Yu Xiaogang

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Yu Xiaogang (玉小刚)
Alias(es)	Grandmaster
Gender	Male 1
Affiliation	Notting Academy; Shrek Academy; Martial Soul Research Institute 3 56
Occupation/Role	Martial Soul theorist and researcher; Soul Master instructor 2 18 56
Martial Soul	Luo Sanpao 6
Soul Power	Level 29 Soul Grand Master 5
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background / History

Yu Xiaogang is the biological son of Yu Yuanzhen, leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the uncle of Yu Tianheng. He left the clan after enduring humiliation over his weak cultivation and has refused to return, insisting that he will prove he was not wrong through his own achievements. 96 97

He devoted decades to Martial Soul research and presented himself as the author of the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul. His fixation on proving his theories—and proving that he is not “trash”—strongly shaped his search for talented disciples. 2 4

At Notting Academy, Yu Xiaogang learned that Xia Yan possessed Innate Full Soul Power and a mutated Black Tower Martial Soul. He immediately sought Xia Yan out, intending to recruit him as the exceptional disciple who would validate his theories, but Xia Yan rejected his guidance and publicly challenged his expertise. 1 2 3

Xia Yan's fabricated account of a lost book convinced Yu Xiaogang that weak plant-type Martial Souls should accumulate mixed animal and plant toxins. Yu Xiaogang subsequently applied this approach to Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, planning Soul Rings that would poison its leaves, stems, roots, pollen, and scent. 3 18

After Xia Yan's strength became apparent, Yu Xiaogang initially ordered Tang San to surpass him, partly concealing his personal resentment behind the claim that Tang San needed a goal. He later reversed himself and strictly forbade Tang San from challenging Xia Yan after becoming frightened of the consequences of their conflict. 8 9 10

Tang San's poison-focused cultivation eventually left his body blackened and his meridians hardened and obstructed. Yu Xiaogang attributed the condition to Blue Silver Grass's poor capacity for absorbing poison-attribute Soul Ring energy, recommending that Tang San's next rings include thousand-year Blue Silver Grass to increase its “capacity.” He admitted that Tang San's meridians might not recover fully. 54

Tang Hao held Yu Xiaogang responsible for Tang San's condition, beat him severely, and threatened to kill him if Tang San was not restored. Yu Xiaogang repeatedly kowtowed and promised that the proposed Blue Silver Grass Soul Ring would solve the problem. 65

After arriving at Shrek Academy with Tang San, Yu Xiaogang took a direct role in training the students. His harsh methods, including a 500-li run without Soul Power that he later admitted was intended to be failed, created conflict with several students. 56 58

During a Soul Ring hunt, Yu Xiaogang reunited with Yu Tianheng after more than a decade apart. Though pleased by his nephew's admiration and by the chance to display Tang San's progress, he again refused Yu Tianheng's request to return to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. 96 97

Appearance

Yu Xiaogang is a middle-aged man of medium build whose neglected appearance reflects his withdrawn manner. He is typically described in old, plain clothing and with visible stubble. 1 56

• Short, dark or black-and-white flat-cut hair. 1 56
• Scruffy stubble and an unkempt face. 1 56
• Often wears old-fashioned grey, black, or similarly plain clothing. 1 56
• His eyes carry a sense of decadence despite the stern, expert-like bearing he attempts to project. 1

Personality

Yu Xiaogang is intensely prideful about his knowledge and deeply resentful of being considered weak. Xia Yan's dismissal of his mutation theories provoked him into an uncharacteristic public outburst, while Yu Tianheng's admiration later gave him a rare opportunity to take pride in his accomplishments. 3 97

His concern for Tang San is genuine in moments of crisis, but it is also inseparable from self-preservation. While comforting Tang San after the meridian crisis, Yu Xiaogang deliberately sought to make his disciple emotionally dependent on him, believing Tang San's loyalty would protect him from Tang Hao. 54 55

He can be manipulative in pursuit of validation. He used his grievance against Xia Yan to motivate Tang San, framed extreme training as a test, and shifted his behavior when Xiao Wu threatened to withdraw from Shrek Academy. 8 58

Abilities & Skills

Martial Soul Theory and Analysis

Yu Xiaogang specializes in researching Martial Souls, particularly mutation, compatibility, and Soul Ring selection.

• Claimed authorship of the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul and used it to establish authority over prospective disciples. 2
• Identified Tang San's Twin Martial Souls, convincing Tang San to accept him as a teacher. 4
• Recognized and described the Terror Dragon's behavior and its deformed teeth, though he openly acknowledged that humanity's knowledge of Soul Beasts remains shallow. 96
• Diagnosed Tang San's poison-related meridian damage as a consequence of Blue Silver Grass failing to contain the excess poison-attribute energy of his Soul Rings. 54
• His mixed-poison development plan made Tang San's Blue Silver Grass increasingly toxic, but it contributed to the bodily complications that followed. 18 54

Luo Sanpao

Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul is Luo Sanpao, whose known Soul Skill is an explosive gas attack.

• Blast Fart of Luo Sanpao — Releases a deafening blast that incapacitated a pack of Nether Wolves, leaving them unconscious and foaming at the mouth. 6
• Despite being a two-ring Soul Grand Master, he requires protection in dangerous Soul Beast environments; even four-to-five-hundred-year Soul Beasts are stated to be capable of killing him. 18

Instruction and Training

Yu Xiaogang provides detailed cultivation plans and imposes demanding physical training on his students.

• Directed Tang San toward poison-based Soul Rings, including the Venomous Rot Vine, which granted Tang San Corrosive Juice Secretion. 18
• Assigned Shrek students a 500-li run without Soul Power; he later revealed that the exercise had been designed as a test they were expected to fail. 56 58
• Encouraged physical development as part of Soul Master cultivation, though his own plans are primarily focused on Martial Soul and Soul Ring compatibility. 54 56

Relationships

• Tang San — His disciple. Yu Xiaogang selected Tang San for his Innate Full Soul Power, Twin Martial Souls, and obedience; Tang San treats him as his most trusted teacher and family figure. 4 18 54 55
• Xia Yan — A potential disciple who rejected him. Xia Yan's challenge to his expertise fueled Yu Xiaogang's resentment and his early attempts to turn Tang San into Xia Yan's rival. 1 3 8
• Tang Hao — Tang San's father and Yu Xiaogang's terrifying enforcer. Tang Hao ordered him to protect Tang San, then assaulted and threatened him after Tang San's meridian damage was revealed. 30 65
• Yu Tianheng — His nephew. Their reunion is affectionate, but Yu Xiaogang rejects Yu Tianheng's request that he return to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. 96 97
• Flender — A longtime friend and Shrek Academy's dean. Flender receives Yu Xiaogang and Tang San when they return to Shrek Academy. 55 56
• Xiao Wu — A Shrek student hostile toward him. She suspects his involvement in the events that separated her from Xia Yan and uses the threat of withdrawal to force him to back down. 58

Notable Quotes

“I will prove myself. I will prove that I was not wrong!” 96

“Teacher knows what to do!” 54