Teaching Geniuses to Be Geniuses? Yu Xiaogang Breaks Down

"A level-twenty-nine master guiding a level-forty-nine genius—what a beautiful sight."

Xiao Lin's casual remark was like a sharp blade, plunging precisely into Yu Xiaogang's most painful wound.

Yu Xiaogang's face instantly turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. What he hated most in his life was having others mention his level, yet Xiao Lin had not only brought it up, but done so in front of the three Soul Douluo education committee members. Where was he supposed to put his dignity?

"You—!" Even Yu Xiaogang's pointing finger trembled. "Level doesn't represent everything! I may only be level twenty-nine, but my theoretical knowledge is the finest on the entire continent! What do you know?!"

"Oh, the finest theoretical knowledge." Xiao Lin nodded thoughtfully. "Then could Master explain why I, a student who 'took the wrong path,' am now twenty levels higher than you, the master with the 'finest theories'?"

"Pfft—" Bai Baoshan failed to hold it in and burst out laughing. Realizing it was inappropriate, he quickly coughed twice to cover it up.

Though Dream Divine Machine and Zhi Lin did not laugh aloud, the corners of their mouths twitched slightly. They were clearly holding back with great difficulty.

As education committee members of the Heaven Dou Empire's foremost academy, they knew more or less about the real standard of Yu Xiaogang, this so-called "theory master."

As for the so-called Ten Core Competencies Theory, anyone with eyes knew it had been plagiarized from Spirit Hall archives. People simply had the courtesy not to expose it.

But seeing Yu Xiaogang rendered speechless by a mere teenager today still felt deeply satisfying.

Yu Xiaogang was left speechless by Xiao Lin's retort. His chest rose and fell violently several times before he barely suppressed the surging blood in his chest.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, before putting on an earnest, lecturing tone.

"Xiao Lin, you are merely a special case. Your success cannot prove that my theories are wrong. It only proves that you were lucky, that you stepped in dog shit. What truly demonstrates my teaching ability are the students I have trained!"

He pointed at Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, and the others, raising his voice.

"Tang San, fourteen years old, a level-forty-four Soul Ancestor! Xiao Wu, fourteen years old, a level-forty-three Soul Ancestor! Dai Mubai, seventeen years old, a level-forty-five Soul Ancestor! Ma Hongjun, fourteen years old, a level-thirty-eight Soul Elder! Oscar..."

He listed each student's age and level one by one, his tone filled with undisguised pride. "Do these records not prove my teaching ability? On the entire continent, what academy can cultivate so many young geniuses in just a few short years?"

The three members of the education committee fell silent.

Objectively speaking, the records Yu Xiaogang had listed were indeed extremely impressive. A fourteen-year-old Soul Ancestor would be a top-tier genius in any academy.

If these children had truly achieved such results under Yu Xiaogang's guidance, then his teaching ability certainly could not be underestimated.

Just as the three education committee members hesitated, Xiao Lin spoke again.

"Master, I have a question I would like to ask you."

Yu Xiaogang looked at him warily. "What question?"

"What was the Innate Soul Power of these students of yours?"

Yu Xiaogang's expression instantly froze.

"What? Is that question difficult to answer?" Xiao Lin smiled, his gaze sweeping over Tang San and the others. "Why not let everyone answer for themselves? Tang San, what was your Innate Soul Power?"

Tang San opened his mouth, but he could not bring himself to answer.

"I'll answer for him." Xiao Lin spoke unhurriedly. "Tang San, Innate Full Soul Power. Xiao Wu, Innate Full Soul Power. As for the rest..."

Xiao Wu chimed in at that moment and told the truth.

"Oscar has Innate Full Soul Power. Dai Mubai, innate level nine. Zhu Zhuqing, innate level eight. Ma Hongjun, innate level eight. Ning Rongrong, innate level nine."

With every number she reported, Yu Xiaogang's expression worsened by another degree.

He glared at Xiao Wu, but she refused to back down.

After she finished, Xiao Lin turned to Dream Divine Machine and the other two education committee members, spreading his hands.

"Three teachers, you heard it all, didn't you? Three with Innate Full Soul Power, two with innate level nine, and two with innate level eight. With talents like theirs, even without Master's guidance, they would achieve remarkable results if they were thrown into any academy."

He paused, then delivered the words that completely shattered Yu Xiaogang's composure. "A truly capable teacher turns trash into geniuses. Not geniuses into geniuses—any dog could do that."

"Well said!" Bai Baoshan slapped his thigh and shouted in approval.

Dream Divine Machine and Zhi Lin did not speak, but the way they looked at Yu Xiaogang now carried a trace of scrutiny and doubt.

Indeed, these children were already so exceptionally talented. Innate Full Soul Power, innate levels eight and nine—any academy would treat them as key students.

Was their success truly due to Yu Xiaogang's teaching, or were they simply outstanding to begin with?

That question was worth serious thought.

Yu Xiaogang's face shifted between green and white. His lips trembled, yet he could not utter a single word. He wanted to refute Xiao Lin, but he could not find a single convincing argument.

Because every word Xiao Lin had said was true—Tang San and the others really were extraordinarily talented, talented enough to achieve impressive results even without his guidance.

But he could not say that aloud. The moment he admitted it, the "master" image he had painstakingly built would completely collapse.

Just as Yu Xiaogang was caught in an impossible position, a clear voice rang out again. It was Xiao Wu.

"I knew it!"

Everyone turned to look, only to see Xiao Wu standing with her hands on her hips, speaking with an unhappy expression.

"I always thought those training methods were wrong! Every day, we just ran around the village, then did push-ups and frog jumps after running. What does any of that have to do with Soul Master cultivation? I felt so bored every time I finished running. If I hadn't met Rongrong and Zhuqing, my two good sisters, at Shrek Academy, I would have wanted to leave long ago!"

The instant Xiao Wu said that, Yu Xiaogang's face turned completely ashen.

Dream Divine Machine raised an eyebrow and looked at Flender. "Headmaster Flender, Shrek Academy's training methods consist of making students run?"

An embarrassed expression appeared on Flender's face as he stammered, "Well... basic physical training is also very important..."

"Basic physical training?" Zhi Lin pushed up his glasses, his tone carrying a hint of confusion.

"For Soul Masters, the most important cultivation methods are meditation and Soul Power application. Physical training is merely supplementary. If you spend so much time running, how much time do the students have left to improve their Soul Power?"

Flender was left speechless. He could only glare fiercely at Yu Xiaogang, cursing inwardly: It was all your rotten idea! That so-called Demon Training Method—now look, it's been exposed in public!

Bai Baoshan snorted even more bluntly. "Running? Push-ups? Frog jumps? This is the training method of a so-called 'master'? I thought it would be some profound martial soul theory. Turns out it's just street-performer tricks."

"You—!" Yu Xiaogang trembled from head to toe with rage, yet he could not refute a single word.

The teaching theories he had been so proud of had, at this moment, been completely stripped of their fig leaf.