Biodata
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Yu Xiaogang (玉小刚) |
| Alias(es) | Grandmaster |
| Gender | Male 1 |
| Affiliation | Notting Academy; Shrek Academy; Morning Water Advanced Soul Master Academy; Martial Soul Research Institute 3 56 117 |
| Occupation/Role | Martial Soul theorist and researcher; Soul Master instructor and specially appointed academy lecturer 2 18 56 117 |
| Martial Soul | Luo Sanpao 6 |
| Soul Power | Formerly Level 29 Soul Grand Master; apparently crippled after losing all Soul Power and both Soul Rings 5 165 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 1 |
Power Progression
| Chapter(s) | Advancement / Status |
|---|---|
| 5 | A Level 29, two-ring Soul Grand Master with Luo Sanpao as his Martial Soul. 5 |
| 164 | Demonstrated his second Soul Skill, Fart Like Thunder—Heaven-Shattering Luo Sanpao, against bandits; Luo Sanpao's gas-based skills can only be used roughly three times daily. 164 |
| 165 | Following the bandit attack, discovered that his Soul Power and both Soul Rings had completely vanished, leaving him apparently crippled as a Soul Master. 165 |
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
After moving with Tang San to Morning Water Advanced Soul Master Academy, Yu Xiaogang continued supporting his disciple's cultivation and Hidden Weapon forging. He provided rare materials himself, then secretly submitted Tang San's subsequent material requests to Tang Hao for procurement. 117 118
As Tang San pursued increasingly dangerous methods to force open his meridians and repair his damaged Blue Silver Grass, Yu Xiaogang expressed concern and attempted to dissuade him. However, when Tang Hao could not locate the required four-thousand-year Blue Silver Grass, Yu Xiaogang privately treated the failure as a route to shift responsibility away from himself. He had devised his “Origin Power” explanation primarily to survive Tang Hao's earlier threats. 135 136 148
During the Soul Master Tournament, Yu Xiaogang became increasingly terrified after Tang San's hostility toward him was exposed through an illusion. Tang San's apparent wish to kill his teacher, combined with the danger surrounding Tang Hao and Spirit Hall, convinced Yu Xiaogang that he could no longer rely on his disciple or Tang Hao for protection. 158 159
Yu Xiaogang fled alone toward Spirit Hall, taking a deceptive route in the hope that Bibi Dong would shelter him. After more than half a month in the wilderness, Luo Sanpao served as his scout and only companion while Yu Xiaogang endured exhaustion, filth, hunger, and constant fear. 161 163
Six days after bathing and regaining some confidence, Yu Xiaogang was ambushed by bandits. He escaped their first assault with Luo Sanpao's gas-based Soul Skills, but was later stabbed through the buttocks with a sharpened wooden stake, causing both him and Luo Sanpao severe shared pain. 164
When he regained consciousness after the attack, his possessions had been stolen and he discovered that his Soul Power and both Soul Rings had disappeared. Reduced to a helpless and injured state in the rain, Yu Xiaogang was apparently crippled as a Soul Master. 165
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
- During his flight toward Spirit Hall, his hair became greasy, his beard grew long, and his body and clothing became foul from prolonged travel without rest or bathing. 163
- Following the bandit attack, he was left naked, badly wounded, and drenched in rain after his clothes and Soul Tool were stolen. 165
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
Yu Xiaogang's fear of Tang Hao ultimately made self-preservation his foremost priority. He invented the “Origin Power” explanation for Tang San's condition to avoid blame, considered abandoning Tang San if Tang Hao's anger returned, and outwardly performed concern while privately calculating how to escape responsibility. 148
Under the pressure of Tang Hao's identity, Spirit Hall's potential pursuit, and Tang San's apparent resentment, Yu Xiaogang suffered repeated emotional breakdowns. He became frantic, self-harmed during one episode, later lost control of his bodily functions, and eventually fled toward Spirit Hall in the belief that Bibi Dong would protect him. 154 155 161
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
- Proposed that Tang San needed to replenish his Martial Soul's “Origin Power” through a four-thousand-year Blue Silver Grass Soul Ring, though he had developed this explanation while trying to save himself from Tang Hao's wrath. 148
- Gathered and organized detailed information on rare poisonous materials, including their habits, characteristics, effects, and likely sources, for Tang San's Hidden Weapons. 118
Luo Sanpao
Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul is Luo Sanpao, whose Soul Skills are explosive gas attacks.
- 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
- Fart Like Thunder—Heaven-Shattering Luo Sanpao — His second Soul Skill, used to incapacitate seven bandits concealed in an ambush and later create an opening for escape. 164
- Luo Sanpao requires sufficient accumulated gas and Soul Power to use its skills and can only release such attacks approximately three times per day. 164
- Yu Xiaogang and Luo Sanpao share physical sensations; when Yu Xiaogang was stabbed, the Martial Soul convulsed in the same agony and disappeared. 164
- 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
- Following the bandit attack, both Yu Xiaogang and Luo Sanpao became extremely weak, and Yu Xiaogang found that his Soul Power and Soul Rings had vanished. 165
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
- Supplied Tang San with rare forging ingredients, including Nether Yin Needle and Corrosive Miasma Breath, and sought additional materials through Tang Hao. 117 118
- Warned Tang San against forcibly expanding his damaged meridians, though Tang San disregarded the warning and continued his cultivation plan. 135 136
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 Their bond later became severely strained after Tang San's apparent intention to kill Yu Xiaogang was exposed in an illusion; Yu Xiaogang fled believing that Tang San now hated him, even though Tang San had previously continued trying to protect and reassure him. 155 159
- 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 Yu Xiaogang later continued blaming Xia Yan for placing him in danger and regretted failing to make him his disciple. 145 147
- 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 Xiaogang thereafter relied on Tang Hao to obtain materials for Tang San while living in constant fear that he would be blamed or killed. 118 148
- Bibi Dong — A former close associate whom Yu Xiaogang calls “Dong'er.” During his flight from Tang Hao and Tang San, he placed his hopes for survival on reaching Spirit Hall and receiving her protection, convinced that she cared for him deeply. 4 161 163
- 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 He also assisted Yu Xiaogang after Tang San's injury and mental collapse during the tournament. 153 154
- 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
- Luo Sanpao — His Martial Soul and sole companion during his escape toward Spirit Hall. Luo Sanpao scouts ahead, warns him of danger, and shares his physical sensations and injuries. 163 164
Notable Quotes
“I will prove myself. I will prove that I was not wrong!” 96
“Teacher knows what to do!” 54
“Little San, your father said he has already been discovered. It's far too dangerous now. Go with your father.” 154