Yu Xiaogang: My theories came from Spirit Hall-how could they be wrong?

Ah Yin stood beside Chen Ci with a troubled expression and asked:

"My lord, do you really want me to do this?"

Chen Ci nodded and said:

"Ah Yin, if you don't do this, I can't be certain that you truly follow me with unwavering devotion.

"For the sake of giving soul beasts a bright future they can actually see."

Ah Yin fell silent for a moment, then decided to carry out her lord's task.

Ah Yin, don't cut off the future of all soul beasts for your own selfish desires. They were merely fleeting passersby in your long life. What did they amount to?

"My lord, it isn't that I'm unwilling to follow your arrangements. I just can't quite bear to act against my own child. But that won't change my loyalty to you."

Ah Yin's gaze grew firm and resolute. She looked at Tang San and said:

"Little San, I'm your mother, Ah Yin. Chen Ci is my lord.

"Little San, listen to your mother. Don't make an enemy of my lord.

"If you insist on being stubborn, I can only teach you a lesson myself!"

Although Ah Yin stood in the middle of Nod Academy's square, she had only regained life by attaching herself to Chen Ci. Until Chen Ci grew strong enough, ordinary people could not perceive her presence.

But Tang San shared Ah Yin's bloodline and could ignore that condition.

Tang San could tell that Ah Yin had not spoken those words entirely willingly. He instinctively assumed that she was treating him this way because Chen Ci had coerced her.

In truth, Ah Yin's reluctance to carry out Chen Ci's task stemmed only from her unwillingness to strike her son, not from any refusal to obey.

Nevertheless, Tang San took his assumption as fact. Thus, Chen Ci's standing in his heart escalated from a petty rival to an enemy who had stolen his mother.

Tang San burned with rage, glaring viciously at Chen Ci. If looks could kill, Chen Ci would probably have already been sliced a thousand times and torn into ten thousand pieces.

Tang San roared:

"Chen Ci, you've already sealed your own death!"

Then he charged at Chen Ci with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

The old man's game with the unruly child was about to erupt.

The instant Tang San used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Chen Ci unleashed the Silver-Patterned Blue Silver Emperor's first soul skill, Water Element Control.

Countless streams of water condensed from soul power spread across the center of Nod Academy's square, impeding Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

At the same time, as the Silver-Patterned Blue Silver Emperor's first soul skill activated, the purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring shone with an alluring glow.

The sudden appearance of that dazzling purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring shocked everyone present:

"What?

"How does Chen Ci have a Thousand-Year Soul Ring?"

"Didn't he only just advance from Soul Scholar to Soul Master?"

"According to Grandmaster's theory, the upper limit for a first soul ring should be four hundred and twenty-three years. Chen Ci's first soul ring has shattered that limit!"

"Could Grandmaster's theory be wrong?"

"It's possible. After all, Grandmaster even misidentified Chen Ci's Blue Silver Emperor. It's hardly surprising if his theory is wrong too."

Hearing everyone's doubts, Yu Xiaogang flatly denied them:

"Impossible. My theory can't be wrong.

"My theories came from Spirit Hall. How could they be wrong?!"

The moment those words left his mouth, Yu Xiaogang regretted them!

But once spoken, they could never be taken back.

Yu Xiaogang had always occupied an awkward position at Nod Academy, and plenty of people watched his every word and action.

Now, at last, they had seized their chance.

Some people had been too focused on Chen Ci and Tang San's battle to listen closely to Yu Xiaogang. When they saw their friends' reactions, they realized they had missed a juicy revelation.

But by the time they wanted to hear it, it was already too late.

Those paying attention soon filled them in on what Yu Xiaogang had said, however.

And so, the news that Yu Xiaogang's martial soul theories came from Spirit Hall spread like wildfire.

"What? Didn't Grandmaster say he'd spent decades researching martial soul theory and developed all those theories himself?"

"To think he actually stole them from Spirit Hall."

"No wonder he only has a half-baked understanding of those theories. No wonder he couldn't recognize Chen Ci's martial soul as the Blue Silver Emperor. He's nothing but a fraud!"

Slander and abuse surged in like a tide, drowning Yu Xiaogang completely.

Yu Xiaogang's heart had always been as fragile as glass. Otherwise, he would never have distanced himself from the Soul Master World and come to a small place like Nuoding City.

Now, he could no longer endure it. Without even waiting for Tang San and Chen Ci's battle to end, he fled in panic.

"What?

"Grandmaster actually ran away?"

"I only casually said that he stole his martial soul theories from Spirit Hall, but he immediately ran off.

"Did I hit the nail on the head?"

With Yu Xiaogang, the focus of everyone's attention, gone, the crowd could only turn back to Chen Ci and Tang San's duel.

The water at the center of the square nearly reached Tang San's waist, making every step a struggle. Even with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he could barely get near Chen Ci.

Then he could only use his soul skill.

"First soul skill, Entanglement!"

One alluring purple Blue Silver King vine after another darted through the water, binding Chen Ci in an instant.

Chen Ci tried struggling, but failed to break free.

Douluo Continent was far too underhanded. A control skill like this was actually target-locked.

Tang San smiled when he saw Chen Ci trapped.

"Chen Ci, my teacher told you to have Blue Silver Grass absorb a control-type soul skill, but you wouldn't listen. You insisted on absorbing a water-attribute soul skill.

"All you've done is make this huge pool of water. Aside from slowing me down a little, what else is it good for?

"And now you're stuck here under my control, unable to move."

Chen Ci was in no hurry to struggle. He only needed to enhance himself with the Gold-Patterned Blue Silver Emperor's first soul skill, Golden Dragon Body, to break free of the Blue Silver King's entanglement.

He looked at Tang San and said:

"Tang San, why don't you look behind you?"

"Behind me?"

Tang San looked back in confusion, only to discover a two-meter-tall blade of water cleaving toward him.

He cried out:

"What is that thing?"

Tang San hurriedly pushed Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to its utmost, only narrowly avoiding Chen Ci's water blade.

Steadying himself, he looked at Chen Ci and shouted in disbelief:

"How is that possible? What soul skill is this?

"Blue Silver Grass couldn't possibly have a soul skill like that!"

"Don't rush. There's more!"

Ah Yin, go bind him.

Ah Yin: Yes, my lord.

Under Ah Yin's control, the Silver-Patterned Blue Silver Emperor promptly wrapped around Tang San. The effect was exactly like Tang San's first soul skill, Entanglement.

Tang San cried out again:

"How is that possible?

"Why can you use my soul skill, Entanglement? Isn't your soul skill related to the water attribute?"

Chen Ci broke free of the Blue Silver King's entanglement, walked over to Tang San, and said:

"Tang San, isn't entangling an innate ability of Blue Silver Grass?

"When the Blue Silver Emperor bound you, did you see me use a soul skill?"

Tang San froze at those words and began recalling what had happened. Suddenly, he realized that when the Blue Silver Emperor had bound him, the purple soul ring around Chen Ci had not lit up.

Entangling really was an ability Blue Silver Grass possessed from birth...

Then what was the point of using up a soul ring slot to obtain my first soul skill, Entanglement?

Could Grandmaster-Yu Xiaogang-really be wrong?