He noticed the strange atmosphere among those around him.
Recalling what he had said earlier, Yu Xiaogang finally realized that, in a moment of carelessness while making excuses for himself, he had exposed Tang San's trump card in public.
He cleared his throat twice, turned around, and swept his gaze over all of Shrek's teachers and students.
"Based on my theoretical knowledge, I imagine you've already guessed Xiao San's situation."
"But this is a matter of grave importance. You must not pester Xiao San with questions about his second martial soul. If word gets out, it could bring great disaster."
When he finished, Dai Mubai was the first to speak, folding his arms across his chest with a solemn expression.
"Rest assured, Grandmaster. I, Dai Mubai, may act flamboyantly, but I know what matters. Not a word of this will ever leave my lips."
The others voiced their agreement or nodded, all indicating that they would never spread the news.
Tang San had still been wondering how to broach the subject with his companions, only to see his teacher resolve it so easily.
He breathed a sigh of relief, then bowed slightly to Yu Xiaogang and said gratefully:
"Thank you, Teacher."
Yu Xiaogang nodded. His mind settled somewhat, and he inwardly sighed with relief before turning his gaze back toward the arena platform.
By then, the battle on the main platform had already ended.
With the overwhelming power of their second martial souls, the three commoner Soul Masters had swept through their opponents like a force crushing rotten wood, claiming victory.
"Come. Let's go meet them."
Flender's eyes lit up at those words, and he said:
"Xiaogang, do you want to recruit those three into our Shrek?"
Yu Xiaogang shook his head and answered without looking back:
"Geniuses with talent like that most likely come from great clans. Even if they don't, given the value of twin martial souls, the major powers have probably recruited them already."
Flender's face visibly fell, his disappointment plain to see.
Beside him, Zhao Wuji scratched his head and asked in confusion.
"Then why go? Why press a warm face against a cold backside?"
A trace of a theoretical master's conceit flashed through Yu Xiaogang's eyes. He raised his chin slightly and spoke with composure:
"I have spent decades studying the Ten Core Theories of Martial Souls. When it comes to martial soul knowledge and the cultivation of Soul Masters, few on this continent can surpass me. Even geniuses with twin martial souls may have oversights in developing their martial souls and selecting their soul rings.
"A few pointers from me would be a fortuitous opportunity for them as well."
With that, he straightened his clothes and took the lead, guiding the Shrek group toward the passage to the platform.
As they passed through the crowd.
Several spectators recognized Yu Xiaogang.
"Oh, isn't that Grandmaster Yu? The man who proposed the Ten Core Theories of Martial Souls."
"To think the Grandmaster came to watch soul fighting too. He must be gathering information for some martial soul theory again. Truly admirable!"
"From the looks of things, those three commoners may receive guidance from the Grandmaster today. Their futures will surely be boundless."
As the various words of praise reached his ears, Yu Xiaogang remained composed, merely nodding in acknowledgment. The bearing of a theoretical master grew even stronger around him, and his steps gained a measure of steady assurance.
Soon, the group passed through the crowded passage and finally intercepted the three as they were about to leave through a side entrance of the Soul Fighting Arena.
The three had just collected their prize money for winning. With bulging money pouches tucked against them, their faces looked weary, but they could not hide their delight.
When they saw Yu Xiaogang and the others approaching, one of them could not help looking surprised.
"We watched your match just now and would like to have a chat with you."
Flender took the initiative to state their purpose, then introduced his friend with shared pride:
"This is my friend Yu Xiaogang, known throughout the Soul Master World as the Grandmaster. If you don't mind, why not come sit down at our lodgings?"
Of the three, the two who possessed the Netherworld Dark Wolf and Thunder Tribulation Hammer martial souls looked blank, clearly having never heard Yu Xiaogang's name.
But seeing their companion treat him with such respect, they briefly discussed it, then nodded in agreement and followed the Shrek group back to the inn where they were staying temporarily.
Inside a room at the inn.
Yu Xiaogang sat upright in the seat of honor, with the Shrek group seated on either side. The three commoner Soul Masters sat opposite them, looking somewhat ill at ease.
Without exchanging pleasantries, he went straight to the point:
"Given the talent you three displayed today, allow me to ask: do you have a teacher? Which faction do you come from?"
The three exchanged a glance and fell silent for a few moments.
Finally, the young man with the Crimson Flame Demon Lion spoke first, his tone sincere.
"We have no teacher, nor have we joined any faction."
Yu Xiaogang's hand paused slightly as he held his tea, somewhat surprised.
The young man continued, "Grandmaster, the three of us were originally just ordinary people from Qingshi Village outside Suotuo City. We awakened trash martial souls and had Innate Zero Soul Power. We lived by farming, and we should have spent our entire lives with our faces to the yellow earth and our backs to the sky."
He paused, and a complicated look flickered in his eyes.
"Until a month ago, when we happened to pass a shop."
"A shop?" Yu Xiaogang frowned slightly.
"Yes. A little shop on a remote dirt road between Star Dou Great Forest and Spirit City."
As he spoke, the young man's gaze grew somewhat distant, as though he were recalling an absurd dream.
"The shop looked completely unremarkable from outside. At first, we thought it was just an ordinary inn where travelers could rest. But the moment we pushed open the door, the space inside was extraordinarily large. Even though it was unbearably hot outside, for some reason it was very cool inside."
"All three of us were dumbstruck. We stood frozen in the doorway, not daring to go in."
"But the owner was very friendly and looked quite young. After asking why we'd come, he asked whether we wanted to play a game."
Everyone from Shrek furrowed their brows at this. Even Yu Xiaogang, who had been keeping up appearances all along, felt his brow twitch and tightened his grip on his teacup.
Failing to notice the quiet change in the room's atmosphere, the young man with the Netherworld Dark Wolf picked up the story:
"He said that if we played just once, we might be able to defy heaven and change our fate. So, with our trash martial souls and Innate Zero Soul Power, scorned by our parents for failing to become Soul Masters, we agreed without another word."
"Then the owner took out three things that looked like... iron boxes and told us to put them on our heads. The next second, we stepped into another world!"
"There, a pale blue panel kept floating in front of us, displaying many martial souls for us to choose from."
"Although we still had Innate Zero Soul Power after choosing, after observing things for a while, we discovered that the Soul Masters there all seemed to begin cultivating from rank zero."
At this point, the young man with the Thunder Tribulation Hammer martial soul, who had not yet managed to get a word in, excitedly took over.
"Even more unbelievably, because we were the first customers after the shop opened, the owner gave each of us something called an Upgrade Coupon. We'd only just entered that world, and our soul power broke straight through to rank ten!"
"But when we hunted down our first soul rings in that world, before we even had time to celebrate, we instantly returned to this world. According to the owner, the money we'd paid only covered that much time."
Yu Xiaogang fell silent for a moment, his gaze darkening.
"If that's what happened, how do you explain your twin martial souls?"
At this, the young man with the Crimson Flame Demon Lion martial soul took a deep breath and explained:
"After we reluctantly left the shop, we initially thought it had only been a golden millet dream. But at a fork on our way back to the village, a ten-year soul beast attacked us."
"At that moment of life and death, we instinctively summoned our martial souls to protect ourselves, only to summon the martial souls we'd chosen in the other world!"
"Even the soul power flowing through our bodies and the first soul rings circling us were exactly the same as in that world!"
After this explanation, the room fell silent for an instant.
Then Dai Mubai slammed a hand on the table and sprang to his feet, shouting angrily:
"Utterly ridiculous! You played a game, went to another world, and even brought back martial souls and soul rings, gaining twin martial souls? Do you take us for fools?!"
Ma Hongjun immediately chimed in:
"Exactly! Who would believe that nonsense?"
Although Flender and Zhao Wuji said nothing, their expressions had plainly soured as well.
Zhao Wuji even gave a heavy snort and folded his arms, looking as though he could not bear to listen any longer.
Ning Rongrong shook her head lightly. Even with the knowledge she had gained in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she had never heard such bizarre claims. Xiao Wu tilted her head, looking at the three and then at Tang San without expressing an opinion.
Only Zhu Zhuqing was different.
She sat quietly in the corner. Although she, too, found the account impossible to accept, a trace of scrutiny and consideration remained in her eyes.
Likewise, Yu Xiaogang hid his emotions well, merely rubbing the rim of his cup with a fingertip. Only once the clamor subsided did he speak calmly.
"I assume the faction behind you instructed you to deliberately tell outsiders this story?"
At his words, the young man with the Crimson Flame Demon Lion shook his head:
"Grandmaster, every word we've said is true. All our opportunities truly came from that little shop. If you don't believe us, we've already told you where it is. You can go there yourselves and determine the truth."
When he finished, Yu Xiaogang let out a sigh.
He had already given them ample room to maneuver, yet the three still insisted on that absurd story. His disappointment deepened, and his tone grew colder.
"I saw your rare talent and twin martial souls and intended to offer a little guidance, helping you avoid detours on your path of martial soul cultivation. But now it seems my goodwill was misplaced."
Then a cold snort escaped him:
"Since you insist on refusing to be honest, there is no point saying more. Leave."
The three commoner Soul Masters stiffened at his words.
The young man with the Crimson Flame Demon Lion martial soul gave Yu Xiaogang a particularly long look. Deep in his eyes, the reverence inspired by the title of "Grandmaster" was fading bit by bit.
They had clearly explained the shop's precise location just now. If he was willing to make the trip, the truth would reveal itself. Yet he would not even verify their story before ordering them out.
So this man hailed as the "Grandmaster" seemed to amount to no more than this.
The young man withdrew his gaze and said nothing further. He rose in silence and headed for the door with his two companions.
The door creaked shut. The room fell silent for a moment, then the Shrek group, still seething with indignation, began loudly venting their feelings without restraint.
"What trash! Trying to fool us with that nonsense, then having the nerve to pull long faces after being exposed!"
"Exactly! Some lousy shop and lousy game-they can't even invent a convincing story! The Grandmaster kindly gave them a chance, and they still tried to play us for fools!"
Just then, Zhu Zhuqing, who had been sitting silently in the corner, finally made up her mind and suddenly stood.
"Grandmaster, Dean Flender."
Her voice was cool. Usually a woman of few words, she instantly drew everyone's attention when she spoke.
Under their gazes, Zhu Zhuqing said expressionlessly:
"I'd like to request some time off to visit the shop they mentioned."
Everyone froze at her words, their faces filled with astonishment.
No one had expected that, when they had all agreed the three were lying through their teeth, Zhu Zhuqing would actually intend to verify that absurd encounter.
After a brief silence, Dai Mubai's expression abruptly changed. He strode forward and blocked Zhu Zhuqing's path, his voice carrying urgency and incomprehension:
"Zhu Zhuqing, have you gone mad? You actually believe that absurd story?"
"I only believe what I see with my own eyes."
Zhu Zhuqing raised her eyes to meet his, her voice as cool and even as before:
"They described the location in such detail. It's worth making the trip."
"No!"
Dai Mubai reached out to block her, his voice lowering:
"A shop on some remote dirt road-what if it's a trap someone deliberately set? If you go alone and something happens, who will take responsibility?"
Ning Rongrong hurriedly joined in to persuade her:
"Yes, Zhu Zhuqing, Mubai is right. What those three said was far too outrageous. It can't possibly be true. Don't be impulsive."
Xiao Wu also nodded lightly and gently echoed their words, urging her not to go.
But Zhu Zhuqing had made up her mind. She shook her head slightly and said firmly, "The sincerity in their eyes was real. Nothing in this world is absolute. This continent is vast; there are bound to be extraordinary encounters that theories cannot explain. Without checking, how can we rashly judge what's true and what's false?"
With that, she turned sideways to move around Dai Mubai and leave.
Seeing this, Dai Mubai grew anxious and blocked her path again, refusing to yield an inch.
Zhu Zhuqing frowned slightly. A chill flashed through her cool eyes, power gathered faintly in her palm, and gentle ripples of soul power spread around her. Her Nether Civet Martial Soul was poised and ready, showing faint signs of being summoned.
The two stood locked in a standoff. The atmosphere instantly grew taut, and a clash seemed imminent.
Unexpectedly, Yu Xiaogang, who had been watching in silence, slowly spoke to break the deadlock.
"Enough, Mubai. Let her go."
His expression remained impassive. He merely glanced up at Zhu Zhuqing and spoke unhurriedly:
"Zhu Zhuqing is meticulous and prudent. She knows her limits."
"It will do her good to see for herself. If their claims are false, once she runs into a wall and returns, she will understand that no illusory opportunity capable of overturning the fundamental principles of martial souls exists in this world. She will recognize that only the Ten Core Theories of Martial Souls, which I have studied for decades, constitute the eternal, unchanging truth of the Soul Master World."
Seeing that the Grandmaster had spoken, Dai Mubai could only withdraw resentfully, though he remained unwilling.
Zhu Zhuqing said nothing more. She nodded slightly in farewell, turned, and walked straight out of the inn to catch up with the three who had left.
Before you continue