After a long while, the Great Master took a deep breath, steadying the surging emotions in his heart. "Tianheng, perhaps before long, we will meet again. Don't be discouraged by today's defeat. Defeat itself isn't frightening—what's frightening is failing to learn the lessons from it. All of you are individually very strong, but from today's team battle, you clearly didn't bring out your full strength. Otherwise, the outcome would have been far from certain."
Yu Tianheng's heart stirred. "Uncle, you watched our team battle today too? I've brought shame to the family."
The Great Master shook his head. "Do you know where you went wrong?"
Yu Tianheng stared at the Great Master with a somewhat dazed expression. If it had been Qin Ming asking that question, he might have had any number of answers. But the one asking was his own uncle—the uncle with the lowest standing in the entire clan, the one who hadn't even inherited the direct-line Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul. For some reason, he found himself at a loss for words.
The Great Master raised his right hand and gripped Yu Tianheng's shoulder. "You weren't beaten by your opponents. You were beaten by yourself. Your fundamentals, even your application of soul skills—none of them had any problems. The reason you fell into the enemy's trap was because of that pride in your heart. The pride that belongs to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan."
"Pride…" Yu Tianheng gazed at the Great Master, something gradually dawning in his eyes. He was an extremely intelligent young man, and with the successive guidance of the Great Master and Qin Ming, he immediately recognized several critical issues.
"Uncle, rest assured. The next time there's a chance, I will never lose to them again."
A rare hint of a smile appeared on the Great Master's face. "You will have your chance. Because I am the team leader of the Shrek Seven Devils."
"What?" Yu Tianheng was stunned, staring at the Great Master in disbelief. Within the clan, every piece of gossip he'd heard about the Great Master concerned how he possessed a worthless Martial Soul, along with the various episodes that had brought the family shame. Although Yu Tianheng personally didn't care about any of that, he knew perfectly well what the Great Master's true strength was—power that could never break past the thirtieth level!
The Great Master smiled faintly. "Strange, isn't it? Yes, my own strength is not great. But that doesn't mean I can't teach exceptional disciples. It would be an overstatement to say all of the Shrek Seven Devils are my students, but I am their teacher now. My direct disciple is only one. You've already met him—the Control-type Soul Master among the Shrek Seven Devils."
"Him?" The look in Yu Tianheng's eyes shifted. In the team battle just concluded, of the two people who had left the deepest impression on him, one was Dai Mubai, who had been able to go head-to-head with him. The other was Tang San, the one who had controlled the entire flow of the battle.
A sharp gleam flashed through the Great Master's eyes. "One day, I will make the world know that though Yu Xiaogang is a useless man, he can raise an unrivaled genius. Tianheng, I must go now. Remember my words—if you wish to bring out your full strength in every situation and lead your team to ultimate victory, then let go of that pride."
With that, the Great Master looked deeply into Yu Tianheng's eyes, gave his shoulder a firm pat, and turned to walk into the darkness.
"Uncle, can't you teach me too?" Yu Tianheng took a step forward.
The Great Master stopped and gently shook his head. "Tianheng, if the clan found out I was teaching you, what do you think they would do? I imagine I'd immediately become the sworn enemy of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan. If you truly wish to become a great Soul Master, then make my disciple your benchmark. The day you surpass him is the day you will have already reached the summit of the continent's Soul Masters."
"Uncle, why?" Yu Tianheng asked with a note of defiance. Though he had been genuinely astonished by Tang San's control and the lethal poison attached to his Martial Soul, he was firmly convinced that no matter what mutations it had undergone, it was still nothing more than Blue Silver Grass—and could never compare to his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul. In a one-on-one duel, he was certain he could defeat his opponent.
The Great Master stopped and turned back to look at Yu Tianheng. "Do you know how many levels of Soul Power he has?"
Yu Tianheng thought for a moment. "According to the data I received, he should be at the thirty-second level. His epithet is Thousand Hand Asura. But I think his Soul Power must be roughly on par with mine." Even now, he could vividly recall how Tang San had controlled the entire battlefield. He simply could not believe that was something a Control-type Soul Master seven levels below him could accomplish. Their own Dugu Yan was also a Control-type Soul Master at thirty-eighth-level Soul Power, yet she had been completely suppressed.
The Great Master shook his head. "No, the data is accurate. Xiao San truly has only thirty-two levels of Soul Power. Then do you know how old he is?"
Yu Tianheng shook his head, but his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
The Great Master smiled faintly. "He just turned thirteen. He obtained his third Soul Ring when he was only twelve." Having said that, he didn't linger. He turned and drifted away into the night. Even this didn't fully represent Tang San's true talent—he still had one greatest secret: Twin Martial Soul.