A Theoretical Dispute, Yu Xiaogang Appears

Early the next morning, while the sky was still barely light, a rapid tolling of bells echoed over Shrek Academy.

This was the signal summoning the students to class.

Ling Yun and A Qing stepped out of their dormitory and found several people already gathered in the clearing. Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Dai Mubai were all there, along with three other students who had passed the assessment—two boys and one girl. The girl looked ordinary, but her eyes were lively, and her Martial Soul seemed to be some kind of sparrow. One of the boys was tall and brawny, with a rhinoceros Martial Soul, while the other was somewhat skinny, with a rather peculiar shadow Martial Soul.

When Dai Mubai saw Ling Yun, he took the initiative to nod in greeting. His attitude was much better than yesterday. Tang San merely glanced at Ling Yun indifferently before looking away, but Ling Yun could sense the attention hidden beneath his calm exterior.

Xiao Wu curiously sized up Ling Yun and A Qing, lingering for a few extra looks at A Qing's pure white eyes.

"Alright, everyone is here." A somewhat stiff voice rang out.

Everyone turned toward the sound and saw a stern-faced middle-aged man in equally plain clothing who had appeared at the front of the clearing at some point. He was of average build and ordinary appearance, but his eyes shone with persistence and wisdom.

At his side stood Dean Flender, whose face still carried a trace of weariness, and the burly Zhao Wuji.

"This is Teacher Yu Xiaogang. You may call him Master. Starting today, Master will be responsible for teaching you theoretical knowledge," Flender introduced, his tone carrying a hint of respect for Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang! Tang San's teacher, reputedly unrivaled in theory, yet unable to break through rank thirty for life due to a malignant mutation in his Martial Soul.

Ling Yun's gaze fell on Yu Xiaogang, his expression calm. So this was the theoretical master who had proposed the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul and trained Tang San? He wondered whether those theories could still hold up before an "anomaly" like himself.

Yu Xiaogang's stiff gaze swept over the eight students present. It paused briefly on Tang San, and a trace of barely perceptible warmth flashed through his eyes. But when his gaze landed on Ling Yun, it suddenly froze, and his brows drew tightly together.

With his research into Martial Souls, he could tell at a glance that Ling Yun gave off an extremely discordant feeling. His vitality was clearly abundant, yet his Soul Power fluctuations were obscure and unfathomably deep. And yet... he could not sense the existence of any Soul Rings at all! This completely violated every law of Martial Souls he knew!

"You, are you Ling Yun?" Yu Xiaogang pointed at Ling Yun, his voice stern.

"Yes," Ling Yun replied calmly.

"Release your Martial Soul," Yu Xiaogang ordered.

The other students all watched curiously, especially Tang San. He, too, wanted to know exactly what Ling Yun's Twin Martial Souls were.

With a thought from Ling Yun, he raised his left hand. A jade-green, crystalline, noble, and magnificent Nine-Heart Begonia Emperor silently emerged, its gentle yet vast aura of life spreading through the air.

"This is... Nine Heart Begonia?!" Yu Xiaogang's pupils abruptly contracted as he cried out in shock. "No! This life aura... is far purer and nobler than Nine Heart Begonia! Is this... a mutation? Or an evolution?"

He strode forward and stared fixedly at the begonia phantom in Ling Yun's hand, his body trembling slightly with excitement. "Perfect! Absolutely perfect! The structure of its life energy is stable and powerful! This is undoubtedly a top-tier healing Martial Soul! Child, where are your Soul Rings? How many have you added? What are their ages?"

Faced with Yu Xiaogang's barrage of questions, Ling Yun merely said flatly, "I don't have Soul Rings."

"What?! Impossible!" Yu Xiaogang rejected it outright. "Without Soul Rings, how could you possess such solid Soul Power fluctuations? And yesterday, when you fought Vice Dean Zhao Wuji..."

"I did not use Soul Skills," Ling Yun interrupted him. "What I used was the power of my Martial Soul itself."

Yu Xiaogang froze, his brows knitting even tighter. "The Martial Soul's own power? Without relying on Soul Rings? This... this does not conform to theory! Soul Rings are the keys to a Soul Master's power, the necessary medium for drawing out a Martial Soul's potential! Without Soul Rings, no matter how powerful a Martial Soul is, it cannot unleash its true strength! This is an ironclad rule!"

His tone was charged with the agitation of seeing his theories challenged.

Ling Yun looked at Yu Xiaogang and said slowly, "Master's theories are based on research into ordinary Martial Souls. But there are countless Martial Souls in this world, and exceptions will always exist. My Martial Soul does not need Soul Rings from Soul Beasts to defile and restrict it."

"Defile? Restrict?" Yu Xiaogang looked as though he had heard the most absurd words imaginable. "Soul Rings are the foundation of the Soul Master system! They are the condensed essence of Soul Beast life and laws! They are the root of a Soul Master's strength! How can you call them defilement?"

He turned to Flender and Zhao Wuji. "Flender, Zhao Wuji, you saw it yourselves yesterday. Did he use the power of Soul Rings?"

Zhao Wuji gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "No. I saw it clearly. Not a single one of his Soul Rings lit up! He endured it all with his physical body and the origin power of his Martial Soul!"

Flender also pushed up his glasses, his gaze complicated.

Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath and tried to calm himself before saying to Ling Yun, "Child, I admit that your Martial Soul is very special, perhaps a type I have never seen before. But the Soul Master system is the crystallization of wisdom accumulated by countless predecessors. It cannot be wrong. Your current strength may merely come from the abundant origin of your Martial Soul, but it is ultimately rootless water. Without the guidance of Soul Rings, you will certainly be unable to break through in the future. You may even suffer backlash!"

His tone was certain and admonishing, as though he were trying to save a genius who had strayed onto the wrong path.

Tang San could not help but speak up as well. "Teacher's research has been proven. Ling Yun, perhaps your Martial Soul is special, but following the established rules is the right path." Deep down, he did not want to believe that Ling Yun could break convention. That would shatter everything he had always believed.

Xiao Wu opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but when she saw Tang San's serious expression, she swallowed her words.

Dai Mubai and the other students looked at one another, not daring to interrupt.

Ling Yun looked at the somewhat agitated Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, whose face practically said "this is for your own good," then suddenly smiled. The smile was faint, yet it carried an aloof indifference, as if he looked down upon all living things.

"Master's theories may apply to ninety-nine percent of Soul Masters." Ling Yun's voice was calm, yet every person heard it clearly. "But unfortunately, I belong to that one percent."

He raised his right hand. A flicker of dark-golden light flashed, and a heart-palpitating Dragon Might vanished in an instant.

"I will walk my own path. To me, Soul Rings are not necessities. They are... shackles."

Looking into Yu Xiaogang's eyes, filled with persistence and disbelief, he said each word distinctly, "Your theories cannot bind me."

With that, he ignored Yu Xiaogang, who had fallen into overwhelming shock and confusion. He gave Flender a slight nod, then turned and headed straight toward the Mimicry Training Ground.

A Qing looked at everyone, hesitated for a moment, then hurried after Ling Yun.

Only Yu Xiaogang remained in the clearing, his expression constantly shifting as his convictions suffered a violent blow. Flender and Zhao Wuji wore complicated looks, while deep within Tang San's eyes hid unwillingness and a trace of gloom.

In their first clash over theory, Ling Yun had declared his "difference" in the most direct way possible.

Yu Xiaogang watched Ling Yun's departing back, clenching his fists tightly as he muttered, "Impossible... how could this be... my theories... could they be wrong?"

For the first time, this man who had devoted his entire life to researching Martial Soul theory began to doubt his own convictions.

Tang San, meanwhile, stared at Ling Yun's back as the urgency and competitive drive in his heart reached their peak. He had to grow stronger, faster, and prove that his teacher's theories were right! Prove that he was no worse than Ling Yun!

Shrek Academy's first lesson ended on such an unhappy note amid a fierce argument over the nature of Martial Souls. Ling Yun's unconventional image was also deeply imprinted in everyone's hearts.