Yu Xiaogang

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Yu Xiaogang (玉小刚)
Alias(es)	“Master”; Grandmaster
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Notting Academy — guest advisor 3
Occupation/Role	Soul master theorist and academic researcher; Tang San’s teacher 3 20
Martial Soul	Luo Sanpao, mutated from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon 3
Soul Power	Level 29 Grand Soul Master 12
First Appearance	Chapter 3

Background / History

Arrival at Notting Academy

Yu Xiaogang was invited to Notting Academy years before Qi Dao enrolled, serving as Headmaster Hans’s friend and a guest advisor. He pursued academic research and sought a sufficiently talented disciple to validate his theories. Before reviewing Qi Dao’s awakening certificate, he privately considered accepting the boy if he possessed at least level-eight innate soul power. 3

Upon learning that Qi Dao had a malignantly mutated Iron Sword martial soul and half-rank innate soul power, Yu Xiaogang rejected him. He believed that such talent would likely leave Qi Dao permanently stuck at Rank 9 or 19 and considered teaching him a threat to his own reputation and theories. 3

Interest in Qi Dao’s Sword

After Qi Dao severely wounded the Soul Master Xiao Haijie, Yu Xiaogang initially assumed the victor must be a different student with the same name—one with a top-tier sword martial soul and full innate soul power. When he learned that Qi Dao was truly the half-rank student he had rejected, he became unable to accept the result. 10 11

He asked Hans to let him study Qi Dao’s martial soul and offered to accept Qi Dao as a registered disciple if the boy cooperated with his research. Hans refused, recognizing that Yu Xiaogang’s interest centered on exploiting Qi Dao’s exceptional circumstances rather than teaching him. 11

Yu Xiaogang later approached Qi Dao directly and claimed that his martial soul must possess an undiscovered special quality. Qi Dao rejected the offer, publicly stating that Yu Xiaogang was unworthy to be his teacher. 12

Tang San’s Teacher

Yu Xiaogang eventually accepted Tang San as his disciple after learning that Tang San possessed innate full soul power. He expressed confidence that Tang San’s Blue Silver Grass could validate his principle that no martial soul was inherently useless. 20

When Tang San revealed his Clear Sky Hammer, Yu Xiaogang immediately identified it and instructed him never to reveal it casually. He then took Tang San to Soul Hunting Forest to seek his first soul ring. 21

After Tang San lost to Qi Dao, Yu Xiaogang explained Qi Dao’s history to preserve Tang San’s confidence. He asserted that Qi Dao’s recorded half-rank innate soul power and malignantly mutated martial soul were likely misidentified, despite Hans having confirmed the awakening report was accurate. 11 24

Appearance

Yu Xiaogang is a middle-aged man who appears to be in his forties, with an ordinary and somewhat worn appearance. An aloof, despondent air is often visible between his brows. 3

• Average build. 3
• Short, flat haircut. 3
• Thick lips and an otherwise ordinary face. 3
• Frequently maintains a stiff or inscrutable demeanor. 3 12

Personality

Yu Xiaogang is deeply driven by his need for recognition as a theorist. He sees a gifted disciple as the means to prove his theories and escape the reputation of being a failure. This ambition makes him highly selective: he rejected Qi Dao for his low innate soul power, then pursued him once Qi Dao displayed extraordinary combat ability. 3 10 11

He is rigidly attached to his own conclusions. Even after Hans confirmed Qi Dao’s awakening report, Yu Xiaogang insisted that Qi Dao’s martial soul and innate soul power must have been misidentified. He later presented this speculation to Tang San as a firm analysis. 11 24

Yu Xiaogang is also sensitive to disrespect and public embarrassment. Qi Dao’s refusal to become his disciple became a lasting humiliation, and he worried that Tang San might be influenced by Qi Dao. 10 12 24

Abilities & Skills

Soul Master Theory

Yu Xiaogang is a dedicated researcher who has investigated many soul masters and developed a set of principles known as the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls. 12 24

• Advocates the belief that “there are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters.” 20 25
• Developed the Martial Soul Mimicry Theory, which holds that plant martial souls may absorb beast soul rings and beast martial souls may absorb plant soul rings. 24
• Identified Tang San’s Clear Sky Hammer and recognized the need to conceal it. 21
• His conclusions regarding Qi Dao are repeatedly shaped by his refusal to accept that half-rank innate soul power could produce Qi Dao’s cultivation speed and combat ability. 11 19 24

Soul Master Cultivation

Yu Xiaogang is a level-29 Grand Soul Master. 12

• His Luo Sanpao martial soul originated as a mutation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. 3
• Despite his theoretical reputation, he involuntarily retreated when Qi Dao pointed Peerless Sword at him. 12

Relationships

• Headmaster Hans — Friend who brought him to Notting Academy as a guest advisor; Hans became disappointed by Yu Xiaogang’s treatment of Qi Dao. 3 11
• Qi Dao — Initially rejected as a disciple due to his half-rank innate soul power; later pursued as a research subject and rejected publicly. 3 11 12
• Tang San — Disciple whom Yu Xiaogang views as the ideal proof of his theories due to Tang San’s innate full soul power and twin martial souls. 20 21
• Tang Hao — Tang San’s father; privately threatens Yu Xiaogang after overhearing his consideration of a ten-year Lone Bamboo ring for Tang San. 21

Story Role / Major Arcs

Rejection of Qi Dao

Yu Xiaogang’s refusal to teach Qi Dao establishes him as an early obstacle to Qi Dao’s pursuit of recognition. His later attempt to recruit Qi Dao after witnessing his results reveals that his interest depends on Qi Dao’s usefulness to his research. 3 10 12

Witness to Qi Dao’s Growth

Yu Xiaogang observes Qi Dao’s rematch with Xiao Haijie and concludes that Qi Dao’s strength comes from a self-created burst-type soul skill. He takes comfort in believing that Qi Dao’s low soul power will ultimately limit him. 13 14

Qi Dao’s rapid breakthrough to Rank 10 and later Rank 19 intensifies Yu Xiaogang’s obsession. He refuses to believe that a commoner with half-rank innate soul power could cultivate faster than he once did with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan’s resources. 19

Mentor to Tang San

Yu Xiaogang takes Tang San as his disciple and guides him through obtaining his first soul ring. He later reassures Tang San after Qi Dao defeats him, arguing that Tang San’s full innate soul power, Blue Silver Grass, and second martial soul will eventually surpass Qi Dao. 20 21 25

When Qi Dao leaves Notting Academy to seek the Crown Prince’s patronage, Yu Xiaogang dismisses the choice as a loss of a soul master’s dignity and tells Tang San not to follow his example. 26

Notable Quotes

“There are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters!”
— Yu Xiaogang 20

“The truth is often held only by a select few.”
— Yu Xiaogang 25