On the way back, Lin Ming was still thinking about Yu Xiaogang's Luo Sanpao.
Was the Martial Soul Mutation Yu Xiaogang's fault?
No.
Was it Luo Sanpao's fault?
Not that, either.
But after decades of training and studying his Martial Soul, if Luo Sanpao was still this useless, then that was Yu Xiaogang's fault.
During the time he'd had Lei Yi, Lin Ming had discovered the greatest advantage of a Detached Martial Soul.
It was its sentience.
In other words, it had intelligence.
Both Lei Yi and Luo Sanpao were intelligent creatures.
Unfortunately, there was an enormous difference between them in terms of their fundamental nature, like the moon compared to a firefly.
Then there was the difference between Lin Ming's and Yu Xiaogang's Innate Soul Power.
Moreover, Yu Xiaogang had grown up in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, where the strength of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul had been drilled into him throughout his childhood.
In his view, only a Martial Soul stronger than the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul could be considered a positive mutation.
But he had overlooked something.
A Detached Martial Soul wasn't a Beast Martial Soul.
It couldn't enhance its master like a Beast Martial Soul could, so the Soul Master's own combat strength was weak.
But if you used a Detached Martial Soul as a ranged weapon, it wasn't just strong—it could be incredibly powerful.
A sentient ranged-weapon Martial Soul could do far more than simply make one plus one equal two in battle.
Besides, as the vessel for the Golden Sacred Dragon Martial Soul Fusion Skill, how could Luo Sanpao be as useless as Yu Xiaogang imagined?
"Looks like he raised Luo Sanpao into a complete waste."
Lin Ming summoned Little Lei Yi again. He listened to its chirps and smiled, then rubbed its little head until it settled down.
Intelligent creatures all developed their own ways of fighting.
But aside from using its Soul Skill to fart, Luo Sanpao had no other means of attack.
As a Soul Grandmaster, it couldn't even defeat a four-hundred-year-old Mandala Snake.
It had nearly sent Tang San off to meet his great-grandmother.
Clearly, Yu Xiaogang had never cared about Luo Sanpao's own strength. He only wanted to solve his Soul Power problem—and, while he was at it, get rid of Luo Sanpao.
If the difference came down to talent between Soul Masters, Luo Sanpao still shouldn't have been this useless.
So Luo Sanpao wasn't the useless one. Yu Xiaogang was.
"Reflect on myself?"
In the cafeteria, Yu Xiaogang stared blankly at his trembling palm, his head bowed as he murmured.
"Was I wrong? Is this my fault?"
He looked toward the cafeteria entrance, in the direction Lin Ming had gone.
All these years, he'd only ever seen Luo Sanpao's shortcomings.
During his time in the clan, countless resources had been poured into him, yet he'd never managed to resolve Luo Sanpao's mutation.
They'd tried everything they could think of: sub-dragon meat, medicinal baths, treatments.
They'd used nearly every method available.
Never underestimate the prestige of one of the Upper Three Sects, or the connections of a Titled Douluo.
But...
Luo Sanpao was still Luo Sanpao, unchanged.
Still a Martial Soul that could only make those grating "luo-luo" sounds, a Martial Soul he hated.
Yu Xiaogang trudged back to his single dorm room.
He sat on the edge of his bed with his head bowed, silent.
After a long while, Luo Sanpao appeared in the room, making its "luo-luo" sounds.
"Tell me, why couldn't you have been a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon?"
Yu Xiaogang stared at Luo Sanpao. His expression looked as though his father had just died, and it startled Luo Sanpao.
"Luo~"
Luo Sanpao was aggrieved, but it couldn't speak. All it could do was curl up into a ball.
Seeing how spineless it looked only made Yu Xiaogang angrier. His fury flared up in an instant.
He stood and tried to kick Luo Sanpao, but then remembered that injuries to a Detached Martial Soul would rebound onto its Soul Master. He forced himself to stop.
He looked around, swept everything off the table, then stomped hard on the books he usually read.
After venting his anger, Yu Xiaogang turned around dazedly. He stared blankly at Luo Sanpao, then suddenly fell to his knees and grabbed its soft belly with both hands.
"Luo..."
Pain in its belly made Luo Sanpao cry out instinctively. But when it saw how unlike himself Yu Xiaogang looked, it swallowed the rest of the sound.
Its round body trembled slightly. It had no idea what it had done this time.
"My fault? No, there's nothing wrong with me. It's all your fault. Why couldn't you be a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon?!"
The look on Yu Xiaogang's face grew increasingly twisted, and his grip gradually tightened.
Luo Sanpao was in agony, but all it dared to do was tremble meekly. It didn't dare try to escape.
Just like Yu Xiaogang, it stubbornly believed that if it endured everything, then one day Yu Xiaogang would treat it well.
At last, the madness in Yu Xiaogang's eyes slowly faded, and Luo Sanpao couldn't hold on any longer. It vanished.
"Ugh..."
Yu Xiaogang clutched his stomach with one hand and used the other to steady himself against the bed as he sat down, panting heavily.
Luo Sanpao's injuries had rebounded onto him again.
"I did nothing wrong..."
After Lin Ming turned him down, Yu Xiaogang didn't seek him out for two months.
Soon, the school break passed day by day.
Nuoding Academy was back in session.
Lin Ming returned from exercising outside and pushed open the door to Dorm Seven.
A few people were inside.
"A new student?" Xiao Wu clapped her hands and bounced over. Her gaze immediately fixed on the ten-centimeter-tall Lei Yi perched on Lin Ming's shoulder.
"Wow! Is that your Martial Soul? It stays outside all the time?"
Lin Ming glanced around the room. Xiao Wu and Tang San were both there.
"Yeah. This is Little Lei Yi, a Detached Martial Soul."
"Cool! But Dorm Seven has a rule: newcomers have to fight the boss. If you win, you're the boss. If you lose, you have to listen to me."
"I'm Xiao Wu. 'Wu' as in dancing. What's your name?"
"Lin Ming." Lin Ming looked at Xiao Wu, feeling nothing. "I'm not a new student."
"?"
Xiao Wu had already taken up a fighting stance, but at his words, she blinked in confusion.
What did he mean, he wasn't a new student?
Oh.
So he was like Wang Sheng and the others.
"I see. Then you're my little brother from now on."
Xiao Wu grinned and reached to pat Lin Ming on the shoulder, but he easily dodged her.
Her face fell at once.
What the hell did that rabbit want?
Lin Ming looked at Xiao Wu. She was still blocking the doorway, so he spoke up.
"Move aside. I need to get into the dorm."
"No. You have to call me Sister Xiao Wu before I'll let you in."
Xiao Wu's stubborn streak kicked in.
She'd been Sister Xiao Wu in the Star Dou Great Forest, too. No Soul Beast had ever dared defy her.
Forget patting her arm—even if she wanted to pat them on the head, Da Ming and Er Ming could only stand there and let her.
Now that she'd just become the boss of Dorm Seven, someone was already refusing to obey her. She was going to teach Lin Ming a proper lesson.
"Are you crazy?"
Lin Ming was so annoyed by her words that he laughed.
Who had given her this bossy habit? A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and she still dared to act so high and mighty here.
Did she think he wouldn't go straight to Spirit Hall that very afternoon and call for help?
"How dare you insult Sister Xiao Wu!"
Xiao Wu's eyes widened. Fuming, she immediately tried to use her soft techniques to throw Lin Ming out.
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