Year-End Competition and the Master's Doubt

At the same time, in a private faculty office.

Yu Xiaogang sat in his office, holding a student file in his hand, his brows furrowed tightly.

The name Lin Yi was written prominently on the file.

"Lin Yi, six years old, Martial Soul Myriad Star Core (Auxiliary type), Innate Soul Power level three, parents unknown, recommended for enrollment by the Nuoding City Welfare Guild..."

It was a very ordinary file, nothing special about it.

But Yu Xiaogang was no fool; he felt that something was not quite right.

During class today, he could clearly sense that the students' attitudes toward him had changed.

In previous theory classes, the students were either distracted or drowsy.

But today, everyone was very serious, one could even say they were focused intently.

Furthermore, there were an unusually high number of questions, and the questions themselves were quite professional.

This should have been a good thing, indicating that his theories had gained recognition.

But Yu Xiaogang felt that things were not that simple.

The way those students looked... they were constantly keeping an eye on this boy named Lin Yi.

And the other teachers, who usually scoffed at his theoretical knowledge.

Today, almost all of them had come to audit his class.

Likewise, these teachers' focus also seemed to be on Lin Yi.

All signs pointed to the fact that this was far from normal.

"There's nothing particularly special here," Yu Xiaogang muttered to himself. "Could it be that my research has made a breakthrough, attracting attention?"

But he quickly dismissed this thought.

His research had never made any progress, and his theories were not recognized by the mainstream soul master world; how could they suddenly attract attention?

"Grandmaster, are you in?"

Just then, a knock came from outside the door.

Yu Xiaogang put his thoughts aside. "Please, come in."

The door opened, and Teacher Li walked in, holding a notebook.

"Teacher Li, is something the matter?" Yu Xiaogang asked.

Teacher Li's expression was somewhat complex. He glanced at the file in Yu Xiaogang's hand and hesitated before speaking. "Grandmaster, are you looking at Lin Yi's file?"

Yu Xiaogang was stunned. "How did you know?"

"I saw you borrow this file from the archives earlier," Teacher Li explained.

Yu Xiaogang nodded, not denying it. "During class today, I found this student to be very special, so I wanted to learn more about him."

"He is indeed very special," Teacher Li said meaningfully.

Yu Xiaogang keenly sensed that there was more to his words. "Teacher Li, do you know something?"

Teacher Li fell silent.

He did indeed know something, but he could not say it.

The information he had heard from Lin Yi's heart was too shocking, and its source was unknown; he dared not speak of it lightly.

"Grandmaster, what do you think of this student, Lin Yi?" Teacher Li did not answer directly, instead changing the subject.

Yu Xiaogang thought for a moment and replied, "Very intelligent, with strong observational skills, but his soul power talent is average—only level three. His future achievements will likely be limited."

This was his honest opinion.

On the Douluo Continent, Innate Soul Power determined a soul master's ceiling.

An Innate Soul Power of level three meant that, at most, Lin Yi would only ever be a level twenty-something Soul Grand Master in his lifetime; it would be very difficult for him to break through to level thirty.

"What if..." Teacher Li suddenly said, "what if his Martial Soul has some special qualities?"

Yu Xiaogang frowned. "Myriad Star Core? I've never even heard of such a Martial Soul, and it's an Auxiliary type—a useless Martial Soul at that. What could possibly be special about it?"

"Perhaps," Teacher Li said noncommittally. "But sometimes, you cannot judge the quality of a Martial Soul by its surface."

The statement was vague and lacked context, leaving Yu Xiaogang completely bewildered.

"Teacher Li, what exactly are you trying to say?" Yu Xiaogang asked bluntly.

Teacher Li opened his mouth, but in the end, he shook his head. "Nothing, I was just speaking casually."

He could not tell Yu Xiaogang that he had heard information regarding the Golden Sacred Dragon from Lin Yi's inner thoughts.

If that information were true, then Yu Xiaogang's tragedy could have been avoided.

But the question was, was that information true?

Teacher Li dared not be certain.

Therefore, he chose to keep it hidden for the time being, waiting until he had gathered more information before saying anything.

Moreover, Teacher Li could not hear Lin Yi's inner thoughts, and he did not know whether he should tell Yu Xiaogang the truth.

Yu Xiaogang sensed his concealment and felt somewhat displeased, but he did not press the matter further.

"If there is nothing else, Teacher Li, please return." Yu Xiaogang issued an order to leave.

Teacher Li shook his head slightly, looking at him with a hint of pity, then handed over the notebook in his hand: "Grandmaster, this is for the year-end competition in two days. Please take a look."

"Mm, leave it there." Yu Xiaogang replied, not even glancing at Teacher Li.

"Then I shall take my leave. Please continue with your work, Grandmaster."

Teacher Li turned to leave, but suddenly stopped at the doorway and looked back at Yu Xiaogang.

"Grandmaster, sometimes letting go of certain things might lead to gaining even more."

Having said that, he pushed the door open and left.

Yu Xiaogang was stunned, repeating the sentence over and over.

Letting go of certain things?

What did he have to let go of?

His dignity?

Or that pathetic shred of self-esteem?

Yu Xiaogang smiled bitterly.

He had once thought about returning to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family to seek help, but every time he thought of the mocking faces of those in the family, he retreated.

He would rather be stuck at level twenty-nine for the rest of his life than go back and suffer that humiliation.

After Teacher Li left, Yu Xiaogang sat alone in his office, his gaze falling back onto Lin Yi's file.

The sky outside the window gradually darkened, and the afterglow of the setting sun spilled through the window onto the desk, dyeing the thin file in a layer of gold.

Yu Xiaogang's fingers tapped lightly on the desk, producing a rhythmic clicking sound.

"Myriad Star Core..." he muttered to himself, "Auxiliary-type martial soul, Innate Soul Power level three. With such talent, it stands to reason that he shouldn't attract anyone's attention."

Yet, the strange atmosphere in the classroom today, along with Teacher Li's hesitant expression, all made him feel that something was wrong.

As a theoretical researcher, what Yu Xiaogang hated most was the unknown.

He was accustomed to categorizing everything into his own theoretical system, using data and logic to explain all phenomena.

But this child, Lin Yi, was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, disrupting all his expectations.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The sound of knocking rang out again, interrupting Yu Xiaogang's train of thought.

"Please come in." He looked up.

The door was pushed open, and Tang San stood at the entrance, holding a notebook in his hand.

"Teacher." Tang San bowed respectfully, "I have finished organizing the notes on spirit beast habits that you asked me to compile."

"Come in." Yu Xiaogang nodded, a faint smile of gratification appearing on his face.

Among all his students, Tang San was the only one who truly respected him and recognized his theories.

This child was gifted, diligent, and most importantly, he did not look at him through colored glasses like the others.

Tang San walked into the office and placed the notebook on the desk, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the file in front of Yu Xiaogang.

"Lin Yi?" Tang San frowned slightly, "Teacher, are you looking at his file?"