"Tang San, are you certain you want to go?"
Ethan Drake lay in bed, looking worriedly at Tang San, who stood beside him.
Looking at his teacher's body, bedridden from pain and injury, Tang San lowered his eyes. His build had become thin. His once decent face was now filled with a dark, vicious sharpness.
Then Tang San opened his mouth, and a high, piercing voice came out.
"Teacher, stop trying to persuade me. My mind is made up. Whether it is for you, for myself, or for Lyra, even if the chance is one in ten thousand, I will save her. I will have revenge!"
Hearing that voice, so sharp that it pained him, grief and hatred flooded Ethan. Back then, his reputation outside had been mixed, but at least some people still gave him, the "Grandmaster," a little face. Ever since his conflict with Spirit Hall's Saint, all of that had changed.
Reputation, body, future. All of it had been destroyed. Especially that woman who had once been wrapped around his finger. Now she would not speak up for him at all, even though he had already lowered himself and written to beg her.
"Tang San, I cannot say much about Lyra's situation. But with the Spirit Hall Saint's habit of cutting off every root, I fear the outlook is bleak. I think she would not want you to gamble your life for her.
"You have twin Martial Souls. If you endure for now, there will come a day when you soar. It will not be too late to take revenge then."
Ethan still tried to keep Tang San there. After all, this was his last card for a comeback. Even if that card could no longer truly be called a trump card, it was still hope.
When Tang San heard Ethan's attempt to stop him, a hidden flash of malice passed through his eyes. Much of his respect and worship for Ethan had already been worn away after witnessing Wu Ling's power and hearing Wu Ling's words.
To Tang San, if Ethan had not misled him as a teacher, then as a peerless genius with twin Martial Souls and two lifetimes of experience, he absolutely would not have fallen much behind Wu Ling. It was one thing for Ethan to lack knowledge. But coming out to mislead students was his fault.
As for the idea that Wu Ling had been sowing discord, please. Wu Ling could have killed him with one finger back then. Why would he need to sow discord? So what Wu Ling had said could only be the truth. And the truth was that Tang San, a peerless genius in his own eyes, had been turned into an ordinary genius by Ethan's chaotic teaching.
If not for the fact that he had once knelt three times and kowtowed nine times to take Ethan as his teacher, then for the crime of misleading a disciple alone, Ethan would already have a path to death. And now, he was actually telling Tang San not to save Lyra. She was his beloved friend, his sworn sibling, someone as close as flesh and blood.
"Teacher, you understand me. Once I decide something, I will do it. Besides, I have my own confidence. So I am sorry, Teacher."
After saying that, Tang San turned and left the room without looking back, leaving Ethan lying in bed with only a helpless sigh.
After leaving the room, Tang San saw Scarlet Pyre, Flender, and the others waiting outside. Compared with the past, this single year seemed to have aged them nearly ten years. Everyone's face was covered with gloom and exhaustion.
Scarlet glanced at Tang San and said nothing. She silently entered the room to take care of Ethan. Originally, she had still held goodwill toward this disciple of Ethan's. But as time passed, she had seen that Tang San and Ethan's relationship had nearly shattered, with only a thin layer of paper left between them. Because of that, her own relationship with Tang San had gradually cooled.
Once Tang San came out, Flender stepped forward.
"Tang San, I found the people for you. Three Spirit Elites and one Spirit Meister. Old Zhao and I spent everything we had to bring them in. They are the sort who recognize money, not people. Use them however you like."
"All right. Thank you, Dean."
When Flender heard Tang San call him dean, a bitter smile crossed his face. Now, his title as dean existed in name only. After merging with Blue Tyrant Academy, the enormous Shrek Academy now had only a few stray cats left. The reason, of course, was the destruction of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
After the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was destroyed, Thunder Academy, which had grown out from it, was ruined almost overnight under Wu Ling's behind-the-scenes manipulation. Large numbers of students were absorbed by the other four elemental academies, while teachers connected to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan were either killed or released according to their involvement.
Even Thunder Academy, one of the Five Elements Academies, had ended up like that, so Blue Tyrant Academy had fared even worse. Back then, Blue Tyrant Academy had been nearly emptied in only a few days. It was only because they had scraped together even their coffin money that they managed to keep Blue Tyrant Academy standing until now. If not for the team slot in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Tournament, Flender would have long since wanted to throw the whole burden away.
Speaking of the tournament, seven members were essential. But the current academy had almost no one presentable left. That was why Tang San had gone to Flender, hoping he could find a few teammates who might not help much but would at least avoid dragging them down.
Surprisingly, Flender and Barrett Knox had truly used their old connections during this period and found some people from certain gray corners.
Barrett's title as the Motionless Bright King had come from his escape from nearly ten Spirit Kings sent by Spirit Hall. On a continent that was otherwise fairly clear-cut, anyone who could provoke Spirit Hall into such an open pursuit had clearly been lawless and disobedient in his youth. But the fact that Spirit Hall had not kept hunting him afterward also proved that Barrett was not the kind of trash who absolutely had to be killed.
People like them, who belonged neither to Spirit Hall nor to the two great empires, but had not yet fallen so far that they had to enter Slaughter City, appeared almost every year. Some among them were proud little geniuses, and those were the sort Flender had found this time.
"Dean, where are they now?"
When Tang San spoke in front of others, he had become used to lowering his voice, but that still could not fully hide its sharp pitch. Fortunately, after one year of experience, Flender had grown used to it and did not show any unnecessary expression.
"I had them wait at the training ground."
Tang San nodded, then asked again, "What about Alban and Ash?"
When Tang San said Ash's name, Flender felt a stab of pain. After all, he had treated Ash almost like his own son. But now, he was personally pushing him onto a road of no return. Between family affection and his friendship with Ethan, he had ultimately chosen his friendship with Ethan.
"Alban and Ash, the two of them..."
After hesitating for a while, Flender finally said helplessly, "They should still be in the bedroom."