In the Black World, the people of Shrek Academy stared at the scene unfolding on the heavenly screen.
"Wow! It actually worked! That's amazing!"
Seeing that Yu Xiaogang's Artificial Soul Bone had truly succeeded, Ning Rongrong immediately cheered.
Her excited voice finally snapped everyone else out of their stunned silence.
"It actually works?"
Dai Mubai and the others widened their eyes in disbelief.
They found it hard to accept that a collection of metal components assembled together could actually unleash Spirit Abilities.
Was that even possible?
As Tang San stared at the Artificial Soul Bone displayed on the heavenly screen, the first thing that came to his mind was the Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons.
The Hidden Weapons of the Tang Sect were also made primarily from metal. Through intricate mechanisms, along with poisons, gunpowder, and other materials, they could be transformed into extremely powerful weapons.
There were quite a few similarities between the two.
"Perhaps I should study this later."
Tang San began thinking.
If he combined the technology behind Artificial Soul Bones with the Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons, could he create even more powerful weapons?
However, he quickly shook his head.
He felt that the idea was probably unrealistic.
Tang Sect Hidden Weapons were divided into Mechanical Types and Hand-Thrown Types.
Among the strongest Mechanical Types, weapons such as the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus, Torrential Pear Blossom Needle, and Peacock Plume possessed terrifying destructive power.
In Tang San's opinion, their power was comparable to, or perhaps even greater than, that of a 100,000-year Spirit Bone.
The strongest Hand-Thrown Types, such as Guanyin's Tears, Bodhi Blood, and Yama Invitation, were equally extraordinary.
Even genuine Spirit Bones couldn't necessarily compare with his Tang Sect Hidden Weapons, let alone something like an Artificial Soul Bone.
Thinking about it, Tang San couldn't help but feel proud.
"My Tang Sect's legacy truly surpasses the Spirit Master system of the Douluo Continent."
---
Just as everyone was still shocked that the Artificial Soul Bone could actually function, Yu Xiaogang suddenly spoke.
He pointed directly at Ning Rongrong.
"Ning Rongrong, judging from your reaction, are you planning to study those Artificial Soul Bones?"
Ning Rongrong glanced at him.
"What's wrong? Can't I?"
"Of course you can."
Yu Xiaogang immediately adopted the demeanor of a concerned teacher.
"But Shrek Academy is an academy dedicated to cultivating Spirit Masters. Researching things like Artificial Soul Bones is strictly prohibited here."
He paused before continuing.
"To be honest, from the moment I learned about your identity, I knew you weren't someone who would always follow the rules."
"However, I still want to remind you that for a Spirit Master, your own strength is always the most important thing."
"Relying too heavily on external objects will only lead you down an unorthodox path."
Hearing this, Flender quickly joined in.
"Ning Rongrong, the Grandmaster is doing this for your own good. I'm sure that even if your father, Sect Master Ning, were here, he would agree with the Grandmaster."
Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar also stepped forward to persuade her.
Ning Rongrong's expression immediately became annoyed.
"You people are really short-sighted."
Her gaze swept across everyone before finally landing on Oscar.
"Especially you, Oscar."
"For someone with Full Innate Soul Power, you're wasting your talent if you can't even understand something this simple!"
"I can understand why the others want me to give up."
"But Oscar, what are you thinking?"
"Can't you see how useful Artificial Soul Bones could be for Support System Spirit Masters like us?"
Her voice became increasingly serious.
"We Support System Spirit Masters have almost no combat ability. When we're attacked, all we can usually do is run."
"But if Artificial Soul Bones are successfully developed, they could give us the ability to fight back!"
Oscar was stunned.
He began thinking carefully about Ning Rongrong's words.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized she had a point.
As a Spirit Master whose Martial Soul was the Sausage, Oscar possessed almost no direct combat ability.
But if Artificial Soul Bones were developed and he carried several powerful ones with him...
Wouldn't he be able to kill an enemy who tried to attack him?
If that were the case, why would he oppose such a thing?
The others were also stunned.
Ning Rongrong's argument actually made sense.
Artificial Soul Bones might not provide much benefit to combat-oriented Spirit Masters.
But for Support System Spirit Masters like Ning Rongrong and Oscar, they could potentially be a massive improvement.
Yu Xiaogang, however, remained stubborn.
"Hmph. That's just sophistry."
"What would you do if you encountered a situation where you couldn't use those external tools?"
"Take the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament, for example. The rules clearly prohibit the use of such items."
Ning Rongrong looked at Yu Xiaogang as though she were staring at something completely incomprehensible.
"So my entire life as a Spirit Master revolves around the Continental Elite Tournament?"
Yu Xiaogang's expression stiffened.
Ning Rongrong continued without giving him a chance to interrupt.
"Actually, I've been wondering about something for a long time."
"The tactics you make us learn, the direction in which you train us, and even the Spirit Rings you recommend..."
"Everything seems to be designed around the standards of the Elite Tournament."
"You strongly recommend anything that is useful for the competition."
"And anything that doesn't help us in the competition is dismissed as useless."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You even tell us that when choosing Spirit Abilities, we should consider our teammates' abilities and compensate for their weaknesses."
"You say we shouldn't 'add legs to a snake' by choosing abilities that duplicate something another teammate already does well."
Ning Rongrong's voice became sharper.
"So what exactly are you planning?"
"Do you expect us to remain a team for the rest of our lives?"
"What happens when we eventually go our separate ways?"
"When that happens, who will compensate for our weaknesses?"
Her questions left the entire group silent.
Everyone stared at Yu Xiaogang.
Under Ning Rongrong's intense gaze, Yu Xiaogang felt as though thorns were pressing against his back.
He opened his mouth several times, wanting to explain himself.
But no words came out.
Because deep down, he knew Ning Rongrong was right.
He did have selfish motives.
Yu Xiaogang wanted desperately to prove himself.
And the best way for him to do that was through Tang San, his disciple.
If Tang San could achieve extraordinary success, then Yu Xiaogang would finally be able to prove his own theories and abilities to the entire world.
The upcoming Continental Elite Tournament was the perfect stage for that.
As long as Tang San led Shrek Academy to victory, no one would dare look down on Yu Xiaogang again.
Therefore, he needed Tang San to lead the team to victory.
And when they won, Tang San needed to stand out as brightly as possible.
That was why, whenever Yu Xiaogang recommended Spirit Rings to the Shrek Seven Devils, he always prioritized what would benefit the team as a whole.
He focused on how each person's Spirit Abilities could complement the others.
As for what would happen after the team eventually disbanded...
Yu Xiaogang had never seriously considered it.
After all, what did that have to do with him?
Now that Ning Rongrong had exposed his hidden motives, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
Although not every member of Shrek Academy had a powerful background, the ones who did possessed connections that reached the heavens.
Yu Xiaogang simply couldn't afford to offend them.
For a moment, he didn't even dare to argue back.
"All right, all right."
Flender quickly stepped in when he saw the atmosphere becoming increasingly awkward.
"What's the point of arguing over this?"
He looked at Ning Rongrong and Oscar.
"If the two of you want to study the Artificial Soul Bones shown on the heavenly screen, I won't stop you."
"But there's one condition."
"If I discover that you've neglected your normal cultivation because of this, I'll intervene and forbid you from continuing."
Flender's words finally eased the tension.
He wasn't sure whether his good brother truly had the selfish intentions Ning Rongrong had pointed out.
However, as the dean of Shrek Academy, he felt responsible for his students.
At the very least, he realized that he would have to think more carefully about his students' future Spirit Ring choices.
The others remained silent.
One by one, they turned their attention back to the heavenly screen.
However, Ning Rongrong's words had already planted a seed of doubt in everyone's minds.
Even Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, who already had their own ideas about their future Spirit Ring combinations, had previously sought Yu Xiaogang's advice in their pursuit of greater strength.
As for Ma Hongjun and Oscar, they had even planned their future Spirit Ring combinations according to Yu Xiaogang's theories.
Now they had discovered a potential problem with those plans.
Who would dare to blindly follow them anymore?
From that moment onward, Yu Xiaogang's image as an all-knowing Grandmaster had begun to crack.
The lofty reputation he had painstakingly built in the hearts of the Shrek students was gradually collapsing.
And the person who had caused it was none other than Ning Rongrong.
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