The two made their way to the Library Pavilion of Spirit Hall.
It held countless volumes on Soul Master cultivation, Martial Soul analysis, Soul Ring combinations, and much more.
Su Chen stepped onto the second floor of the Library Pavilion, where an elegant, refined figure came into view.
The young man wore a plain long robe. His features were gentle, his bearing scholarly, and his short hair gave him a neat, sharp look. It was Yu Xiaogang in his youth.
He was still a boy at this time, and Su Chen thought he was actually rather handsome.
"Time is a butcher's knife!"
Su Chen discreetly followed behind Bibi Dong.
"Xiaogang," Bibi Dong called softly.
Yu Xiaogang turned around. Seeing Bibi Dong, a tender smile flickered in his eyes. Then his gaze fell on Su Chen beside her, and he looked somewhat puzzled.
"This is my new disciple, Su Chen."
"Su Chen, this is Yu Xiaogang. He's a Martial Soul Theory expert I met recently, and he has a great deal of insight into martial souls."
After briefly introducing them, Bibi Dong got straight to the point. "Xiaogang, my disciple awakened a Red-Clad Ghost, a martial soul never before recorded by Spirit Hall, and he has Innate Full Soul Power. I wanted to ask if you know anything about a martial soul like his."
Innate Full Soul Power!
And a Red-Clad Ghost no one had ever seen before?
A flash of jealousy and resentment darted through Yu Xiaogang's eyes.
His own martial soul had mutated, shackling him for life and leaving him with mediocre talent.
Yet this child before him, still so young, possessed Innate Full Soul Power.
After examining Su Chen's martial soul, Yu Xiaogang spoke in an unhurried manner. "His ghost-type martial soul is dark and sinister, and it's suited to the agility attack path. His Soul Rings should focus on speed-based Soul Skills. He could follow Elder Ghost's path of cultivation. If he works hard, he might have some hope of becoming a Titled Douluo someday."
"In my opinion, a 250-year-old Sly Snake would suit his martial soul very well. It may be ugly, but it's good at running away and is fast. At a critical moment, it can even release a stench to protect itself."
"Based on my analysis and hypothesis, anyone who absorbs it is certain to gain a speed-based Soul Skill. They might even produce a shield when using it, so there's a very good chance the skill could serve two purposes at once."
Bibi Dong's eyes lit up, and she was about to speak, but Su Chen had already heard enough.
Elder Ghost's path?
Pursuing speed while abandoning the martial soul's inherent oppressive aura and its power to suppress evil—this wasn't the path for a ghost martial soul.
Though he didn't fully understand his own martial soul, he knew what ghosts could do.
Baleful energy followed the attack path.
Fear, resentment, and illusions followed the path of mental control.
Absorbing yang, gathering yin, and ghostly movement techniques followed the agility attack path.
So attack, control, and agility were the paths a ghost martial soul should take.
Su Chen's childish voice rang out clearly. "My Ghost Emperor martial soul can suppress evil and command other ghosts. Its essence lies in suppression and control, not simply in speed."
The refined, inscrutable smile on Yu Xiaogang's face froze. His expression turned dreadful in an instant.
His brows knitted, and he spoke sternly. "You're just a child who's only recently awakened your martial soul. What do you know about Martial Soul Theory? I've studied it for four or five years. How dare you judge my conclusions? With your ignorance, you'll only waste your Innate Full Soul Power and lose your chance to become a Titled Douluo. Just follow my method, and I guarantee you'll become a Titled Douluo..."
"Grandmaster, are you really that strong?" Su Chen suddenly asked innocently.
"Hmm?" Yu Xiaogang raised his chin slightly, looking proud. "Level 29."
"Wow, my teacher was already Level 49 at seventeen. Judging by your age, you must be in your twenties. Reaching Level 29 by the time you're twenty really does make you quite the figure."
"You, you..."
Seeing the little fellow compare him to Bibi Dong, Yu Xiaogang felt as though something had stabbed him. The pride vanished from his face in an instant.
"My talent is limited. My Innate Soul Power is only 0.5. With such low Innate Soul Power, the fact that I reached Level 29 by the age of twenty is proof of how hard I've worked. And I can tell you this plainly: there are only useless Soul Masters, not useless martial souls."
As Yu Xiaogang delivered his final sentence, he deliberately puffed out his chest.
Bibi Dong's eyes flickered, and she had just opened her mouth when Su Chen cut in first:
"Is that so? Then explain this to me: you're only Level 29, and your martial soul is a pig. I doubt you could even handle a Hundred-Year Soul Beast, right? You've hit a wall at twenty. Are you admitting that you're useless, or that your martial soul is?"
"You, you..."
Yu Xiaogang's breath caught, and his face quickly flushed red.
He froze on the spot, unable to think of a response.
Bibi Dong's expression shifted slightly, too. She had known Yu Xiaogang for ten days, but so far she had never seen his martial soul.
A trace of hesitation flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes. "Xiaogang, is your martial soul really a pig?"
Yu Xiaogang didn't know how to respond.
He had wanted to reveal his background to Bibi Dong once the time was right.
Once her affection for him reached a certain point, he could win her sympathy.
Following that plan, he was sure to win Bibi Dong over and get her to take him to the top floor of the Library Pavilion.
That was the true treasure trove of Spirit Hall, containing the cultivation records of Soul Masters from every generation.
Unfortunately, Spirit Hall didn't open it to outsiders. Only the lower two floors of the Library Pavilion were open for observation to all factions.
Now that this brat had exposed him outright and derailed his plan, Yu Xiaogang had no idea how to explain his background to Bibi Dong.
Su Chen said, "Grandmaster, are you embarrassed to even talk about your own martial soul?"
"You... you're talking nonsense!"
After being challenged repeatedly by a child, Yu Xiaogang's eyes reddened and his breathing turned ragged.
"You're spouting nonsense, ignorant and reckless, with no respect for your elders."
"Dong'er, your disciple has disappointed me terribly."
"I can't teach him, and I won't."
With that, Yu Xiaogang flung his sleeve and walked away, clearly furious.
"Teacher, I think I made your friend angry."
The atmosphere in the Library Pavilion turned awkward in an instant.
Su Chen scratched his head and lowered it slightly.
But deep down, he understood.
Bibi Dong hadn't gone after him or defended Yu Xiaogang at any point.
That was enough to show that Bibi Dong hadn't developed feelings for Yu Xiaogang yet.
"You have a point. Never mind, he'll be fine in a couple of days."
"From the way you talk, you seem to know quite a bit about Martial Soul Theory."
"And about him, too."
Bibi Dong looked at her newly accepted younger brother with sudden curiosity.
His behavior didn't quite fit his age.
"When I was at the Orphanage, I often sneaked over to the Vice Dean's place to read. Sometimes I came here, too, but it's a shame I've never been to the upper floors."
"As for this Grandmaster, I once happened to see him showing off his martial soul from a distance on the street. It looked like a pig but not a pig, and a dog but not a dog. When he used his Soul Skill, he even shouted, 'Fart like thunder, Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao!'"
"'Fart like smoke, put Luo Sanpao into a deep sleep!'"
"I don't know how powerful his Soul Skills are, but he nearly made me die laughing."
"Teacher, I'm not trying to put him down. I'm just telling the truth. If you'd been there, you would've made a strange face, too."
At his words, a trace of disgust and bemusement flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes.