Rotten Wood Yu Xiaogang, the All-Powerful Master Meng

"That's right, it had to be this way. It must be!"

Yu Xiaogang suddenly brightened up, as if he had discovered some earth-shattering secret.

Master Meng lowered his eyelids and gently shook his head.

"A hopeless student cannot be taught, and rotten wood cannot be carved. Your heart is even more decayed than my Rotten Wood Martial Soul."

As though he had discovered some supreme truth, Yu Xiaogang turned a deaf ear to Master Meng's words, fully convinced that Master Meng was deliberately concealing his Second Martial Soul.

A Waste Martial Soul like that could not possibly make someone a Soul Master, much less a Titled Douluo.

Don't even think about fooling me, Yu Xiaogang. I am invincible when it comes to Martial Soul theory.

Yu Xiaogang's mental victory method was incredibly powerful, but just then, his prized student Tang San asked:

"Teacher, why is Master Meng's fourth Soul Ring black? Can a fourth Soul Ring absorb a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring?"

Yu Xiaogang's gaze abruptly focused on Master Meng's fourth Soul Ring.

He had been so shocked by the fact that Master Meng was a Titled Douluo that he had overlooked this other violation of common sense.

"A Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring? The fourth Soul Ring is actually a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring?"

"The theoretical absorption limit for the fourth Soul Ring is five thousand years. That is a full five thousand years away from ten thousand. How is that possible?"

The defenses Yu Xiaogang had built with his mental victory method suffered another fierce blow.

"Yu Xiaogang, do you still want to compete with my teacher in Martial Soul theory?" Lin Qi asked.

"Impossible. The absorption limit for the first Soul Ring is four hundred and twenty-three years, the second Soul Ring's limit is seven hundred and sixty-four years, the third..."

Like he was reciting a textbook, Yu Xiaogang repeated the maximum number of years each Soul Ring could absorb.

"You only know how to parrot what is written and have no idea how to adapt. At your level, you dare call yourself a master?"

Master Meng's gaze resembled that of a stern teacher looking upon a disappointing student.

"The so-called Soul Ring absorption limit is merely an approximation. Soul Masters with weaker physiques or poorer spiritual power have absorption limits far below that threshold."

"Conversely, if one's physical constitution and spiritual strength are sufficient, absorbing Soul Rings of a higher age is nothing unusual."

"Some Soul Masters with Martial Souls capable of strengthening their physiques can often absorb Soul Rings of greater age. Anyone with a little sense could figure that out. Why treat it as some inviolable golden rule?"

"Impossible."

Yu Xiaogang kept repeating himself.

Even Tang San, standing beside him, could not bear to watch. He felt that his teacher had suffered too great a blow.

Had it been a matter of strength, it would have been one thing. But this was Martial Soul theory, the field his teacher took the greatest pride in, and he had been utterly crushed.

"Teacher, let's go."

"No. My Martial Soul theory cannot be wrong."

Yu Xiaogang pushed away Tang San's outstretched hand and looked as though his mental state had become somewhat unstable.

"Right, there's also this. I have the Martial Soul Mimicry Theory. Animal Martial Souls can absorb plant Soul Rings, and the reverse is also true. This is my proudest research. You definitely don't know it."

Yu Xiaogang racked his brains, determined to surpass Master Meng in at least one area.

"Ha ha ha!"

Master Meng stroked his long beard and laughed.

"You are from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, yet you do not know that one of your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan ancestors once absorbed the Soul Ring of a Thunder Attribute plant Soul Beast?"

"And you call that your research? It is merely common knowledge. Other Soul Masters simply do not claim it as their own research."

Yu Xiaogang took several heavy, ragged breaths.

Just as Lin Qi thought he was about to explode, Yu Xiaogang's eyes rolled back. He toppled over backward and fainted on the spot.

"Teacher! Teacher, what's wrong?"

Tang San hurriedly caught Yu Xiaogang and called out anxiously several times.

"Take your teacher and leave. Stay away from the Bamboo Forest in the future. It will be better for you."

Lin Qi waved his hand, as if dismissing an overconfident servant who had tried to challenge his master.

"Lin Qi."

Tang San trembled all over, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Wait until I obtain my first Soul Ring. I will prove with my strength that I am stronger than you, and that my teacher's Martial Soul theory is stronger than your teacher's..."

In the end, he did not dare claim that Yu Xiaogang was stronger than Master Meng, emphasizing that he meant only in terms of Martial Soul theory.

After saying that, Tang San dragged Yu Xiaogang away from the Bamboo Forest without waiting for Lin Qi to respond.

He knew that if he waited for Lin Qi's response, he would surely hear more "kind words" that would stab right into his sore spot.

"Lin Qi, his teacher was beaten unconscious, and he still dared say something like that?"

Xiao Wu could not understand where Tang San found such confidence. Or perhaps there was something wrong with his head.

Lin Qi smiled. "Who said Yu Xiaogang fainted?"

"He didn't? But he fell over."

Yu Xiaogang had put on a convincing performance, looking exactly like someone who had truly fainted.

But to Lin Qi's keen senses, Yu Xiaogang's aura had not changed much before or after he collapsed. As he was about to hit the ground, his heartbeat had even sped up slightly. He was plainly faking it.

"Does pretending to faint count as fainting?"

"He could do that?" Xiao Wu was utterly amazed.

Yu Xiaogang had truly gone all out just to avoid admitting that his Martial Soul theory was inferior to someone else's.

"Master," Lin Qi asked, "why were your first two Soul Rings only Hundred-Year Soul Rings? Don't you know methods to improve physical constitution and spiritual strength?"

Yu Xiaogang and Tang San believed Master Meng's Soul Ring configuration was already beyond the norm, but Lin Qi felt it ought to be even more extraordinary than that.

"I was not born possessing this knowledge. I learned and researched it step by step as well."

Master Meng smiled as he explained.

"Besides, while Soul Rings are indeed important, having a few more years on them is not that important. There is no need to feel it is a pity."

Hmm... that made perfect sense. He really did not seem like someone created by the system.

"Lin Qi, um..."

Xiao Wu timidly edged closer.

"I failed to stop Yu Xiaogang from shouting. Can you forgive me this time? I promise it will not happen again. Let me, this Reserve Soul Ring, stay in reserve for a few more years, okay?"

Now that the matter was over, although Lin Qi had not been affected, Xiao Wu still felt very guilty.

"It is good that you know you were wrong. I will put it on your record this time. If there is a next time, the offenses will be punished together."

The medicinal bath process was not dangerous, nor was it so easily disturbed.

Still, this Rabbit was so proactive about admitting her mistake that he would reluctantly accept it.

"I knew you were the best. Don't worry, as a Reserve Soul Ring, I will definitely complete every task you assign and do my utmost to keep you from absorbing my Soul Ring."

Xiao Wu had thoroughly accepted her identity as a Reserve Soul Ring, and she surprisingly no longer felt much resistance toward it.

"By the way, Lin Qi, how strong is your body now? Can you absorb a Soul Ring over five hundred years old?"

Xiao Wu knew why Master Meng had tempered Lin Qi's body and asked curiously.

"Five hundred years?"

Lin Qi and Master Meng exchanged a glance.

If all that effort had merely allowed Lin Qi to absorb a five-hundred-year Soul Ring, that would be far too insulting to Master Meng's abilities.

Master Meng said, "Little Qi, you have just finished the medicinal bath. Since it is still early, I will teach you a sword technique. It will improve your combat ability and help you better adapt to your enhanced physical constitution."

"Master, you know swordsmanship too?" Lin Qi asked in surprise.

"My Martial Soul is weak, especially when I had just begun cultivating. To improve my combat power, I also learned some other combat techniques. Swordsmanship was one of them."

"Besides what I learned elsewhere, I also created several Self-Created Soul Skills. I will teach them to you gradually in the future."

Lin Qi was full of admiration.

Master Meng truly was capable of anything. As expected of Lin Qi's teacher.