The next day.
The entire academy knew about the fire in the teachers' dormitory.
"Have you heard? The one who set the teachers' dormitory on fire was that so-called Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang."
"I heard someone only found him lying in the bushes this morning. Apparently, he'd passed out from poisoning."
"Tsk, tsk. What on earth does that useless Grandmaster get up to all day?"
Tang San heard these rumors on his way to class. He skipped class altogether and ran straight to the infirmary.
Su Mo was rather speechless. What on earth was Yu Xiaogang doing? How had he ended up setting the dormitory on fire?
Still, he didn't care about any of this.
Inside the infirmary.
Yu Xiaogang was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, looking like a mummy.
"Teacher, are you all right?" Tang San asked worriedly.
Lying in bed, Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth and said, "I'm fine."
"Then, last night..."
Tang San didn't finish. He still had to let Yu Xiaogang save some face.
But Yu Xiaogang smiled. "I'm really fine. I was researching a new soul skill last night."
"Uh..." Tang San was speechless. You nearly burned down the whole building, and you're telling me you were researching a soul skill?
Yu Xiaogang continued, "I discovered a new way to use Luo Sanpao's soul skill."
At this point, he genuinely didn't think a few injuries mattered.
After this fire, he suddenly realized that he still hadn't developed Luo Sanpao enough.
He hadn't expected Luo Sanpao's farts to combine with flames and produce an explosion.
As expected, I'm an absolute genius. I even managed to develop a soul skill this powerful.
Yu Xiaogang shamelessly treated the incident as part of his soul skill development process.
At the same time, it had also given him hope.
Perhaps he could try even more things with Luo Sanpao.
He might even break through level thirty because of it.
Should I try it in water? Or in lightning?
My martial soul mutated from a Lightning Tyrant Dragon in the first place. Maybe lightning would have an extraordinary effect?
Should I find a thunderstorm and send Luo Sanpao up into the sky?
The more Yu Xiaogang thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
Why didn't I think of this before? My martial soul mutated from a Lightning Tyrant Dragon. By rights, it should have the lightning attribute too.
Ah, as expected, my research still isn't comprehensive enough. I have to keep going.
But how do I get Luo Sanpao into the sky?
Yu Xiaogang was stumped. Suddenly, his gaze settled on Tang San.
"Little San, can your Blue Silver Pole Vault carry others? Have you tried?"
Tang San froze for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know."
Assuming the stern authority of a teacher, Yu Xiaogang lectured him. "Little San, you've been slacking off. How could you neglect to properly develop your first soul skill?"
"Once my injuries heal, I'll help you thoroughly develop your first soul skill. I've noticed quite a few directions you could explore with it."
"For example, if you made an enemy pole-vault, could you launch them straight into the air?"
"Or could you keep using Blue Silver Pole Vault while you're airborne? Have you thought about any of this?"
Tang San shook his head, looking at Yu Xiaogang with admiration.
As expected of my teacher. He's already given me two directions to explore.
I'm still not working hard enough.
"By the way, Teacher, do you know Su Mo?" Tang San suddenly remembered what he had heard the night before.
Yu Xiaogang frowned and thought carefully, then shook his head. "Little San, who are you talking about?"
Tang San said, "The one with a mutated martial soul. You said he'd never be able to break through level thirty in his lifetime."
Recognition dawned on Yu Xiaogang. "Oh, him. What about him? Is something wrong?"
"Little San, you mustn't waste your energy on irrelevant people like him."
"Although he has a mutated martial soul, most mutated martial souls are trash martial souls with no potential whatsoever."
His Luo Sanpao was one such example. It was also a mutated martial soul, and hadn't it left him unable to break through level thirty his entire life?
So, in his eyes, Su Mo's martial soul was much like his own, except that Su Mo's innate soul power was a little higher.
But what good was that?
A trash martial soul was a trash martial soul. He would never break through level thirty in his lifetime.
As for his claim that there were no trash martial souls, only trash soul masters, he selectively forgot about that.
Yu Xiaogang certainly didn't want his disciple wasting energy on people with no potential.
He still needed Tang San to help verify his theories.
For example, whether a plant-type martial soul could absorb a beast martial soul's soul ring.
No one on the entire continent had personally tested it yet. If Tang San succeeded, that would prove his theory correct.
That was right. Yu Xiaogang didn't care whether Tang San would suffer rejection or other problems after absorbing it.
As long as Tang San succeeded, his theory was correct.
And if he failed? That would surely be Tang San's own problem, with nothing whatsoever to do with his theory.
Tang San had no idea what Yu Xiaogang was thinking.
"Teacher, last night I heard them saying that Su Mo pulled a Thousand-Year Soul Ring out of his martial soul."
Yu Xiaogang's first reaction was disbelief as well. "That's impossible. Soul rings can only be obtained by killing soul beasts. How could he pull one out?"
"That's complete nonsense. They must have been lying to you."
"Little San, just let other people's words go in one ear and out the other. Only my theories are truly correct."
Yu Xiaogang very much wanted to sit up, pat Tang San on the shoulder, and earnestly drive the point home.
But the slightest movement sent pain through his entire body.
Helpless, he could only remain lying down.
"Little San, you must remember not to let those outside matters distract you. Understand?"
"Your most important task right now is cultivating. Don't concern yourself with what other people say."
Tang San nodded to show he understood. Sure enough, he had been overthinking things.
Since Teacher says so, everything Su Mo and the others said must be false.
His lack of knowledge was what had cost him. Early on, Yu Xiaogang's wild guess that he possessed twin martial souls had stunned him.
He had muddleheadedly taken Yu Xiaogang as his teacher.
Nor had he made any effort to learn more about the soul master world.
So he believed whatever Yu Xiaogang said.
Tang San left the infirmary, but didn't go to class.
Instead, he left the academy.
Yu Xiaogang had told him to go to the Spirit Hall to test his soul power and register as a soul master. That way, he could receive one Gold Soul Coin every month.
He also wanted to know exactly what level he was now.
His breakthrough in the Mysterious Heaven Skill made him feel that his soul power should be higher than level eleven.
As he passed a blacksmith's shop, he suddenly stopped.
He suddenly remembered when Tang Hao had taught him smithing.
Could I take on another job?
Although he had to help clean the academy every afternoon to cover his tuition, room, and board.
If I work a little faster, then come here to forge, it doesn't seem impossible.
And so, he was no longer in a hurry to visit the Spirit Hall. Instead, he went into the blacksmith's shop.
"Kid, this isn't a place for you. If you want to buy something, have an adult from your family come." A burly man approached to shoo Tang San away.
"Sir, I..." Tang San had barely opened his mouth when he was interrupted.
"It's you! Kid, I finally found you! Dad, this is the brat who peeped on me while I was bathing!"
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