sense of clarity washed over him. Indeed, what if Lan Si was strong for now? Once his second martial soul was fully developed, not even the older generations of Titled Douluo would stand in his way.
At that time, all the grudges—hurting Xiao Wu, humiliating his master, belittling the Tang Sect techniques—would be settled one by one with Lan Si.
"Lan Si, just you wait."
Seeing Tang San regain his determination, Yu Xiaogang smiled and continued, "And besides, have you noticed? Lan Si is not invincible. Compared to you, he has a fatal flaw and two weaknesses that cannot be overcome. These points will be fully revealed in the Continental Advanced soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. If you seize the opportunity, Lan Si won't be able to cause any trouble."
"Teacher, tell me." Tang San asked excitedly.
Yu Xiaogang's eyes gleamed with wisdom as he smiled. "Heh, first, let's talk about his weaknesses. Compared to you, he only has one martial soul, which is nothing special. But what I want to mention next is his second weakness: external soul bones. Unlike the other six fixed-position soul bones, external soul bones can grow along with the host's power. Once your external soul bone fully evolves, the strength it provides you will be limitless. I believe you've already experienced some of its power by now, haven't you?"
Tang San nodded earnestly and said with a bitter smile, "Indeed. Before using the Eight Spider Lances, I could hardly see Lan Si's speed. But after using them, although I still couldn't keep up with him, at least my eyes could track him. Otherwise, the result of my battle with him would've been no better than Dai Mubai's."
Tang San felt proud of his external soul bone and didn't take Lan Si's remark about "relying on external aids" to heart. So what if it's an external aid?
His teacher, Yu Xiaogang, had once told him that sometimes luck is also part of one's strength.
And if an external soul bone is considered an "aid," then what about the Tang Sect's hidden weapons? They would be even more external aids, so it's nothing but nonsense to dismiss them.
Seeing Tang San's eager interest in his analysis, Yu Xiaogang was pleased and continued, "Now, let's talk about Lan Si's flaw. Every soul master has a flaw, even someone like you with twin martial souls. Only through teamwork can soul masters cover each other's weaknesses and fully unleash their potential. This is an unchanging law in the soul master world, and it's also why the Continental Advanced soul Master Academy Elite Tournament focuses on team battles."
"But Lan Si has gone against this very law. After your team soul battle, I specifically asked the staff at the Suotuo City Grand soul Arena about Lan Si's previous team battles. I reached a conclusion: Lan Si never intended to rely on his teammates. He arrogantly believed that he alone could dominate everything."
"So, before encountering the Shrek Seven Devils, he rarely even participated in team battles. He felt it wasn't necessary, or rather, he disdained it. The only time he did act was when your team severely injured Yu Tianheng. Even then, he faced your team of seven alone, relying on his overwhelming speed to catch you off guard and win by sheer luck."
"But that kind of attitude won't work in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. His arrogance won't be enough to carry his team to the finals. This tournament isn't just about team battles; the best soul academies from across the continent will be sending their strongest soul master teams. Their members may be older than you, but their strength will be immense. There are many teams stronger than Shrek Academy. A single person cannot go far on their own."
Hearing this, Tang San nodded repeatedly, but still had some doubts. He asked, "But what if he really can break this law? What then?"
Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "Impossible."
"But what if he could?" Tang San frowned and asked again.
For some reason, a line Lan Si had once said to Xiao Wu echoed in Tang San's mind: Those who fall before me are never considered my opponents. I'll give you time to catch up, but eventually, I'll be so far ahead that you won't even see me.
That unwavering confidence shook Tang San, despite his two lifetimes of experience, Tang Sect techniques, and twin martial souls.
Yu Xiaogang replied, "Let me put it this way: as of now, no one has ever single-handedly defeated seven soul masters of the same level. Let alone a fully coordinated team. As far as I know, even at the Titled Douluo level, the strongest have only managed to defeat three opponents. And that's with the world's most powerful tool soul, after a battle that lasted three days and three nights. If there were four opponents, the outcome would be uncertain."
"The world's most powerful tool soul? Teacher, what are you talking about?" Tang San asked, confused. Until now, Yu Xiaogang had only mentioned the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the strongest beast soul. He had never heard of the strongest tool soul.
"When the time is right, I'll tell you," Yu Xiaogang said with a mysterious smile.
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