The next morning, everyone gathered at the training field, summoned by the bell. From a distance, Su Ming noticed that Yu Xiaogang and Flender were already waiting. On the surface, Yu Xiaogang didn't seem much different from the day before, except for a hint of sorrow in his expression.
Once everyone had gathered, Yu Xiaogang stepped forward and said in a serious tone, "Now that everyone's here, let's go over the shortcomings from the third group battle yesterday. We postponed this until today due to... some unexpected incidents."
"First of all, Tang San, you bear the primary responsibility for yesterday's failure!"
He continued, "Xiao San, knowing full well that Xiao Wu's strength far exceeds yours, you didn't prioritize guarding against her charm skill. As a result, Ning Rongrong was eliminated immediately!"
"If you had been more cautious, even with Xiao Wu's teleportation, your reaction speed would have been fast enough to protect Ning Rongrong. With her support, it wouldn't have been impossible for the three of you to defeat Xiao Wu! But instead…"
Tang San hadn't expected his teacher to call him out so bluntly. But it was true that the battle was lost due to his mistakes.
His emotions had been in turmoil, and his focus had been solely on Xiao Wu, which led him to neglect activating his Purple Demon Eye in time. That's how he fell prey to her charm.
Moreover, Xiao Wu's first teleportation move seemed to anticipate his thoughts, as she appeared in front of him rather than in front of Ning Rongrong. It felt like a diversion tactic, and he misjudged the situation.
Thus, Tang San sincerely admitted his mistake, "Teacher, you're right. As a control-type spirit master, I failed to make the necessary preparations, which led to our team's support-type spirit master being taken out instantly. That was my fault!"
Yu Xiaogang didn't want to criticize Tang San, but his mistake yesterday was too significant to overlook. If Yu Xiaogang had sugarcoated the criticism, it would only have backfired.
However, he was satisfied with Tang San's attitude in admitting his fault. He believed that under his guidance, Tang San's future achievements would be unimaginable!
As for becoming a "rootless man" due to Tang San, Yu Xiaogang had accepted that there was nothing he could do. The incident happened too suddenly. Last night, he reflected on it. Since it had already happened, he would just have to move on. Fortunately, Tang San's external spirit bone was powerful, and with his background, his future would surely surpass even that of his father, Tang Hao!
As for his own "root," Yu Xiaogang believed that somewhere in the vast world, there must be a spirit master who could help him recover. After all, the continent had countless varieties of martial spirits—surely, one of them had the capability to help him.
Next, Yu Xiaogang turned to Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, saying, "Rongrong, I know you're a support-type spirit master, and Tang San failed to protect you yesterday, but your reaction time was too slow. You have no self-defense capability. At the very least, you could have tried to run!"
"You're lucky Xiao Wu was a teammate. Otherwise, you'd be dead by now!"
Ning Rongrong felt indignant at Yu Xiaogang's critique. "Even if I tried to run, I can't outrun Xiao Wu's teleportation! How would running help?"
She also thought to herself, "Aren't your reflexes slower than mine? Otherwise, yesterday wouldn't have happened..."
Su Ming frowned slightly upon hearing Yu Xiaogang's comments. His critique of Rongrong seemed out of place. He decided to wait and see what else Yu Xiaogang had to say.
"And Zhuqing," Yu Xiaogang continued, "your performance was the most absurd. You fell for Xiao Wu's charm too, even after seeing what happened to Tang San! You got knocked out so easily!"
Zhu Zhuqing, maintaining her calm demeanor, didn't react to Yu Xiaogang's criticism. She had purposely held back, after all. Now that she understood the true reason behind Yu Xiaogang's battle arrangements, she felt no obligation to play along.
Finally, Yu Xiaogang turned to Xiao Wu, saying, "Xiao Wu, you and Tang San have known each other since childhood and attended Nuoding Academy together for six years. Why did you hit him so hard yesterday?"
Xiao Wu wasn't about to let Yu Xiaogang off easy. She snorted coldly and replied, "It's because you made me fight a one-on-three battle! You said we needed to go all out in this fight to fully assess our abilities. Doesn't that mean I should use my full strength?"
"And since I had to use my full strength, everyone knows my strongest technique is the Eightfold Slam. You've never seen it in action before, so I figured yesterday was the perfect time to show it off against Tang San, right?"
Xiao Wu gave Yu Xiaogang a playful smile and said, "What do you think, Master? Makes sense, doesn't it?"
"And by the way, I went easy on Tang San! Given the gap in our strength, if I hadn't held back, all of Tang San's bones—except maybe his skull—would have been shattered!"
She added with a smirk, "Master, you don't actually think my self-created spirit skill is limited to just eight kicks, do you?"
Yu Xiaogang felt uneasy despite Xiao Wu's smile. Why did it feel a bit menacing? Was it just his imagination?
Quickly changing the subject, Yu Xiaogang turned to the group and declared, "After yesterday's battle, I've gained some understanding of your abilities. To be honest, I'm disappointed!"
Su Ming sighed inwardly, knowing Yu Xiaogang was about to start boasting again.
"I had high expectations when Flender told me that this year's academy recruited several exceptional students. But after witnessing yesterday's performance, I have to say... none of you met the mark! Your combat awareness and skills were lacking!"
Su Ming watched Yu Xiaogang silently, wondering, "Do you even realize what you're saying?"
Sensing Su Ming's gaze, Yu Xiaogang coughed awkwardly and added, "Of course, Su Ming is an exception. His abilities far surpass the rest of you."
Flender, observing Yu Xiaogang's behavior, couldn't help but feel a bit disdainful. "Oh, Xiaogang, what are you doing…?"
Yu Xiaogang then continued, "I won't dwell on this any longer. However, due to your performance yesterday, I've come up with a punishment!"
"I've prepared weighted packs for each of you outside the academy. You will all wear them and run from the academy to Soto City and back—ten times! Understood?"
"Especially you, Ning Rongrong and Oscar. As support-type spirit masters, you need to work on your physical fitness for your own self-defense!"
Flender was shocked by this punishment and whispered, "Xiaogang, you can't be serious, right? Do you even know how far it is from here to Soto City? And without using spirit power?"
The mere thought of the distance brought back memories for Flender—memories of getting beaten by Bone Douluo. This route was far longer than the one he had previously made Ning Rongrong and Oscar run!