Chapter 3 – First Meeting with Yu Xiaogang
A second martial soul…
Qi Tian's heart nearly skipped a beat. That reward was simply too good to be true.
And that permanent skill — Borrowed Cultivation — was exactly what he needed most right now.
His innate soul power was only level 0.5, barely measurable. Even with a proper meditation technique, improving through normal cultivation would be painfully slow.
But Bibi Dong? She was born with innate full soul power. If he could cultivate while using her body, he might be able to raise his level by three — maybe even more — in just one year.
Within six years, he could reach the level of a Soul Grandmaster, graduate from the Intermediate Soul Master Academy, and even start receiving a monthly stipend of ten gold soul coins.
For Qi Tian, that was basically financial freedom.
And if he managed to complete the system's main quest, he could gain a second martial soul — and stand at the peak of the entire Douluo Continent.
As for those two objectives?
Even if the system hadn't mentioned them, Qi Tian would've pursued them anyway.
He was already borrowing Bibi Dong's body to cultivate. No way in hell was he going to let himself get locked in a secret chamber by Qian Xunji. And falling in love with Yu Xiaogang? Not a chance.
"Why are you still standing there? Go already!" Bibi Dong's impatient voice echoed in his mind.
Qi Tian noticed that Ling Yuan had gone upstairs to read — most likely on purpose, to give "Bibi Dong" some private space.
"Sigh…" Qi Tian exhaled and reluctantly made his way toward the far corner, where Yu Xiaogang was sitting.
At that moment, Yu Xiaogang was buried in a pile of books from Spirit Hall's collection, his eyes tired but filled with desperate focus.
"Nothing… still nothing! How could there be no record of it?"
"Even Spirit Hall's archives don't mention a case like mine. Am I really destined to be stuck at level twenty-nine forever?"
He was already twenty-three or twenty-four — the usual graduation age for those from Advanced Soul Master Academies.
To graduate, one typically needed to reach level thirty — the rank of Soul Elder.
But Yu Xiaogang was still one level short.
Falling behind average academy graduates was a humiliation he couldn't stomach.
Especially for someone of his noble background.
After being expelled from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan for "wasting clan resources," he had no choice but to wander alone.
Fortunately, Spirit Hall took him in, giving him a place to stay.
"There are tens of thousands of soul masters in Spirit Hall. Surely someone has faced a case like mine before!" he muttered. "If this floor's records have nothing, maybe the next floor does!"
But then his face darkened. "Too bad I don't have the clearance. As an expelled Blue Lightning disciple, it's already a miracle I can even enter Spirit Hall. No way they'd let me browse the upper archives…"
He sighed heavily, bitterness etched in his eyes.
What he didn't realize was that, with only a twenty-ninth-level cultivation, most people in Spirit Hall with his strength were lucky to serve as branch managers in small cities.
Being allowed to stay in Spirit City itself was already a special privilege.
After flipping through the final pages of the book in his hands, Yu Xiaogang lifted his head — and froze.
Before him stood a young woman whose beauty seemed untouched by mortal dust. Her face was flawless, her presence radiant — it was Bibi Dong.
"Bibi Dong, you're here!" Yu Xiaogang said, quickly closing his book, his voice full of surprise and delight.
Qi Tian nodded calmly. "Mm. I'm here."
Yu Xiaogang blinked. Something felt… off.
Why did she seem so cold today? Wasn't she already impressed by his "extraordinary talent"?
Still, he needed her help if he wanted access to the restricted books upstairs, so he kept his tone polite and warm.
"Bibi Dong," he began eagerly, "you once suggested that I specialize in martial soul theory. I've been working hard lately, and I've actually developed an entire theoretical framework! Would you like to take a look?"
Before Qi Tian could respond, Bibi Dong's voice rang out in his head, full of excitement.
"He really is talented! He's already developed a theory of his own? Hurry, let's take a look!"
Qi Tian couldn't help rolling his eyes. "...Fine," he muttered aloud, then nodded at Yu Xiaogang. "Alright. Let me see it."
Yu Xiaogang's heart tightened. Her tone was polite — but distant.
'Why is she acting so cold?'
'Did… did something happen?'
'Forget it.'
'Once she reads my martial soul theory, she'll definitely be amazed by my brilliance!'
Yu Xiaogang thought confidently as he pulled out a small notebook and handed it to Qi Tian.
"This," he said proudly, "is my original theory — 'The Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls.'"
"There are still a few details to refine," he added with a smug smile, "but I dare say — no theory in existence can surpass this one!"
Qi Tian took the booklet, skimmed through it, and sure enough — it was that same nonsense.
"There are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters."
Bibi Dong's voice instantly rang in his mind, brimming with admiration.
"Well said! What a profound statement!"
Qi Tian's face darkened. Profound your head. This is pure self-hypnosis.
Since he was already using her body, he might as well make full use of it — and take this opportunity to slap some sense into Yu Xiaogang before he started pestering her again.
"Master," Qi Tian began lightly, "you say there are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters. May I ask then — is your martial soul one of the 'useless' ones?"
Yu Xiaogang blinked, confused.
Why was she suddenly calling him Master? She used to just call him Yu Xiaogang.
Had his genius finally won her over?
"Of course, my martial soul isn't useless!" he said stiffly, unwilling to contradict his own theory.
"Then…" Qi Tian smiled faintly. "If your martial soul isn't useless, and yet you can't break through level twenty-nine… does that mean you're a useless soul master?"
Yu Xiaogang froze on the spot.
Before he could answer, Bibi Dong's anxious voice echoed in Qi Tian's mind.
"What are you doing?! How can you call him useless?! Give me back my body right now!"
Qi Tian ignored her and continued to look calmly at Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang frowned. "Bibi Dong, I can't break through because my martial soul suffered a malignant mutation! It's not that I'm weak!"
"Oh?" Qi Tian tilted his head. "Then by your own logic… doesn't that make your martial soul the useless one?"
"You—!"
Yu Xiaogang's face flushed red. He couldn't answer.
If he admitted that his martial soul was useless, he'd be slapping his own theory in the face.
But if he insisted his martial soul wasn't useless… then he'd have to admit he was the useless one.
Either way, he lost.
Qi Tian flipped through the rest of the notebook casually. Most of it was recycled drivel — things any soul master academy taught.
"Innate soul power level correlates with martial soul strength."
"Martial soul mimicry theory."
"Soul ring limit hypothesis."
"Martial soul mutation theory."
All painfully obvious.
No wonder these were stuck on the first floor of the library, Qi Tian thought. The real knowledge is upstairs.
After glancing at a few pages, he said flatly, "Your theories… they seem suspiciously similar to the books on this floor."
Yu Xiaogang's heart skipped a beat. He quickly snatched the notebook back — that 90% plagiarism rate was about to be exposed.
"That's not true! You've misunderstood me, Bibi Dong!" he said hastily.
Qi Tian raised an eyebrow and picked up one of the nearby books on the desk.
It was a Spirit Hall publication — one that detailed Martial Soul Mimicry Training Methods.
He pointed at a passage that matched word-for-word with Yu Xiaogang's "theory."
"Oh? So you didn't copy this?" Qi Tian asked mildly. "Then what — are you saying Spirit Hall copied you?"
Bibi Dong, silent until now, followed his gaze to the page. Her mind went blank.
For the first time, she realized how little she truly understood — and just how much of a fraud Yu Xiaogang really was.
"Bibi Dong, you're mistaken! That passage only looks similar, it's not the same!" Yu Xiaogang stammered, sweat pouring down his forehead.
Why was she so hard to fool today?
She used to hang onto his every word!
Seeing that "Bibi Dong" was about to continue questioning him, Yu Xiaogang hurriedly packed up his things.
"Bibi Dong, I… I'm not feeling well today. I'll take my leave first."
Without another glance, he turned and fled the library.
Qi Tian watched him go, the corner of his lips curling upward.
So much for your 'Ten Core Competencies,' huh?
—
End of Chapter