Yu Xiaogang Rejected Again

The bamboo forest at the Shrek Academy always exudes a sense of tranquility. The morning mist has not yet dissipated, and glistening dewdrops hang on the emerald green bamboo leaves. Yu Xiaogang also arrived at the Shrek Academy yesterday.

Yan Zu was sitting cross-legged on a stone platform deep in the bamboo forest, circulating the Nine Yin Manual.

Footsteps approached from afar, carrying a heavy, hesitant quality, breaking the tranquility of the bamboo grove.

Yan Zu slowly stopped his movement and opened his eyes. Yu Xiaogang's figure had already appeared at the intersection not far away. He was still wearing that faded gray robe, but his eyes were unusually burning as he stared intently at the Little Jade on Yan Zu's shoulder, as if he had seen the most precious treasure.

"Yan Zu," Yu Xiaogang's voice trembled slightly as he strode forward, his gaze never leaving Little Jade, "I've come to see you again."

Yan Zu stood up, his expression calm. "Grandmaster Yu." He had already guessed that Yu Xiaogang would come again. This theoretical Grandmaster's obsession with special Martial Soul far exceeded ordinary people's imagination.

Yu Xiaogang looked directly into Yan Zu's eyes. "I've heard about your performance in the Soul Fighting these past few days, and it surprised me. The Qilin Martial Soul's ability to leave the body, as well as your precise control over your Soul Power, have all exceeded the scope of conventional theory."

"I've studied Martial Soul Theory for over twenty years and seen countless geniuses, but none like you..." He paused, a glint of eagerness in his eyes, "Do you know that if your Martial Soul is properly guided, its future potential is limitless?"

"Thank you for the compliment, Grandmaster Yu." Yan Zu lowered his eyes, his fingertips gently stroking Little Jade's antlers.

"I've said before that I could take you as my disciple, and I hope you'll consider it carefully." Yu Xiaogang finally revealed the purpose of his trip, his voice slightly hoarse with excitement.

"I can devise a personalized cultivation plan for you. Although your Qilin Martial Soul is extraordinary, fighting outside your body consumes a great deal of Soul Power, and its connection with your physical body is only so-so; the slightest mistake could backfire. I have studied similar Mutated Martial Soul, and with my theoretical guidance, you can avoid many detours, and even..."

He didn't say Yu Xiaogang, but the longing in his eyes was obvious—he longed to study the Qilin, and to use this unprecedented Martial Soul to verify his still-incomplete theories.

More importantly, he longed to find the path to the evolution of his own Martial Soul by nurturing Yan Zu.

Yan Zu remained silent for a moment, then raised his eyes, a sharp glint in them. "I appreciate Grandmaster Yu's kindness. However... my cultivation path is already set, and I'm afraid I will have to disappoint Grandmaster Yu's good intentions."

"The path is set?" Yu Xiaogang frowned. "Yan Zu, don't be arrogant. Soul Master cultivation, especially for someone with a unique Martial Soul like yours, is very easy to go astray without the support of a systematic theory."

I know you are exceptionally talented, but talent does not equal achievement! Although my Yu Xiaogang Soul Power is not high, in terms of theoretical knowledge, there are only a handful of people on the entire continent who can rival me!

"I have never underestimated theory." Yan Zu's tone remained calm, yet carried an undeniable firmness. "But if I may be so bold as to ask, Grandmaster Yu, after twenty years of theoretical research, have you developed a unique theoretical system that has been verified through practice?"

Yu Xiaogang was taken aback. "What do you mean? My ' Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul '..."

"Those Ten Core Competencies are mostly summaries of existing phenomena. While they have value, they lack groundbreaking insights."

Yan Zu interrupted, his voice neither hurried nor slow.

"What the student wants to ask is, has Grandmaster Yu developed his own truly unconventional theories? For example, is there a path to benign mutation beyond the possibility of failed mutation in Martial Soul?"

For example, Innate Soul Power is not static; can one fundamentally improve their innate foundation through special training or resources?

Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth, but was speechless for a moment.

For the past twenty years, he has indeed been immersed in the existing theoretical system, constantly improving and supplementing it, but he has never truly stepped out of the framework to think about these disruptive issues.

He had studied countless cases of Martial Soul Mutation, but always believed that most mutations were accompanied by defects, and benign mutations were extremely rare; he believed that Innate Soul Power was the foundation of Soul Master and never thought that it could be changed by acquired means— Yan Zu's question precisely hit the blind spot of his theoretical system.

"You..." Yu Xiaogang's voice was a little hoarse. He looked into Yan Zu's clear eyes, which seemed to see through everything, and a complex emotion welled up in his heart. There was anger at being questioned, panic at having his theory challenged, and even a trace of indescribable frustration.

"These are all nonsense! The essence of Martial Soul Mutation is a morphological change caused by disordered Soul Power. Benign mutations are purely accidental and cannot be replicated at all; Innate Soul Power is determined at the time of Soul Master's birth, how can it be changed later?"

"To dismiss something as nonsense without even verifying it—doesn't that violate the rigor of theoretical research?" Grandmaster Yan Zu asked neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"As far as the students know," Yan Zu stood up, walked to the window, and the morning light gilded him with a pale gold.

"Grandmaster Yu, you yourself are a victim of malignant mutation of your Martial Soul. The predicament of Luo Sanpao has troubled you for half your life. You have studied the Martial Soul of countless others, trying to find a solution, but you have never been able to propose a systematic and replicable theory of ' Martial Soul optimization'."

You claim to understand Mutated Martial Soul, yet you haven't even been able to resolve your own mutation; you claim to understand Innate Soul Power, yet you yourself were limited to a level 29 Soul Grandmaster due to your low Innate Soul Power.

Every word was like a dull knife, slowly and precisely cutting away Yu Xiaogang's fig leaf.

"I..." Yu Xiaogang's face flushed red, and the notebook in his hand trembled slightly, "Theoretical research takes time, it needs samples..."

"So you need to use students as samples?" Yan Zu turned around, his gaze clear yet sharp. "Grandmaster Yu has always wanted to take me as his disciple. Is it truly for my own good, or is he just trying to use my Qilin Martial Soul to fill the gaps in your theories and prove your worth?"

A deathly silence.

Yu Xiaogang, enraged, retorted, "Fine! So this is Yan Zu! I thought you were a promising talent, but I never expected you to be so arrogant! Do you think you can establish yourself in the Soul Master World with your meager cleverness? Without theoretical support, you'll stumble sooner or later!"

"Perhaps." Yan Zu bowed slightly, "But I will walk my own path. Grandmaster Yu has nothing else to attend to, I still need to prepare for today's lessons."

Yu Xiaogang stared intently at Yan Zu, his eyes filled with anger, shame, and the humiliation of being exposed. He snorted coldly, turned and left, turning back at the door to say, "You'll regret this. Don't come begging to me when you hit a wall!"

When they returned to their newly built dormitory, Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong were chatting away around the stone table in the courtyard. This dormitory, which Ning Rongrong had funded, was far more impressive than the academy's dilapidated wooden houses. It had a spacious courtyard and a small garden, and was built entirely according to Ning Rongrong's requirements, making it both comfortable and secluded.

"A-Zu, you're back!" Xiao Wu was the first to see him, and immediately skipped over to greet him. "Zhu Zhuqing has already gone to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. We were just talking about when to move in!"

Ning Rongrong stood up as well, proudly raising her chin. "Isn't my taste good? This dormitory is much better than that shabby place in the college. We won't have to squeeze into that damp and dark wooden shack anymore!"

Looking at the brand-new courtyard before him, a hint of warmth flashed in Yan Zu's eyes. "Indeed, it's quite nice."

"By the way, A-Zu, where did you go?" Xiao Wu asked curiously. "We've been looking for you for ages."

"I went to the bamboo forest to cultivate and met Grandmaster Yu," Yan Zu said casually, without going into too much detail about the conversation.

"Yu Xiaogang? He's come to you again asking to take you as a disciple?" Ning Rongrong frowned. "I heard that although his theories are famous, his own Martial Soul is the failed mutation of Luo Sanpao, and he can't even break through level 30. What future can he have following him? You didn't agree, did you?"

"No." Yan Zu shook his head. "I'll walk my own path."

As they spoke, Zhu Zhuqing came out of the kitchen, dressed in simple black clothes, carrying a tray with several bowls of steaming porridge and a dish of pickled vegetables. Seeing Yan Zu, a barely perceptible hint of concern flashed in her eyes. "You're back? Eat quickly, the porridge is getting cold."