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For the first time, Tang Wulin felt that Old Tang was unreliable.
In his heart, Tang Wulin instinctively trusted Old Tang—not just trusted, but somewhat relied on him.
So when Old Tang had said he would handle the issue of the cultivation technique, Tang Wulin hadn't asked for details. He believed Old Tang could take care of it.
However, during the recent battle, Tang Wulin not only suffered a crushing defeat but also received this message from Old Tang at the same time.
Already feeling defeated and disheartened, Tang Wulin now faced another layer of disappointment.
Though Tang Wulin understood that being defeated in three spears might have delayed Old Tang's intervention—perhaps contributing to his oversight—it was difficult to detect certain psychological shifts even within himself.
It wasn't that he had lost trust entirely, but Old Tang no longer seemed omnipotent in Tang Wulin's eyes.
"I just helped you resist one of Xu Yuan's mental soul skills. The strain is significant, so I need to go into hibernation for a while." Feeling embarrassed, Old Tang used the excuse of needing to rest and retreated, no longer responding to Tang Wulin.
At this moment, Xu Yuan felt a sense of unease.
Although he had emerged victorious, he hadn't forgotten that he had used his Dream Realm Space twice. The first time, though he had locked eyes with Xie Xie, this wasn't like the Sharingan—it didn't require direct eye contact to pull someone into the illusion. It wasn't about the eyes at all; it was the Dream Demon's innate talent, a unique application of spiritual power.
Thus, under the impact of spiritual force, the range of this illusion could be quite extensive.
However, Tang Wulin had somehow completely resisted the first Dream Realm Space.
Fortunately, Xie Xie was too weak. After Xu Yuan repelled him with a single strike, he was still able to pursue Tang Wulin, forcing Xu Xiaoyan to use her soul skill.
"Is Tang San's divine consciousness currently awakened?" Xu Yuan wondered inwardly.
Aside from this possibility, he couldn't think of any other reason why Tang Wulin could have resisted his Dream Realm Space's mental impact.
Something was off.
"So, Tang Wulin's blood power explosion was even stronger than expected—did Tang San intervene?"
Why would Tang San intervene?
This was what puzzled Xu Yuan the most.
With the God Realm gone, Tang San's divine consciousness wasn't like a portable charger that could be recharged anytime and anywhere. It wasn't as easy as during Tang Wutong's era to make an appearance casually.
The reason Xu Yuan hadn't attempted to devour Tang Wulin's blood and qi during the battle—aside from fearing contamination from the Golden Dragon King's bloodline—was also related to this.
Tang San was watching, so Xu Yuan couldn't recklessly experiment.
"Brother Xu Yuan, it's hard to imagine how you've trained to reach this level," Tang Wulin said with a bitter smile, genuinely convinced of Xu Yuan's strength. "We're the same age, yet you've become this powerful."
Xu Yuan chuckled and pointed to his head.
"A good brain is a valuable thing."
Since Tang San had awakened earlier, there was no point in hiding the existence of his dual martial souls. Thus, Xu Yuan didn't conceal it.
Among Zero Class's members, Xu Yuan's dual martial souls were now exposed.
Fortunately, these few weren't loose-lipped.
Moreover, even if Xu Yuan's current talents were revealed, it wouldn't cause much trouble.
Over the past three years, Shrek Academy's attention on him had steadily increased. It could be said that Xu Yuan's safety level was very high.
Perhaps the new generation of Shrek's Seven Monsters hadn't been officially chosen yet, and the opportunity and candidates to form a team with Xu Yuan hadn't arisen. However, there was no doubt that the academy already valued him at this level.
Who in the outside world would dare to make a move against him?
Of course, not clinging tightly to the secret of his dual martial souls didn't mean he had to flaunt his talents everywhere.
He would simply let things unfold naturally.
If it became necessary during a battle, he wouldn't hide his abilities to the point of injuring himself unnecessarily.
As Tang Wulin and the others watched Xu Yuan leave, their hearts were filled with mixed emotions.
They had lost this battle miserably.
Even the usually lively Xie Xie was now silent, feeling uneasy.
"What? Are you questioning your own talent after one failure?" A cold voice rang out beside the three.
Wu Changkong had already left the VIP box and now stood before them.
His tone was icy.
The battle had been lost—a crushing defeat—and he was dissatisfied, so naturally, he was cold.
However, Wu Changkong was also aware that the loss was due to Xu Yuan's overwhelming strength.
"Teacher Wu, can the three of us really catch up to such a monster?" Xie Xie was the most devastated.
Though his timing had been forced earlier, he had been fully charged, and both his sprint and momentum were at their peak. Yet, he had been repelled by Xu Yuan's spear and hadn't been able to stop Xu Yuan from advancing with his next strike.
Wu Changkong took a deep breath and looked at the three of them. "Do you know how many resources Xu Yuan has consumed to reach his current level? It's only natural that he's stronger than you. But this won't last forever. The foundational heavenly treasures can still be spent, but truly precious ones aren't as common. His rate of progress won't remain this large indefinitely."
"Battle Armor Masters—this is your only chance to surpass him."
Wu Changkong looked at the three of them and gave them a clear path forward.
"Xu Yuan has a weakness: his secondary profession is only at level three."
Only?
Xie Xie let out a bitter laugh.
The word "only" stung deeply.
At ten years old, Xu Yuan was already a level-three professional, while he himself had barely reached level two.
On the other hand, Tang Wulin was greatly encouraged.
After all, he was strictly speaking already a level-four blacksmith.
"Due to some special circumstances, Xu Yuan's advancement in his secondary profession will be slower. This is something you can catch up to," Wu Changkong said to Tang Wulin, then turned to look at the dejected Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan.
"He started learning his secondary profession at six years old. How long have you two been formally studying yours?"
With this explanation, Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan felt relieved.
Yes, viewed this way, they still had a chance to catch up to or even surpass Xu Yuan in their secondary professions.
And excelling in their secondary profession would give them an advantage in crafting battle armor.
There would still be opportunities.
Wu Changkong sighed inwardly.
He hoped that by the time they learned the truth, their minds would be strong enough to handle it.
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At the hotel
Tang Wulin still sought out Wu Changkong.
"Teacher Wu."
Wu Changkong looked at Tang Wulin and sensed no trace of despair in him, which pleased him inwardly.
Among those specializing in secondary professions, Tang Wulin—the dedicated blacksmith—was likely the only one with a real chance of surpassing Xu Yuan.
Thus, his earlier comforting words were most applicable to Tang Wulin.
Wu Changkong was somewhat puzzled by Tang Wulin's late-night visit.
Moreover, judging by his tone and demeanor, it seemed he needed help?
"What is it?" Wu Changkong's outward demeanor was cold, but his inner concern for his students was evident.
"Teacher Wu, I'd like you to help me make a connection," Tang Wulin said hesitantly, but ultimately mustered the courage to speak.
"A connection?" Wu Changkong was confused.
"Yes, a connection." Tang Wulin explained his request.
"I can sense that the cultivation technique Brother Xu Yuan and Xu Lizhi are practicing aids digestion and is highly beneficial for blood cultivation. So I hope, Teacher Wu, that you can help investigate the origins of this technique. If possible, I'd like to negotiate with Brother Xu Yuan to learn this technique."
Wu Changkong frowned deeply.
This was a very tricky task.
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