Yu Xiaogang

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Yu Xiaogang (玉小刚)
Alias(es)	Master Yu; Master
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Notting Junior Soul Master Academy; Shrek Academy; Blue Tyrant Academy
Occupation/Role	Martial soul theorist; mentor
Status	Alive; both legs were dissolved by Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor venom 95
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Level 29 Soul Grandmaster	2	Identified as a Soul Grandmaster despite being over forty years old.
Soul Power Level 50	69	Later stated to have broken through from Level 29 to Level 50.

Background / History

Yu Xiaogang was permitted to reside at Notting Junior Soul Master Academy despite not teaching there. Dean Bruno tolerated him because of his former status in the Golden Iron Triangle and his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan backing, while providing research funding. 5

When Tang San enrolled at Notting, Yu Xiaogang singled him out and revealed his suspicion that Tang possessed twin martial souls. He based the deduction on his investigation of 647 Blue Silver Grass owners, claiming that innate full soul power could not arise from ordinary Blue Silver Grass alone. 1 2 He attempted to recruit Tang San as a disciple, but Tang rejected him outright after Yu insulted Lu Duzhou. 2

Yu Xiaogang subsequently complained to Dean Bruno that Lu Duzhou had slandered him and demanded Lu's expulsion. 5 After Xiao Wu condemned his attempts to force Tang into discipleship, he resolved to cultivate students capable of defeating Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Lu Duzhou. 9

He went to Shrek Academy, where he accepted Oscar and Ma Hongjun as disciples before later taking Dai Mubai as a third student. 9 14 15 With Dai, Oscar, and Ma as his team, Yu Xiaogang established a three-year, three-on-three challenge against Lu Duzhou's group, with the defeated side required to suffer public humiliation. 15

The Shrek team lost the contest after Tang San and Xiao Wu revealed power far beyond Yu Xiaogang's expectations. Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun were compelled to crawl beneath Tang San's crotch to fulfill the wager. 65 67 Yu Xiaogang then sought the secret behind high-year soul rings from Yu Tianheng and pressed Flender to obtain ten-thousand-year whale rubber for their students. 67

To secure greater resources and a simulated training ground for his disciples, Yu Xiaogang agreed to join Liu Erlong's Blue Tyrant Academy alongside Flender. 68 Later, Porcupinefish Douluo of Spirit Hall abducted him, supplied five soul bones for Shrek's key members, and demanded that Dai Mubai kill Dai Weisi during the Elite Soul Master Competition. Yu Xiaogang refused to permit harm to Dai Mubai and threatened to oppose Spirit Hall if necessary. 88

Yu Xiaogang's conflict with Tang San escalated after he dismissed Tang's mother and publicly exposed Ah Yin as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor. 94 When he confronted Dugu Bo over sheltering Ah Yin and Tang San, Dugu Bo spared his life but destroyed both of his legs with venom. 95

Appearance

Yu Xiaogang is a stern-faced, middle-aged man with a flat-top crew cut and a small mustache. 1 2

• Flat-top haircut. 1
• Small mustache, which he often strokes while presenting his deductions. 2
• Frequently adopts theatrical, “unfathomable” poses while addressing prospective disciples. 2 15

Personality

Yu Xiaogang is intensely prideful about his theoretical reputation. He presents his conclusions as indisputable, even when Tang San's soul rings directly contradict his claimed optimal-ring rules. 44 65 He reacts badly to rejection and criticism, attempting to remove Lu Duzhou from Notting Academy and seeking students to vindicate himself against Tang San and Xiao Wu. 5 9

As a mentor, he is controlling and demands obedience. Dai Mubai's objection to abandoning his family's established White Tiger cultivation route was met with the reminder that refusal to obey made him unworthy of discipleship. 25 Yet he also remains committed to advancing his chosen students, pursuing resources, soul bones, and institutional support for their growth. 67 68 89

Abilities & Skills

Martial Soul Theory

Yu Xiaogang styles himself as the continent's foremost martial soul theorist and attributes his deductions to his “Ten Core Competition Theory.” 44 95

• Investigated 647 Blue Silver Grass martial soul owners while developing his theory on innate soul power and martial soul quality. 2
• Correctly inferred that Tang San possessed a second martial soul from his innate full soul power and Blue Silver Grass. 1 2
• Advocates that beast martial souls can absorb plant-type soul rings and vice versa. 25
• Insisted that a Soul Elder's optimal ring ratio must be two yellow rings and one purple ring; Tang San's ten-thousand-year third ring disproved his claim. 44 65

Student Cultivation

Yu Xiaogang personally selects soul-ring paths and combat development for his disciples.

• Directed Dai Mubai to absorb a plant-type soul ring rather than follow the Dai family's traditional Diamond Tiger route, resulting in the third soul skill White Tiger Parasite. 25
• Chose Ma Hongjun's early plant-type soul rings, including Starfire Grass and Whirlfire Tree rings. 44
• Guided Ma Hongjun toward an eight-thousand-year Yinming Snake Vine ring to transform his fire attribute into the Yinming Ice Phoenix. 85
• Distributed five soul bones to Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun to strengthen Shrek Academy's principal competitors. 89

Relationships

• Tang San — Prospective disciple who rejected Yu Xiaogang; their hostility deepened after Yu repeatedly targeted Tang's martial soul choices and later exposed Ah Yin's identity. 2 8 94
• Lu Duzhou — Rival at first from Notting Academy; Yu Xiaogang blamed Lu for his rejection by Tang San and made the three-year challenge against Lu's group. 5 15
• Xiao Wu — Opponent who openly denounced Yu Xiaogang as unworthy of teaching, prompting his resolve to cultivate students to defeat her group. 9
• Dai Mubai — Disciple and primary investment; Yu Xiaogang directs his cultivation and views him as capable of becoming a Titled Douluo or even a god. 15 25 103
• Oscar — Disciple recruited at Shrek Academy for his innate full soul power and food-type martial soul. 9
• Ma Hongjun — Disciple whose Evil Fire Phoenix development Yu Xiaogang repeatedly attempts to redirect through unconventional soul rings. 9 44 85
• Flender — Former Golden Iron Triangle associate and Shrek Academy dean; they work together to secure resources and relocate to Blue Tyrant Academy. 5 68
• Liu Erlong — Joined her Blue Tyrant Academy with Flender in order to obtain better cultivation resources for his students. 68
• Dugu Bo — Antagonist who defended Tang San's status as his own disciple, humiliated Yu Xiaogang, and later crippled his legs. 65 95
• Bibi Dong — His former girlfriend; Yu Xiaogang relies on their connection when defying Spirit Hall's demands. 88

Notable Quotes

“My theories will not be wrong.” 44

“If, under my guidance, you still cannot become powerful soul masters, it can only mean that you did not follow my instructions completely and were not diligent enough!” 44

“But Dai Mubai is my student! Go back and tell Bibi Dong that if she dares harm Dai Mubai, I, Yu Xiaogang, will stop at nothing to destroy Spirit Hall!” 88