Tang Hao had several reasons for agreeing to let Tang San apprentice under the "worthless" Yu Xiaogang.
First, Yu Xiaogang's background: he was not only the son of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's patriarch but also the former lover of the current Pope, Bibi Dong.
Second, Yu Xiaogang's theoretical knowledge: he possessed extensive expertise regarding both the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and Spirit Hall's understanding of martial spirits. In this domain, Yu Xiaogang truly excelled.
As the son of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan patriarch, and Tang Hao being the former heir to the Clear Sky Clan, it was impossible for these two to not have known each other, even if their innate talents differed.
From the beginning, neither Tang Hao nor Yu Xiaogang had placed much importance on the Blue Silver Grass martial spirit.
Tang Hao knew that Tang San's martial spirit was an unawakened Blue Silver Emperor, but so what? Could the Blue Silver Emperor ever surpass the Clear Sky Hammer?
The Clear Sky Hammer came with an entire suite of self-created spirit techniques: Ring Detonation and the Great Sumeru Hammer.
These techniques were the foundation of the Clear Sky Hammer's reputation as the strongest tool spirit, capable of even dominating divine martial spirits.
The Blue Silver Emperor's martial spirit quality might match the Clear Sky Hammer, but who would teach Tang San how to unlock its full potential? The Blue Silver Emperor's power lay dormant and forgotten.
Hearing Yu Xiaogang's suggestion, Tang San turned to face him.
"Then, teacher, you must be careful," he warned.
Yu Xiaogang was a lifelong Spirit Grandmaster, unable to surpass level 30. Tang San feared his Blue Silver Grass might unintentionally harm him.
Furthermore, Yu Xiaogang's martial spirit was a mutated beast-type spirit, yet it lacked the defensive capabilities typical of beast spirit masters. His physical strength was only marginally better than that of an ordinary person, comparable to an auxiliary-type spirit master of the same level.
"First Spirit Ability: Blue Silver Bind!"
Tang San's first spirit ring lit up, and the Blue Silver Grass in his hands grew wildly, wrapping Yu Xiaogang tightly like a cocoon.
As Tang San prepared to release the ability and free Yu Xiaogang, something utterly baffling happened.
Without using any spirit power, Yu Xiaogang casually exerted a bit of strength and easily broke free of the Blue Silver Grass's bindings.
The two stared at each other in stunned silence.
After a long pause, Yu Xiaogang finally spoke.
"This... is a bit weak, isn't it?"
Tang San: "..."
Previously, when Tang San used Blue Silver Bind to restrain a Spirit Elder, his opponent had to use their full spirit power to break free.
Now, Yu Xiaogang—a Spirit Grandmaster with physical strength comparable to an auxiliary master—had broken free effortlessly, without even using spirit power.
Yu Xiaogang's mouth twitched, his eyelid twitching in frustration.
Weak? That didn't even begin to cover it. If Tang San relied solely on the Blue Silver Grass in battle, Yu Xiaogang believed he could easily defeat the level 49 Spirit Elder Tang San.
According to his plans, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass martial spirit should have been weak but not hopelessly so—perhaps only countered by fire-element spirit masters.
But when Tang San absorbed his third spirit ring, he had chosen poorly, leading to his Blue Silver Grass martial spirit devolving into its current state.
"Teacher, is there any way to save my Blue Silver Grass martial spirit?" Tang San asked, his brow furrowed in worry.
Given the choice, who wouldn't want to grow stronger?
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang fell into deep thought.
Technically, saving the Blue Silver Grass wasn't impossible. The solution lay in future spirit ring selections. Specifically, rings that enhanced the toughness of the Blue Silver Grass.
One ten-thousand-year ring might not be enough; perhaps two would be necessary.
But to invest two ten-thousand-year spirit rings solely to enhance the first spirit ability? That was unheard of in the spirit master world.
Still, without toughness, what could the Blue Silver Grass even do? Even ten-thousand-year spirit techniques could be easily broken.
"By all accounts, your Blue Silver Grass martial spirit is ruined," Yu Xiaogang admitted bluntly. He hesitated before continuing, "But if you were to absorb one or two spirit rings specifically to enhance its toughness, there might still be hope."
"Teacher, if my fifth and sixth spirit rings both come from Mandala Snakes, they could provide significant toughness to the Blue Silver Grass. The resulting spirit abilities would likely be additional binding techniques…"
As Tang San spoke, even he felt a bit numb at the thought of having six spirit abilities, with three of them being variations of Bind.
Yu Xiaogang shared his exasperation but, after some thought, concluded it wasn't entirely unfeasible.
Most importantly, there weren't many other viable options.
Yu Xiaogang nodded.
"It's worth trying."
"By the way, Xiao San," Yu Xiaogang continued. "Your Blue Silver Grass martial spirit is already a lost cause. You can experiment as you like. However, your Clear Sky Hammer absolutely must not absorb any more spirit rings!"
"I suspect that the Blue Silver Grass's degradation is related to the fact that your second martial spirit has started absorbing spirit rings. Unfortunately, I don't have the theoretical knowledge to confirm this."
Tang San nodded, agreeing immediately. He also feared that continuing to add rings to the Clear Sky Hammer might lead to his father hammering him to death!
After a pause, Yu Xiaogang seemed to make a difficult decision. He turned to Tang San and said,
"Xiao San, I need to go to Spirit City. I'll be gone for a while. During that time, I won't be able to watch your matches."
Tang San blinked in surprise. Why would Yu Xiaogang go to Spirit City alone?
"Also, while I'm away, it's best that you avoid Spirit City altogether!"
Tang San: "???"
Yu Xiaogang was well aware of what had happened between Tang Hao and Qian Xunji. With Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer now exposed, setting foot in Spirit City would be suicidal.
Yu Xiaogang intended to personally speak with Bibi Dong to uncover the secret of cultivating twin martial spirits and to ensure Tang San's safety.
"With my relationship with Bibi Dong, it shouldn't be a problem," Yu Xiaogang thought.
He had never intended to return to Spirit City in his lifetime. But after meeting Tang San, Yu Xiaogang had resolved to train him and make him the ultimate proof that those who had looked down on him were wrong.
Now, circumstances forced him to act sooner than he had planned.
"Teacher, why?" Tang San asked, puzzled.
After the Heaven Dou qualifiers, the competition would proceed to the Empire's promotion tournament and then to the finals.
This year's finals weren't set to take place in Spirit City but rather at the border between the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires, overseen by Spirit Hall for impartiality.
Still, Yu Xiaogang feared Spirit Hall might relocate the finals to Spirit City upon learning of Tang San's identity.
With Shrek Academy's strength, they were guaranteed a spot in the finals. But if Spirit Hall laid a trap in Spirit City, even if Tang San wanted to escape, he'd be trapped.
Only by going ahead to speak with the Pope could Yu Xiaogang ensure Tang San's safety.
"Your father…" Yu Xiaogang began.
(End of Chapter)