"Rongrong, I'm saying this for your own good!"
Yu Xiaogang's face darkened. "Do you think I'm wrong?"
"No, no, no!"
Ning Rongrong waved her hands repeatedly, her expression utterly sincere.
"Master, you're absolutely right—completely right!"
"Bai Mu really does have low innate soul power. Anyone would think he's destined for mediocrity!"
Yu Xiaogang's expression eased a little. "That's more like—"
"But!"
Ning Rongrong abruptly changed her tone. She snuggled into Bai Mu's arms, kissed him on the cheek, and hugged him tightly like a koala.
"Gold always shines. I just like Bai Mu, and I'm determined to have him!"
She buried her face in Bai Mu's chest, her shoulders shaking violently.
I can't hold back my smile—I really can't!
Yu Xiaogang's face went from pale to black, fury surging. He turned to Zhu Zhuqing.
"Zhu Zhuqing, I'm not trying to be harsh, but how could you—"
Before he could finish—
Zhu Zhuqing stood on tiptoe, expressionless, and kissed Bai Mu on the cheek. Then she pressed herself against his other side. A rare, faint smile appeared on her usually aloof face.
She didn't say a word, but her stance said everything.
"You! All of you!"
Yu Xiaogang was beside himself. His finger trembled as he pointed at the two girls, then at Bai Mu. His lips quivered for a long while, yet no complete sentence came out.
He truly didn't understand.
Why did these noble, exceptionally talented girls fall for someone with low innate soul power, someone theoretically stuck at level twenty or thirty for life?
And why—why was he, Yu Xiaogang, the foremost theorist of martial spirits, unable to break through level twenty-nine? Why had he failed to keep Bibi Dong back then?
On what grounds?!
Seeing Yu Xiaogang on the verge of collapse, Bai Mu glanced at the others and asked gently, with a hint of helplessness,
"Xiao San, Teacher Zhao, Dean Flender—didn't any of you tell Master about my situation?"
"This… about that…"
Tang San looked conflicted.
Of course he knew the truth. He knew Bai Mu was already around level forty or fifty, and he had personally witnessed Bai Mu overpower Zhao Wuji. But he also knew how strong his teacher's pride was.
Letting Yu Xiaogang know that the person he once dismissed as hopeless had become a peerless genius—stronger than any other—would be more devastating than killing him.
So Tang San chose a gentler explanation.
"Teacher has been deeply immersed in theoretical research. I never found a suitable opportunity to bring it up."
"Uh… I forgot."
Zhao Wuji scratched the back of his head with an honest grin.
A dignified Soul Saint beaten senseless by a quasi–Soul Sect Master—only an idiot would broadcast that.
"Me too!"
Flender hurriedly echoed, coughing. "Nothing important, nothing at all…"
He knew the truth as well, and precisely because he knew, he chose silence. He didn't want to wound his old friend, who also had low innate soul power and a mutated martial soul.
"So… what exactly haven't you told me?"
Yu Xiaogang frowned, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.
He looked around. Tang San avoided his gaze. Zhao Wuji stared at the sky. Flender looked at the ground. Oscar fiddled with a sausage. Ma Hongjun struggled not to laugh, his face turning purple. Dai Mubai stood silent, his expression dark and defeated.
"I can't hold it in anymore!"
Ning Rongrong peeked out from Bai Mu's arms, grinning.
"Master, you don't know—Bai Mu…"
She deliberately dragged it out.
"I've already broken through level fifty. At twelve years old, I've become a Soul King—the first in history!"
She paused, then added lightly,
"Oh, right. Back when Bai Mu was only level forty and hadn't even obtained his fourth spirit ring, Teacher Zhao still couldn't beat him—even after activating Martial Spirit True Body."
"Since everyone's here, how about letting them spar again?"
She smiled sweetly at Zhao Wuji, innocence written all over her face.
"Teacher Zhao, would you like to fight Bai Mu again and prove yourself?"
Yu Xiaogang stared blankly at Zhao Wuji, eyes full of expectation.
However—
"Haha… the weather's really nice today!"
Zhao Wuji laughed awkwardly, rubbing his lower back.
"It's not that I don't want to, I'm just not feeling great today. Worked too hard lately—my back hurts."
"You all know me. Even if I can't win, I definitely wouldn't lose!"
"Really, I'm not afraid of Bai Mu. Not at all."
Believe me!
"All right, all right. Since Teacher Zhao isn't feeling well, let's forget it."
Bai Mu accepted it with a smile.
"We'll spar another time when you're in better shape, haha…"
Zhao Wuji whistled and quietly slipped aside.
He wasn't stupid. He'd always had a hard time dealing with Bai Mu. Now that Bai Mu had gained even more soul skills, who knew what terrifying new tricks he'd picked up?
More importantly, Zhao Wuji wasn't even certain that the Bai Mu standing here was the real Bai Mu.
Crack—!
This alone was proof enough that Ning Rongrong hadn't been exaggerating.
"Impossible… absolutely impossible…"
Yu Xiaogang stood frozen, the color draining from his face at a visible pace.
His lips moved, but no sound came out.
With innate soul power at level one, breaking through to level thirty before thirty would already be a miracle.
A twelve-year-old Soul King?
In just over six years—no, less than three—he had risen more than forty levels?
An average of over thirteen levels per year?!
This wasn't cultivation. This was flying!
"Xiao San… is it true?"
Yu Xiaogang turned stiffly toward Tang San, a final flicker of hope in his eyes.
"Teacher… it's true."
Tang San was silent for a moment, then nodded.
Yu Xiaogang looked to Flender.
Flender sighed, stepped forward, and patted his old friend on the shoulder.
"Xiao Gang… times have changed."
That was the final blow.
Yu Xiaogang staggered back two steps, grabbing the wall to keep from falling. His head hung low; his expression was unreadable. Only his shoulders trembled slightly.
Bai Mu smiled calmly.
"Master, it seems I don't need your guidance. There's no need for you to waste time and energy on me. I can reach Soul Venerable, Soul Master, and Soul King on my own."
He paused, then delivered the last strike.
"To be honest, I'm currently researching which spirit beast to choose for my seventh spirit ring."
While others were still worrying about cultivation and their next soul ring, Bai Mu was already planning the one after that.
As if soul power were no obstacle at all.
Yu Xiaogang's face turned ashen, his eyes filled with confusion and despair.
Why?
Both had low innate soul power. Both had mutated martial souls. Both started from the very bottom.
Yet Bai Mu had become a world-shaking genius, while he couldn't even cross level thirty.
Was his theory wrong?
What meaning did his lifelong research hold?
"I… I…"
Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth. His throat bobbed, but no words came.
He turned and staggered out of the academy, steps unsteady, back hunched—as if he had aged twenty years in a single moment.
"Teacher!"
Tang San took two steps after him, then stopped.
He knew his teacher needed time alone.