It's Not That You Aren't Working Hard Enough, Yu Xiaogang's Anger Overwhelms Him

"High-tier martial souls possess an inherent ability to suppress or even devour low-tier ones; it is extremely difficult for the two to coexist in balance."

He turned his gaze toward Tang San, then back to Yu Xiaogang.

"I do not know what Tang San's second martial soul truly is. But if his first martial soul is merely an ordinary Blue Silver Grass, then logically, it should have been devoured by the second martial soul long ago. Coexistence would be impossible, let alone awakening both simultaneously."

"Master, can you explain why this is?"

Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth, momentarily speechless.

He wanted to say something, his mind racing through every case study and every piece of data he had ever researched.

Yet, those facts and cases were like scattered beads; no matter how he tried, he could not string them into a coherent chain.

"This..." His Adam's apple bobbed. "Twin martial souls are inherently rare, and the laws governing them..."

"In other words, you do not know either." Zhao Linchuan interrupted him, his tone remaining calm. "Then let us move to the second point."

"'There are no trash martial souls, only soul masters who do not work hard enough.'"

He let out a soft huff, the sound laced with undisguised mockery.

"Master, how many people on this continent have spent their entire lives unable to break through to the rank of Soul Master simply because their martial souls were congenitally weak?"

"Are you suggesting that they were all people who did not work hard?"

"The citizens of Douluo number in the tens of millions; how many of them are even capable of cultivation?"

"Are the billions of ordinary people who cannot awaken soul power, or whose martial souls are destined to be mediocre, all that way because they 'did not work hard enough'?"

He shook his head, as if genuinely puzzled.

"Master, I do not mean to completely negate your ideas. But if hard work could solve everything, then what is the point of talent? What is the point of destiny?"

Yu Xiaogang's lips began to tremble.

"As for the third point, martial souls are divided into beast martial souls and tool martial souls; those that can possess are beast martial souls, and those that cannot are tool martial souls."

He tilted his head, watching Yu Xiaogang. "Master, setting aside whether your classification is even correct—for instance, which category does my 'Glimmer' fall into?"

"Do you not think this is a platitude that even a six-year-old child would know?"

"And the fourth, fifth, and sixth points," Zhao Linchuan continued on his own, "that tool martial souls are mostly auxiliary, that soul masters have developmental paths, that soul rings are divided into ten-year, hundred-year, thousand-year, ten-thousand-year, and hundred-thousand-year..."

He spread his hands, his expression helpless. "Master, are these not public records in the soul master world?"

"Things written in the textbooks of any primary academy—you list these as core theories?"

"Since when did such completely public information become 'core theories' that needed to be 'summarized'?"

Yu Xiaogang's breathing grew heavy.

"And the seventh and eighth points, that soul rings must be obtained by hunting soul beasts, that higher age is better, and that only the one who lands the killing blow can absorb it..."

He paused, his tone revealing a hint of absurdity. "This does not even count as common sense; this is merely... a statement of fact."

"It is like saying 'humans must eat to survive' and then enshrining it as the great 'First Law of Human Survival'?"

Yu Xiaogang's complexion turned from sallow to pale.

"The ninth point: 'Plant-type tool martial souls can absorb soul rings from animal-type soul beasts.'"

Zhao Linchuan's expression turned somewhat strange. "Master, you truly are a miracle worker to have discovered such an 'unprecedented discovery' in the history of the Douluo Continent."

"Presumably, before your theory appeared, not a single plant-type soul master had ever absorbed a soul ring from an animal-type soul beast?"

"Because they all didn't know it was possible? And they had to wait for you to 'discover' it?"

"Or perhaps, all those who tried failed, and only your theory 'pioneered the path'?"

His gaze fell upon the manuscript in Yu Xiaogang's hand, as if he were looking at a comical object.

"As for the tenth point, that soul ring bottlenecks do not stop the accumulation of soul power, and that soul power will manifest after obtaining a soul ring..."

Zhao Linchuan tilted his head slightly, speaking unhurriedly: "Master, let me use an analogy."

"If you have a bottle, once it is filled with water, what happens if you keep pouring more water into it?"

He paused, answering his own question:

"A bottle already filled with water will only overflow no matter how much more you pour in; it will not increase the amount of water contained within the vessel."

"A soul master's body is that bottle; the capacity of their meridians and soul sea has an upper limit."

"If a soul master is stuck at a bottleneck and refuses to absorb a soul ring—setting aside whether such behavior aligns with a normal person's logic—even if they continue to cultivate, the soul power within them will only accumulate to the limit of their own meridians and then be unable to progress further."

He sighed and continued:

"Master, where exactly did you pick up these so-called Ten Core Theories of Soul Masters from a roadside stall?"

"Why is it filled with nothing but public information from the soul master world?"

The barrage of refutations was logically clear and struck directly at the heart of the matter.

Yu Xiaogang's body began to shake.

Tang San's brow was already deeply furrowed, and in his eyes as he looked at Yu Xiaogang, a trace of subtle wavering appeared.

The theories his teacher took such pride in... it seemed they really were just superficial things packaged as profound knowledge.

Can he really teach me how to cultivate...?

Zhao Linchuan looked at Yu Xiaogang one last time, his tone flat, yet it felt like the final straw.

"Master, you said you investigated four hundred and sixty-seven Blue Silver Grass spirit masters."

"I have no intention of denying your hard work, but what exactly are you seeking by spending so much time on a single 'useless spirit'?"

"If you had spent that time on your own cultivation, given your intelligence and perseverance, you would surely be a powerful Titled Douluo by now, wouldn't you?"

"After all, as you yourself said—there are no useless spirits, only spirit masters who do not work hard enough, right?"

Yu Xiaogang's body trembled, but he did not know how to respond.

For a moment, the room fell into an eerie silence.

It was not until Zhao Linchuan spoke again that he broke this deathly silence, "Master, why don't you answer me? Is it because you haven't worked hard enough?"

"You... you... you!!"

Yu Xiaogang's entire body shook violently. He clutched his chest tightly with his left hand while pointing his right at Zhao Linchuan. A rattling sound came from his throat, and his face twisted from a mixture of shame, humiliation, and a sharp, stabbing pain.

"Cough, cough, cough—ugh!"

Overcome by a surge of anger, a mouthful of bright red blood sprayed from his mouth, splashing onto the title page of his precious manuscript and blooming into a glaring crimson stain.

"Teacher!" Tang San's expression changed drastically as he rushed forward to steady the man's swaying body.

Yu Xiaogang grabbed Tang San's arm with a trembling hand, his eyes still fixed on Zhao Linchuan, as he squeezed out a broken, hoarse command through his teeth.

"Get out... get out!! Get out of here!!!"

Zhao Linchuan said no more, merely giving a slight nod.

"Farewell."

He turned and pushed open the door. Just then, the system's notification chime rang in his ears.

[Ding—]

[Mission Accomplished: Refute Yu Xiaogang's prideful Ten Core Theories of Spirits, causing Tang San to doubt Yu Xiaogang's true competence.]

[Reward Issued: Sword God Solderos Experience Card (five minutes)... has been stored in the system space.]

(A note in advance: this is a harem story that bashes Tang San, so those who prefer him should stop here. Chao Tianxiang is confirmed not to be recruited.)