On the spectator stands, Dai Mubai and Tang San both looked solemn at this moment. Clearly, Yang Xiong's combat power had once again exceeded their expectations.
A hint of anger appeared on Dai Mubai's face: "I told Yang Xiong to go easy, yet he still hit so hard."
Tang San shook his head: "Yang Xiong didn't hit hard, otherwise Zhu Zhuqing wouldn't be unharmed. And I think Yang Xiong seems to have become stronger."
Dai Mubai was puzzled: "How is that possible? His soul power hasn't changed much, and even his speed is about the same as when he usually fights us."
Tang San said: "It's not a matter of speed and strength. I think Yang Xiong's moves are more fluid, the transitions between different moves are faster, and they are more natural. His Self-Created Soul Skill of using softness to overcome hardness should have been successfully developed."
Tang San himself cultivated Crane Control Capturing Dragon. At this moment, he felt that Yang Xiong was no weaker than himself in this regard, and might even be stronger in some aspects.
When Yang Xiong and Zhu Zhuqing returned to the team, Dai Mubai seemed to have some opinions on his face: "Yang Xiong, didn't you promise me not to hit Zhuqing hard? Why did she lose so quickly?"
Before Yang Xiong could say anything, the slightly dejected Zhu Zhuqing behind him spoke: "This time I asked him to use his full strength. You should mind your own business from now on."
Dai Mubai was immediately embarrassed when he heard this and quickly said: "Sorry, I misunderstood you."
"Zhuqing, are you okay?"
Zhu Zhuqing glanced at everyone and turned her head to leave the scene directly, while Dai Mubai quickly followed.
Yang Xiong looked at the two and couldn't help but shake his head. These two had very different personalities. Dai Mubai was unruly, while Zhu Zhuqing seemed a bit gentle, but equally stubborn. He really didn't know how the two of them got together.
Before Yang Xiong could react, he felt a sharp pain in his waist. It was Ning Rongrong beside him pinching him hard.
Ning Rongrong also had a hint of displeasure on her face: "Little Xiongzi, you bullied Zhuqing. Believe it or not, we'll beat you up together."
Yang Xiong said helplessly: "This was Zhu Zhuqing's request. She wanted me to use my full strength to test the gap between us. Besides, I held back in the end, otherwise she wouldn't have just fallen out of the ring."
Ning Rongrong snorted: "She told you to use your full strength and you used your full strength? Can't you go easy? Zhuqing is the most diligent among all of us. If you go easy, it can increase Zhuqing's confidence in training, and maybe she will even think about working hard to catch up with you. As a result, when you used your full strength just now, I'm afraid Zhuqing herself will be hit hard mentally."
Yang Xiong looked at Ning Rongrong's angry little appearance and was also speechless. He always felt like he was caught between a rock and a hard place.
Oscar, however, quickly came over: "Brother Xiong, our match is about to start. You should be fine and can defeat two Soul Elders, right?"
Yang Xiong reluctantly followed Oscar, preparing to participate in the next match.
Oscar, however, had a look of winking and gesturing: "Brother Xiong, have you been single since you were a child?"
Yang Xiong was puzzled: "What does this have to do with being single?"
Oscar immediately spoke in the tone of someone who had been through it: "Brother Xiong, although you are strong, you don't understand girls at all. I originally thought you and Ning Rongrong were getting close, but it seems you still need to study girls' minds more."
"Sometimes you should show weakness, and sometimes even deliberately go easy on girls. Maybe Ning Rongrong will immediately get excited and fall into your arms."
"Especially for a proud little princess like Ning Rongrong, you can't be too strong, otherwise both of you being too strong will easily push each other away."
Yang Xiong looked at Oscar like this and was also speechless, but after thinking about it carefully, what this guy Oscar said did make some sense. No wonder he could pursue Ning Rongrong in the original work.
Finally, Yang Xiong shook his head: "I don't want to think about these things right now. I just want to become stronger as soon as possible."
Oscar had a look of disappointment: "You can't even grasp this opportunity now. If she returns to the sect in the future and is a high and mighty little princess, it will be even more troublesome for you."
"Brother, I've been through this. I advise you to take action as soon as possible, otherwise the cooked duck might fly away."
Yang Xiong: ...
At this moment, Yang Xiong was also speechless. In the original work, Oscar and Ning Rongrong were the official couple. Their combination was even more amazing and sympathetic than other combinations, after all, both were auxiliary Soul Masters, and being together required overcoming layers of obstacles. But now, how did it turn into Oscar guiding himself to pursue Ning Rongrong?
Following that, several more two-person Soul Duel competitions took place. All of these battles were easily won. Even when paired with Oscar against a team of two Soul Elders, it didn't take Yang Xiong much effort.
After this period of training, especially the battles against everyone, Yang Xiong's combat experience had become much richer.
Almost all of Shrek Academy's students seemed to have a winning record. Apart from Zhu Zhuqing, everyone else, whether in two-person battles or team battles, achieved victory, making the teachers exceptionally happy.
According to the academy's arrangements, everyone stayed directly in a hotel in Soto City for the night. Yang Xiong found a luxurious suite, partly for convenient meditation and rest, and partly to facilitate other forms of cultivation.
According to Yu Xiaogang and Flander's second phase training plan, since the last Soul Duel competition of the night would be quite late, everyone would stay in Soto City, and during the day, they would arrange their own time.
For Soul Greatmasters, they could receive ten Gold Soul Coins from Spirit Hall each month, and Soul Elders could receive one hundred Gold Soul Coins. Given the purchasing power of Gold Soul Coins, staying in a hotel was not a problem at all, not to mention the certain rewards for winning each Soul Duel competition, especially after five consecutive wins, where they could earn one hundred Gold Soul Coins per match.
After the Soul Duel competition ended, everyone gathered for a meal. The mood for drinking also became very high, especially since Dai Mubai was treating and specifically thanked Tang San. He was likely thanking him for helping him and Zhu Zhuqing in the team battle.
This was the first time Yang Xiong had drunk alcohol recently. Even without using soul power to dispel the alcohol, his strong physique combined with his drinking experience from his previous life astonished everyone with his capacity.
Everyone was laughing and having a good time. Most of them got drunk, and even the girls drank quite a bit.
It was quite surprising that she drank directly in large gulps, and her alcohol tolerance was extremely astonishing. She basically drank a cup in one go, showing the demeanor of a demoness, even making the boys afraid of her.
In the end, only Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong were completely sober. Oscar even joked while tipsy, saying that Ning Rongrong and Yang Xiong should no longer be called the Seven Treasure Combination, but rather the Wine Bag Rice Sack Combination, since Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong drank the most among everyone, and Yang Xiong ate the most.
...
Early the next morning, after Yang Xiong returned from his morning exercise, there was a sudden knock on his door.
However, when Yang Xiong opened the door, it turned out to be three girls who had come to find him, and they looked quite serious.
Just as Yang Xiong was full of confusion, Ning Rongrong spoke first: "Little Xiongzi, this time it was Zhuqing who wanted to come find you. Xiao Wu and I came along just in case you bullied her."
Yang Xiong helplessly led the three into the room and directly poured each of them a cup of tea in the small outer hall.
"Student Zhu Zhuqing, I wonder what you came to see me about today."
Zhu Zhuqing gritted her teeth before speaking: "Yang Xiong, how much of your strength did you actually use in that battle yesterday?"
Yang Xiong took a sip of tea before replying: "About seventy percent."
According to Yang Xiong's estimation, he had shown about seventy percent of his strength in the Soul Duel Arena yesterday, but if he were fighting for his life, his true strength would probably be less than fifty percent. Yang Xiong liked to hide thirty percent of his strength, whether in soul duels or other situations. At least before removing his weights, no one would know his true combat power.
Zhu Zhuqing's face turned pale when she heard this: "I know there's a big gap between us, but I didn't expect it to be this big. I released two soul skills consecutively and still had no power to fight back."
Yang Xiong shook his head: "Everyone has their own strengths. You don't need to dwell on the strength gap between you and me. Just like Rong Rong, her support is very good, but she doesn't have much combat power."
Ning Rongrong's face darkened: "Little Xiongzi, can't you stop using me as an example? Believe it or not, I'll tell Sword Grandfather that you're bullying me."
Yang Xiong chuckled: "Perhaps that analogy was wrong. Your martial soul and cultivation are geared towards speed, and your stealth ability is also very good. Your strength might not be fully displayed in the Soul Duel Arena, but in terms of intelligence gathering and assassination, especially at night, your combat power can truly be shown."
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head: "I know you're comforting me, but I've worked very hard. I always feel that the gap between me and you is too big. Among everyone, I've always been at the bottom."
Yang Xiong smiled: "Why are you so fixated on this? People perform differently in different situations."
Zhu Zhuqing smiled bitterly: "So what? My fate is like a huge lock. If I can't work hard to become stronger, I'm afraid I won't even have a chance to live."
Just as Yang Xiong was about to say something else, there was another knock on the door. This time, when he opened the door, it was Tang San and Dai Mubai. From their appearance, they were probably looking for the two girls and had inquired around before coming here.
Dai Mubai seemed a little anxious: "Zhuqing, I'll find a way to deal with our matters. Don't think too much."
Zhu Zhuqing was just silent. Although Dai Mubai was at level thirty-seven, the gap between him and their enemies was too great.
After inviting the two to sit down, Yang Xiong glanced at everyone present and couldn't help but sigh. In their situation, it was indeed difficult for an outsider like himself to interfere too much.
Zhu Zhuqing then spoke, "Yang Xiong, how exactly did you become so strong? Why are you so much stronger than me?"
Yang Xiong thought for a moment, then directly took off a wristband from his hand and placed it on the table.
Everyone picked up the wristband and observed it for a while, looking surprised. They hadn't expected a seemingly ordinary wristband on Yang Xiong to weigh ten jin.
Yang Xiong said, "I'm not more talented than you. In fact, my Innate Soul Power was the worst among everyone. But ever since I became a Soul Master, I've worn weights. The so-called weighted training in the first stage is something I've actually experienced countless times since I was a child."
"I know each of you has your own background and even a certain amount of pressure, but I was just the son of an ordinary outer deacon of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect since I was young. I've been diligently cultivating all these years just to make myself stronger, just to be able to control my own destiny."
Ning Rongrong asked with a hint of confusion, "Little Xiongzi, don't you think it's safe enough in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
Yang Xiong smiled, "Where in this world is there any safety to speak of? Relying on others for safety is ultimately like a reflection in the water or a flower in a mirror. No matter what, it can't compare to improving one's own strength. Parents, friends, siblings, lovers, perhaps you can rely on them, but ultimately, you still have to rely on yourself at any time."
"Moreover, although the Soul Master world appears calm, those truly experienced elders know that this world is merely the calm before the storm. Perhaps one day, a shocking battle will erupt and sweep all of us into it. If we don't have enough strength, we will lose our loved ones and friends, and even our own lives."
...
After everyone left, lost in thought, Ning Rongrong remained alone in the room, looking a bit angry.
"Little Xiongzi, what did you mean by that just now? What do you mean by controlling your own destiny?"
Yang Xiong stared intently at Ning Rongrong, "Rong Rong, from beginning to end, you don't understand what kind of person I am. I've always worked hard to become stronger, and I even have various plans of my own, because I don't want to be subservient to anyone my entire life, no matter who they are."
Ning Rongrong seemed completely startled by these words.
Yang Xiong had actually been holding back these words for a long time. His relationship with Ning Rongrong had been getting better recently, and in everyone's eyes, they were even a couple. However, Yang Xiong had always been somewhat reserved.
This wasn't just because of Yang Xiong's personality. Given Yang Xiong's goals, it was impossible for him to truly stay in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect forever as some Sect Guardian Douluo, much less dedicate his entire life to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Yang Xiong had never shown hostility towards anyone, even towards Tang San, whom he only regarded as an ordinary competitor and didn't overly resent.
And Yang Xiong desperately sought out various opportunities because he wanted to become stronger. Even a god wouldn't make him willing to be subservient. Therefore, he wanted to become the strongest person, even the strongest god.
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