The world of Douluo Dalu (novel).
Time flew by, and Li Si was now 12 years old in the timeline of the Douluo Continent.
There were only about twenty days left until he graduated from Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.
"Tang San, listen to me! Acknowledge me as your master! Without my guidance, you'll surely explode and die when cultivating your second Martial Soul!"
Yu Xiaogang had been persistently trying to take Tang San as his disciple.
To him, only a peerless genius like Tang San could fulfill his long-held dreams.
Based on what Tang San had revealed to him before, Yu Xiaogang was 80 to 90% certain that Tang San's second Martial Soul was the Clear Sky Hammer.
The surname Tang was rare, and among the Tang clan, only the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul could possibly grant innate full soul power based on its quality.
What Yu Xiaogang didn't know was the other requirement for twin Martial Souls: the Martial Souls of both parents had to be of comparable quality to allow for their offspring to inherit twin Martial Souls.
With only about 20 days until Li Si's graduation, Yu Xiaogang was anxious.
If he couldn't recruit Tang San—or, in this timeline, Li Si—as a disciple, who else could prove his theories?
"Scruffy man, how many times do I have to tell you? You're not fit to be Tang San's teacher. Say it again, and I'll beat you up!"
Li Si curled his lips in disdain.
Yu Xiaogang, scruffy and unkempt, fully deserved Li Si's nickname for him: "Scruffy Man."
If not for the fact that Bibi Dong, that emotionally unstable woman, still paid attention to Yu Xiaogang, Li Si might have made him disappear entirely by now.
What exactly was it about Yu Xiaogang that attracted both Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong? This question baffled Li Si to no end.
Not his looks—Yu Xiaogang had none to speak of.
Not his strength—Yu Xiaogang was just as lacking there.
Status? Wealth?
How could someone like Bibi Dong or Liu Erlong care about status or money, things Yu Xiaogang didn't even have?
As for knowledge—did they never visit the libraries of the Spirit Hall or the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?
Most of Yu Xiaogang's so-called "theories" were just copied and repackaged from other sources. The few original insights he had were nothing more than common sense.
"Sigh. Right now, Bibi Dong probably thinks I, Li Si, am courting death."
"Just because the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan opposed Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong being together, she annihilated the entire clan!" (as in the original novel's finale).
"And now, because I've repeatedly rejected Yu Xiaogang's mentorship, will Bibi Dong think I'm humiliating him and…"
"No, wait. I am humiliating him. So what?"
"As the Chosen One, I am protected by destiny!"
"Sea God, protect me!"
"Asura God, protect me!"
"Why should I, Li Si, fear? It's just a little Rakshasa God. What's she going to do? Defy the heavens?"
Li Si chuckled bitterly, comforting himself.
Whether the Sea God or Asura God would even notice him was another question entirely.
"Tang San! How dare you speak to me like this!"
"Though I'm not an academy teacher, I'm still a friend of your headmaster. Is this how you treat me, the Grandmaster?"
Yu Xiaogang was visibly displeased. If not for his desire to take this young man as a disciple, he would've walked away long ago. Why else would he put up with this?
"Friend of the headmaster? What's that got to do with me, Tang San?"
"And let's be real, the headmaster only tolerates you because he can't afford to offend you."
"Yu Xiaogang, from start to finish, you're just a waste of space! How could someone like you have friends?"
Li Si's lips curled into a smirk, his tone dripping with scorn.
Since he'd already thoroughly offended Yu Xiaogang, why not twist the knife a little more?
"Shut up!"
Yu Xiaogang couldn't hold back anymore and roared at Li Si.
How could he not have friends?
Flender and the headmaster of Nuoding Academy—weren't they his friends?
"Yu Xiaogang, you're the one who should shut up."
"Your Luo Sanpao, once a proud Golden Holy Dragon, has been reduced to nothing more than a farting joke because of you, a failure!"
"You call my Blue Silver Grass a waste Martial Soul, but at the age of 12, I'm already a Rank-38 Soul Elder—a food-type Soul Elder, at that."
"Without your guidance, how many peers can match my soul power level?"
"And isn't this your favorite line?
'There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters.'"
"Think about Luo Sanpao, and then think about yourself!"
"A failure who can't even break through Rank-30! You've ruined Luo Sanpao's potential!"
"In fact, we should revise that saying:
'There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Yu Xiaogangs!'"
Li Si grew more and more animated, pointing a finger directly at Yu Xiaogang's face.
"Master? More like Plagiarism Master!"
"How many of your so-called theories are actually your own?"
"The limit of Soul Rings a Soul Master can absorb—how did a mere Rank-20 Soul Grandmaster like you figure that out?"
"And your so-called 'research' into the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul—what qualifies you to make these claims? Your shamelessness?"
"Take a wild guess: how many years old is my third Soul Ring? Does your '1,700 years' limit apply to me?"
"You take knowledge from the Spirit Hall and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, then dress it up as your own. Is this your great 'theory?'"
"Bah! I can't believe someone like you has such thick skin!"
"Fine, let's test you:
How do you prevent the second Martial Soul in a twin Martial Soul user from self-destructing when acquiring Soul Rings?"
"Well? Speak up! Weren't you boasting about knowing everything? Aren't you so capable?"
Li Si sneered, his disdain plain on his face.
In the original novel, Yu Xiaogang's groveling attitude when seeking knowledge about twin Martial Souls from Bibi Dong had disgusted Li Si to no end.
Yu Xiaogang stood dumbfounded, unable to respond.
Li Si's words hit him like a series of punches, leaving him speechless.
Why does Li Si know so much?
Yu Xiaogang couldn't figure it out, no matter how hard he tried.
As Li Si watched in disbelief, Yu Xiaogang began to cry.
Li Si: "???"
Yu Xiaogang is crying?
Good heavens, Yu Xiaogang is actually crying!
How could this be?
Not even when Qian Xunji had forced him to leave Bibi Dong had Yu Xiaogang shed tears.
Yet now, just a verbal lashing had reduced him to this state.
What Li Si didn't realize was that every word he spoke struck at Yu Xiaogang's deepest insecurities.
Luo Sanpao's fate, for instance—Yu Xiaogang knew full well that Luo Sanpao was originally a Golden Holy Dragon.
The so-called Golden Iron Triangle's fusion skill was merely a method to provide Luo Sanpao with the energy it needed to regain its true form.
This failure haunted Yu Xiaogang all his life. His inadequacy had dragged Luo Sanpao down with him.
And then there was his so-called theoretical knowledge.
Yes, Yu Xiaogang had studied extensively, but most of his "theories" were simply compilations of information from the Spirit Hall and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan…
(End of Chapter)