"How much did we make, Flender?" Seeing Flender return to the rest area, Yu Xiaogang hurriedly asked.
The anger in Flender's eyes subsided as he slumped onto the sofa, sighing repeatedly. "All of our uniforms… they're gone."
Hearing him recount what had happened, Yu Xiaogang became agitated and nearly jumped out of bed, loudly questioning, "Flender, how exactly do you handle things? Ten thousand sets of uniforms—this is how you sold them?!"
"Xiaogang, calm down," Liu Erlong quickly interjected. "There must be some hidden circumstances here. Flender, stop beating around the bush. Who was behind this? Are the city guards blind? How could they let these people rampage like this?"
Flender had no way to explain himself.
The match tactics were all arranged by Tang San and Yu Xiaogang. If they hadn't humiliated the Imperial second team so badly, would the guards have piled on when they were already down?
Since it had already happened, Flender—who had never been one to shift blame—took everything silently.
"Uncle Xiaogang, money can always be earned back. It's not like Principal Flender did it on purpose," said Yu Tianxin.
Yu Xiaogang turned his head away and stopped speaking.
Liu Erlong sighed. "Tianxin, Shrek Academy only has a little over three hundred gold soul coins left in its account. The commemorative uniform business went bankrupt—we lost everything. With just that amount, the academy won't last more than a few days."
"What?!" Yu Tianxin was stunned.
He knew that Blue Tyrant Academy, which had been funded by his family in the past, was struggling, but he hadn't expected it to be this bad.
It wasn't Liu Erlong's fault. Back when Blue Tyrant Academy had many students, even though tuition fees weren't high, they at least maintained a balanced budget without running into deficits.
But after Seven Treasures Academy emerged, they suffered a huge blow, losing eighty percent of their students.
Now, those who chose to join Shrek Academy were mostly rejects from other academies.
Once caught in this vicious cycle, Shrek Academy's future would hang by a thread.
In contrast, Thunderclap Academy attracted students mainly due to the reputation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family. When Seven Treasures Academy recruited students, Thunderclap Academy barely lost any—less than ten percent of their enrollment.
"That's the situation. Compared to the major academies in the city, Shrek Academy has absolutely no competitive edge," Liu Erlong said helplessly.
If Shrek Academy were demoted to a mid-level soul master academy, their competitiveness would increase significantly.
But once demoted, there was no chance of returning to the status of a high-level soul master academy.
After all, mid-level soul master academies didn't even qualify to participate in the Soul Master Tournament.
Flender had spent over twenty years striving for eligibility to compete—how could he give up easily?
"This tournament's performance will determine whether Shrek Academy can rise again from the ashes," Yu Xiaogang straightened his expression and placed his right hand on Yu Tianxin's shoulder. "Tianxin, if you can join the Shrek Team, our strength will improve. We'll likely achieve good results on the finals stage."
"Xiaogang, are you mad?" Flender stood up, grabbed his arm, and shook his head. "Tianxin is part of the Thunderclap Team—how can he possibly join our Shrek Team?"
Liu Erlong also felt confused.
But having long admired Yu Xiaogang, she didn't suspect him of lying.
Yu Tianxin didn't oppose joining the Shrek Team, but he wanted to know—what method did Yu Xiaogang plan to use to get the organizing committee to agree?
Yu Xiaogang kept it vague. "I can't go into specifics, but trust me—I can get Tianxin to join the Shrek Team."
Flender didn't get excited over this and instead turned to ask Yu Tianxin directly, "Tianxin, are you willing to join the Shrek Team?"
Yu Tianxin responded solemnly, "The Thunderclap Team is destined to be eliminated, and I don't want to sink with them. Therefore, joining the Shrek Team is the only choice."
---
Later that evening, the members of the Shrek Team gradually woke up.
After the day's matches ended, the arena didn't allow lingering, so the Shrek group rented a carriage and returned to the academy.
Notably, Yu Tianxin accompanied them to Shrek Academy.
On the way, Yu Xiaogang called Tang San out of the carriage for a private conversation.
"Xiao San, you've already seen the gap today. Neither Mubai nor Tianheng could stand up to Ning Tianchen. So, are you still determined to stick to your original plan?"
Yu Xiaogang knew Tang San's stubborn nature well. Saying this would only strengthen his resolve.
Today, after being humiliated by Ning Tianchen, Yu Xiaogang knew he had no hope of revenge with his own strength, so he intended to rely on Tang San to settle the score.
"Teacher, I must train with the Hao Tian Hammer. Otherwise, even if Tianxin joins us, we still won't be able to defeat the Seven Treasures Team," Tang San clenched his fists tightly, his tone heavy and his gaze unwavering.
Yu Xiaogang patted his shoulder and smiled. "Recognizing the gap is what drives us to catch up. Everyone's spirits are low after today's loss. Once we're back at the academy, work on lifting everyone's morale."
Tang San nodded solemnly.
Back at Shrek Academy, Tang San immediately gathered the Shrek Seven Monsters.
Beforehand, Yu Xiaogang had talked to Yu Tianxin, and the latter agreed to assist Tang San in motivating everyone.
"Today's defeat made us deeply realize the strength of the Seven Treasures Team. But having a goal allows us to—"
Before Tang San could finish, Yu Tianheng interrupted. "Tang San, don't waste your energy. When I first met Ning Tianchen, his soul power level was five levels lower than mine. But so what? I still lost to him."
"After all this time, his soul power level is now five levels higher than mine. Today, both Mubai and I fought with everything we had, and we didn't even manage to gain an inch of advantage."
His eyes seemed to have lost their usual spark, and his attitude was unusually despondent.
It wasn't just him—the others in the Shrek Seven Monsters shared the same sentiment.
Ma Hongjun even blurted out, "One beating is enough. Next time we encounter them, let's just surrender."
Bang!
Tang San slammed his fist heavily on the table. "What's wrong with all of you? Where's the pride and confidence you used to have? Ning Tianchen wasn't fighting alone—he had Oscar and Ning Rongrong's boosts, along with Bao Zhen, Huang Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing covering for him. That's what makes a team!"
"And look at you—all moping around like wilted eggplants. Are you heading to a funeral or something?"
Yu Tianxin took over. "Even if it's mourning, it should be for our enemies, not for ourselves."
"From the stands today, I saw everything clearly. Ning Tianchen defeated you in such a manner to crush your spirit. He wants you to cower whenever you face the Seven Treasures Team in the future!"
"Are you willing to accept that?"
Yu Tianxin continued, "Uncle Xiaogang told me that the Shrek Seven Monsters are monsters among monsters. What does that mean? It means geniuses among geniuses. Your talent surpasses almost every soul master on the continent."
"If you surrender now, are you okay with that? Do you really think your talent is inferior to the Seven Treasures Team's?!"
With that, the Shrek group fell into silence.
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