Although quite a few students had thought Lin Hui made sense just moments ago, once he said he would establish a seventh category of Soul Masters, even those who had agreed with him began to hesitate.
"Power Attack System, Agility Attack System, Control System, Defense System, Support System, and Food System. Those are the Soul Master categories that have existed throughout the Douluo Continent's tens of thousands of years of history. What could a seventh category possibly be?" Some students in the seats below were already scratching their heads.
Even Xiao Wu, who had lived for a hundred thousand years, was starting to feel lost.
"I agree that a Soft Bone Charm Rabbit Martial Soul could follow the Agility Attack System. But a seventh category of Soul Masters? I've never heard of that!"
Seeing the doubt on everyone's faces, Lin Hui understood that the seventh category he had just mentioned was hard for ordinary people to accept.
After all, this was something that had never existed in this world.
Perhaps only his own Ultra Ball Martial Soul could make it possible.
He had been presenting his insights through the example of an ordinary Iron Ball Martial Soul. No wonder they found it unreasonable when he suddenly jumped to an entirely different category.
Just then, Tang San spotted his chance while everyone was voicing their doubts. He immediately stood up and spoke righteously.
"Lin Hui, my teacher kindly helped you by offering advice tailored to your situation. You could at least thank him, but instead you mocked him. Apologize to my teacher right now! Or else—"
Looking at Tang San's agitation, Yu Xiaogang wore an expression of approval, as if pleased to see his student learning so well.
At least he had taken on a disciple with Twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power. He could still rely on him to make something of himself and restore his reputation. As for Lin Hui—
Seeing the trace of malice in Tang San's expression, Lin Hui could already guess what he was about to say.
Or else what? I'd deserve to die?
"I was simply exchanging opinions with Grandmaster about Martial Souls. If you think your teacher is right, then by all means, listen to him from now on. Are students in class only allowed to blindly agree with their teacher?" Lin Hui said to Tang San.
Lin Hui didn't think there was any point in saying more to Tang San. But when he thought of those useless early Soul Skills Tang San would eventually get for his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, he couldn't help feeling excited in advance.
Fine, then. Keep listening to your teacher and wait until he leads you into a pit.
In Lin Hui's view, Blue Silver Grass wasn't limited to the Control System. The Life-Healing System and the Sword Grass Power Attack System were both excellent paths.
Especially at his current low level, Tang San's greatest advantage wasn't actually his Martial Soul, but the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons he knew best.
Given Tang San's terrifying skill with Hidden Weapons later on—good enough to hit Soul Saint Zhao Wuji—his accuracy was already frightening.
So why bother using Blue Silver Grass to restrain an opponent before shooting at a stationary target?
He could hit a moving target just fine.
The clearest example was that once Tang San's level rose, the few Blue Silver Grass Soul Skills Grandmaster picked for him would never see any use again.
In Lin Hui's view, if Tang San's Blue Silver Grass followed the Sword Grass Power Attack System and was paired with his skill in Hidden Weapons, it would have far better prospects than blindly focusing on control.
After Lin Hui finished speaking, the students below began to mull it over.
"To be honest, other than that stuff Lin Hui said about a seventh Martial Soul category—which sounds like a stretch—I think the rest makes a lot of sense."
"Yeah. Are all Martial Souls really supposed to have fixed paths? Shouldn't a Soul Master's own strengths be taken into account too?"
As the murmurs below grew louder and the students' discussion grew more heated, Yu Xiaogang's brows knitted together. His face twisted, and his short frame stiffened, as if he were struggling to suppress his anger.
The man who stood as an authority in Martial Soul Theory had just been refuted until there was nothing left of his argument.
For someone who couldn't prove himself through his strength as a Soul Master, this was an enormous humiliation.
Yu Xiaogang realized he couldn't argue back and could only fall silent. But he couldn't contain his anger. The contrast between his outward calm and inner fury made his face twist and contort.
In his fury, Yu Xiaogang unconsciously tightened his grip. The teaching ruler in his hand snapped with a crack.
The sound of the ruler breaking cut off the students' discussion. They fell silent, though most of all because Yu Xiaogang's terrifying, unyielding expression had frightened them.
"Lin Hui, I'd originally considered taking you on as my disciple. Since you're so stubborn and refuse to listen, forget it." Yu Xiaogang deliberately put it that way, making it sound as though he was the one who'd rejected Lin Hui.
"Oh, I remember rejecting you a long time ago. There's no need to repeat yourself, Grandmaster," Lin Hui said.
"You—" Yu Xiaogang roared in anger. The broken ruler in his hand snapped again. "You're so ungrateful. We'll see how things turn out!"
"That teacher is terrifying. Do students make him lose his temper if they don't listen to him? He's so petty!" Xiao Wu glanced at Yu Xiaogang on the podium, then lowered her head and muttered under her breath.
She knew he was Tang San's teacher. For Tang San's sake, she had done her best to hold herself back. Of course, she also wanted to leave a reasonably good impression on Tang San.
Tang San, sitting beside Xiao Wu, looked surprised, even somewhat flustered.
After all, Tang San's understanding of Martial Souls was far inferior to Lin Hui's. He hadn't expected that even his own words would fail to win everyone over.
After thinking for a moment, Tang San muttered,
"I still believe in my teacher. After all, a teacher for a day is a father for life. He's called 'Grandmaster,' and he's been ostracized precisely because his insights are too advanced for everyone else to accept."
"Maybe outstanding people just have a hard time fitting in. It's just a shame that by the time the truth comes out, Lin Hui will already have taken plenty of wrong turns. He might not even get the chance to correct them."
Thinking of what lay ahead for Tang San, Lin Hui only smiled when he heard that. "I'll wish you the same, then. Good luck."
Yu Xiaogang could no longer stay in the classroom. After suppressing his fury for so long, he closed his lecture notes and walked out of the room.
After taking a few steps, he thought about how he had gone to such trouble to pull strings and get into this academy, only to have a child question him after just a few lessons. What was that supposed to do to his reputation?
He absolutely couldn't let this go!
So before leaving, he tossed out one last threat.
"If you insist on taking the wrong path, then there's nothing your teacher can do to save you!"
"Even if my theories sound profound, they're based on the experience of someone who's been through it all. It won't take long for reality to prove that what I said today was right."
"Do you really think you can be different from everyone else?"
After saying a few words to save face, Yu Xiaogang stormed out of the classroom.
Noticing that something seemed off with Yu Xiaogang, Tang San immediately left the classroom and hurried after him.
"Teacher, don't take what he said to heart. I'll always believe in you." Tang San caught up to Yu Xiaogang at a jog and spoke with utter sincerity.
When Yu Xiaogang saw Tang San had followed him, he understood what the boy was thinking and felt greatly comforted.
"So you weren't just saying it. A teacher for a day really is a father for life." Some of Yu Xiaogang's anger faded. "You have Innate Full Soul Power at level ten. Your Soul Power Level can't increase until you obtain your First Soul Ring. I'll take you to hunt for one in the next few days."
"Thank you, teacher!" Tang San smiled happily. "With your help, I'll soon be able to surpass my peers—including Lin Hui, who spoke so rudely to you."
Seeing Tang San's sincere smile and feeling the warmth of being admired, Yu Xiaogang felt a glow spread through his heart.
Of course, after what had happened, a trace of hatred had already taken root in Yu Xiaogang's heart.
"You can't just surpass him. You have to defeat him fair and square. Show the entire faculty and student body that neither you nor your teacher was wrong. He was."
"Yes, teacher!" Fired up by Yu Xiaogang's words, Tang San was even more motivated.
"Lin Hui's Iron Ball Martial Soul is a complete Trash Martial Soul. Even with Innate Full Soul Power, without my guidance, he'll never achieve as much as you. It's just a pity I can't make him see reason." Yu Xiaogang even felt a little regretful.
When class ended, Lin Hui left the teaching building and swept the grounds clean.
He was an ordinary work-study student too, and he badly needed the pay until he could register with Spirit Hall.
As he swept, Lin Hui also made some simple plans for his future.
"In theory, my Ultra Ball Martial Soul should be able to capture Soul Beasts in this world. And given the Ultra Ball's properties, the higher a Soul Beast's age, the easier it should be to catch."
"If I really become a Summoning Type Soul Master, I'll mainly fight by summoning Soul Beasts."
"For someone like me, who's only at level ten, the first Soul Beast I capture will be very important..."
"Of course, the stronger, the better..."