A Born Teacher

"Damn it! What the hell is this supposed to mean? I was wondering why none of our teachers mentioned this Yu Xiaogang when I went to the Soul Master Academy. Turns out he just picked up some common knowledge and passed it off to the masses!"

"Good grief! This is absolutely ridiculous! Does this guy have no shame? How could he bring himself to do something like this?"

Hearing the chatter all around him, the middle-aged man was also a little stunned. He had clearly noticed that something was off. He opened his mouth, wanting to refute Su Yun, but had no idea where to begin. He was frantic.

Su Yun wasn't satisfied yet. After casting a discreet glance at Tang San, he asked,

"Oh, right! I remember that Grandmaster had another theory."

"Something like, 'There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters!'"

Su Yun feigned confusion.

"Then I'd like to ask, what was his Soul Power Level?"

As he spoke, Su Yun smacked his right fist into his palm, putting on an expression of sudden realization.

"As a theoretical master, he must have planned his own Martial Soul very well, right?"

If the earlier remarks had merely been an appetizer, this one was the killing blow.

The middle-aged man's face immediately went pale.

If it had been someone else, they might not have known Yu Xiaogang's level. But as a diehard fan who had even met his idol, the middle-aged man naturally knew.

He wanted to argue, but opened his mouth and, in the end, couldn't get a word out.

Looking at the middle-aged man, everyone present could see what was going on. This fellow named Yu Xiaogang had nothing to show for himself, neither in Soul Power Level nor in Martial Soul.

Otherwise, with how much the man before them worshipped Yu Xiaogang, he would have fired back long ago.

Seeing that the bald man wasn't willing to speak, Su Yun narrowed his eyes and wore the look of a sly little fox.

"You don't want to say it?

"Then I'll say it for you.

"The Grandmaster you admire is nothing more than a Soul Grandmaster with Soul Power Level 29, someone who'll never reach level 30!"

"Oh..."

Su Yun's words caused an uproar. Disdain flashed in Tang San's eyes as well.

Not just anyone dared to call himself a grandmaster. A so-called grandmaster was supposed to be a leading figure in his field, a celebrated person. And you're telling me this one isn't even a Soul Elder, just a Soul Grandmaster? That was hilarious.

"Good grief, I knew it. If this Grandmaster was really that famous, why had I never heard of him? Turns out he's only a Soul Grandmaster. Heh..."

"Unbelievable! He's not even a Soul Elder. Where does he get the nerve?"

"Man, I'm dying. Those so-called Ten Great Theories of Soul Masters, and this is what they amount to?"

"He's pushing fifty, and the stuff he came up with is complete nonsense. It falls apart the moment anyone questions it."

"If that's all it takes to become a grandmaster, then I can do it too! Listen up! I've got a theory of my own!

"A Soul Master can't reach the next rank without obtaining a Spirit Ring! How's that? Pretty good theory, right?"

"Oh my god! Thank you so much! I never would've figured that out if you hadn't told me!"

"Yeah! I only just learned that a Soul Master can't become a Soul Grandmaster without obtaining a second Spirit Ring!"

"I can do it too! If you awakened a plant-type Martial Soul, then when you're in an empowered state, you definitely don't have a Beast Martial Soul!"

Hearing the mockery around him, the middle-aged man was frantic. He wanted to argue back, but still couldn't find a way in. His face had turned purple, and all he could do was helplessly watch them make fun of his idol.

After a long while, the middle-aged man seemed to give up. He took a deep breath, did his best to calm himself, then fixed his gaze on Su Yun.

"I admit I can't refute you.

"But that's only because I haven't studied hard enough!

"If it were Grandmaster, he'd definitely be able to convince you.

"Just you wait! I'll remember these questions and ask Grandmaster when I get back. Then I'll personally return and give you the answers."

After saying that, the middle-aged man closed his eyes and fell silent.

Su Yun listened to him and wore a strange expression.

This guy knew Yu Xiaogang? And he was planning to go back and ask him these questions.

Good grief!

Wouldn't that turn a diehard fan into a hater in seconds?

Imagining Yu Xiaogang's stone-cold face turning bright red, looking like King Jiji, Su Yun found the scene so beautiful that he could barely keep the corners of his mouth from rising.

He shook his head, banishing those thoughts, and looked toward the young man from earlier.

"So, what do you think? Want to listen?"

Hearing Su Yun's question, the young man was tempted.

He'd arrived late, so he hadn't seen Su Yun's demonstration earlier.

But by now, he could tell that the little girl in front of him was extraordinary. Despite her young age, she was far better than a half-trained Soul Master like him. He nodded without hesitation.

"Then thank you, Miss Su."

After speaking, the young man assumed a pose of rapt attention.

He wasn't the only one. Everyone present was now looking at Su Yun.

Even the middle-aged man, though badly shaken, pricked up his ears, ready to hear what advice Su Yun might offer.

With so many people watching, Su Yun didn't get stage fright. She opened her mouth and began the next lesson at Little Su's Lecture Hall.

"Martial Soul planning is really just about developing your Martial Soul. You need to decide what you want your Martial Soul to become and how you want to fight. Then, by adding suitable Spirit Rings, you can make that vision a reality, step by step."

Su Yun felt that Martial Souls had something in common with Devil Fruits from that world next door: with enough wild imagination, even an ability that seemed useless at first could be developed into something powerful.

To be fair, Yu Xiaogang had been right about one thing.

There were no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters.

Luo Sanpao was a detached Martial Soul that could've been raised like a Pokémon, yet somehow he'd raised him until all he could do was fart. That was absolutely ridiculous.

Thinking of this, Su Yun couldn't help shaking his head. Then she looked back at the young man.

"So what kind of system do you want to choose? What kind of fighting style?"

"System? Fighting style?"

The young man was taken aback, confused.

"My Martial Soul is a thin rope. Isn't that for control? In a fight, I just tie people up."

At that, Su Yun raised her right hand and gently wagged her index finger.

"No, no, no...

"That's far too vague!

"You need to come up with a system! A fighting style!"

"???????"

Not just the young man—even quite a few of the Soul Masters present were completely lost. Only a handful of Soul Elders and above looked as if they were beginning to understand.

The shortcomings of this world's teaching became apparent at that very moment.

Teaching?

The Soul Masters here didn't know the first thing about teaching. Aside from learning some basic knowledge, students were simply left to cultivate on their own. At most, the academy provided a place where they could cultivate faster.

Otherwise, how could Grandmaster's running exercise have stunned everyone?

The top factions did have their own legacies. They knew how to match Spirit Rings, so they had half a system.

For example, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Dai Family, and the Zhu Family all had the same Spirit Rings for their first few ranks.

But in Su Yun's eyes, even those combinations were a complete mess.