The Instructor

"Are you her brother, Tang Yin?"

Yu Xiaogang looked deeply at Tang Yin, the corresponding information surfacing in his mind.

He, too, had Innate Full Soul Power, and his Martial Soul was a bird resembling a swallow.

A pair of siblings both had Innate Full Soul Power. After seeing their records, even Yu Xiaogang had doubted his own eyes. Then he was overcome with delight.

Originally, he had only wanted to find a few talented children and verify his theories by giving them a little guidance. If he got lucky and one of them made a name for himself, Yu Xiaogang could bask in some of the glory.

But Tang Sanmei's appearance had changed his mind.

Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls—barring any accidents, she was destined to become a Titled Douluo and shake the continent in the future. And if he took her as his disciple before she came into her own...

The thought had kept Yu Xiaogang so excited that he could barely sleep for days. He could already picture the faces of those people in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan who had once insulted, bullied, and looked down on him.

So, for a while, he secretly observed Tang Sanmei. A few times, he was even mistaken for a stalker with strange tastes.

Once he felt he had learned enough, Yu Xiaogang finally began putting his plan into action.

"Grandmaster, I need an explanation!" Tang Yin demanded, ignoring Yu Xiaogang's words.

"What an impolite child." A flicker of displeasure crossed Yu Xiaogang's face. But when he remembered that Tang Yin was Tang Sanmei's brother—and a genius with Innate Full Soul Power in his own right—he let it go.

Although he had already decided to take Tang Sanmei as his disciple and could no longer take Tang Yin as well, he could still give him a little guidance and add another brushstroke to his future achievements.

"I'm sure you've all heard of me, so I'll get straight to the point." With his hands clasped behind his back, Yu Xiaogang turned toward the window and gazed up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.

"I intend to take your sister as my disciple. I think you know what that means. And besides..." He paused briefly, then turned his head slightly and glanced at Tang Yin from the corner of his eye.

"I can also guide you in cultivating your Martial Soul. After observing you these past few days, I'm certain your Martial Soul is a Sharp-Tailed Swift. Am I right?"

"That's right." Tang Yin wasn't surprised that Yu Xiaogang had recognized the Sharp-Tailed Swift. His background spoke for itself.

"But let's set my situation aside for now. As for your wish to take my sister as your disciple... Forgive me for being blunt, Grandmaster, but what Soul Power Level are you?"

Tang Sanmei and Xiao Wu, standing nearby, were curious, too. At the academy, they had heard all kinds of rumors about him, but no one had ever mentioned his Soul Power Level.

Yu Xiaogang had been wearing a proud expression, but at the question, his face froze. His hands tightened behind his back. After more than ten seconds of silence, he seemed to accept his fate and relaxed his fists.

"My Innate Soul Power was only 0.5. I've now cultivated to level 29. If it weren't for the limitations of my Martial Soul, breaking through the bottleneck at level 30 would be a snap." A proud look suddenly spread across Yu Xiaogang's dejected face.

"Doesn't that, too, show that I'm a genius?"

Tang Yin curled his lip at the shameless claim. Reaching level 29 with 0.5 Innate Soul Power did count as genius—but only for an ordinary commoner Soul Master.

Yu Xiaogang was different. He was the son of the head of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, one of the Upper Three Sects. He had had every kind of cultivation resource and precious treasure at his disposal since childhood. Getting to level 29 hardly seemed remarkable.

"My apologies, Grandmaster, but so what if you're a genius? You're only level 29. You have no experience cultivating at higher levels, so naturally you can't provide my sister with guidance later on. Please don't bring up taking her as your disciple again."

"You—you don't understand. I may only be a level-29 Soul Grandmaster, but my theories are unrivaled. I know the species and distribution of most Soul Beasts on the continent, and my understanding of Twin Martial Souls is unmatched."

"Besides, my research on Martial Souls is my greatest strength. Even Spirit Hall has compiled my theoretical cultivation guide for outstanding Soul Masters!" Yu Xiaogang's face flushed. He was so agitated that even the finger he pointed at Tang Yin trembled slightly.

Seeing this, Tang Yin felt he had made his point. He couldn't actually drive the man into a fury.

"But then again, Grandmaster is widely read and learned, a walking encyclopedia of the Soul Master World. If you're just our instructor, teaching us about the Soul Beasts and Martial Souls of the Soul Master World, you're more than qualified."

Tang Yin had decided this on the way over. On Douluo Continent, a master held a special place in a Soul Master's life, almost on par with a parent.

If Yu Xiaogang was only their instructor, Tang Yin would have far fewer constraints in the future and could refuse any unreasonable demands.

"An instructor?" Yu Xiaogang, who had been on the verge of exploding, finally calmed down and considered the idea. Then he looked at Tang Sanmei.

"I'll listen to my brother." Tang Sanmei noticed Yu Xiaogang's gaze and answered without hesitation. Trusting her brother was the right choice.

Yu Xiaogang's mouth twitched, but after spending most of his life stifled and frustrated, he quickly got his emotions under control and began thinking about what to do next.

For now, he could only be their instructor and keep them close. He was still very confident in himself.

As he saw it, the two of them had rejected him simply because they were children and thought taking a level-29 Soul Grandmaster as their master would be embarrassing.

But he was confident that if they spent more time together, once they truly understood him, they would revere him like a god.

They were only six-year-old children, after all. There was no way he couldn't handle them.

"Fine. In that case, from today on, I'll be your instructor."

"Me too, me too! You can't leave me behind."

Xiao Wu, standing nearby, grew anxious. Although she didn't quite understand what was going on, she had caught the last sentence: from today on, this Grandmaster would be the instructor for Third Sister and her brother. As one of the three siblings, she couldn't be left out.

"You?" Yu Xiaogang's face stiffened again as he recalled Xiao Wu's file.

You didn't necessarily need proof from Spirit Hall to enroll at Nuoding Academy. As long as you had awakened your Martial Soul and possessed Soul Power, you could attend if you paid the tuition.

He had naturally looked into Xiao Wu's records as well. Her Martial Soul was the Soft Bone Rabbit. Since she had no proof from Spirit Hall, her Innate Soul Power was listed as unknown.

"Brother, you can't leave Sister behind. We're three siblings!" Xiao Wu cupped her chin in her hands and fluttered her big eyes, trying to look cute.

Tang Yin could only sigh helplessly at this, then turned to Yu Xiaogang.

"Grandmaster, since she's here already, and Xiao Wu's talent isn't bad either..."

Yu Xiaogang nodded without expression. From his observations over the past few days, Xiao Wu's abilities were indeed unusual. Her Innate Soul Power probably wasn't low, so allowing her to join wouldn't tarnish his reputation.

With that thought, Yu Xiaogang felt somewhat relieved and rallied his spirits. Things hadn't gone as he had hoped, but the result was still acceptable.

"All right, it's settled. From now on, I'll guide you in cultivating your Martial Souls. Follow me."

Yu Xiaogang swept his hand through the air and led the three of them out of the dean's office and toward his residence.

"Show me your Martial Souls first." As soon as Yu Xiaogang returned to his residence, he hurriedly took a notebook from the table and gave the order.

"I'll go first!"

Tang Yin didn't waste time. He summoned his Martial Soul, and a pair of wings grew from his back.

Yu Xiaogang leaned forward, then wore an expression that said he had expected as much.

"As I thought, it really is a Sharp-Tailed Swift. It seems you have..." Yu Xiaogang trailed off and dropped the subject.

As someone from one of the Upper Three Sects, he knew all about the sordid dealings within great clans. It was nothing unusual for bloodlines to end up outside the family.

Some things were better left unsaid. He himself was a victim of such sordid dealings: two lovers had ended up as siblings.

After a brief pause, Yu Xiaogang thought of the Speed Clan, whose members pursued extreme speed at the cost of any offensive power, and came to a conclusion.

"Your Sharp-Tailed Swift is a Martial Soul with little offensive power, but it has an advantage that other low-level Soul Masters lack: the ability to fly."

At that, Yu Xiaogang stopped writing. A spark of wisdom flashed in his eyes.