Not long after, Yu Tianheng returned to the hotel.
He pushed open the door and stepped into the private lounge. Looking around, he saw that Dugu Yan was sitting alone on the sofa, waiting. As for the other teammates, they had likely already gone back to their rooms. After all, he had spent quite a long time chatting with his uncle, Yu Xiaogang.
"Yan Zi, I'm back." Yu Tianheng walked over with a smile, greeting her warmly.
Dugu Yan immediately turned her head and smiled. "How was it, Tianheng? How did your talk with your uncle go?"
"It was alright." Yu Tianheng smiled faintly. Being able to see his long-estranged uncle again after so many years still made him feel happy.
But then Dugu Yan curled her lips slightly. "Did your uncle give our team any explanation?"
Yu Tianheng froze for a moment.
Dugu Yan looked at him and continued, "On the way back, I heard Shi Mo say that he was sitting in the spectator's area and saw your uncle standing in front of the opposing team's section. Judging by his position, he was clearly their leader."
"Hmph. The student he trained ruthlessly attacked the team his own nephew was on during the match. Even if that kid called Little San acted on impulse, as the leading instructor, your uncle should at least have given us an explanation."
"Tianheng, if Xiao Hai hadn't reacted quickly at the time, you, his nephew, would have been injured as well."
Yu Tianheng gave an awkward smile and explained, "We talked about a lot of things. Uncle probably just forgot to bring it up."
"Forgot? You're his nephew!" Dugu Yan looked shocked.
Yu Tianheng shook his head slightly and said with a smile, "I think he really did forget. My uncle has always treated me well since I was a child."
"Really?" Dugu Yan frowned. "His students may have been injured, but after Lingling treated them, their injuries weren't serious at all. On the other hand, you,if they had all focused their attacks on you in that round, even if you had used your soul skills, it could have been life-threatening. One side was your life, the other was his students, who were in no real danger. Can't he tell which is more important?"
"Hmph, in my opinion, he never even considered it."
Yu Tianheng's brows furrowed.
Dugu Yan's expression turned serious. "Tianheng, let's put everything else aside. As the leading instructor, he must know his students' abilities inside and out. That means he knew that boy called Little San could use those man-made weapons, and he surely understood their destructive power. Yet, look at Mentor Qin Ming,he specifically reminded us before the match not to go too far."
"But your uncle? Did he ever remind his students? You registered with your real name in the Great Spirit Arena, so your uncle definitely knew you were competing. He could have warned them beforehand."
"But what was the result? Did he?"
"Has he ever really cared about you?"
Yu Tianheng shook his head repeatedly and argued, "How could Uncle not care about me? He's loved me since I was little."
"Fine, let's say he does care and simply forgot," Dugu Yan said, giving him a deep look. "But then, look at the way his students behave. That fat one and the White Tiger soul master,you saw their behavior before the match. And that Little San,impulsive, hot-tempered, reckless, striking with lethal intent. Doesn't that show a lack of proper guidance from their teacher?"
"As the instructor, he should lead by example and discipline his students strictly. Has he done that?"
"According to the host, Shrek Academy has already won 27 matches in a row at the Great Spirit Arena, all within a month. That means your uncle has been leading them for at least a month. Isn't that enough time to notice his students' flaws and correct them?"
"And take that fat one as an example. From his behavior, it's obvious that his habit of ogling girls didn't form overnight. Clearly, your uncle hasn't been strict at all,he's been indulgent and lenient. Do you think that's right?"
Lowering her voice, she spoke with genuine concern. "Tianheng, I feel like your uncle's intentions aren't pure. You should stay away from him in the future."
"Yan Zi, watch your words!" Yu Tianheng's brows immediately tightened, his expression darkening. "He's my elder,my uncle. When I was young, he was always there for me, always caring about me. In my heart, he's the elder I respect the most. I won't allow you to speak of him that way! And I don't want to hear it again in the future."
Dugu Yan fell silent. Her head lowered slightly, and her fists clenched faintly on her lap. The air suddenly grew heavy.
Seeing this, Yu Tianheng felt a pang of guilt. Realizing his tone may have been too harsh, he quickly softened his voice. "Yan Zi, I…"
But just then, Dugu Yan suddenly lifted her head. Her expression was calm, without sorrow or joy.
Her lips parted, and her voice was steady, carrying a trace of firmness, as if she had already made up her mind.
"Tianheng, let's break up."
Yu Tianheng's body went rigid. Panic filled his face, and he leaned forward slightly, blurting out instinctively, "Why?"
"Tianheng, I suddenly realized that my feelings for you seem to mean less to you than a few words from an uncle you haven't seen in years." Dugu Yan spoke calmly. "All your other uncles are within the clan. The only one who would appear here is Yu Xiaogang, who left the clan long ago. And if I'm not mistaken, you must have told him all of Xiao Hai's personal information, right?"
"Yan Zi, I…" Yu Tianheng opened his mouth, a nervous guilt washing over him like a child caught doing something wrong. He froze, speechless.
"So it's true." Disappointment flooded Dugu Yan's face. "Tianheng, don't you realize? He may be your uncle, but he's also Shrek Academy's team leader. Winning 27 consecutive matches in one month in the Great Spirit Arena, all in team battles,do you even need to guess their purpose? They're clearly preparing for the Soul Master Tournament."
"Have you thought about it? By doing this, you're leaking your teammate's information to a future opponent."
"Even if you didn't know Yu Xiaogang was their leader, could you casually share someone's personal details with outsiders?"
"For your teammates, for your friends, for your team,how is that not a betrayal?"
"And this isn't the first time. That so-called rare treasure encounter Xiao Hai mentioned back at the dorm,you reported that to your clan too, didn't you?"
"Did you ever think your clan might harm Xiao Hai because of it? And could you stop them if they did?"
"After everything that's happened since, I thought you would change. But Tianheng, you've disappointed me too much."
"I, Dugu Yan, may not be a good person, but I would never betray my friends. And I certainly don't want my partner to be someone like that."
Yu Tianheng's face flushed red. He wanted to refute her, but no words came out.
"Captain, I'm going to cultivate." Dugu Yan stood calmly. "Don't worry, I won't repeat what was said today."
With that, she walked straight toward her room, leaving Yu Tianheng staring blankly in place, dazed and brokenhearted.
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