Yu Xiaogang

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

The early account follows Xiaogang in the world where soul beasts became extinct. From the Sky Screen's descent, the narrative also follows his Original-World counterpart at Shrek Academy as that counterpart watches the extinction world's history. The Xiaogang reported dead after the Tang Sect's destruction and the Xiaogang subsequently present at Shrek belong to these different worlds. 168 181 184

Yu Xiaogang was born into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan but was expelled from it. His father, Sect Master Yu Yuanzhen, regards him as an unfilial and disappointing son, while Xiaogang remains driven by resentment toward the clan and a need to validate his work. 28

In his youth, Xiaogang worked as an overlooked Martial Soul Hall researcher. His martial soul was considered “trash,” and he believed he could never break through to the third ring. During this period, he fell in love with the Hall's saintess, Bibi Dong. They studied martial soul theory, soul beasts, and ancient texts together until Bibi Dong abruptly ended their relationship after her teacher intervened. 15

Believing Bibi Dong had rejected him because of his weak cultivation and status, Xiaogang spent half his life studying soul beasts and martial soul theory to prove his worth. His theories became the basis of his identity and reputation as the Grandmaster. 15

He also contributed to Shrek Academy's founding and visited it several times. After nearly encountering Liu Erlong during one visit, he stopped returning, continuing his longstanding avoidance of her. 28

When soul beasts vanished across the continent, Xiaogang initially rejected the reports as impossible. After Martial Soul Hall publicly confirmed the extinction and he personally found the Soul Hunting Forest empty, his confidence collapsed; the loss of soul beasts rendered the foundation of his research seemingly useless. 7 9

He later inferred that the beasts had probably died rather than merely disappeared, reasoning that their released Soul Power explained the increased concentration of energy in the world. During this period of withdrawal, he stopped preparing Tang San's detailed training plans. 13

Tang San's inability to obtain further soul rings eventually motivated Xiaogang to begin a new field of study: replacing beast-derived rings with Self-Condensed Soul Rings. He proposed that abundant ambient soul power could serve as the energy source, known soul skills could be analyzed as rule structures, and a soul master might condense a ring through those rules without a soul beast. 15

Martial Soul Hall recruited him to its Creation Institute, where he became its sole head and later Dean. Despite access to extensive personnel and resources, his research repeatedly stalled. 20 28 31 47

Xiaogang ultimately led the Creation Institute's Self-Condensed Soul Ring research for eleven years without independently producing a workable technique. Su Mo's successful Ring Condensation Technique revealed that the Institute had been outpaced, while Lin Yue's creation of a living soul beast further exposed an alternative the Institute had never considered. 47 69 71

After learning that Bibi Dong had driven him away to protect him after Qian Xunji forcibly possessed her, Xiaogang left Martial Soul Hall with Tang San in shame and without a farewell. He later accompanied Tang San into the Barak Team, where he organized and taught techniques supplied by Tang San, before accepting Tang San's invitation to join the rebuilding Tang Sect. 80 82 126 135

Following the Tang Sect's founding, Xiaogang reaffirmed his willingness to protect Tang San despite the risks involved. He reunited with Flender and Liu Erlong to form the Golden Iron Triangle and defend the Tang Sect against Clear Sky Sect forces. 161

During the Lower Four Sects' later attack, he again formed the Golden Sacred Dragon with Flender and Liu Erlong and attempted to hold back the enemy while Tang San evacuated the disciples. Reports subsequently stated that he had died in the Tang Sect's destruction. 165 168

In the Original World, Xiaogang was instructing Shrek's students when the Sky Screen appeared. He later helped the group respond to Xiao Wu's exposed identity, advised their collective evacuation, learned of Tang San's reincarnation, and began rebuilding his own cultivation after the continent-wide punishment. 181 206 243 244 258

Despite his estrangement from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he remained deeply concerned for it after Star Luo conquered Heaven Dou. Unable to bring himself to return to the clan that had expelled him, he subsequently received news of its massacre and collapsed in grief. 266

Appearance

Yu Xiaogang is a thin, middle-aged man who increasingly appears worn down by prolonged research.

• Wears washed-out robes. 24
• Has a gaunt frame and visibly dark circles beneath his eyes after a year of work. 35
• His hair becomes substantially whiter during his years at the Creation Institute. 35 47
• Appears noticeably aged beside Bibi Dong, whose youth and power intensify his feelings of inferiority. 24
• His Original-World counterpart wears glasses, which he adjusts while explaining his conclusions or processing revelations. 226 257

Personality

Xiaogang is intensely proud of his theoretical knowledge and regards his research as proof that he is not worthless. His need for recognition stems from lifelong ridicule over his weak martial soul and inability to progress beyond the third ring. 15 48

He is stubborn and persistent, recovering from the collapse caused by the soul beast extinction by committing himself to a new theory. This determination can become obsessive: he overworks himself, remains fixated on finding a solution despite repeated failures, and calls upon the continent's Title Douluo when the Creation Institute reaches a dead end. 15 31 35 40

His confidence is fragile when confronted with evidence that others have surpassed him. Su Mo's successful ring condensation and Lin Yue's creation of a soul beast each severely undermine his sense of purpose. 47 71

Despite his pride, Xiaogang is capable of acknowledging another person's greater ability. When Flender credits the Barak Team's Self-Created Soul Skills to him, Xiaogang openly explains that Tang San supplied the techniques and that he merely organized them for others to learn. 126

He can also revise his advice when its assumptions no longer apply. After Tang San explains that self-condensed rings cannot reproduce the old advantage of rapidly advancing by absorbing powerful rings for a second Martial Soul, Xiaogang acknowledges his mistake in continuing to recommend delayed Clear Sky Hammer cultivation. 131

He remains fiercely loyal to Tang San and is receptive to roles that let him apply his strengths in research, classification, and organization. Tang San's invitation to systematize the Tang Sect's cultivation methods and soul skills restores some of Xiaogang's confidence in his own value. 135

The Sky Screen's depiction of an alternate Xiaogang reinforces both his idealism and his insecurity. He agrees that, in an extinction crisis, personal grudges must yield to the future of soul masters and that collective expertise may achieve what one person cannot. However, he reacts defensively to the alternate version's eleven-year failure, refusing to accept that the other man's inadequacy reflects upon himself. 184 186 187 196

His lifelong cultivation bottleneck remains a source of profound self-loathing. After his enhanced First Soul Ring failed to carry him past level 29, Xiaogang concluded that the problem was not his ring or martial soul but himself; nevertheless, he eventually regained enough composure to continue observing the Sky Screen's revelations. 201

His Original-World counterpart combines concern for his students with practical risk assessment. He advocates protecting Xiao Wu without splitting Shrek apart, gives Tang San room to disclose his secret voluntarily, and organizes the group's answer strategy to maximize Tang San's reward. 206 243 244

The cultivation reset rekindles his ambition. Rather than viewing the loss only as a catastrophe, he calls it a chance to start on equal terms with everyone else and believes his years of theoretical study will translate into superior cultivation precision. 258

His resentment toward his clan does not eliminate his attachment to it. Although he insists that expulsion means he can no longer return as a member, the clan's destruction overwhelms him emotionally and causes him to spit blood. 266

Abilities & Skills

Martial Soul Theory and Research

Xiaogang possesses extensive knowledge of martial souls, soul beasts, soul rings, and soul skills. His theories earned him the title “Grandmaster,” despite widespread skepticism toward his own cultivation. 15 24

• Formulated the initial research direction for Self-Condensed Soul Rings. 15
• Identified soul power as a possible ring-energy source and soul-skill compatibility as a possible structural basis. 15
• Proposed simplifying the Creation Institute's work by first producing stable rings without soul skills. 24
• Sought continental cooperation by proposing a gathering of every Title Douluo. 31 32
• Later studied Internal Energy Methods with Tang San after learning that Su Mo's successful technique had indirectly originated from Tang San's teachings to Xiao Wu. 64 71
• Organized Tang San's preexisting physical techniques and Self-Created Soul Skills into material that the Barak Team could learn and employ collectively. 125 126
• Distinguished between the Barak Team's universal technique-based skills and Su Mo Academy's martial-soul-tailored combat systems. 126
• Considered alternative solutions to the soul-ring crisis, including using other carriers of soul power to create energy rings, as well as refining, splitting, and transferring existing soul rings. 182
• Advocated pooling the practical understanding of the continent's strongest soul masters, holding that a Title Douluo's lived experience with soul rings could be more useful than extensive theoretical texts. 186
• Authored the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul. Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin admired this work, while Yu Yuanzhen regarded much of it as borrowed or plagiarized material, including knowledge from their clan, but acknowledged Xiaogang's ability to organize and summarize it. 113 130
• Prepared comprehensive study plans covering Soul Beasts, Martial Souls, sects, geography, and related knowledge for Tang San. 7
• Explained that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts can transform into humans and cultivate as people, and that transformed beasts such as Xiao Wu can choose the abilities of their self-condensed rings. 206 209
• Recognized Tang San's rewarded Martial Soul evolution as the Blue Silver Emperor and congratulated him on his increased strength. 245

Self-Condensed Soul Ring Research

Xiaogang named and championed the Self-Condensed Soul Ring research direction after soul beast extinction made traditional ring acquisition impossible. 15

• His own designs repeatedly failed during structural and energy-stabilization stages. 47
• He did not successfully create the technique before Su Mo's public breakthrough demonstrated that self-condensation was possible. 47 48
• Bibi Dong offered to publicly credit the Creation Institute—and Xiaogang—with the invention; he accepted despite moral conflict. 47 48
• Tang San eventually used Su Mo's Ring Condensation Technique under Xiaogang's guidance to reach the Soul Grandmaster realm. 87
• Upon examining Su Mo's technique, Xiaogang recognized that its soul power circulation route was vastly more refined than the methods he had devised. 58
• He guided Tang San's attempts to combine Internal Energy Methods with his own deduced soul-ring structures, but these efforts failed; directly copying Su Mo's circulation route caused Tang San to suffer a cultivation deviation. 65 66
• After Su Mo's breakthrough solved ring acquisition, the Creation Institute remained operational and shifted its principal focus to Self-Created Soul Skills. Xiaogang continued assisting Tang San's independent ring-condensation research alongside that change. 71
• His Original-World counterpart judged Su Mo's method more immediately valuable than Lin Yue's weak cultivated-beast rings because it allowed soul masters to keep advancing, even without ring-granted Soul Skills. 201

Cultivation Methods

• Developed an Advanced Meditation Technique and taught it to Tang San. Despite Xiaogang's high assessment of it, Tang San considered it only a rudimentary prototype of an Internal Energy Method. 8 58
• Learned several techniques from Tang San rather than independently creating them; his embarrassment over this reversal of the teacher–disciple relationship is apparent when discussing Tang San's achievements with Flender. 127
• His Original-World counterpart adopted the Foundation Establishment Skill after losing his cultivation. He applied his understanding of Soul Power to follow its meridian routes precisely, although the text still describes his meridians as narrow. 258

Martial Soul Fusion Skill

Xiaogang can participate in the Golden Iron Triangle's Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Flender and Liu Erlong.

• The three reunited to summon the Golden Sacred Dragon in defense of Tang San and the Tang Sect against Tang Lie, the Clear Sky Sect's Seventh Elder. 161
• They used the fusion again during the Lower Four Sects' assault to hold back the attackers while Tang San attempted to evacuate the disciples. The enemy sect masters' revelation as Title Douluo left the Tang Sect overwhelmingly outmatched. 165

Strategy and Risk Assessment

• His Original-World counterpart recommended evacuating all of Shrek after Xiao Wu's identity was exposed, judging that the academy itself had become a target and that separating the group immediately would leave her without protection. 206
• Proposed that only Tang San answer the question about his techniques' otherworldly origin, avoiding a divided reward while arranging for the others to benefit through Tang San's later instruction. 244
• Explained that Heaven Dou's defeat followed overwhelming military pressure and the loss of Spirit Hall's deterrent power after the cultivation reset. He correctly anticipated Star Luo's subsequent pressure on the major sects and clans. 266
• Warned that Xiao Wu's transformation into a fully human being did not guarantee safety: outsiders could not verify the change and might still hunt her as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. 266

Relationships

• Tang San — His disciple. Xiaogang mentors Tang San, shares his past heartbreak to counsel him, and begins self-condensed-ring research partly because Tang San is blocked without a second ring. After leaving Martial Soul Hall, he accompanies Tang San through academy recruitment and the Soul Master Tournament, organizes the techniques Tang San provides for the Barak Team, and accepts Tang San's invitation to join the rebuilding Tang Sect. He later risks himself to defend Tang San and the Tang Sect from Clear Sky Sect forces. 15 20 87 110 126 135 161 His Original-World counterpart receives Tang San's confession of reincarnation, understands the former-life source of his techniques, and arranges for him to receive the sole correct-answer reward. He later learns that Tang San cultivated his apparent Innate Full Soul Power before Martial Soul awakening rather than possessing it naturally. 243 244 257
• Bibi Dong — Former lover and Pope of Martial Soul Hall. She recruits and strongly supports him at the Creation Institute; Xiaogang later learns she had ended their relationship to protect him after Qian Xunji forcibly possessed her. Ashamed of his failures and unable to face her after learning the truth, he leaves without saying goodbye. Bibi Dong remains emotionally devastated when she receives reports of his death following the Tang Sect's destruction. 20 32 80 82 168 In the Original World, she monitors his movements and had previously refrained from acting against Tang San and Xiao Wu because of their connection to him. She later uses that knowledge to seek Xiao Wu at Shrek, but arrives after the group has fled. Watching his counterpart organize the Barak Team's techniques also makes her question whether his earlier failures reflected his limitations or Spirit Hall's environment. 207 208 241
• Yu Yuanzhen — His father and the Sect Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Yu Yuanzhen is disappointed by Xiaogang's actions but attends the Title Douluo gathering for the clan's future. 28 32 His Original-World counterpart briefly acknowledges that gathering the continent's experts is an achievement in itself. Xiaogang later fears that his father's uncompromising temperament will lead the clan to resist Star Luo, and is devastated when news arrives that the clan has been slaughtered. 186 266
• Liu Erlong — Holds enduring, conflicted feelings for Xiaogang and hopes his lifelong research succeeds. She later joins Xiaogang and Flender in re-forming the Golden Iron Triangle to protect the Tang Sect. 29 35 161 Xiaogang had avoided her for twenty years and once stopped visiting Shrek after nearly encountering her there. Their reunion remains strained, but he thanks her for helping defend Tang San. 28 29 161
• Flender — Understands Xiaogang's motivations and worries that Xiaogang is exhausting himself through obsessive work. Xiaogang later agrees to help Flender by allowing Oscar and Ma Hongjun to join the Barak Team as substitutes. Flender subsequently reunites with him to form the Golden Iron Triangle and remains concerned for Xiaogang after his failed attempt to break through level 30. 28 40 127 161 201 Their Original-World counterparts jointly guide Shrek during the crisis surrounding Xiao Wu's exposure and the group's evacuation. 206
• Su Mo — A younger researcher and cultivator whose successful Self-Condensed Soul Ring exposes Xiaogang's lack of progress. Xiaogang later recognizes the qualitative difference between Su Mo's martial-soul-tailored Self-Created Soul Skills and the universal techniques used by the Barak Team. 47 54 126 His Original-World counterpart acknowledges Su Mo's ability to understand and exploit Tang San's relationship with Xiao Wu, and ultimately adopts Su Mo's Foundation Establishment Skill to rebuild his own cultivation. 208 258
• Elder Yun Shuo — Creation Institute chief who delivers Martial Soul Hall's invitation and later works with Xiaogang during the stalled research effort. 20 31
• Lin Yue — His successful creation of a living soul beast further devastates Xiaogang's confidence and forces the Creation Institute to reassess its research direction. Xiaogang nevertheless recognizes Lin Yue as a talent whose Soul Beast Creation Method offers another path for the future of soul masters. 69 71 196 His Original-World counterpart sympathizes with the timing of Lin Yue's discovery but ultimately judges its initial results insufficient to compete with Su Mo's immediately usable technique. 198 201
• Tang Hao — Tang San's father. Xiaogang initially believed Tang Hao had entrusted Tang San to him for protection and assumed Tang San's unusual techniques originated with the Clear Sky Sect. He later learns of Tang Hao's neglect of Tang San and begins questioning the true origin of his disciple's abilities. 20 133 In the Original World, Xiaogang confirms that he knew Tang Hao's identity and withheld it because Tang Hao intended to tell Tang San only after his son became strong enough. 232
• Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin — His nephews from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Both admired their uncle's theoretical accomplishments despite the clan's contempt toward him. 113
• Tang Lie — The Clear Sky Sect's Seventh Elder, who demands Tang San's surrender and the Tang Sect's dissolution. Xiaogang opposes him alongside Flender and Liu Erlong through the Golden Sacred Dragon fusion. 161
• Xiao Wu — Studied alongside Tang San under Xiaogang; Bibi Dong considers her effectively half his disciple. After her Soul Beast identity is exposed in the Original World, Xiaogang explains her nature and advocates evacuating Shrek together rather than abandoning or isolating her. He later warns that her newly human status will not protect her from people who still believe she can provide a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone. 206 207 266
• Shrek's Students — His Original-World counterpart instructs the group and frequently interprets the Sky Screen's revelations for them. His authority is challenged when his explanation for their absence from Su Mo Academy's admissions list is disproved, but he continues advising them through Tang San's identity revelation and the cultivation reset. 181 226 243 244 258

Story Role / Major Arcs

Soul Beast Extinction

Xiaogang rejects reports that soul beasts have disappeared, trusting his accumulated theory over the unprecedented news. Verification of the empty Soul Hunting Forest shatters that certainty and leaves him mentally unstable. 7 9

After regaining some composure, he remains withdrawn and concludes that the increased ambient Soul Power points to extinction rather than temporary disappearance. His explanation destroys Tang San's hope that traditional ring acquisition might soon resume. 13

Creation of the Self-Condensed Soul Ring Concept

After speaking with Tang San about love, failure, and the loss of his life's work, Xiaogang resolves to establish new theories rather than surrender. He proposes Self-Condensed Soul Rings as a replacement for traditional rings. 15

He promises to develop a complete cultivation method for the new era and confidently imagines himself becoming the path's first successful pioneer. At the same time, Su Mo independently condenses a working ring outside Nuoding City, unknown to Xiaogang. 16

Creation Institute Leadership

Xiaogang accepts Martial Soul Hall's invitation despite his hatred of the organization and resentment toward Bibi Dong, recognizing that the Institute provides the resources his research requires. He brings Tang San with him to Martial Soul City. 20 24

He becomes the Institute's sole head and mobilizes the continent's strongest figures through a Title Douluo gathering, but years of research fail to yield a workable ring. 28 31 32 47

Although he proposes removing soul skills from the Institute's initial ring designs to simplify the task, the Institute remains unable to solve the fundamental problems of constructing and stabilizing a soul-ring structure. After eleven years of work, Xiaogang's projects continue to fail at their structural and energy closed-loop stages. 24 47

Failure and Stolen Recognition

When Bibi Dong informs him that Su Mo has already condensed rings independently, Xiaogang is left stunned. Though conflicted, he accepts Bibi Dong's offer to take credit for the Self-Condensed Soul Ring on behalf of the Creation Institute. 47 48

His position deteriorates further when he discovers that Su Mo's success relied in part on Internal Energy Methods Tang San had taught Xiao Wu, and again when Lin Yue publicly creates a living soul beast. 64 71

Xiaogang and Tang San subsequently attempt to derive an alternative Ring Condensation Technique from Internal Energy Methods and Xiaogang's soul-ring deductions. Their attempts fail, and Tang San suffers a cultivation deviation when he directly follows Su Mo's circulation route. 65 66

The Institute shifts toward Self-Created Soul Skill research after Su Mo solves the immediate ring crisis. Lin Yue's discovery nevertheless exposes a fundamental blind spot in Xiaogang's lifetime of Soul Beast study: he had considered how to find, hunt, and use existing beasts, but not how to create them. The humiliation causes repeated vomiting of blood and eventual unconsciousness. 71

Departure from Martial Soul Hall

Xiaogang discovers that Bibi Dong had not abandoned him out of contempt; Qian Xunji had forcibly possessed her, and she had driven Xiaogang away to protect him. Overwhelmed by shame and guilt, he leaves Martial Soul Hall without speaking to her or leaving any message. 80 82

Barak Team and the Soul Master Tournament

After leaving Martial Soul Hall, Xiaogang accompanies Tang San in seeking a new academy and ultimately joins the Barak Team as its leader and teacher. He organizes Tang San's martial techniques into teachable Self-Created Soul Skills and helps distribute them among the team. 110 125 126

The team's success causes many observers, including Bibi Dong and Flender, to assume that Xiaogang created its techniques. Xiaogang clarifies to Flender that Tang San supplied the arts and that his own contribution was their organization and instruction. 125 126

At Flender's request, Xiaogang also agrees to admit Oscar and Ma Hongjun as Barak Team substitutes for the tournament. 127

After Tang San's defeat by Shui Bing'er, Xiaogang accepts that his old recommendation to delay cultivating the Clear Sky Hammer no longer suits a world dependent on self-condensed rings. He acknowledges Tang San's reasoning and supports earlier cultivation of the second Martial Soul. 131

The later Sky Screen presentation emphasizes his contribution to the Barak Team's coordinated use of movement, defensive, and grappling techniques. It shows the team defeating the Star Luo Imperial Team through disruption and endurance, prompting Original-World Bibi Dong to reconsider why Xiaogang had found a productive role only after leaving Spirit Hall. 241

Joining the Tang Sect

Following the tournament, Tang San resolves to find Tang Hao before rebuilding the Tang Sect. Recognizing Xiaogang's aptitude for research and systematization, Tang San invites his teacher to join the sect and organize its cultivation methods and soul skills into a complete framework. Xiaogang accepts the invitation. 135

Defense of the Tang Sect

When Tang Lie and six Clear Sky Sect stewards arrive to demand Tang San's surrender and the dissolution of the Tang Sect, Xiaogang seeks out Flender and Liu Erlong. The three reform the Golden Iron Triangle and summon the Golden Sacred Dragon to delay Tang Lie while Tang Sect disciples and Shrek teachers defeat the accompanying stewards. 161

When the Lower Four Sects subsequently attack, Xiaogang accepts a share of responsibility for the Tang Sect's vulnerable position. He orders Tang San to evacuate the disciples through the back mountain and again joins Flender and Liu Erlong in forming the Golden Sacred Dragon. Their resistance cannot overcome the overwhelming force of the enemy sect masters, who reveal themselves as Title Douluo. 165

Subsequent reports claim that the extinction-world Xiaogang died when the Tang Sect was destroyed, provoking Bibi Dong to devastate the Pope Palace in rage. The Xiaogang appearing at Shrek after the Sky Screen's descent is his Original-World counterpart, not evidence that the reported victim survived. 168 181

Sky Screen Revelations

In the Original World, Xiaogang is correcting Shrek's students after training when the Sky Screen appears. The group subsequently watches the history of the soul-beast-extinction world and compares its people and achievements with their own. 181

While viewing the Sky Screen's alternate-world counterpart, Xiaogang states that he would enter Martial Soul Hall's Creation Institute if doing so offered the soul master world even a measure of hope, regardless of his personal grievances. 184

He supports his counterpart's strategy of convening the continent's Title Douluo, sect leaders, and academy heads, characterizing it as a way to lay all available paths together and find the broadest route forward. 186

The alternate Xiaogang's eventual eleven-year failure, followed by Su Mo's breakthrough and Lin Yue's Soul Beast Creation Method, deeply wounds Xiaogang's pride. He repeatedly insists that the failed alternate version is not the same as himself. 187 196

After observing Lin Yue's public demonstration, he concludes that Su Mo's Ring Condensation Technique better meets the world's immediate needs. He describes Lin Yue as “half a step too late, and half a step too weak.” 201

Failed Level-30 Breakthrough

After receiving a five-hundred-year enhancement to his First Soul Ring, Xiaogang attempts to use the accompanying increase in Soul Power to breach the level-29 bottleneck that has confined him for three decades. His repeated forced breakthroughs fail, injure him internally, and leave him unconscious until Flender intervenes. 200 201

Xiao Wu's Exposure and Shrek's Flight

When the Sky Screen reveals Xiao Wu as a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Xiaogang explains how such beasts can assume human form and cultivate. After the students affirm their acceptance of her, he warns that the academy has become unsafe and recommends relocating everyone together. Flender accepts the proposal and orders an overnight departure. 206

Bibi Dong knows about Xiao Wu's association with Tang San and Xiaogang and has continued monitoring Xiaogang's movements. She therefore seeks the group at Shrek, but their evacuation leaves her unable to capture them. 207 208

The group takes refuge in a hunter's cabin, only for the Sky Screen to expose its occupants and surroundings during Ning Rongrong's Martial Soul evolution. Multiple powers begin searching for the refuge, and Li Yusong alerts the group to the danger. 219 221

Su Mo Academy Admissions and a Failed Explanation

When Shrek's students are distressed that only Ning Rongrong appears among Su Mo Academy's first ten students, Xiaogang argues that the others probably never attended its entrance examination. He compares their absence with Spirit Hall's refusal to send its Golden Generation to an outside academy. 225 226

The Sky Screen immediately disproves his explanation by showing Ma Hongjun and Oscar in the examination queue. Xiaogang becomes visibly embarrassed and can only urge the group to keep watching. The subsequent footage reveals that their disqualification resulted from unacceptable conduct rather than lack of talent or absence from the test. 226

Tang San's Family and Otherworldly Identity

After the Sky Screen identifies Tang Hao as Clear Sky Douluo, Xiaogang and Flender admit that they already knew. Xiaogang explains that Tang Hao had entrusted Tang San to his protection and intended to reveal his identity only once Tang San was strong enough. The explanation does not remove Tang San's distress over his father's neglect and the adults' secrecy. 232

When a later question asks where Tang San's supposedly Self-Created Soul Skills originated, Xiaogang and the Shrek group avoid pressuring him. Tang San voluntarily confesses that he lived in another world, belonged to the Tang Sect, died after jumping from a cliff, and was reborn in Holy Soul Village with his memories. Xiaogang connects this account to the unusual knowledge and techniques his disciple has always possessed. 243

Xiaogang then proposes that Tang San alone submit the answer, since fewer correct respondents mean a greater individual reward. In exchange, Tang San agrees to teach the others his techniques. The strategy succeeds: Tang San is the sole correct respondent, answering that his skills came from the Tang Sect in another world. 244

When the resulting reward evolves Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, Xiaogang identifies it as the Blue Silver Emperor and congratulates his disciple. He later learns that Tang San's Innate Full Soul Power also came from cultivation in childhood, with internal force converting into Soul Power during awakening, rather than being an entirely natural endowment. 245 257

Cultivation Reset and a New Beginning

The Sky Screen's punishment strips the continent's soul masters of their cultivation, rings, and bones while preserving their Martial Souls. Xiaogang subsequently views the reset as an opportunity to escape the limitations of his former cultivation path. 255 258

He selects Su Mo's Foundation Establishment Skill and begins circulating a faint wisp of Soul Power through its meridian route. Although his meridians remain narrow, he finds the technique exceptionally smooth and precise and believes his theoretical knowledge will help him cultivate quickly enough to avoid another lifelong level-29 bottleneck. 258

Destruction of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan

While Shrek remains in its mountain refuge, Flender brings news that Star Luo has conquered Heaven Dou. Xiaogang explains that the empire faced overwhelming numbers and that the cultivation reset had deprived Spirit Hall of its ability to deter the invasion. He also warns that Xiao Wu remains vulnerable to pursuit despite having become fully human. 266

Xiaogang predicts that Star Luo will next pressure the major clans and fears that his father will lead the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan in uncompromising resistance. When Tang San asks whether he wants to return, Xiaogang answers that the clan expelled him and that he no longer belongs to it. 266

Days later, news arrives that Star Luo's army massacred the clan after it refused to surrender. Xiaogang's concern and estrangement give way to helpless grief; he collapses emotionally and spits blood. 266

Notable Quotes

“If I could spend half a lifetime establishing those theories, why can't I spend another half a lifetime establishing new ones?” 15

“I call this research direction: Self-Condensed Soul Ring!” 15

“I do.” 24

“I merely organized the Soul Skills Little San brought out so that others could learn them as well.” 126

“At a time like this, personal grudges are not the most important thing. Those children trapped at their bottlenecks are what matter most.” 184

“What one person cannot accomplish, leave to the entire Soul Master world.” 186

“It is not about where Xiao Wu goes alone. Everyone from Shrek has to relocate.” 206

“Everyone reset to zero. Everyone starting over. This time, I, Yu Xiaogang, will no longer be trapped at rank twenty-nine.” 258

“Go back? Can I even go back? The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan expelled me long ago. I, Yu Xiaogang, have long since ceased to be one of them.” 266

---