Upon hearing Tang San's words, Grandmaster furrowed his brow deeply and looked at Tang San with a disappointed expression.
"Xiao San, remember this—"
"There are no useless martial soul, only useless soul masters."
Tang San raised his head in confusion, glancing at Grandmaster with a dull look. "Teacher, does that mean… you're one of those useless ones?"
"Yes!" Grandmaster suddenly stood, his eyes gleaming with determination.
"That person is me!"
Suddenly realizing the sarcasm in Tang San's words, Grandmaster coughed awkwardly, glaring at him.
"Still making jokes with your teacher, are you?"
Tang San quickly recognized his slip and apologized. "I'm sorry, Teacher. That wasn't intentional."
Grandmaster waved it off with a wry smile. "Never mind. How's your recovery coming along?"
Tang San clenched his fists, his body still aching from the devastating blows he had suffered. The humiliation inflicted by Ye Ritian burned deep in his soul, becoming his greatest shame.
"Teacher, my injuries are almost healed. By the way, have there been any updates on Ye Ritian's whereabouts?"
Grandmaster hesitated briefly. He couldn't tell Tang San the truth—that Ye Ritian was currently within Spirit Hall and that Tang Hao had already set off to confront him. Tang San didn't need to know about such matters yet.
"Don't worry, Xiao San. We won't let Ye Ritian go unpunished. Debt always finds its debtor. Shrek Academy will not let him escape accountability. For now, your priority is recovery. You need to rest well."
With that, Grandmaster handed Tang San the cold meal that had been sitting outside his door.
Tang San accepted the hard, stale buns and ate reluctantly. Even as he ate, he couldn't stop himself from asking:
"Teacher, is my Blue Silver Grass truly a waste martial soul? I feel like it's nowhere near as powerful as my second martial soul—the hammer."
His encounters with Ye Ritian had shaken his faith completely.
In battle after battle, the Blue Silver Grass had proven inadequate—merely serving as a tool for basic binding. In contrast, his second martial soul, the Clear Sky Hammer, demonstrated immense destructive power.
This had led Tang San to consider abandoning the Blue Silver Grass altogether and focusing solely on the Clear Sky Hammer.
But Grandmaster vehemently opposed this idea!
"No!" Grandmaster exclaimed sternly. "Xiao San, what's gotten into you?"
"You are a twin martial soul master—one of the rarest phenomena in the entire continent! If you abandon the Blue Silver Grass and focus solely on your second martial soul, you might indeed see rapid growth in your strength for a time. But mark my words—this path is fraught with peril.
"Consider this: the first twin martial soul master in a century who added soul rings to their second martial soul before fully cultivating their first… Their body couldn't handle the strain. In the end, they exploded and died."
Grandmaster spoke carefully. "I know you're frustrated—Ye Ritian humiliated you, and Ye Hao hurt Xiao Wu. Trust me, I've seen it all. I've felt your pain.
"But think ahead, Xiao San. When you become a Titled Douluo and begin adding soul rings to your second martial soul, all of them will be over 10,000 years in strength. By that point, who in the soul master world will be your match?"
"As the saying goes, a gentleman takes revenge—ten years is not too long. Yes, you lost your external soul bone, but that's not the end of your journey. Xiao San, pick yourself up. I believe in you."
Grandmaster's words hit Tang San like a revelation. He raised his head, his lost and hollow eyes meeting his teacher's determined gaze.
But moments later, Tang San sighed heavily again.
"Teacher… I really don't think I'm a match for Ye Hao. The last battle made that abundantly clear. Even if I devote myself entirely to the Blue Silver Grass, I still end up being trampled under his feet."
Tang San's expression turned resentful, his fists trembling with frustration.
"Teacher, I can't accept this!"
Reincarnated into this world, with all his martial arts, Mysterious Heaven Skills, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track—how could he still lose to a 'local' like Ye Hao?
(Ye Hao: "???")
"Sigh—"
Grandmaster let out a long sigh, but his tone remained calm. "Actually, Xiao San, Ye Hao is not invincible."
Hearing this, Tang San's eyes brightened. It was as if a ray of light pierced through the dark haze of his despair.
Grandmaster continued confidently, "Do you know why you lost this time?"
Tang San thought for a moment before replying hesitantly, "Because Ye Hao is too cunning? And because of Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing—"
The current state of the Shrek Seven Devils was one of internal division. Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had clearly aligned themselves in one camp, while Tang San and the others formed another.
Tang San couldn't understand why the two girls had distanced themselves from Xiao Wu. Sometimes, their words even bordered on open hostility. If it weren't for their shared academy, Tang San might have…
Grandmaster sighed again.
"Rongrong and Zhuqing's issues can be addressed later. For now, let me analyze the battle for you."
"A successful team relies on mutual trust and coordination. Your team has none of that—there's no unity, no shared strategy. That's why you were utterly crushed.
"And most importantly, Ye Hao's team has a clear advantage in overall strength."
"Now, think about it: a coordinated team versus one that's fractured. Which do you think will win in the end?"
Tang San lowered his head, visibly dejected. "Teacher, I understand all of that. But right now, I only care about one thing—how can I defeat Ye Hao?"
At this moment, Grandmaster truly grasped how deeply Tang San's obsession had taken root.
Even so, Grandmaster pressed on. "Xiao San, don't rush. Every journey starts with a first step. Trust your teacher. With my guidance, you will defeat Ye Hao one day."
"Ye Hao's biggest flaw is his arrogance. The higher he climbs, the harder he'll fall. His cunning is undeniable—during your last battle, he deliberately provoked Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, leading to Dai Mubai's early elimination. In front of tens of thousands of spectators, he humiliated your team with psychological tactics."
"The moment Dai Mubai was taken out, I knew you had already lost."
Grandmaster paused, his gaze sharpening.
"Also, Ye Hao's martial spirit isn't just the Death Spider. It's the Death Spider Emperor."
Tang San's eyes widened in shock. "The Death Spider Emperor!"
"Yes," Grandmaster nodded. "The Death Spider Emperor is one of the most powerful beast-type martial souls, on par with Yu Tianheng's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
"He hides his power well. No wonder his poison is so terrifying. It all makes sense now."
Tang San's hands tightened into fists, his eyes burning with determination. "I will defeat him. One day, I will!"