Chapter 6: The Master's Theory
Lin Yang and Yu Xiaogang had no prior interaction.
In the four months at the academy, he had only seen Yu Xiaogang a handful of times and had never spoken a single word to him.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were like complete strangers.
But now, this "Master" was staring straight at him, his usually lazy eyes filled with a certain sharpness, as if he were scrutinizing something.
"Greetings, Master," Lin Yang said, bowing slightly.
He was inwardly suspicious of Yu Xiaogang's appearance, but he maintained basic politeness on the surface.
"Mm!"
As if humming through his nose, Yu Xiaogang's expression remained unchanged, acknowledging the greeting.
"Does the Master have some business with me?"
Lin Yang didn't beat around the bush and asked for the reason directly.
He didn't think Yu Xiaogang had come specifically for small talk, and it certainly wasn't to take him as a disciple... Yu Xiaogang fell silent for a few seconds before speaking.
"You've broken through to rank ten?"
This matter wasn't a secret, and Lin Yang had no intention of hiding it, so he nodded in confirmation.
"I remember your innate spirit power was rank five, and your Martial Soul is a saber," Yu Xiaogang said, his eyes strange and full of inquiry.
"Logically speaking, rank five innate spirit power shouldn't allow one to cultivate this quickly."
Lin Yang's brow furrowed imperceptibly, but his face remained calm.
From his enrollment until now, all his cultivation had been traceable; even if investigated, no issues would be found.
"Master," Lin Yang said calmly.
"I'm not quite sure what you mean; I've just been cultivating normally."
"As for the cultivation speed being fast... is the Master's innate spirit power also rank five? Regardless, I feel this speed is quite normal."
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang's body clearly stiffened, and his expression became somewhat unnatural.
His own innate spirit power wasn't even rank one, and his cultivation was slower than a turtle's crawl, so he naturally didn't understand how fast the normal cultivation speed of rank five innate spirit power actually was.
He had only roughly calculated that Lin Yang's cultivation speed was off based on various data he had collected over the years.
He had intended to bluff, but ended up shooting himself in the foot.
"Ahem..."
Yu Xiaogang coughed lightly, forcing a trace of a kind expression onto his face.
"Student Lin, don't misunderstand, I have no ill intentions."
"I have researched the field of Martial Souls for decades; no one understands the potential and possible flaws of a Martial Soul better than I do."
At this point, a glow seemed to appear on his face, the look of complete confidence.
"Among the 1,350 saber-type Spirits I've studied, 827 possessed Soul Power, and nearly eighty percent of those had innate spirit power below rank three."
"Of the remaining 165 people, 113 had rank four innate spirit power, 37 had rank five Soul Power, 10 had rank six, and five were rank seven or above, but..."
Yu Xiaogang changed the subject, the heat in his gaze making Lin Yang's scalp tingle.
"Your innate spirit power is only rank five, but your cultivation speed is not even inferior to that of rank seven innate spirit power. According to my Ten Core Competitiveness Principles of Spirits, your Martial Soul is definitely a Mutant Martial Soul."
When Yu Xiaogang said this, his tone carried an unquestionable firmness and confidence, as if he had already seen through the greatest secret of Lin Yang's Martial Soul.
Lin Yang raised an eyebrow, his expression calm.
He knew his own situation best.
He had long suspected that his innate spirit power wasn't just rank five; it was very likely depleted because it was being used to suppress the Demon Blood Martial Soul.
But to claim his Martial Soul was a Mutant Martial Soul was simply too arbitrary.
However, he didn't rashly refute him, but followed along with his words.
"So, Master, are you saying my Martial Soul is a benign mutation?"
To Lin Yang's surprise, Yu Xiaogang shook his head: "No, it's a Malignant Mutation."
Lin Yang's eyes turned into dots, his face full of bewilderment: "?"
Do you even hear what you're saying?
Seeing the shock in Lin Yang's eyes, a hint of self-satisfaction flashed in Yu Xiaogang's.
"One of the Ten Core Competitiveness Principles of Spirits I published is that the level of innate spirit power is directly proportional to the quality of the Martial Soul."
"Your fast cultivation speed means your cultivation talent is very strong, at least superior to your peers in terms of mental force."
"But your level of innate spirit power represents that your Martial Soul's quality is not outstanding, at least not matching your cultivation talent."
"Therefore, I am completely certain that your saber-type Spirit must have undergone some degree of Malignant Mutation in characteristics such as hardness, toughness, or even sharpness, leading to the Martial Soul being weakened..."
Watching Yu Xiaogang talk on and on, Lin Yang didn't know what to say.
He was sure the Master wasn't a total fraud; from the inferences above, he clearly had some skill, but only a limited amount.
Whenever he encountered something that didn't fit his "common sense," he'd just blame it on a Mutant Martial Soul, wouldn't he?
Various data flowed from his mouth with ease.
Even an elementary school student knows that statistical data requires accuracy and completeness, and even needs controlled variables.
He had none of these.
It's hard to be convincing when it's just talk without proof!
Nevertheless, Lin Yang patiently listened to him finish.
Finally, Yu Xiaogang talked until his mouth was dry and had to stop to catch his breath. Lin Yang took this opportunity to prepare to slip away.
"Thank you for clearing my doubts, Master. This junior has benefited greatly and will come to listen to your teachings another day."
After saying that, Lin Yang was about to turn and leave.
But Yu Xiaogang became a bit anxious and quickly grabbed Lin Yang's shoulder: "Wait."
He hadn't come this time just to provide free knowledge; his goal hadn't been met yet, so how could he let Lin Yang leave so easily?
"Does the Master have anything else?"
Lin Yang stopped and turned slightly.
"Lin Yang, although your Martial Soul is a Malignant Mutation, you yourself have proven that you have sufficient potential."
After all that, Yu Xiaogang finally revealed his purpose.
"With my guidance, I can help you compensate for the flaws caused by the Martial Soul's variation. Your future growth will surely be much broader than it is now, and you might even reach... Titled Douluo."
When he mentioned the words "Titled Douluo," a flicker of ambition flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes.
This was his lifelong goal: to teach a Titled Douluo disciple and let all those who looked down on him know that he, Yu Xiaogang, was not a loser.
These words were highly inflammatory; if said to a normal six-year-old child, they might have actually been fooled into bowing down and becoming his disciple.
But while Lin Yang's body was six, his mental age was not, so he naturally wouldn't be easily deceived.
Most importantly, Yu Xiaogang's theories weren't of much use to him.
Lin Yang's tone was extremely calm, without any fluctuation.
"Thank you for your kindness, Master, but I am very satisfied with my current cultivation state and haven't encountered any bottlenecks. Furthermore..."
Lin Yang paused and continued.
"My current task is to select a suitable Soul Ring. As for theoretical research... I hope to have the opportunity to listen to the Master's guidance in the future."
Lin Yang spoke very tactfully, but the core meaning was simple.
If you want to talk about your theories, I'll listen—it doesn't hurt me—but don't interfere with my cultivation.
It seemed he hadn't expected Lin Yang to refuse, so when he heard these words, Yu Xiaogang's face turned ashen.
He wanted to storm off immediately, but thinking that Lin Yang was currently the only one who could verify his theories, he forced himself to be patient.
"Lin Yang, you are very smart, but seeing is believing, and hearing is not."
"Don't let some rumors lead you down the wrong path."
"Martial Soul variation is full of uncertainty. If the first spirit ring is not chosen correctly, your Martial Soul might undergo variation again in the future, and by then, it will be too late for regrets."
Lin Yang nodded perfunctorily: "Then, according to the Master's meaning, what Spirit Beast do you think I should choose for my first spirit ring?"
Yu Xiaogang said without hesitation,
"The quality of your Martial Soul is not high; it can't compare to top-tier Martial Souls in terms of either sturdiness or sharpness. Therefore, you need to be bold and take an unconventional path."
"Your first spirit ring should be from a Poison-type Spirit Beast. Adding a poison attribute to your Tool Martial soul can compensate for the lack of attack power and provide a powerful Spirit Ability."
Hearing this, Lin Yang almost choked and spat in this old fogey's face.
The last shred of goodwill he had for Yu Xiaogang quickly vanished.
His Martial Soul was a saber; instead of finding ways to increase its sturdiness and sharpness, he was told to pursue poison attributes. He was really being treated like a fool.
He finally understood that Yu Xiaogang had no intention of guiding him seriously; he just wanted to use the opportunity of his Soul Ring acquisition to turn him into an experimental subject for verifying his theories.
His remaining patience was worn thin by Yu Xiaogang. A flash of impatience crossed Lin Yang's eyes as he cupped his hands and said,
"Thank you for the advice, Master, but I already have a goal for my Spirit Beast selection. I won't trouble you to... worry about it."
After saying that, Lin Yang ignored Yu Xiaogang's unsightly expression and turned to leave.
This departure was equivalent to a direct fallout.
"Rotten wood cannot be carved. Lin Yang... you will regret this."
Watching Lin Yang's receding back, Yu Xiaogang's face darkened, and he stormed off with a flick of his sleeves.