A Level Twenty-Nine "Master" Loved Teaching Others

Ye Xunhuan listened, and an appropriately admiring look flashed across his face. Beside him, Ling Yuan's brows had already twisted into a knot.

She had lived for over sixty years and spent most of her life immersed in Spirit Hall. She had seen countless geniuses and scholars, yet this was the first time she had encountered a level twenty-nine Great Spirit Master lecturing her on spirit master theory in such a condescending tone.

And what he said... how should she put it? It was not entirely wrong, but that was all. It was extremely shallow common knowledge.

Any book casually pulled from Spirit Hall's Archive Pavilion had more depth and breadth than this so-called Ten Core Competencies by far.

But Yu Xiaogang clearly did not think so.

He had completely immersed himself in his own world, speaking endlessly and passionately.

"...Therefore, when absorbing a Spirit Ring, one must consider not only its age, but also the compatibility between the spirit beast and the martial soul. This is the core essence of my original Soul Ring Absorption Compatibility Theory."

"To give a simple example, if a Blue Silver Grass martial soul absorbs a suitable animal-type spirit beast, there is a high probability of obtaining a better spirit skill than from a plant-type spirit beast."

As he grew more animated, he even forgot about the lingering pain in his groin. One hand gestured wildly while the other rested on his waist, making him look exactly like a storyteller.

Tang San stood to the side, silently supporting his teacher, his face full of admiration.

Ye Xunhuan glanced at Tang San and laughed inwardly.

Who knew whether this kid truly admired him or was just good at pretending?

Yu Xiaogang finally reached the climax of his speech.

"To summarize, I have devoted my entire life to the study and inheritance of spirit master theory. Although flaws in my martial soul have prevented me from traveling too far down the path of cultivation, my theoretical attainments are sufficient to make up for my lack of strength. Across the entire Douluo Continent, anyone aspiring to the path of a spirit master must study my theoretical system."

He took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and wore a confident smile, his tone arrogant.

"So, if you two do not mind, you may address me as—Master."

The instant those two words left his mouth, an eerie silence descended upon the woods.

Even the rustling of wind through the leaves became exceptionally clear.

Ling Yuan's expression froze.

She slowly blinked, her gaze moving from Yu Xiaogang's pale yet pride-filled face, to Tang San's expressionless one, and then to Ye Xunhuan's faintly smiling face.

Then, she resolutely turned her head away.

Her shoulders trembled slightly.

She was holding back her laughter.

A level twenty-nine Great Spirit Master had just been bitten in the crotch by a four-hundred-year-old Mandala Snake and nearly died on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest. The first thing he did after recovering was boast about how amazing his theoretical system was, before asking others to call him "Master."

Was that not enough to make him a laughingstock?

Ye Xunhuan, however, managed to maintain his expression. He even nodded along.

"Master's theories truly are exquisite." His tone was so sincere that no one could find fault with it.

Yu Xiaogang smugly stroked a beard that did not exist, clearly pleased by Ye Xunhuan's attitude.

"You have a good eye, little brother." He nodded, his gaze falling on Ye Xunhuan. In the tone of an elder instructing a junior, he said, "I heard from your sister that you are also here to hunt for Spirit Rings. I presume you are the one who needs a Spirit Ring. Display your martial soul, and perhaps I may be willing to offer you some guidance."

Ye Xunhuan immediately widened his eyes, putting on a flattered expression as he spoke earnestly. "Then thank you, Master. As it happens, there are many parts of your theory just now that I did not understand. Please enlighten me."

With a thought, the Behemoth possessed him.

A phantom of a dark-gold giant beast emerged behind him, and a prehistoric aura swept outward in all directions as though it had substance.

This time, Ye Xunhuan held nothing back and released it with all his strength.

Savage, tyrannical, ancient.

It was like a colossal beast emerging from primordial antiquity, descending upon this small forest clearing with the ferocity and majesty accumulated over hundreds of millions of years.

The first to be affected was Yu Xiaogang, who had only just awakened and was still somewhat weak.

That prehistoric aura was like an invisible wall crashing into his chest. His breathing hitched, his legs went weak, and his entire body involuntarily collapsed.

Had Tang San not reacted quickly enough to support him, this "Master" would likely have dropped to both knees on the spot and offered Ye Xunhuan a grand bow.

Tang San's expression changed as well.

He had seen Ye Xunhuan fight earlier, but the feeling then was nowhere near as direct as it was now.

The aura suppression produced when a martial soul possessed its wielder was an instinctive, impossible-to-fake projection of power. It was like facing a living ancient ferocious beast—before your mind could react, your body had already made its judgment: flee, or submit.

Tang San gritted his teeth and forced himself not to retreat, but the veins on the arm supporting Yu Xiaogang bulged, and his knuckles turned white.

Ye Xunhuan slightly restrained his aura, but the Behemoth phantom still stood proudly behind him, its dark-gold eyes looking down upon everything before it.

After steadying himself, Yu Xiaogang's cloudy eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

He stared fixedly at the giant beast phantom behind Ye Xunhuan. His lips trembled several times before he finally squeezed out a hoarse sentence.

"This... this is a Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear!"

His voice quivered slightly with excitement.

"Child, this is a top-tier beast martial soul! You... would you be willing to become my second disciple?!"

Yu Xiaogang grabbed Ye Xunhuan's shoulders with both hands. His ducklike voice rose several pitches, and an almost fanatical light burned in his cloudy eyes.

"I am confident that I can nurture you into a Titled Douluo! With the grade of a Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear, combined with my theoretical guidance, your future achievements will be limitless!"

Without betraying anything in his expression, Ye Xunhuan took two steps back and pulled free.

He nearly laughed out loud inside.

A Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear?

And this was supposed to be a "Master"?

Anyone who was not blind could see the difference in appearance between a Behemoth and a Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear.

This old fool had mistaken even the martial soul, clearly because he had never encountered a legendary spirit beast like a Behemoth.

And even if it really were a Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear, did a martial soul of that caliber need Yu Xiaogang to "nurture" it?

The Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear's bloodline talent was right there. As long as one was not brain-dead, even a dog could cultivate to become a Titled Douluo.

And yet he said, "I am confident that I can nurture you into a Titled Douluo."

As if Titled Douluos were something he handed out.

Even more laughable was that this "Master" kept shouting, "There are no useless martial souls, only useless spirit masters," yet he was anything but vague when choosing disciples.

Yu Tianheng had wanted his guidance in the original story, yet Yu Xiaogang still ignored him.

What else could it be because of? His talent was not high enough!

What about spirit masters with useless martial souls? Had he accepted any? Did he dare to?

Ye Xunhuan suppressed the surging mockery in his heart and put on a flattered expression.

"I am deeply honored by Master's invitation. However, this junior would first like to ask Master two questions before making a decision. Would that be acceptable?"

"Of course!" Yu Xiaogang waved a hand grandly, once again resuming his earlier air of a lofty expert. "Ask away. I, Master, will tell you everything I know!"

Ye Xunhuan withdrew his martial soul, and his expression turned serious.