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A moment later, Yu Xiaogang gradually calmed down. Thinking about Ning Tianchen's surname, he couldn't help but snort,
"Flender, are you trying to make fun of me? His martial soul is the Seven Kill Sword—how could he not bear the surname 'Chen'?"
Yu Xiaogang knew a thing or two about the Seven Kill Sword and the Chen family.
He was certain that the Chen family had completely fallen into obscurity. The current heir was none other than Chen Xin, who had no descendants. Even if someone outside the family were to awaken the Seven Kill Sword as their martial soul, Chen Xin would surely bring them back into the family and have them change their surname to "Chen."
Thus, in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, there was no doubt that Flender was deliberately fabricating some fictional character just to show off.
Flender looked bewildered, failing to understand why his old friend had suddenly become so angry.
"Xiaogang, what's the problem here?"
Surnames were inherited from one's parents. Why should someone change their surname simply because of their martial soul?
For instance, there were plenty of soul masters across the continent who had awakened dragon-type martial souls, yet none of them changed their surnames to "Yu"!
"Heh, Flender, stop bragging. Is it really that hard for you to admit that Xiao San is exceptional?" Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his face filled with indignation.
Flender couldn't follow his logic, but he didn't want to offend him either. "Xiaogang, wait until they return and see the situation for yourself. By the way, regarding the team…"
The issue between Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing had been a constant headache for him.
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang seemed to no longer think that Flender had made up Ning Tianchen's name out of thin air. However, how could Tang San, who possessed twin martial souls and had reached full innate soul power at birth, be surpassed in cultivation by someone else?
"Their conflict stems from an arranged marriage between them, right?" Yu Xiaogang zeroed in on the key point.
Flender nodded.
As for whether Ning Tianchen truly surpassed Tang San as Flender claimed, Yu Xiaogang would personally verify it. For now, resolving the tension within the team was the most pressing matter—it directly affected whether the team could continue functioning effectively.
Yu Xiaogang quickly got to work. Within minutes, he had come up with several solutions.
The simplest approach would be to suppress one party while appeasing the other. However, given both sides' strong backgrounds and obstinate personalities, this method was far from ideal.
Getting Dai Mubai to back down and having both sides compromise would be the best solution—but also the most unrealistic.
"Help them understand the benefits of teamwork and gradually de-emphasize the issue. That's the most feasible option."
Flender nodded in agreement. As for the specifics of implementation, he left it entirely in Master Yu's capable hands.
"Xiaogang, I'll leave the team in your hands. There's no need to report anything to me. It's all for the children—I just hope the team can remain harmonious."
Yu Xiaogang, brimming with confidence, rose to his feet and gazed out the window. "Heh, Tang San is my disciple. No matter what, I'll ensure the team is led properly."
Just then, a knock sounded at the principal's office door.
It was Li Yusong, here to request funds for the academy's ongoing expenses.
"Principal, we have a guest?" Upon entering, Li Yusong shot a puzzled glance at Yu Xiaogang.
The man's soul power level was abysmally low—far below even his own. How could someone like this receive such preferential treatment from the principal?
Flender, smiling warmly, introduced them. "Old Li, let me introduce you to my old friend I mentioned earlier—Master Yu Xiaogang."
"Xiaogang, this is one of our academy's teachers, Li Yusong."
"So you're Master Yu, huh? I've heard a lot about you," Li Yusong said politely, giving a slight bow.
Yu Xiaogang turned and waved dismissively. "No need for formalities, Old Li. I'm here for the children. Moving forward, I'll need your cooperation."
Li Yusong's lips twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
Did Yu Xiaogang fail to realize that his greeting had been casual?
And saying "no need for formalities"—did this guy think he was the master here?
Out of respect for Flender, Li Yusong didn't lash out, but his attitude grew noticeably colder. "Principal, Master Yu, I'll leave you two to talk. I'll come back later."
After seeing Li Yusong off, Flender suddenly remembered something.
At the start of the semester, Li Yusong had mentioned that the book Flender had entrusted him to sell had been purchased by Ning Tianchen.
If memory served, Flender had only given Li Yusong one book—the very 'Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls' that Yu Xiaogang had gifted him.
"Xiaogang, there's something I feel I should tell you."
"What is it?"
Flender continued, "Xiaogang, the book you gave me—I believe I had Old Li pass it on to Ning Tianchen. At the time, I did it to entice him to enroll here."
Before he could finish, Yu Xiaogang chuckled. "Heh, so that's how it is. It seems Ning Tianchen must have achieved his current strength by studying my theories. In that case, I suppose I share some connection with him."
Flender followed along, adding a few words of agreement.
Yu Xiaogang remarked with satisfaction, "I'm starting to look forward to meeting this young man. If his talent is commendable, I wouldn't mind making an exception again and taking him on as my disciple."
Flender reminded him, "Xiaogang, Tianchen is a disciple of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect. He might already have a teacher."
Yu Xiaogang shrugged it off. "I'll teach him theoretical knowledge about soul masters. As for martial soul cultivation, it doesn't matter if he has another teacher. Ultimately, the choice will be his."
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A few days later, the Shrek group finished their spirit hunting and began heading back toward the academy.
"Now that Rongrong has advanced to Soul Lord, we now have six Soul Lords. Heh, it looks like your next phase of training will include team dueling," Zhao Wuji said with a smile.
Aside from the encounter with the Titan Ape, this spirit hunt had gone relatively smoothly overall.
Ning Tianchen exchanged glances with the others but didn't bring up leaving the academy at this time.
"Zhuqing, for the two-on-two duels, it'll have to be just the two of us teaming up," Ma Hongjun said with a lewd grin.
Dai Mubai shot him a venomous glare.
Zhao Wuji grabbed Ma Hongjun by the ear and scolded him. "Hongjun, look at how pleased you are with yourself. You have the lowest soul power level in the team, yet instead of striving to improve, you act proud of it?"
"It looks like I'll need to give you some extra attention when we get back."
"No, no, no, Teacher Zhao, I was wrong!" Ma Hongjun, cowardly despite his mischief, begged for mercy with a pitiful expression.
Xiao Wu shot him a disdainful look but said nothing more.
Ordering the Titan Ape to discipline the two of them had been the right call. After all, those two truly deserved it—especially Ma Hongjun.
"By my calculations, Teacher should have arrived by now. I wonder if he'll be disappointed when he sees the state of our team," Tang San sighed inwardly.
Xiao Wu quickly asked, "Oh, Teacher Zhao, which of us will participate in the team duels?"
The scale of team duels in the Grand Spirit Arena ranged from seven to ten participants. If the team competed with eight members, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun would undoubtedly be part of the lineup.
Zhao Wuji wasn't responsible for leading the team to the duels, so he shook his head. "Everything will be decided by the principal. Team duels carry significant weight in the Grand Spirit Arena. If you want to quickly earn Silver Dueling Badges, you'll need to secure multiple victories in team battles."
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