"Teacher, I passed the fourth trial smoothly, but I only received half a level of soul power as a reward," Ma Hongjun said with a hint of helplessness.
In truth, he had only managed to pass the fourth trial thanks to the heavy lifting done by Tang San and the others; otherwise, he never would have survived so easily.
It was precisely because he hadn't contributed much during the fourth trial that the Sea God's reward was so meager.
"It's good that you passed. As long as we survive, we still have a chance to turn things around," Yu Xiaogang said resolutely, clenching his fists tightly.
Hearing this, Ma Hongjun simply shook his head and sighed deeply. After so many failures and tragedies, he no longer truly trusted Yu Xiaogang.
He only continued to call the man "Teacher" out of a lingering sense of shared hardship and his own basic moral bottom line.
"Teacher, the fifth trial is too difficult. I can't possibly pass it," Ma Hongjun said, his voice heavy with despair.
Yu Xiaogang's expression changed instantly. These words were like a physical blow to his head.
The only reason he had persevered through such squalor was to prove that his theories on martial souls were correct through his disciple. Even if the hope was microscopically slim, he refused to give up.
After a moment of tense silence, Yu Xiaogang asked, "Hongjun, what is your fifth trial?"
"Don't even think about a strategy; it's an impossible task. I'm only Level 70! How can I possibly defeat the Sea Ghost Douluo?" Ma Hongjun retorted, having completely given up.
His mentality had shattered the moment he read the trial's requirements. He even felt that his thorny, miserable life should have ended long ago. His tragic fate had been sealed the moment he became Yu Xiaogang's disciple.
Back then, he had trusted Dean Flender and genuinely believed Yu Xiaogang could cure his evil fire. Looking back now, he realized how incredibly foolish and naive he had been.
Even if Dean Flender believed his "good brother" had real skills, he should have been wary, especially when Yu Xiaogang suggested something as absurd as absorbing an ice-attribute soul ring to counteract the evil fire.
When he absorbed that ice-attribute soul ring, he should have just died on the spot. It would have spared him the subsequent torment. Instead, Yu Xiaogang had "saved" him in the most unacceptable, humiliating way possible.
"Teacher, you shouldn't have saved me back then! I'd rather have died!"
Growing angrier as the memories surfaced, Ma Hongjun's voice rose to a furious shout. "And if you hadn't offended Ning Rongrong, how could I have been crippled?!"
Faced with his disciple's raw accusations, Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth, but couldn't find a single word of rebuttal.
If he hadn't arrogantly gone to Spirit City, Ma Hongjun wouldn't have had his manhood severed by Sword Douluo as retaliation. Perhaps that timeline would have been better.
Not only would there be no bitter resentment between master and disciple, but if Ma Hongjun had retained his original body, he might have been able to properly absorb the Yue Guan's herb and transform into a true Fire Phoenix soul master, without Yu Xiaogang having to resort to such extreme measures.
But reality was cruel; one wrong step had led to an avalanche of disasters.
"Sigh—" Yu Xiaogang sighed, his face etched with regret. "Actually, I did think that if I had insisted a little longer back then, and let Erlong help you release your pent-up desires, maybe we could have maintained the balance of yin and yang and helped you complete the final step of your transformation."
"Teacher Erlong?"
Ma Hongjun was stunned. He only had a vague, hazy understanding of what had happened during his feverish state back then and didn't know the specifics of how he was saved.
He hadn't expected that his teacher would have gone to such lengths, even considering sacrificing his own beloved to save his life.
Thinking of this, Ma Hongjun felt a brief surge of emotion, but quickly realized he couldn't muster any genuine gratitude. His current state was too pathetic.
After a moment, Ma Hongjun lowered his head and said with remorse, "Teacher, I went too far just now. I didn't know you would consider making such a great sacrifice for me."
"All of that is in the past," Yu Xiaogang replied, a trace of sadness flashing in his eyes.
Internally, however, Yu Xiaogang didn't believe any of this was truly his fault. Even if his theory had possessed a few minor flaws, the current situation was mostly due to Ma Hongjun's lack of ambition and weak willpower.
If the boy couldn't even handle something as minor as expelling the evil fire, how could he possibly endure the pain required to transform into a true Fire Phoenix?
If it weren't for Lin Mu's meddling, he would have taken Tang San as his disciple over a decade ago. With just a little of his guidance, Tang San would have surpassed his current achievements.
In Yu Xiaogang's view, Lin Mu possessed no actual teaching ability; Tang San's success was simply due to his exceptional innate talent.
If he had been the teacher, he would have nurtured Tang San to be even stronger. That way, he would be the master of the future Sea God, and could proudly declare to the world: "I have nurtured a god."
Thinking of the fantasy where he stood above the continent, revered by thousands, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Ma Hongjun was startled. He took a step back and hurriedly said, "Teacher, what are you laughing at? Don't scare me!"
However, Yu Xiaogang was deeply immersed in his delusion, his strange, raspy laughter echoing across the beach.
Seeing his teacher seemingly lost to madness, Ma Hongjun gritted his teeth and slapped Yu Xiaogang hard across the face.
PAKKK!!
The crisp sound rang out. Yu Xiaogang was stunned by the impact. He stared blankly at his disciple, his expression screaming: 'Why did you hit me?'
At the same time, he was seething with anger. This fat kid was not only vastly inferior to Tang San, but he even dared to strike his master. How could he be considered a good disciple?
"Teacher, please calm down," Ma Hongjun said earnestly, completely unaware of Yu Xiaogang's internal monologue. "I don't blame you anymore, so please don't lose your mind and hurt yourself."
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang's eyelids twitched violently. He almost fainted from sheer indignation. This brat not only hit him but claimed he was doing it to stop him from self-harming? He was treating him like an idiot!
After a long while, Yu Xiaogang finally suppressed his anger and said solemnly, "Hongjun, don't lose faith in yourself. You still have a year left. I believe you can find a way to pass the assessment."
Although his disciple was a massive disappointment, he had no other choice but to ride this out to the bitter end. If Ma Hongjun failed the fifth trial, Yu Xiaogang wouldn't live much longer either.
If Ma Hongjun died, or was expelled from Sea God Island, Yu Xiaogang would undoubtedly end up in the belly of a sea soul beast.
"In a year, I can only increase my soul power by a few levels at most. It's impossible to defeat the Sea Ghost Douluo," Ma Hongjun said, still lacking any confidence.
Let alone defeating the Sea Ghost Douluo, even defeating a standard Soul Douluo would be difficult for him, especially since he didn't have a support-type soul master to provide a boost.
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang frowned, unable to offer a solution.
Just then, a deep, raspy voice came from behind them.
"Fatty, it seems you need my help."
The newcomer was Dai Mubai. Compared to a year ago, his appearance had become much more rugged and feral. His blond hair draped casually over his broad shoulders, and his aura had grown significantly darker and stronger.
Seeing Dai Mubai approaching, Ma Hongjun fearfully took a few steps back.
"Don't worry, I'm here to help you this time. Consider it repaying a previous favor. I don't want my only remaining friend to die too," Dai Mubai said, putting on a friendly, albeit stiff, demeanor.
"Does someone like you have any credibility whatsoever?" Ma Hongjun glared at Dai Mubai, his voice turning cold.
"Before, you begged me to help you pass the first exam, but afterwards, you disappeared without a trace. Besides, Oscar died at your hands!"