With a quick glance to the sides, Dugu Bo's heart surged, though his expression quickly calmed.
"This transformed soul beast has joined Shrek Academy, and Tang Hao's son, Tang San, is also there. That means Tang Hao must have already discovered it."
"This is a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. Tang Hao would never fail to consider leaving its soul ring and soul bone for his son."
"But Tang San's current cultivation isn't nearly enough to withstand a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, so they must have chosen to wait for the right time."
"Also, judging by their positions, that one standing nearby should be Tang San. His relationship with this soul beast seems unusually close. Like father, like son! The father consorted with a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, and now the son is as well."
"The Tang family's taste is truly… unique."
"So, could it be that Tang Hao really acknowledged this soul beast as his daughter-in-law? If that's the case, and they're inseparable like this, then making a move will be troublesome."
For a moment, countless thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind.
"Tang San's teacher is Yu Xiaogang. Xiao Hai once mentioned that Yu Xiaogang stayed at Nuoding Academy for many years but never once taught a class, nor trained a student. Yet after meeting Tang San, who possessed innate full soul power, he suddenly made an exception and took him as a disciple."
"Heh!" A mocking smile tugged at Dugu Bo's lips.
"This man began his research into soul master theory to solve his martial soul's defect. Unfortunately, he's the type who buries his head in books." Comparing him to Yang Yunhai, who was also born with only 0.5 innate soul power, Dugu Bo thought, "Unlike Xiao Hai, who possesses imagination and creativity to excavate the true potential of a martial soul, or who trains diligently to refine himself, Yu Xiaogang lacks both."
"No matter how weak Yu Xiaogang's martial soul may be, it's still a beast martial soul. With his father, Yu Yuanzhen, and the clan's resources to back him up, his physical foundation should have been far stronger than a commoner like Xiao Hai, whose martial soul was Blue Silver Grass. As for soul rings, without doubt he obtained the best ones,sub-dragon types that greatly enhance the body. In every aspect, Yu Xiaogang's conditions were far superior to Xiao Hai's."
"Yet, just look at his skin and spirit state now,obviously someone who never trained his body properly."
"Hmph. Too lazy to put in the hard work, yet dreaming of shortcuts. How could he possibly solve his martial soul's defect?"
"So in the end, his soul power never broke through level 29, and he degenerated into a piece of trash with nothing but theories in his head and no combat strength whatsoever. Without sufficient power, how could any theory be tested in practice? Most likely, Yu Xiaogang spent those missing years at Nuoding Academy, hoarding data and indulging in empty speculation."
He couldn't help but continue piecing things together.
"And just how practical could such theories really be?" He recalled Yu Xiaogang's so-called "Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls."
As an old veteran of the soul master world for decades, he had of course heard of it.
To be honest, when he first read it, he thought it was all nonsense.
For example, the very first point: innate soul power is proportional to martial soul quality. Did Yu Xiaogang need to say that? Isn't that common sense?
Another: there are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters. Then what about him? After cultivating for decades, he's still stuck at level 29 with pitiful combat ability!
And his claim that martial souls are only divided into tool and beast categories,what a joke. Did he not see the giant six-winged angel statue in Spirit City? That is Qian Daoliu's martial soul, publicly declared to have descended from the Angel God. Yu Xiaogang dared to classify it as a beast spirit? Does the Angel God know? Did she approve?
Even more ridiculous, Yu Xiaogang actually lumped plant martial souls under tool spirits. Dugu Bo could only shake his head.
Tools are man-made, lifeless objects. Plants, on the other hand, are living forms of nature. How could the two be confused? Not to mention, there are even plant-type soul beasts in existence. By logic, plants belong to beast spirits, not tool spirits.
Beyond that, there are food-type martial souls, and even rarer ones such as Ghost Douluo's Ghost or Bone Douluo's Bone Dragon. To classify all of these as either tool or beast spirits was sheer ignorance.
If Yu Xiaogang couldn't even properly categorize known martial souls, how could he dare to call himself a "master"?
He even declared that tool spirits are mostly support-oriented, while beast spirits are for combat. Was he insane?
Weapons like swords, spears, and clubs,aren't they meant for fighting? Countless tool spirit users serve in the armies of both empires. Not to mention the Clear Sky Hammer of the Clear Sky Sect, or Sword Douluo's Seven Kill Sword,are those not for battle? In fact, truly supportive tool spirits are extremely rare, and those who reached Title Douluo level with them even rarer. He couldn't even distinguish such basic facts!
Honestly, the fact that Yu Xiaogang dared to publish such so-called theories back then was outrageous.
The man's shamelessness truly knew no bounds!
"Now that he's older, has his desire for fame driven him mad?" Dugu Bo thought, staring at Yu Xiaogang in the distance.
If he had genuinely wanted to teach and nurture students, Yu Xiaogang would have been doing so long ago at Nuoding Academy, not waiting until Tang San appeared. Clearly, he wants to use Tang San's immense talent to validate his own theories, and to prove his so-called teaching ability through Tang San's future achievements.
"To achieve that, guiding Tang San to the Title Douluo level would be the most direct way. Currently, the fastest known case is Tang Hao himself, who achieved the Title at forty-four. If Yu Xiaogang chose an average student, even if they eventually reached Title Douluo, Yu Xiaogang would already be long dead, unable to claim the credit. Thus, he had no choice but to gamble on a prodigy like Tang San."
At this thought, Dugu Bo twitched his lips.
"What a sham!"
"No wonder Yu Xiaogang came to Shrek Academy as a so-called instructor. This isn't about education,it's about stealing credit."
"If the students succeed, it's because of his teaching. If they fail, it's because the students didn't work hard enough. Isn't that convenient?"
"So in truth, Yu Xiaogang simply wants to use these gifted children to prove the value of his own theories. The most immediate stage to show results will undoubtedly be the upcoming Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament."
His eyes narrowed.
"That explains why he led them to compete in the Great Spirit Arena's team battles,it's all preparation for the Continental Tournament. Tang Hao must have noticed as well, yet he didn't take Tang San or this transformed soul beast away. Likely, he too wants to use the tournament to temper his son. And perhaps he has some method to conceal the soul beast's aura."
"But to enter the tournament, they must go to Heaven Dou City, where exposure is a great risk. Especially since their team has a disciple from the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect,contact with the sect is inevitable, and both Bone Douluo and Sword Douluo are Title Douluo."
"Yet right now, this soul beast clearly has nothing masking its aura. Have they not found a solution yet? Or are they simply waiting?"
"Tang Hao's wife was also a transformed soul beast, so there's no way he hasn't considered concealment. Perhaps he thinks a small place like Soto City won't attract any Title Douluo, so it's fine for now. Or perhaps the concealment method has a time limit, and since the tournament is still far away, they haven't used it yet."
"No matter. There's no rush. Tang San can't absorb the ring yet, and the tournament is still a while away. I'll observe for now. For the moment, my priority is to finish digesting the medicinal power in my body, then consume the Earth Dragon Golden Gourd to increase my strength."
"Strength is the foundation of everything." With that thought, Dugu Bo decided to hold steady.
As for Tang Hao,he admitted to himself he could not defeat him yet.
"Golden-patterned Blue Silver Grass martial soul…"
On the other side, Tang Hao's eyes were fixed on Yang Yunhai's martial soul.
"Is this the change brought by absorbing a soul ring?" Its dark cyan hue, along with his hair color, clearly didn't match the image of the Blue Silver Emperor in his knowledge.
As these thoughts flowed, a minute passed before the host, Dou Dou, suddenly shouted with great excitement:
"Begin!"
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