Chapter 173: Chapter 172: Su Ming: Yu Xiaogang, Don’t Thank Me Too Much
When Tang San's consciousness returned, Su Ming loosened the wooden dragon restraining him, leaving it half-open.
The others didn't pay much attention to this; after all, Tang San still couldn't fully control his Eight Spider Lances. The precaution was necessary.
Calming himself, Tang San activated the Mysterious Heaven Skill, focusing his awareness on his back. Gradually connecting with the Eight Spider Lances, he carefully retracted them.
Seeing Tang San's success, Yu Xiaogang's pale face revealed a faint smile. He hurriedly urged, "Xiao San, quickly, use your Eight Spider Lances to extract the toxins from my wound!"
Tang San hesitated. "Teacher, are you sure? I feel like my control over the Eight Spider Lances is still shaky. What if—"
Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth, suppressing the pain as he reassured him, "Xiao San, I trust you! You've already taken the first step in mastering the Eight Spider Lances. There won't be a problem!"
Hearing this, Tang San hesitated no longer. He extended a single spider leg from his back, carefully guiding it to his teacher's wound and slowly extracting the toxins bit by bit.
As the poison left Yu Xiaogang's body, he immediately felt a wave of relief, though an inexplicable emptiness lingered.
Standing nearby, Su Ming, with apparent good intentions, cast his fourth spirit skill, sealing Yu Xiaogang's wound completely with a mock "healing" process.
Su Ming smirked inwardly. Yu Xiaogang, don't thank me too much. I might not be able to restore you, but I can definitely "heal" you!
With that, Su Ming had effectively sealed Yu Xiaogang's fate.
Forcing a smile, Yu Xiaogang looked at Su Ming and said awkwardly, "Thank you, Su Ming. And Oscar too. Without the two of you, I wouldn't have even been able to stand just now."
Su Ming silently chuckled to himself. I sealed your wound, and yet you're still thanking me? Truly impressive, Yu Xiaogang!
At the same time, Su Ming felt slightly regretful. He hadn't thought to record the scene just now. But on second thought, maybe it was better this way. Keeping an image of Yu Xiaogang's misery stored in the system would've been outright disgusting. Better to avoid it entirely.
The system chimed in: Good thing you didn't live-stream or snap photos earlier, host. Otherwise, I'd question whether it's appropriate to show such a scene to the female leads.
Unintentionally, Su Ming had done something he wouldn't regret. Otherwise, if someone later discovered his diary and saw a picture of Yu Xiaogang in that state, he'd die of embarrassment.
Flender then addressed the group, "Alright, today's group battle is officially over. As for the evaluation of the final team, we'll discuss that tomorrow morning."
"For now, I'll take Fatty and the Grandmaster to the city to find a healing-type spirit master for proper treatment and recovery. The rest of you, focus on your training tonight."
Yu Xiaogang had originally planned to do other tasks after today's training, but now he had to put everything on hold—his health was paramount.
Inside, though, his heart was filled with bitterness. Why has my luck been so terrible these past few years?
Six years ago, during Tang San's first spirit ring acquisition, his "injury" had been caused by the poison of a 400-year-old Datura Snake, rendering him completely nonfunctional. At the time, he'd believed the issue was within an acceptable range—strong healing-type spirit masters combined with medicinal herbs could potentially fix it.
Though exiled from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, his father was still the clan leader. Securing assistance from a Spirit Saint-level healer wouldn't have been difficult.
But now, thanks to Tang San's Eight Spider Lances, his situation had worsened irreparably. Based on his years of theoretical knowledge, Yu Xiaogang couldn't think of any martial spirit capable of regenerating what he had lost.
Strangely, both incidents had a connection to Tang San. Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but wonder if their fates were at odds. He harbored some resentment but ultimately felt powerless.
Tang San was his disciple—a twin martial spirit genius, son of Tang Hao. With Tang Hao's eventual return to the Clear Sky Sect, Yu Xiaogang knew that his future reputation and aspirations rested on Tang San's shoulders. Even if their fates clashed, he had no choice but to continue fostering Tang San's growth.
Moreover, Tang San's Eight Spider Lances had been confirmed as a legendary external spirit bone.
External spirit bones were even rarer than regular spirit bones. To his knowledge, only Bibi Dong possessed one; no others had been reported.
Once Tang San matured into a Title Douluo, the Eight Spider Lances would reach a level equivalent to a 70,000–80,000-year spirit bone. With luck, they might even evolve into a 100,000-year spirit bone!
As for himself, now a "rootless" man, Yu Xiaogang knew there was no longer hope for reconciliation with Liu Erlong—or Bibi Dong.
Nevertheless, Yu Xiaogang resolved to keep this secret from both women. His pride as a man demanded it.
At the Shrek Academy training grounds, the incident with Tang San's Eight Spider Lances had passed, and he was finally reflecting on the events. Guilt weighed heavily on his heart—he hadn't expected to hurt his teacher again, and this time so thoroughly.
Dai Mubai and Oscar, noticing Tang San's self-reproach, patted his shoulder to console him. "Xiao San, don't beat yourself up. It wasn't your fault—nobody wanted this to happen."
Tang San nodded slightly, his heart feeling marginally lighter. However, he couldn't help casting a complicated glance at Xiao Wu. If not for her Eight-Stage Explosive Throw, he wouldn't have been injured so severely, and his Eight Spider Lances wouldn't have gone berserk.
Xiao Wu caught his glance and immediately guessed what he was thinking. Unhappy, she snapped, "Tang San, are you blaming me for injuring you and causing your Eight Spider Lances to lose control?"
Dai Mubai muttered under his breath, "Isn't that exactly what happened?"
Xiao Wu glared at him. "What did you just say?"
Dai Mubai initially wanted to retort but, remembering Tang San's earlier ordeal, quickly swallowed his words.
Seeing his cowardice, Xiao Wu turned her focus back to Tang San. "Don't think it's my fault that this happened. At the end of the day, wasn't it your lack of strength that caused the problem? When fighting an opponent, you can't always expect them to hold back!"
"Besides, I was already holding back earlier. If I hadn't, not even Su Ming-ge and Oscar's spirit skills could have helped you recover!"