"Oh? Is that all?"
Yu Xiaogang looked at Xiao Lin in disbelief, his face full of doubt.
Did Xiao Lin not understand how powerful this soul skill was?
With this attack-boosting soul skill, all Xiao Lin had to do was follow his calculations, push his strength to the limit, and replicate the Haotian Douluo's soul ring choices—then he'd be invincible!
Do kids these days not want power anymore?
"Yeah? Is this supposed to be impressive? Do you even understand martial souls?"
Xiao Lin's face was full of disdain, his small expression dripping with sarcasm, making for a humorous contrast.
"I don't understand martial souls?"
Yu Xiaogang was so furious that his face was about to explode.
No one on this continent had ever dared to say that he didn't understand martial souls (at least, that's what he believed). Yu Xiaogang roared internally.
"Xiao Lin, listen to me carefully. No one understands martial souls better than I do!" Yu Xiaogang's nostrils flared as he exhaled sharply.
"Oh, then you must be really powerful, huh? You must be a Title Douluo, right?"
Xiao Lin's voice was laced with sarcasm, but his face showed an expression of admiration.
Tang San, standing beside him, twitched at the corners of his mouth. If he hadn't been a disciple of the Tang Sect, trained in self-restraint, he would have burst out laughing.
This Xiao Lin guy… he's too cruel!
He obviously knew Yu Xiaogang was useless, yet he was blatantly mocking him.
"I'm not a Title Douluo, but I am undoubtedly the strongest master of martial soul theory!"
Yu Xiaogang's confidence wavered slightly, but he remained firm in his belief in his own theories.
So what if someone was a Title Douluo? Were they necessarily more qualified than him to teach Xiao Lin?
"Then you must be a Soul Douluo!"
Xiao Lin suddenly had a look of realization, then hesitated, as if considering whether being Yu Xiaogang's disciple would be acceptable if he was at least a Soul Douluo.
"I'm not a Soul Douluo either… but I am a master, and I have the ten core theoretical principles!"
"I'm not interested in your garbage theories. Are you at least a Soul Sage?"
Xiao Lin tilted his head, continuing his interrogation.
"I… I'm a Rank 29 Grand Soul Master, but I started with innate half-rank soul power and cultivated to Rank 29. If you become my disciple—"
"What? A Rank 29 loser Grand Soul Master? So boring."
Xiao Lin shook his head, cutting Yu Xiaogang off mid-sentence.
"Come on, Tang San, let's go. I heard there are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters. How could someone like this be our teacher?"
At this point, Xiao Lin was going all in on the mockery.
He used Yu Xiaogang's own words to refute him, which gave him a thrilling sense of debate.
"Okay, Lin-ge."
Tang San responded calmly. Before leaving, he glanced at Yu Xiaogang with an expressionless face.
That one look made Yu Xiaogang, already on the verge of a breakdown, explode in fury.
He's mocking me?! I know I'm useless, but why are you mocking me?!
Aren't you also a loser with a useless Blue Silver Grass (Blue Silver King) martial soul?
Let's see how you'll obtain soul rings in the future and how you'll become a powerful soul master!
Although dark thoughts were creeping into his mind, Yu Xiaogang still wasn't willing to give up on Xiao Lin.
This child was his last hope in life!
With that thought, Yu Xiaogang acted decisively. Using his adult physique, he ran ahead to block Xiao Lin's path.
Xiao Lin frowned as he looked at Yu Xiaogang's bloodshot eyes. Yu Xiaogang held out a newspaper.
"This is the latest issue of the Martial Soul Report, published by the Martial Soul Hall. The editors of the Martial Soul Hall recognized my wisdom and published my work. If you don't believe anything else, you should at least believe this, right?"
"Who knows if you stole it?"
Xiao Lin pouted, completely playing the part of a stubborn child who refused to listen.
"I—!"
Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Xiao Lin to be so utterly unyielding.
"What do I have to do to make you believe in my wisdom?"
Yu Xiaogang exhaled deeply and changed his approach.
"Reach Rank 30 first."
Xiao Lin spread his small hands helplessly, as if saying, I guess I have no other choice.
"I… you…"
Yu Xiaogang was instantly at a loss for words. If he could break through to Rank 30, he wouldn't still be stuck here!
On the Douluo Continent, Rank 30 was a major threshold.
If there were a way to cross it, every Rank 29 soul master in the world would be worshiping him.
At this moment, Yu Xiaogang felt utterly humiliated. From the school gates, he could feel the stares of countless onlookers mocking him.
To them, Yu Xiaogang probably looked like a madman trying to lure talented children into his schemes.
Realizing this, Yu Xiaogang felt the urge to retreat.
"Fine, fine. Since you refuse to be my disciple, let's settle this with results."
Yu Xiaogang suddenly remembered his correspondence with Flender. Flender had mentioned that his academy had recruited several geniuses.
Originally, Yu Xiaogang had planned to bring Tang San and Xiao Lin there as his students. But now, it seemed he would have to rely on someone else's school for shelter.
Clenching his teeth, Yu Xiaogang issued a final challenge to Xiao Lin.
"Eight years from now, I will lead my disciples to participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament. I will prove how correct my theories are!"
"Don't back out when the time comes."
Yu Xiaogang declared an eight-year challenge, making Xiao Lin briefly wonder if he was actually the villain here.
But no matter how he looked at it, Yu Xiaogang didn't seem like the kind of person who could prove himself with a "don't underestimate a middle-aged man's struggle" story.
"How boring. You should worry about yourself."
Xiao Lin wasn't afraid—he just felt that agreeing to Yu Xiaogang's challenge might limit his own growth.
His goal was to lead Tang San and the others to victory.
Competing against a trash team would only lower his standards and make him complacent.
Xiao Lin glanced at Yu Xiaogang, who was still blocking his way, and frowned.
Why is he still in my way?
Without hesitation, Xiao Lin walked up to Yu Xiaogang and shoved him with his small hands, sending him tumbling to the ground.
He then turned and left without looking back.
Yu Xiaogang lay on the ground, weak and helpless, his expression full of disbelief.
Faintly, he could hear the voices of the surrounding people mocking him.
And he could hear the fading voices of Xiao Lin and Tang San, filled with contempt.
"A loser is a loser. Once a loser, always a loser."
"I'm a genius, not a loser. Why would I take a loser as my teacher?"
"Lin-ge, this loser is so annoying. How does he have the face to keep living?"
"Lin-ge, why are you even wasting time talking to him?"
"If you ask me, he should just—"
Before Tang San could finish, Xiao Lin cut him off.
Xiao Lin's education didn't allow him to directly develop a killing intent.
Still, hearing their words, Yu Xiaogang felt his vision darken. His mind grew hazy.
And in the end, he actually fainted—knocked out at the gates of Nuoding Academy by a child's push.
"Quick! Something's wrong! The Grandmaster has collapsed!"
Noticing this, the academy's teachers rushed over to help.
Even though they all looked down on Yu Xiaogang, he was still a friend of the headmaster.
And having Yu Xiaogang faint in front of Nuoding Academy wasn't good for the school's reputation either.