Chapter 40 The team with many problems successfully requested leaveAt this moment, Jiang Nannan also stepped forward, her beautiful face showing clear apology and a trace of fatigue. She bowed slightly to Junior Student Youheng, "Junior Student Youheng, I should also apologize to you."Junior Student Youheng looked at her, "Senior Sister Jiang? Why are you apologizing?"Jiang Nannan sighed, her eyes complex, "Today's events, in the end, were all because of me. If it weren't for that scoundrel Xu Sanshi, who, because of those inexplicable thoughts, targeted you and relentlessly pursued you, you wouldn't have overexerted yourself, nor would Dai Huabin have been able to ambush you. I am truly very sorry for causing you such great trouble."Her tone was full of helplessness and apology, even carrying a deeper layer of annoyance towards Xu Sanshi.After today's incident, she felt even more dissatisfied and weary of Xu Sanshi's indiscriminate and easily jealousy-driven behavior.Junior Student Youheng smiled, "Senior Sister Jiang, there's no need for that. This matter has nothing to do with you. The grievances between Xu Sanshi and me are our own business, and I will naturally settle it with him."The more reasonable he appeared, the more it highlighted Xu Sanshi's unreasonableness and Dai Huabin's despicable actions.Jiang Nannan looked at his pale face and sincere eyes, and comparing it to Xu Sanshi's actions, the scales in her heart completely tipped.She gently shook her head and said firmly, "No, this is not your fault. Junior Student Youheng, please rest well. I've taken note of this incident."After speaking, she nodded to Junior Student Youheng again, apologized once more, and then turned to leave, her back appearing somewhat aloof and resolute.Clearly, Xu Sanshi's actions today completely squandered the little goodwill she had for him.Huo Yuhao watched Jiang Nannan leave, then looked at his weak brother, and said solemnly, "Brother, don't worry! When I have the chance, I will defeat Dai Huabin fair and square in the arena to avenge you! And Senior Student Xu Sanshi, he was indeed too much today."Dai Youheng smiled and patted him again, "Alright, don't think too much. Hurry and gather; your reserve team should still have things to be told."Huo Yuhao nodded heavily, asked a few more questions out of concern, and then turned and ran towards the reserve team's gathering point.Watching Huo Yuhao and Jiang Nannan's retreating figures, Dai Youheng's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible glimmer.Apology and sympathy are sometimes more useful than deliberate flattery; they might even have value in the future.Dai Youheng had made good use of his hypocritical side this time.The Lan Sisters watched from the side, and Lan Luoluo whispered, "Big Brother Youheng, you're too easygoing... They treated you like that..."Dai Youheng composed himself and smiled faintly, "It's just a small setback, no matter. Let's go back."His gaze swept over the reserve team members who were being lectured by Xuan Zi, lingering for a moment on the gloomy-faced Dai Huabin, then casually moved away.After the tryouts, the newly formed Shrek Seven Devils reserve team began special training personally guided by Xuan Zi.However, the training process was far from smooth, and could even be described as fraught with problems and utterly chaotic.The primary issue stemmed from Xu Sanshi.Although he was eliminated early by Dai Youheng and thus not selected for the main seven, he relied on his strength and background to brazenly show up at the training ground every day.He claimed it was for observation, learning, and mutual improvement, but in reality, his eyes were almost glued to Jiang Nannan, constantly making conversation and fawning over her, severely disrupting Jiang Nannan's training state and mood, making her extremely annoyed and greatly diminishing her training effectiveness.Secondly, and most critically, the problem came from within.The deep-seated conflict between Dai Huabin and Huo Yuhao. Dai Huabin was arrogant, and for him to accept commands from Huo Yuhao, whom he deeply disliked and whose cultivation was far below his own, was worse than killing him.He firmly refused to accept Huo Yuhao's Spirit Detection sharing and did not acknowledge Huo Yuhao's primary control position in the team. During training, he often acted independently, disrupting the entire team's rhythm and coordination, making it impossible for the seven members to form effective synergy.The entire reserve team was almost split into two parts.Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, He Caitou, Bei Bei, and Jiang Nannan could barely cooperate, while Dai Huabin was completely like an outsider, incompatible with the team.Looking at this reserve team, which lacked any chemistry and was plagued by internal conflicts, Xuan Zi finally had to face reality and admit that his selection method of a free-for-all had indeed caused major problems.What he had selected was not a team at all, but a powder keg ready to explode into infighting at any moment!But given Xuan Zi's status and temperament, it was impossible for him to publicly admit his mistake. So, he chose a fallback remedy.Adding a substitute for the substitutes! At critical moments, they could replace uncooperative team members, such as Huo Yuhao or Dai Huabin. They could also assist in training during normal times.There were three ready-made candidates for substitutes, but he couldn't summon all three to be substitutes; he could only choose one of the three.The first was Xu Sanshi, who "clocked in" on time every day. Although he was emotional, his strength was undeniable, and his defensive capabilities were top-notch, more than sufficient as a substitute.Then there was Dai Youheng; he was very strong and got along well with the others, so he should be able to integrate into the team quickly.Finally, there was Zhu Lu. Xuan Zi hesitated among the three. From the perspective of individual strength and his stunning performance in eliminating Xu Sanshi earlier, Dai Youheng was undoubtedly an excellent choice.But as soon as Xuan Zi thought of Dai Youheng's complex relationship with Xu Sanshi and Dai Huabin, his head immediately swelled. Bringing this kid in would likely lead to fights even on the substitute bench, making the team even more unmanageable!Ultimately, for the sake of overall stability, Xuan Zi chose Zhu Lu among the three.Firstly, Dai Huabin was the winner of the tryouts, and Xuan Zi needed to consider his position. Now he was the isolated one, and if Dai Youheng or Xu Sanshi were called, he would be even more isolated.Secondly, Zhu Lu and Dai Huabin could unleash the Spirit Fusion Skill Hell White Tiger, which could be used as a trump card at critical moments, at least ensuring cooperation with Dai Huabin.Thirdly, after all, in the tryouts, Zhu Lu was eighth, while the other two were eliminated early. For a substitute to be convincing, they should be the first person after the seven winners.When Dai Youheng learned that Xuan Zi had finally chosen Zhu Lu as a substitute and that he was completely out of contention for this competition, he not only felt no disappointment but instead let out a heavy sigh of relief in his heart!That was close; he barely avoided the tryouts, and almost got tricked by that old schemer into the substitute bench, becoming a substitute for the substitutes. It was said that Xu Sanshi, on the other hand, was sighing and lamenting, very unwilling because he wasn't chosen.However, for Dai Youheng, this was an excellent excuse.He immediately found his homeroom teacher, Zhou Yi, his face carefully displaying a complex expression mixed with loss, unwillingness, and feigned strength."Teacher Zhou, I'd like... to request a leave of absence for a period of time." His voice sounded a bit low and hoarse.Zhou Yi looked at the student before her, who was once high-spirited, had recently become increasingly calm and strong, yet now appeared particularly despondent. She couldn't help but sigh in her heart. She had naturally heard about Xuan Zi choosing Zhu Lu as a substitute."This child has suffered repeated blows. First, ambushed and eliminated in the tryouts, then missing out on the substitute qualification. His mentality must really be broken," Zhou Yi thought, a rare trace of sympathy arising within her.She tried to make her tone gentler, "Is it because... of Xuan Zi's choice?"Dai Youheng didn't answer directly, only slightly turned his head, as if not wanting anyone to see the emotions in his eyes, and whispered, "I just feel that I need some time alone to calm down and adjust my mindset. Please approve, Teacher."This appearance of suppressing his disappointment further confirmed Zhou Yi's guess. She thought for a moment; anyway, she would soon be one of the team leaders, taking the main team and the reserve team to Star Luo City for the competition, and the academy's classes would also be suspended.It would be good for this disheartened child to go out and clear his head, to adjust, lest he overthink things."Alright." Zhou Yi nodded, "I approve your leave this time. But be careful and return on time."
