After Huang Fei said the two words "take you as my master," the smile at the corners of his mouth hadn't quite faded when he suddenly seemed to think of something amusing. His eyes lit up a little.
He leaned against the locust tree and tilted his head as he looked at Yu Xiaogang, the playful note in his voice growing stronger.
"Grandmaster, since you're the foremost theorist on the continent, you must have applied your theories to yourself and made yourself powerful, right?"
He paused and looked Yu Xiaogang up and down, as though sizing him up.
"You look to be over forty now. May I ask what level your Soul Power has reached?"
Huang Fei's voice wasn't loud, but every word was crystal clear.
"Don't tell me that someone who's supposedly the foremost theorist has a very low Soul Power Level. That would make no sense at all, would it?"
Tang San's eyes lit up when he heard this.
Right. How had he not thought of that?
If someone claimed to be the foremost theorist on the continent, then surely he would have applied his theories to himself first.
If his theories were correct and effective, then he ought to be very powerful.
Tang San looked expectant and followed Huang Fei's lead. "Exactly, Grandmaster. Your theories are so impressive, so your Soul Power Level must be very high, right? What level are you now?"
Both boys fixed their eyes on Yu Xiaogang, waiting for his answer.
The atmosphere changed in an instant.
The proud expression on Yu Xiaogang's face was like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over it. Starting at the corners of his eyes, it crumpled bit by bit.
His lips trembled slightly, his eyes began to dart away, and his hands, which had been clasped behind his back, clenched unconsciously until his knuckles turned white.
The question was like a knife, stabbing precisely into the place that hurt him most.
Level 29.
His Soul Power had been stuck at Level 29 forever. He would never break through to Level 30 in this lifetime.
His Martial Soul's detrimental mutation was the pain of his life, the burden on his heart, the humiliating label he couldn't shake wherever he went.
He had spent over twenty years searching for a way to undo it, pored over every confidential archive in Spirit Hall, conducted countless experiments, and filled more than a dozen notebooks. But none of it had helped.
All his efforts had been like pushing against a wall that would never fall.
Now, two children had asked the question he least wanted to answer, in the most innocent of tones.
Yu Xiaogang's throat bobbed. He opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He wanted to say something to wriggle out of it, but the two children were staring straight at him, waiting for an answer.
"I..."
His voice was dry, as if he were forcing the words out from deep in his throat.
"Level 29."
As soon as he said the words, he reflexively added, "But my Martial Soul underwent a detrimental mutation! I was born into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, where the inherited Martial Soul is that of the dragon clan! Dragons—the highest beings of all! If it weren't for the detrimental mutation—"
His voice grew hurried, as if he were desperately trying to explain something, or convince himself.
"If it weren't for the detrimental mutation, my cultivation wouldn't be where it is now! It was beyond my control. No one could change it!"
He spoke faster and faster, growing more agitated, as though he were pouring out all the grievances and resentment he'd bottled up over the past twenty years.
Huang Fei listened quietly, the corners of his mouth slowly lifting.
It was the smile of someone thinking, "Just as I thought."
"Grandmaster, I thought you were impressive. Turns out your cultivation is only this low."
He deliberately stressed the word "only," his tone full of feigned, childlike puzzlement.
"You're saying all that because you want to cover up your flaw, aren't you?"
He stepped half a pace closer and tilted his head as he looked at Yu Xiaogang.
"Since you're the foremost theorist, then even if your Martial Soul underwent a detrimental mutation, you should be able to solve the problem through your theories. But—"
He drew out the word, his smile playful.
"You haven't solved it."
"So this title of theoretical master doesn't seem nearly as impressive as you make it out to be."
Tang San stood to the side. After hearing Huang Fei's words, the anticipation on his face turned to disappointment.
Level 29.
He had seen the Soul Master rank divisions in the book his father gave him. Level 29 was only a two-ring Soul Grandmaster, a very low rank in the overall Soul Master hierarchy.
A two-ring Soul Grandmaster had come to tell him, "I can help you become a Titled Douluo"?
Tang San suddenly felt that there had been something strange about this conversation from the very start.
A man who claimed to be the foremost theorist on the continent had only reached Level 29 in cultivation, and had spent over twenty years unable to solve his own problem. What made him so sure he could solve someone else's?
Besides, Huang Fei was right.
If Yu Xiaogang really were the foremost theorist, he should have been able to find a solution even after his Martial Soul mutated detrimentally.
If he couldn't, that could only mean his theories weren't as useful as he claimed.
Tang San's gaze toward Yu Xiaogang changed.
From initial shock, to admiration, and then, now—
Disappointment.
He even felt that his expressions of surprise just moments ago had been a little unnecessary.
Yu Xiaogang's expression changed completely.
It wasn't shame. It was anger.
His face flushed red, the veins on his forehead bulged one by one, and his nostrils flared. He looked like an enraged bull.
"What do you know?!"
His voice suddenly rose, startling the sparrows from the branches.
"Martial Soul mutations are innate! They can't be changed! Do you think I never tried? I've spent over twenty years researching this, gone through every secret archive in Spirit Hall, conducted hundreds of experiments, and filled more than a dozen notebooks—"
As he spoke, he took a step forward, his voice growing louder and louder.
"I've tried every method! None of them worked! Not once!"
His eyes were bloodshot, as if they were about to shoot flames.
"And—" He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, but his voice still trembled. "My Soul Power Level and my Martial Soul's detrimental mutation don't reflect my intelligence! I know you don't believe me, but I'm telling you, even if I'm only Level 29, my theories are still correct! I'm more than capable of teaching both of you, with your Blue Silver Grass Martial Souls!"
He looked at Huang Fei, his chest heaving as he spoke, each word deliberate. "You can't dismiss decades of theoretical research just because of my Soul Power Level and my Martial Soul's detrimental mutation. That isn't fair."
After his outburst, the clearing fell silent.
Only the wind rustled through the locust leaves.
Tang San fell silent.
He lowered his head and furrowed his brow slightly, going over Yu Xiaogang's words again in his mind.
Logically speaking, what Yu Xiaogang said... seemed to make sense.
Someone who couldn't jump high didn't necessarily know nothing about the theory of high jumping.
Someone who couldn't run fast didn't necessarily know nothing about the mechanics of running.
A teacher didn't have to be a world champion to train one.
Soul Power Level and theoretical research really were two different things.
Yu Xiaogang had only reached Level 29 because his Martial Soul had undergone a detrimental mutation. That was an objective, unchangeable fact.
But that didn't mean his understanding of Martial Souls was wrong.
Before you continue