Your strength doesn't mean your students are strong

Yu Xiaogang looked at the outcome of the battle.

He realized that before Lu Ning, he had already suffered an utter, crushing defeat.

He stared at the Wine Gourd that had returned to Lu Ning's waist.

His eyes widened.

"An individual exception? Special circumstances? Hahahaha!"

"A case like yours can only be called a monster!"

Lu Ning replied calmly, "Exactly, but Shrek Academy only accepts monsters."

"Is there a problem with that?"

"The reason we can surpass our peers is that we're geniuses to begin with. Your teaching..."

"Has little to do with it."

Lu Ning's words were swords, severing the last strut of Yu Xiaogang's backbone.

Yu Xiaogang's eyes were vacant.

"...Where did your soul rings come from?"

"Even if you're a special case, you couldn't possibly have added a ten thousand year soul ring as your third!"

"Besides."

"You clearly added rings to the gourd first, then the sword."

"So why did you start with purple?"

Lu Ning withdrew his martial souls without answering him.

Because the reality was completely different from what Yu Xiaogang thought.

Lu Ning had first absorbed rings for his Azure Lotus Sword martial soul. Only after it reached three rings had he begun adding rings to his Wine Gourd martial soul.

That was why his Wine Gourd martial soul had started at three thousand years.

After all, the Azure Lotus Sword martial soul's third soul ring had already been a two-thousand-year ring!

And the Wine Gourd martial soul's second soul ring was five thousand years old!

He had taken a little shortcut with the third soul ring.

With the push from the god-bestowed soul ring, it had reached nine thousand eight hundred years.

No soul shock had occurred.

Two more visits to the pleasure quarter had naturally brought it up to the ten-thousand-year threshold.

Was I supposed to announce to everyone that I visited prostitutes?

Did I have to tell you how long I spent with them, too?!

As for adding soul rings to his second martial soul...

For an ordinary wielder of twin martial souls, it truly wasn't the best choice.

But Lu Ning was different.

Lu Ning had the "Lust" option, which could continually increase his soul rings' ages. Even if he added a white soul ring, a thousand visits to prostitutes could raise it to a hundred thousand years.

Lu Ning was in the prime of his youth.

What were a few visits like that?

The stronger his soul rings, the stronger his body. The stronger his body... the better it could nourish his soul rings in return.

"I admit that you really are strong."

Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth.

He admitted the fact he was so unwilling to acknowledge.

"But your strength."

"Doesn't mean my teaching methods are wrong."

"You don't need to concern yourself with where my theories came from. Accuse me of stealing them from Spirit Hall, or of pilfering the various sects' theories, whatever you like."

"Just tell me, aren't the students trained under my methods stronger than most people?"

The "most people" Yu Xiaogang referred to.

Were clearly Dai Mubai and the others.

In the battle just now.

Tang San had indeed lost to Lu Ning.

But Tang San's strength did indeed surpass Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and the others.

Especially Ma Hongjun.

Against Tang San, he probably.

Wouldn't even be able to force Tang San to use his hidden weapons.

"No."

Lu Ning answered evenly.

"Tang San is strong."

"Because he was talented to begin with."

"His father is Clear Sky Douluo, whose fame shakes the Douluo Continent, and his great-grandfather is a top powerhouse on par with Qian Daoliu. His blood carries extraordinarily excellent genes. With talent like that, honestly, even a pig could have taught him to this level."

"As for the hidden weapons that let him fight above his level..."

"Did you teach him those?"

Yu Xiaogang was at a loss for words. Beside him, Dai Mubai slowly spoke.

"There's no way he taught him those hidden weapons."

"If he really understood hidden weapons."

"He wouldn't still be so afraid of his own shadow."

"The way I see it, those things are Xiao San's own skills."

Ma Hongjun pursed his lips.

"Do you really need to argue like this?"

"If you want to figure out whose theory is right, why not each take a few students?"

"After some time, compare whose students have improved more. Wouldn't that settle it?"

"What's there to argue about?"

As soon as Ma Hongjun finished, he realized he had misspoken and shut his mouth.

His words had practically pushed Lu Ning to the edge of a fiery pit.

If they were only comparing their own abilities.

It would be no exaggeration to say Lu Ning surpassed this Grandmaster ten thousand times over.

But when it came to teaching disciples...

Ma Hongjun really had no idea how good Lu Ning was.

Lu Ning carried his Wine Gourd around drinking every day. If he really had to teach students... he might actually lose to Yu Xiaogang!

"You're right!"

At those words, Yu Xiaogang seemed to have grasped a lifesaving straw.

He abruptly turned toward Lu Ning.

The hope Lu Ning had crushed out of him rose again at that moment.

He couldn't match Lu Ning in soul power.

In actual combat, Lu Ning could leave him ten streets behind.

But if they were comparing theories...

Then he was fired up.

He had taught at Nuoding Academy for years, personally teaching top geniuses like Tang San and Xiao Wu. When it came to experience teaching students, he believed no one at Shrek Academy surpassed him!

Lu Ning? Hah, someone with nothing but personal strength was ultimately just a brute!

The most important thing in this world was teamwork!

A Soul Douluo powerhouse could never beat a team of two gods carrying a pig!

That was his confidence!

"Since you think there's a problem with me."

"How about we teach separately?"

"We'll take turns choosing students and decide the winner a year from now! How about it?"

As Yu Xiaogang spoke to Lu Ning, he also glanced toward Dai Mubai.

"We'll decide the winner in three areas: soul power level, actual combat, and degree of improvement!"

"Improvement includes how many levels their soul power rises, the colors of the soul rings they obtain, and whether they acquire soul bones. How about it?!"

Yu Xiaogang pressed aggressively.

But Lu Ning couldn't muster much interest.

"Not interested."

"I think your brain really has short-circuited."

"I'm a student, not a teacher. Have I graduated from Shrek yet?"

"You see someone and immediately want to compete over theories."

"Are you brain-dead?"

Lu Ning turned to leave.

A contest like this had no meaning whatsoever.

Everyone at Shrek Academy had different soul power levels and martial souls to begin with.

Even if he won in the end.

If Yu Xiaogang said, "Again," wouldn't that infuriate you?

Lu Ning had absolutely no faith in Yu Xiaogang's character.

He was entirely capable of doing something like that.

"..."

Yu Xiaogang's newly kindled enthusiasm dimmed once more.

The white hair on his head shone much more brightly.

His spirit had been utterly destroyed by a twelve-year-old boy.

Lu Ning's single "Not interested" had shattered every hope he had of turning things around.

Lu Ning had only taken a few steps away.

Flender, who had been eavesdropping from a corner, smiled as he secretly pulled Lu Ning behind the building and whispered, "Xiao Ning, agree to it!"

"We can always put a wager on it."

Lu Ning glanced at the dean who had raised him, but still gave him no face.

"Not interested."

"I don't need any wager."

"What the hell does Yu Xiaogang have that's worth anything?"

"Make him put up a soul bone? Forget it. He isn't even as rich as you, you crooked merchant."

Flender rolled his eyes at Lu Ning.

Was that any way to talk about his own teacher?!

"Just compete with him!"

"You don't need many."

"Just pick two students and make them stronger than his."

"Yu Xiaogang started throwing his weight around the moment he arrived. You'd be doing this for Shrek Academy, understand?!"

Lu Ning remained unmoved.

Flender spoke again.

"If you win, I'll make him kowtow to you once."

At those words, Lu Ning raised his eyebrows, clearly gaining a little interest.

"Twice!" Seeing Lu Ning's expression, Flender, who had cared for him since childhood, immediately knew he was tempted.

He promptly spoke again.

Lu Ning's eyebrows rose higher.

"Three times!" Flender continued raising the stakes. "We can't make him smash his head against the ground until he dies, can we?"

"He is my closest friend, after all! Teaching him a lesson is enough!"

Lu Ning turned to look at Flender.

"Your closest friend? Why not mention that he's your romantic rival, too?"

Flender's old face reddened.

Lu Ning stated his terms.

"I can agree."

"But the time limit is three years."

"If he loses, he has to put his underwear over his head and run three laps around Spirit City naked."