Publicly humiliated by Ning Rongrong, Yu Xiaogang's face was so dark it could drip water. This girl was truly short-sighted.
As long as she could help Ma Hongjun overcome his difficulties, she would have secured a tremendous asset.
A true Fire Phoenix Soul Master's potential surpassed even that of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon and the White Tiger, perfectly meeting the requirements for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Heir's future partner. Yet, the heir of the dignified Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect didn't even have the courage to make such a sacrifice.
Even if she became the sect leader, it would be difficult for her to lead the sect to greater heights; she would forever remain a perennial runner-up.
Now, Yu Xiaogang wasn't unwilling to coerce Ning Rongrong, but there were two major problems.
First, his own strength was weak, making it difficult to force Ning Rongrong into compliance. Even if he could persuade Liu Erlong to help, the others wouldn't agree.
Second, the retaliation from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo were not to be underestimated. With Ning Fengzhi's assistance, even if Yu Xiaogang's father came, they wouldn't be a match.
Unless Ma Hongjun successfully transformed into a true Fire Phoenix Soul Master, Ning Fengzhi might compromise for the sake of the sect's future.
But after recent setbacks, Yu Xiaogang lacked confidence. His priority was simply to save Ma Hongjun's life.
To him, Ma Hongjun was not only his direct disciple but also his only hope to prove his martial soul theories.
Once Ma Hongjun died, Yu Xiaogang would be completely finished.
A moment later, Yu Xiaogang finally calmed down. His gaze, filled with despair, involuntarily fell on Liu Erlong.
"Erlong, Hongjun is my only disciple..."
Before he could finish speaking, Flender rushed over, slapping him across the face without hesitation. He shouted, "Yu Xiaogang! You're fucking insane!"
At this moment, Flender no longer cared about brotherly affection.
He had already made the greatest concession by stepping aside to let the two of them be together, but Yu Xiaogang didn't appreciate it. For the sake of his disciple, he was resorting to such unscrupulous means; it was utterly heartless.
Faced with Flender's rebuke, Yu Xiaogang's eyes turned bloodshot. He gasped for breath, and his entire demeanor became frantic.
"Flender! Then tell me, what can I do?! Hongjun is my life's wish. If he dies, I won't live either!"
Seeing the completely delirious Yu Xiaogang, everyone exchanged bewildered glances.
Was this still the "Grandmaster" who used to put on such an air of superiority?
To save his disciple's life, he first set his sights on Ning Rongrong, and then he turned his gaze to Liu Erlong. He had absolutely no bottom line.
At this moment, Liu Erlong slowly stood up. She looked at Yu Xiaogang, and a trace of sorrow flashed in her eyes, which gradually hardened into resolve.
"His outburst of Evil Fire is partly my responsibility. I can save him."
After a slight pause, Liu Erlong bit her lower lip and said, "But you must promise me that from now on, you will stay in the academy and remain by my side forever."
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned, except Yu Xiaogang, who was overjoyed.
Liu Erlong was willing to go to such lengths to be with Yu Xiaogang; she was just as ruthless in her love as Yu Xiaogang was in his obsession.
Flender felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, his chest pounding with rage.
He grabbed Yu Xiaogang by the neck, roaring, "Yu Xiaogang! If you dare agree, I'll strangle you right now!"
He hadn't even gotten Liu Erlong himself; if Ma Hongjun got her, it would be worse than death for Flender to witness.
Thinking back, ever since Yu Xiaogang came to Shrek Academy, he'd been plagued by bad luck. He was practically a jinx.
At this moment, Yu Xiaogang's face was flushed red, resembling a pig's liver, as he was being tightly choked.
"Boss Flender, let go of Xiaogang!"
Seeing Yu Xiaogang's suffering, Liu Erlong felt a pang of heartache and cried out.
Seeing this, Flender almost fainted from anger. If he'd known this would happen, he shouldn't have saved that scoundrel Yu Xiaogang from Lin Mu's clutches back then.
"Boss, isn't there any other way? Like cutting 'it' off directly?" Zhao Wuji suggested a simple and brutal solution.
However, Flender shook his head and sighed. "It might have worked before, but now that the Evil Fire has erupted throughout his system, even cutting it off won't help."
Hearing this, everyone fell silent. Ma Hongjun was probably beyond saving; who told him to have such a terrible teacher?
At this moment, Flender released Yu Xiaogang's neck.
Yu Xiaogang gasped for air, his body trembling violently. With Liu Erlong's help, he barely managed to stand up.
He looked at Ma Hongjun, who was hanging by a thread, and a trace of fear flashed in his eyes.
If Ma Hongjun died, not only would no one help him prove his martial soul theory, but he would also lose his bet with Lin Mu.
"No! Absolutely not!"
His eyes were bloodshot as he shouted like a madman, "Hongjun absolutely cannot die! He is my life! Since none of you are willing to save him, then I will do it myself!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.
Liu Erlong, standing to the side, was even more unable to accept it and hurriedly advised, "Xiaogang, let me do it."
"Get out of my way!"
Yu Xiaogang shouted angrily, shoving Liu Erlong aside and rushing toward Ma Hongjun.
The next moment, everyone turned their heads away; the scene that followed was too awkward to bear.
None of them intervened, as this might be the only way to save Ma Hongjun.
Dai Mubai and Oscar exchanged a glance, both seeing relief and pity in each other's eyes. Fortunately, they had the foresight not to become Yu Xiaogang's apprentices, or they would have been in serious trouble.
The poor fat man hadn't even understood what was going on before being tricked into becoming Yu Xiaogang's disciple.
During the process, most people didn't look in that direction, except for Liu Erlong, who stared at Yu Xiaogang the entire time. Two lines of tears streamed down her face, her eyes gradually becoming empty, her mind blank.
After an unknown amount of time, Yu Xiaogang stumbled to his feet and casually pulled up his pants.
"Grandmaster, I, Zhao Wuji, truly admire you for going to such lengths for your disciple!" Zhao Wuji said with a mix of shock and heartfelt respect.
This incident had changed his opinion of Yu Xiaogang considerably. Although Yu Xiaogang lacked ability, he was at least extremely dedicated to his disciple, something Zhao Wuji admitted he couldn't do to that extent.
However, these words sounded incredibly harsh to Yu Xiaogang.
But he didn't get angry. Instead, he looked at Flender and the others, his voice hoarse, and said, "Boss Flender, I hope you can keep this a secret."
Hearing this, Flender and the others nodded silently.
A while later, Ma Hongjun finally regained consciousness, only to find himself in excruciating pain and utterly exhausted.
This was completely different from when he had absorbed spirit rings before.
"Hongjun, how are you feeling? What spirit skill did you gain?"
Yu Xiaogang looked at Ma Hongjun with great eagerness. As long as Ma Hongjun could transform into a true Fire Phoenix Soul Master, all his efforts would be worthwhile.
Hearing this, Ma Hongjun, enduring the pain, slowly said, "Teacher, my third soul skill is Rapid Flight."
"A flight skill... not bad. Has your martial soul changed at all?"
"Let me try."
Ma Hongjun immediately activated his martial soul and attempted to summon his Phoenix Flame, but he couldn't produce a spark no matter what he did. He exclaimed in alarm, "Teacher, where did my Phoenix Flame go?!"