Yu Xiaogang: Who can't turn along a curve?

"Little San, watch closely! This is Burst Step, the Soul Skill your teacher created himself!"

The teachers' dormitory at Nouding Academy was spacious and bright.

Yu Xiaogang struck a one-legged pose like a golden rooster, then slammed his left foot against the floor, launching himself like an arrow.

With a whoosh, he crossed several meters, his sleeves fluttering in the wind, his black silhouette resembling a swooping bird of prey.

Burst Step's explosive power made Tang San's eyes widen. "The Soul Skill Teacher created is actually faster than Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!"

A rank-twenty-one Soul Grandmaster had actually created such a terrifying Soul Skill through theoretical knowledge alone!

Tang San immediately grew excited. The frustrations and dissatisfaction he had accumulated over the past few months vanished like smoke in that instant.

Although Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track favored short-range dodging and maneuvering, Burst Step's straight-line acceleration was no less impressive!

"Little San, how does the Burst Step Soul Skill I created compare with that footwork technique you devised?"

Yu Xiaogang landed beside the window, clasped his hands behind his back, and asked calmly.

"Teacher, the Burst Step Soul Skill you created is truly exceptional!"

"It's just... this Self-Created Soul Skill is too linear. It isn't suited to complicated terrain like forests and wetlands."

Tang San put his finger directly on Burst Step's flaw.

"Hahahaha..." Yu Xiaogang could not help throwing his head back and laughing.

"Teacher, did I say something wrong?" Tang San scratched his head and asked in confusion.

"No! What you said is entirely accurate!"

"But your words reminded me of a rather interesting debate the Soul Master World once had."

Yu Xiaogang hopped back on his left leg and smiled, bracing himself with his crutches.

"Please enlighten me, Teacher!" Tang San cupped his hands and asked respectfully.

"It was a discussion about agility-type Soul Masters."

"The gist of it was whether agility-type Soul Masters should attack their enemies along straight lines or curves."

Supporting himself on his crutches, Yu Xiaogang sat down at his desk.

"Should agility-type Soul Masters move along straight lines or curves?"

Tang San instinctively began pondering the question. He felt both attack routes had their own merits, so no sweeping judgment could be made.

"Teacher, what would you recommend?"

Unable to work out an answer, Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang curled his lips into a smile and calmly sipped his hot tea. "I believe agility-type Soul Masters should move in straight lines!"

"As the fastest-moving type in the Soul Master system, their role is essentially that of an assassin."

"Everyone says being fast around curves is what makes you truly fast, but I disagree!"

"A surprise attack along a curve tests a Soul Master's reflexes!"

"Fast, explosive speed in a straight line-that's real speed! Who can't turn along a curve?"

Yu Xiaogang, the king of "all talk," declared with soaring confidence.

"But, Teacher, Soul Skills focused on straight-line bursts don't seem particularly effective in close combat!"

Thinking of how Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track favored curves rather than straight lines, Tang San could not help arguing back.

Yu Xiaogang smiled faintly. "Little San, do you remember the Extreme Flow Soul Masters I mentioned to you?"

"Extreme Flow-you mean Soul Masters who continuously strengthen their abilities in a single direction!" Tang San paused briefly.

His teacher had mentioned the Soul Master World's two main schools of thought, but had never explained them in detail.

"Correct! Do you know who represented the four most famous Extreme Flow schools in the Soul Master World six years ago?"

Tang San shook his head.

Unsurprised, Yu Xiaogang said directly, "They were the Four Single-Attribute Clans that once served under the world's foremost sect!"

"They followed four paths: extreme strength, extreme defense, extreme speed, and extreme offense!"

"The previous clan leader of the Speed Clan even toyed with a Titled Douluo while only a Soul Douluo himself!"

"That battle shook the entire Soul Master World with the reputation of Extreme Flow Soul Masters!"

"They say the world's foremost sect specifically arranged a marriage with a young woman from the Speed Clan because of it, forming a marriage alliance."

Yu Xiaogang sighed with emotion, as though he had personally witnessed that glorious era and that glorious legend.

"He toyed with a Titled Douluo while only a Soul Douluo?"

"How is that possible?"

Shock appeared on Tang San's face. Supposedly, the further one advanced through the Soul Master system, the greater the gap between ranks became.

The gulf between a Titled Douluo and a Soul Douluo was like a heavenly chasm. How could anyone cross it so easily, let alone toy with someone on the other side?

"Because that Titled Douluo couldn't fly as fast as the Speed Clan's previous clan leader!"

"The Speed Clan's Martial Soul is the Sharp-Tailed Swift, a flying-type Martial Soul. They don't need to become Titled Douluo to fly."

Yu Xiaogang's words left Tang San speechless.

Viewed that way, Extreme Flow Soul Masters certainly had their merits.

Burst Step's explosive straight-line acceleration was not necessarily inferior to Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!

"I see. Thank you for enlightening me, Teacher!" Tang San reached an epiphany-or, in truth, simply had no other choice.

His teacher would not let him make a wish. What else could he do?

He could only wait until his Soul Power Level surpassed his teacher's.

"It's good that you've thought it through!" Yu Xiaogang nodded, inwardly heaving a tremendous sigh of relief.

That wasn't easy!

This Burst Step Soul Skill had nearly exhausted his entire store of knowledge.

Because his Martial Soul had undergone a harmful mutation, he had tried every possible means to gain access to Spirit Hall's library.

Once inside, he had searched only for books related to Soul Beasts and Martial Souls.

He had actually delved very little into knowledge concerning Soul Skills.

Still, it was not as though he had never read any books on the subject.

Over the past few months, he had racked his brains, sorting through every meridian diagram for self-created footwork Soul Skills he could remember.

Then, with the aid of his world-shaking wisdom, he had linked those leg meridians together and ultimately stumbled into creating Burst Step!

As expected, I'm the true Grandmaster of theory!

All that knowledge of Self-Created Soul Skills is piled up in Spirit Hall, yet they don't even know how to use it!

Thinking of those battered old books that Spirit Hall had discarded like worn-out shoes, casually tossing them into corners of the library, Yu Xiaogang revealed a smile of inexplicable confidence.

At the same time, he unconsciously rubbed his remaining left leg and lamented how little exercise he got!

He had barely used Burst Step, yet his leg muscles were already tingling and numb, with a slight itch as well.

"Well, it's about time!"

"By my reckoning, Nouding Academy should be starting its holiday soon!"

"Pack your things first, then go home and visit your father."

Yu Xiaogang handed Tang San the instructions for cultivating Burst Step, then waved a hand to indicate that he could leave.

"Thank you, Teacher!" Tang San accepted the Burst Step cultivation instructions, almost jumping up with delight.

He could finally breathe the fresh air outside!

Heaven knew how he had endured these past few months. From the moment he opened his eyes until he closed them, it was nothing but Martial Soul Theory, memorizing texts every single day.

And there was his father in Holy Soul Village, waiting for him to come home...

Yu Xiaogang shook his head helplessly. After Tang San left, he sat alone in the dormitory, cultivating through meditation.

His Soul Power was no different from several months ago. He was still rank twenty-one.

A short while later, Yu Xiaogang opened his eyes in grief and indignation, went over to his desk, and continued writing his letter reporting Dao Long.

Meanwhile.

Xu Yuan and Xiao Wu arrived by carriage at Outer Town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Rather than enter the Star Dou Great Forest directly, they took another long detour and arrived before a dense stretch of woods.

Gazing at the lush primeval forest, Xu Yuan stopped in his tracks.

Xiao Wu skipped along as though she had come home, smiling as she beckoned to him. "Xu Yuan, come on! Take this little path!"