Dugu Bo's eyes flickered to the sides. Though his heart churned, his expression quickly calmed.
'That transformed soul beast joined Shrek Academy, and Tang Hao's son Tang San is also in Shrek. If so, Tang Hao must have already discovered it.'
'That's a 100,000-year soul beast. Tang Hao would never ignore the chance to leave both its ring and bone to his son.'
'But Tang San's cultivation is still far from being able to withstand a 100,000-year soul ring, so he chose to wait.'
'Looking at their formation, the one standing beside her should be Tang San. And judging by how close they seem… no doubt father and son share the same taste. The father with a 100,000-year beast, the son as well.'
'The Tang family's preferences really are unique!'
'Could it be Tang Hao actually accepted this daughter-in-law? If so, with them sticking so close, it won't be easy to make a move.'
His mind raced with possibilities.
'Tang San's teacher is Yu Xiaogang. Xiao Hai once said Yu Xiaogang spent years at Nuoding Academy, never giving a single lecture, never teaching anyone. But the moment he saw a boy with innate full soul power, he suddenly broke his pattern and took a disciple.'
"Heh." A cold smile tugged at his lips.
'That guy's original research into soul master theory must have been to solve his own martial soul defect. But he's the dead-book type.' He couldn't help comparing him with Yang Yunhai, whose innate soul power was also only 0.5 rank. 'Unlike Xiao Hai, Yu Xiaogang has no imagination, no creativity, no ability to dig deep into a martial soul's potential and expand it. Nor does he have Xiao Hai's diligence in training body and soul.'
'No matter how poor Yu Xiaogang's martial soul is, it's still a beast-type martial soul. With Yu Yuanzhen as his father, he had clan resources early on. His physical foundation should've far surpassed that of Xiao Hai, who was a commoner with a Blue Silver Grass martial soul. His soul rings must also have been optimal, taken from sub-dragon soul beasts with great physical boosts. On paper, his conditions should've been far better than Xiao Hai's.'
'Yet look at Yu Xiaogang's skin and spirit now. Clearly he never trained his body.'
'Hmph. A man who refuses to put in effort but keeps seeking shortcuts. No wonder he never broke rank 29, reduced to a theorist with empty talk and no fighting power. Without strength, how could his so-called theories ever be tested? Those missing years of his life must have been spent locked away, hoarding academy records and spinning fantasies.'
He recalled the so-called "Ten Core Competences of Martial Souls."
As a veteran soul master with decades of experience, he'd heard of them.
To him, it had always sounded like nonsense.
'Take the first point: innate soul power corresponds to martial soul strength. Did anyone need Yu Xiaogang to say that? Wasn't that already common knowledge?'
'Or: there's no trash martial soul, only trash soul masters. If that's true, then what about him? How could a man stuck at rank 29 be a "master"?'
'And the absurd claim that martial souls are only divided into beast-type and tool-type. What about Spirit Hall's six-winged angel? The angel statue on their mountain is enormous, proclaimed to be a divine inheritance of the Angel God. And Yu Xiaogang calls that beast-type? Did the Angel God approve?'
'The most laughable of all: he classified plant-type martial souls as tool-type. Ridiculous. Tools are dead objects forged by man. Plants are living organisms, just like beast souls. Not only that—there are plant-type soul beasts. So how could plants belong to tools?'
'And what about food-type martial souls, or special ones like Ghost Douluo's ghost or Bone Douluo's bone dragon? To lump them all into beast or tool? What a fool.'
'Even the obvious he got wrong. Saying tool souls are mostly auxiliary, beast souls mostly attack. Are you kidding me? Weapons like swords, spears, and hammers are everywhere in the armies of both empires. And Clear Sky Clan's Clear Sky Hammer, Sword Douluo's Seven Killing Sword—are those "auxiliary"? If anything, auxiliary tool souls are the rare exception. Few ever reach Titled Douluo.'
He sneered inwardly. 'The fact he dared publish such a so-called "theory" is already shameless. Truly thick-skinned.'
'And now? Old age makes him desperate for fame?' Dugu Bo glanced at Yu Xiaogang in the distance, his lips curling.
'If he really wanted to teach, he'd have done it long ago at Nuoding Academy. Clearly he's clinging to Tang San, wanting to use this genius to prove his theories. If Tang San reaches Titled Douluo, Yu Xiaogang can claim credit.'
'And with Tang Hao once the youngest Titled Douluo in history at age 44, Yu Xiaogang knows if he picked an average disciple, even if they succeeded, he'd be long dead before the results proved his worth. Only a prodigy like Tang San could serve his ambition.'
He exhaled sharply. 'What a sham.'
'So that's why Yu Xiaogang came to Shrek as a so-called teacher. Not to teach, but to harvest. If they succeed, it's his glory. If they fail, it's their lack of effort. Convenient.'
'In truth, he's just using these talented kids to validate his "theories." And the best stage for that? The upcoming Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Tournament.'
Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed.
'So that's why he dragged Shrek into the Great Spirit Arena—because he intends to take them into the tournament. Tang Hao surely knows. Yet he still hasn't taken Tang San and that 100,000-year beast away. Likely he wants his son tested in battle. And perhaps he has a way to hide that beast's aura.'
'But to join the tournament, they must go to Heaven Dou City. That's a dangerous place to expose themselves. Especially with a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan member on their team. Could they really think they'll avoid Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo?'
'Yet right now, that beast clearly has nothing hiding its aura. So what's the deal? Haven't they found a method yet, or are they just saving it until later? Perhaps whatever concealment they have only lasts a limited time, so they're keeping it until closer to the tournament.'
'No matter. Tang San can't take a 100,000-year ring yet, and the tournament is still far off. For now, I'll wait. The urgent task is to finish absorbing the Nine Treasure Purple Ganoderma, then take the Land Dragon Golden Melon. Power—that is the foundation of everything.'
He clenched his jaw. 'Tang Hao… I can't beat him yet.'
Meanwhile, Tang Hao's gaze swept over Yang Yunhai's martial soul.
'Blue Silver Grass with golden patterns. Is that the effect of spirit rings?' The deep green hue of the grass, his green-tinted hair… none of it matched the known image of the Blue Silver Emperor.
As he pondered, the host Doudou's voice rang out:
"Begin!"
(End of Chapter)
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