"Oh? Is that all?"
Yu Xiaogang was filled with confusion, staring at Xiao Lin in disbelief.
Did Xiao Lin not understand how powerful the Soul Skills he just described were?
After obtaining a Soul Skill that boosted attack power, as long as Xiao Lin followed his calculations and went for the limit-power build—replicating the Soul Ring selection of the Clear Sky Douluo—he would be invincible!
Do kids these days no longer want power?
"Yeah. Is that supposed to be impressive? Do you actually understand martial souls at all?"
Xiao Lin's face was full of disdain.
The mockery on his small face was laid on so thick it felt like a theatrical performance.
"I don't understand martial souls?"
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang felt like his head was going to explode with rage.
In this entire continent, no one has ever dared to say I don't understand martial souls (at least in my own mind)! Yu Xiaogang roared inwardly.
"Xiao Lin, listen well—no one understands martial souls better than I do!" Yu Xiaogang's nostrils flared, his breathing rapid.
"You say that, so you must be really powerful, right? You must be a Titled Douluo then?"
Xiao Lin spoke with a sarcastic, sing-song tone, yet maintained a mock expression of "admiration" on his face.
Beside him, Tang San's lips twitched.
If he hadn't been a Tang Sect disciple with excellent self-control, he would have burst out laughing. Xiao Lin was too wicked!
He clearly knew Yu Xiaogang was a loser, yet he was blatantly taunting him to his face.
"I am not a Titled Douluo, but I am certainly the Grandmaster with the strongest theories!"
Yu Xiaogang's confidence wavered slightly, but he remained deeply proud of his theories.
So what if someone was a Titled Douluo?
Did that mean they were more suitable to teach Xiao Lin than he was?
"Then you must be a Soul Douluo!"
Xiao Lin acted as if he had just realized something great, making a conflicted expression.
It was as if he were saying: If you're a Soul Douluo, it wouldn't be impossible to become your disciple.
"I am not a Soul Douluo either... but I am the Grandmaster. I have the Ten Core Competitive Theories."
"I'm not interested in some garbage theories. Are you a Soul Saint?" Xiao Lin tilted his head, continuing his relentless interrogation.
"I am a Rank 29 Soul Grandmaster. However, I managed to cultivate to Rank 29 from an Innate Soul Power of only Rank 0.5. If you become my disciple..."
"What? A pathetic Rank 29 Soul Grandmaster? How boring."
Xiao Lin shook his head, cutting Yu Xiaogang off mid-sentence.
"Little San, let's go. I've heard that there are no trash martial souls, only trash Soul Masters. How could someone like that be our teacher?"
At this point, Xiao Lin had dialed his sarcasm up to the maximum.
Using Yu Xiaogang's own words to refute Yu Xiaogang gave him a thrilling sense of debater's high.
"Right, Brother Lin," Tang San replied.
Before leaving, he spared Yu Xiaogang a cold, expressionless glance. It was this very glance that caused the already mentally unstable Yu Xiaogang to fly into a towering rage.
He taunts me, calling me a loser. I know that, but what right do you have to look down on me? Aren't you just a trash martial soul Blue Silver Grass (Blue Silver King) yourself?
Let's see how you obtain Soul Rings in the future, let's see how you become a powerful Soul Master!
Though many dark thoughts had surfaced in his mind, Yu Xiaogang was still unwilling to give up on Xiao Lin.
This was the hope of his entire life!
He still had one final trump card to win Xiao Lin over.
Yu Xiaogang moved decisively, using his adult physique to block Xiao Lin's path.
Xiao Lin frowned, looking at Yu Xiaogang, whose eyes were now bloodshot.
The man pulled out a copy of the Spirit Journal.
"This is the latest Spirit Journal. It was published because the editors of Spirit Hall recognized my wisdom. Even if you don't believe anything else, you must believe this, right?"
"Who knows if you just stole it?" Xiao Lin adopted the persona of a stubborn child—I'm not listening, I'm not listening!
"I..."
Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened.
He hadn't expected Xiao Lin to be so completely impenetrable.
"What exactly will it take for you to believe in my wisdom?" Yu Xiaogang exhaled several heavy breaths before asking in a different tone.
"Talk to me after you reach Rank 30." Xiao Lin threw his hands up as if saying: I really can't help you.
"I... you..."
Yu Xiaogang instantly became incoherent.
If he could actually break through Rank 30, would he even be here? In the Douluo Continent, Rank 30 was a massive hurdle for him. If there were a way to cross it, every Rank 29 Soul Master in the world would be bowing at his feet.
Yu Xiaogang felt his dignity being stripped away.
He didn't know how many people were watching and mocking him from the school gates in the distance. In the eyes of others, he had clearly become a madman trying to trick a gifted child.
At this thought, Yu Xiaogang felt the urge to retreat.
"Fine, fine! Since you are unwilling to be my disciple, we shall let the facts speak for themselves."
Yu Xiaogang ultimately thought of his correspondence with Flender.
Flender had mentioned that his school had recruited many geniuses. Originally, he had told Flender about his future disciples Tang San and Xiao Lin, but now it seemed he would have to live under someone else's roof again.
Gritting his teeth, Yu Xiaogang threw a parting threat at Xiao Lin.
"In eight years, I will lead my disciples to participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. I will prove how correct my theories are!"
"Don't you dare hide when the time comes."
Yu Xiaogang had just initiated an "Eight-Year Promise."
For a moment, it made Xiao Lin wonder if he was the villain here.
However, Yu Xiaogang didn't look like someone who could pull off a "don't mock a middle-aged man for being poor" comeback.
"Boring. Mind your own business."
Xiao Lin wasn't afraid; he just felt that agreeing to Yu Xiaogang's terms might negatively impact his own future development. He intended to lead Tang San and the others to take first place in that tournament anyway.
Comparing himself to a trash team would only lower his standards and lead to complacency.
Xiao Lin looked at Tang San and then at Yu Xiaogang, who was still blocking them, and frowned. What time was it already, and this guy was still in the way?
Xiao Lin walked up to Yu Xiaogang and gave him a forceful shove.
He knocked Yu Xiaogang right over and walked away without looking back. He left behind the fragile, overwhelmed, and utterly bewildered sight of Yu Xiaogang on the ground.
In his daze, Yu Xiaogang seemed to hear the mockery of the bystanders and the fading voices of Xiao Lin and Tang San's contempt.
"A loser is a loser. A loser for a day, a loser for a lifetime."
"I'm a genius, not a loser. Why would I take a loser as my teacher?"
"Brother Lin, this loser is so annoying. How does he even have the face to stay alive?"
"Brother Lin, why did you even bother talking to him? It was a waste of time."
"In my opinion, he already has a path to..."
Tang San's final words were cut off by Xiao Lin.
The education Xiao Lin had received didn't allow him to directly harbor murderous intent yet.
The faint echoes of Xiao Lin and Tang San's words made Yu Xiaogang's vision go dark. His head felt heavy and dizzy. Finally, having been shoved by a mere child like Xiao Lin, he actually fainted right at the entrance of Nuoding Academy.
"Quick! This isn't good! The Grandmaster has fainted!"
A teacher from Nuoding Academy noticed Yu Xiaogang and hurriedly called over colleagues to help. Although these teachers also looked down on Yu Xiaogang, he was still a friend of the Principal.
Besides, having someone die—or rather, faint—at the gates of Nuoding Academy wouldn't be good for the school's reputation.