Yu Tianheng's soul power surged, blue-violet electric snakes dancing wildly, faint dragon roars mingled with the crackling of air ionizing. Seeing a clash about to break out at the Wind Sword Sect's banquet, the main seat's Feng Bailong frowned slightly, his eyes flashing. As host, he couldn't allow the banquet to become a battlefield—especially given the backgrounds of both sides.
"Haha—" Feng Bailong burst out laughing at just the right moment, shattering the tense silence. He stood and raised his glass, his voice echoing through the hall. "Young Sect Master Chen is young and has had a bit too much to drink, and his words were a little bold. It's just a joke—no need to take it seriously!"
He glanced at the pale Yu Tianheng, then at Chen Yi with a look of reconciliation. "Besides, as Chen Yi said, Body Martial Souls truly are different from ordinary beast or tool martial souls, as they come directly from the human body. In my humble opinion, the classification of martial souls is broad and profound. In the future, Body Martial Souls may indeed warrant a separate category. Young Sect Master Chen is still young, but already has such insight—how admirable."
He smoothly spoke, not only stepping forward to mediate for Yu Tianheng, but also praising Chen Yi and steering the conversation toward academic discussion, easing the tension. Many guests secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement.
"Sect Master Feng is absolutely right!"
"Young Sect Master Chen is a talented youth with unique insight!"
"The path of martial souls is indeed infinitely mysterious…"
None wanted to be involved in a collision between the Body Sect and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—it would surely spell disaster. If these two wanted to fight, they should go outside the city, far from innocent bystanders.
Dai Weisi, the eldest prince of Star Luo, also stood and raised his glass with a smile. "Sect Master Feng is indeed insightful. The Body Sect's 'Second Awakening' alone is proof that their understanding and research of martial soul essence has reached unimaginable heights."
"Brother Chen truly has unique insight. There's nothing wrong with that—it's perfectly understandable!"
With two heavyweights speaking in turn, Yu Tianheng's tense nerves eased a little, as did the tumultuous soul power around him. Yet his humiliation and anger remained—especially since both Feng Bailong and Dai Weisi were clearly siding with Chen Yi. He felt even more upset.
He snorted coldly, straightening his neck, his tone still hard. "Hmph! I think he's just pretending to know. Since ancient times, there have only been two categories of martial souls—tool and beast. That's common sense and an ironclad rule in the soul master world! What other classification is there? It's just sensationalism!"
As soon as he said this, Feng Bailong and Dai Weisi's faces darkened. Feng Bailong was displeased—he'd taken the initiative to smooth things over, already giving the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan enough face. Yet Yu Tianheng couldn't let it go, even throwing out the word "sensationalism"—how ungrateful!
Dai Weisi sneered inwardly—Yu Tianheng was truly pampered, arrogant, and blind to the bigger picture.
Chen Yi, hearing Yu Tianheng's words, finally broke his indifferent expression, a faint smile appearing. "Since ancient times? Ironclad rule?" Chen Yi shook his head slightly, a look of pity in his eyes. "That's just the ignorance of previous generations and the laziness of later ones. People parrot each other, forcibly cramming the unknown or hard-to-classify into old frameworks. That's not wisdom, just inertia."
He looked at Yu Tianheng as if at a frog at the bottom of a well. "You call this common sense, an iron rule? Then tell me—who set this 'common sense' or 'ironclad rule'? Is it your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's 'ancestral teaching,' or some so-called 'authority'?"
Yu Tianheng, pricked by Chen Yi's gaze, straightened his chest and declared proudly, "It's a principle recognized in the soul master world! It's also a basic martial soul theory. My uncle is a master of martial research, known as 'Grandmaster' Yu Xiaogang, and is famous across the continent for his 'Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls.' Haven't you heard?!"
As he mentioned "Yu Xiaogang" and "Grandmaster," Yu Tianheng's face regained some confidence. In his mind, his uncle's theories were authoritative enough to refute any "heresy" from Chen Yi.
"Yu Xiaogang? Grandmaster?" Chen Yi repeated these words, his expression turning odd, as if holding back laughter, until he couldn't help but burst out. "Ha… ha…"
His laughter rang clear, full of unconcealed mockery and absurdity.
Yu Tianheng's face turned beet red, glaring at Chen Yi. "What are you laughing at?! My uncle Yu Xiaogang is a recognized 'Grandmaster' in the field, his logic is clear and rigorous. Why are you laughing?!"
Chen Yi laughed for a while, wiped away tears, and still smiled faintly. "A recognized Grandmaster? Recognized by whom? Spirit Hall? The two empires? The seven sects? Is there a certificate?" Without waiting for Yu Tianheng's rebuttal, he continued, "The 'Grandmaster' you're talking about—isn't he the one who never got past level 30 soul power in his life, and whose theories exist only on paper?"
"You—! Don't you dare insult my uncle!"
"Insult?" Chen Yi raised an eyebrow. "I'm just stating the facts. If you respect his theories so much, why don't you tell us about his 'core competencies'?"
Yu Tianheng took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and raised his head. "Fine! For those ignorant, listen up! My uncle's theories are broad and profound. For example, 'A soul master's innate soul power is proportional to the quality of their martial soul, and the amplification effect the martial soul's true body gives is also proportional to its quality…'"
Dugu Yan couldn't help but sneer at the side, her blue eyes full of contempt. "Yu Tianheng, even a three-year-old in the soul master world knows this! If your martial soul is powerful, your innate soul power will naturally be high. If your martial soul is strong, its true form will of course be fierce."
"You really need to call this a 'theory'? Or a 'core competency'? That's just hilarious!"
"Hahaha…" Ning Rongrong in the VIP seats was already laughing out loud, her laughter as clear as a silver bell. "Right! I thought 'Grandmaster' had made some earth-shattering discovery, but it's just what everyone already knows, said in a different way? I can do that too! 'Eat with your mouth, close your eyes when you sleep'—should I be called 'Grandmaster' for that?"
Muted laughter spread throughout the hall. Many soul masters didn't dare laugh so openly, but their expressions were strange.
Yu Tianheng flushed red, and stammered, "Then—one of my uncle's most important theories—the soul ring age limit theory—he clearly stated that soul masters have a limit on the age of soul rings they can absorb at each stage, and they can't exceed it! This ensures their safety in cultivation!"
Before he could finish, two purple and three black soul rings appeared around Chen Yi, the quietest but also the most resounding slap to Yu Tianheng's face—and to his so-called "soul ring limit theory"!
Yu Tianheng opened his mouth, but the words stuck in his throat. Chen Yi said nothing, but it was as if everything had already been said. Facts speak louder than words; in front of Chen Yi's living example, the "theory" on soul ring limits seemed pale and laughable.
Yu Tianheng's lips trembled, blue veins bulging on his forehead. In his shame and fury, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him—his uncle's other famous saying, his last straw. He blurted out, "My uncle also said, 'There are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters!'"
To his surprise, Chen Yi nodded instead of arguing, his tone playful. "'There are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters'… I've heard that before."
Yu Tianheng's heart soared, thinking he'd finally regained some ground. But Chen Yi's next words sent him plummeting into an ice cave.
"What a passionate, philosophical statement." The sneer at Chen Yi's lips deepened. "But by that logic, the 'Grandmaster' who said it himself must be a world-class powerhouse standing atop the Douluo Continent, right?"
"…!" Yu Tianheng's pupils shrank.
"Oh, wait," Chen Yi said as if remembering something, lightly patting his forehead. "Almost forgot. That 'Grandmaster' seems to have a powerful martial soul fusion skill with Flender the Four-Eyed Owl and Liu Erlong from Thunder Tyrant Academy, right?"
Yu Tianheng nodded awkwardly, not quite understanding. "So what?"
"How?" Chen Yi sneered. "The first condition for a martial soul fusion is a very high degree of compatibility and complementarity between the souls."
"Second, the gap in quality between the martial souls involved can't be too large, or the weaker side can't bear the power and will collapse after fusion."
He took a step forward, eyes cold and clear. "So if Yu Xiaogang could become the leading 'Golden Sacred Dragon,' it means his martial soul's quality was never low—likely very high!"
"So here's the question." Chen Yi's tone grew peakingly sarcastic. "Why did a martial soul of such high origin mutate so badly, to the point that its host could never break through level 30 in his life?"
Chen Yi didn't wait for Yu Tianheng's answer, but replied himself, his voice echoing in the silent hall. "Throughout history, we've heard of soul masters whose martial souls dragged them down, preventing their talent from shining. However, when the problem is a 'defect' in the host's own body, a martial soul that should be powerful mutates drastically and its potential is exhausted…"
He shook his head, undisguised contempt in his eyes. "That's the only case!"
Finally, Chen Yi looked at the pale, trembling Yu Tianheng, summarizing the argument in a single sentence. "'There are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters,' right? As expected of the 'Grandmaster'—he scolded himself twice in a single sentence."
Chen Yi spread his hands, a somewhat "helpless" expression on his face. "When it comes to playing with words, I, Chen Yi… even if I cultivated for another hundred years, I couldn't match that."
"Pfft—"
"Haha!"
"Oh, it hurts—my stomach hurts…"
The silence was broken by uncontrollable laughter. Whether they were Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan enemies or just found the scene hilarious, everyone was grinning at this moment. Even the always-cold Xu Qiong couldn't help but cover her face with her sleeves, her shoulders shaking with laughter.
…
PS: Damn, why dissing Grandmaster is always funny, I swear I'm not one of Xiaogang haters. lol