Tang San was shocked when he heard Yu Xiaogang mention twin martial souls.
His eyes flashed with a sharp glint as he instinctively raised his sleeve arrow slightly, his wariness evident.
Yu Xiaogang, however, remained calm. He simply looked at Tang San with the experienced gaze of a seasoned connoisseur—though, to Arthev, it looked more like the expression of an old man pretending to be mysterious.
"Are you curious about how I know you have twin martial souls?" Yu Xiaogang asked with a knowing smile, shaking the martial soul certificates in his hand.
"Maybe others wouldn't notice, but if I couldn't see through this, I wouldn't be worthy of my title as Master."
Tang San and Arthev glanced at each other. Arthev was tempted to ask, "What title? Master of unemployment?" but decided to stay silent.
Yu Xiaogang cleared his throat dramatically. "I have investigated 647 people with Blue Silver Grass as their martial soul. Among them, only 16 had soul power, making the probability less than 3%. And even among those 16, none had soul power above level one."
He raised a finger like a great scholar unveiling a profound truth.
"But you have full innate soul power! According to one of the ten core principles of my martial soul research, the size of innate soul power is directly proportional to the quality of the martial soul. Blue Silver Grass? Not enough. Conclusion? You must have another martial soul. And it must be very powerful!"
He then paused for dramatic effect, before continuing with an air of supreme confidence.
"In the past hundred years, there have only been two recorded twin martial souls in the two great empires. But in that same time, nineteen individuals with innate full soul power have emerged. After extensive research, I found that every single one of them had a high-quality martial soul."
Yu Xiaogang squinted at Tang San, his stiff face somehow managing to radiate smugness.
"Your Blue Silver Grass is obviously not on that list."
Silence.
Tang San: "..."
Arthev: "Did he just indirectly call your martial soul trash?"
Yu Xiaogang dramatically clenched his fist. "It's a pity that my martial soul theories have been ridiculed and ignored by the world. But I met you today…" He fixed Tang San with a burning gaze.
"I have finally found proof!"
Tang San hesitated. On one hand, this man had just deduced his secret perfectly. On the other hand…
"Why does it feel like he's more excited than I am?"
Arthev watched with mild amusement. He had to admit, Yu Xiaogang's confidence was next-level.
"This guy just turned a random theory into a 100% fact on the spot. Respect."
"Meet me?" Tang San pointed at himself, utterly confused.
"That's right!" Yu Xiaogang grinned like he'd just discovered the next great philosophical truth. "I see something in you that will prove my entire theory. I'll provide the best theory and practical guidance. What do you say? Will you become my disciple?"His smile was almost too proud—like he had just invented fire or something.
Tang San, after a long, serious moment of contemplation, took a step back, opened a little distance between himself and the so-called master, then dropped to his knees, kowtowing three times with a serious look.
Thwack Thwack Thwack.
Yu Xiaogang froze, blinking a few times. "What are you doing?!"
Tang San paused for a moment, clearly confused by the question. "Isn't this the proper way to show respect?"
The master stared at him, unsure if he should be proud or just embarrassed. "Uh, sure, but I didn't expect such a... formal approach."
Arthev, who had been quietly observing this exchange, rolled his eyes in his mind.
"Well, some things are just unavoidable. Kids and their dramatics."
With a deep sigh, Arthev shook his head. "Theory's great and all, but I'm good." He turned and walked past the two of them, heading straight toward the academy.
Tang San was the type to crave theory and practice, but Arthev? He was fine with just winging it.
Besides, Arthev thought to himself, "I've had enough of watching grown-ups act like they're auditioning for a soap opera."