"Whether it's plagiarism or not, the verdict is already clear. However, I'd like to ask one more question, Yu Xiaogang—do you know what to pay attention to when absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring?" Chen Lei asked.
Feeling the applause from the audience disappear, replaced by hatred and mockery, Yu Xiaogang immediately felt uneasy, as if needles were pricking his back.
But if he didn't answer, others would simply see him as an ignorant clown.
Moreover, there were quite a few people in the audience. If he didn't take this opportunity to salvage his reputation, it would be completely ruined.
Thus, he gritted his teeth and said, "A ten-thousand-year soul ring is qualitatively different from a thousand-year soul ring. When absorbing it, the pressure on the soul master's body is much greater."
"That's it?" Ke Jie asked again.
Yu Xiaogang wasn't sure if the other party was bluffing him or if he hadn't fully explained. But based on his understanding, absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring was merely about having a higher soul power level—it wasn't much different from a Soul Grandmaster absorbing a hundred-year soul ring.
Below the stage, Liu Erlong wiped away sweat for him. "Oh no, Xiaogang doesn't know that absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring involves spiritual impact."
This was the drawback of being a low-level soul master.
Some common knowledge among high-level soul masters was completely unknown to those at lower levels.
As expected, Yu Xiaogang was once again ridiculed by the scholars.
Qin Tian even scolded, "From now on, stop researching soul master theories. Hmph! You don't even know about spiritual impact and still plagiarize these basic theories. If your incomplete theories were promoted, countless people on the continent would be harmed by you!"
Yu Xiaogang's face turned beet red.
He wanted to lash out but couldn't find any reason to argue. He just stood there, gasping for breath like a fool.
With the label of "plagiarist" stamped on him by these academic giants, Yu Xiaogang's life was effectively over.
Liu Erlong fretted for him, but she knew nothing about theory and didn't know how to interject. She could only watch helplessly as Yu Xiaogang was humiliated.
She wanted to rush up and take him away, but Sword Dao Chen Xin's overwhelming presence locked her in place, making her unable to move.
"Hmph, they dare to insult my teacher like this—it's practically asking for death!" Tang San seethed with rage.
From the moment the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect called Yu Xiaogang up, they had been setting traps for him at every turn.
They even accused his theories of being plagiarized—it was utterly despicable.
If not for his need to conceal his identity, Tang San would have rushed onto the stage to personally prove the correctness of the theories!
---
Ke Jie said, "Principal Qin, calm down first. Yu Xiaogang isn't completely useless. At least, among the theories he proposed, one was his own and not plagiarized."
After calming down, Qin Tian found Yu Xiaogang's eighth theory in the "Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls"—"There are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters."
This theory was indeed something he had come up with himself.
The other scholars, after a brief exchange, asked Yu Xiaogang, "This theory is indeed your own. Could you explain it to everyone?"
Seeing a glimmer of hope to turn things around, Yu Xiaogang quickly explained, "My disciple Tang San has the Blue Silver Grass martial soul, and his strength rivals any genius. Doesn't this prove that my theory is correct?!"
However, he seemed to forget that these scholars had already discussed Tang San earlier.
First, Tang San possessed innate full soul power. Such a genius would progress quickly regardless of which martial soul he trained. The difference lay in how much combat power the martial soul itself possessed.
During the Soul Master Tournament, it was already evident that the Blue Silver Grass martial soul had significant limitations. In the battle against the Blazing Fire Academy, Tang San relied entirely on hand-to-hand combat and never used his Blue Silver Grass.
Moreover, was Tang San's Blue Silver Grass an ordinary Blue Silver Grass?
If Yu Xiaogang truly wanted to prove himself, he could follow Qin Tian's example: find a dozen Blue Silver Grass soul masters with only level-one innate soul power and guide them in their cultivation.
"If you're so adamant that Tang San's Blue Silver Grass is powerful, then why didn't he achieve remarkable results in the Soul Master Tournament using his Blue Silver Grass martial soul?"
"As far as I know, ever since the qualifying rounds, Tang San has been using his Hao Tian Hammer martial soul. If the Blue Silver Grass were as powerful as you claim, why would he rely on the Hao Tian Hammer?"
"This—" Yu Xiaogang was momentarily speechless.
The reason Tang San used the Hao Tian Hammer was that his Blue Silver Grass couldn't impose any control effects on the Seven Treasures team.
In this light, forcing Tang San's Blue Silver Grass to follow the control system route was clearly not a wise choice.
Chen Lei added, "Principal Qin has already proven the feasibility of the Blue Silver Grass martial soul following the healing system. Yet you insisted on making your disciple Tang San follow the control system route. Doesn't this prove that it's your incompetence that held Tang San back?"
"The Blue Silver Emperor is the ruler of the Blue Silver Grass lineage. If Tang San followed the healing system route, he might have grown into a great healing-type soul master."
Of course, Tang San possessed twin martial souls, with his other martial soul being the Hao Tian Hammer.
Therefore, when searching for suitable soul rings for him, Yu Xiaogang never considered letting him follow the healing system route.
Healing-type soul masters progressed extremely slowly. By the time Tang San broke through to become a Title Douluo, he would likely be over fifty years old. At that point, trying to cultivate the offensive Hao Tian Hammer would be unrealistic.
Thus, between the control system and the strong attack system, Yu Xiaogang decisively chose the control system route for Tang San.
However, looking back at the original timeline, starting from Tang San's fifth soul ring, all of his soul skills were combat-oriented. If he hadn't known that the Blue Silver Grass martial soul wasn't suited for the control system route, why would he absorb offensive soul skills?
On the high platform, Ning Tianchen chuckled. "Hmph, if Tang San were here and still capable of thinking, he would surely ponder whether it was right or wrong for his Blue Silver Grass martial soul to follow the control system route."
In his view, Tang San had a bright future ahead of him, but Yu Xiaogang had wasted it.
After all, Yu Xiaogang, in his stubbornness to prove his theory correct, had given Tang San only animal-type soul rings.
Animal-type soul rings provided minimal enhancement to plant-type martial souls, almost negligible. If Tang San had absorbed plant-type soul rings from the start, his Blue Silver Grass martial soul wouldn't be so weak.
It could be said that Yu Xiaogang not only chose the wrong path for him but also picked the wrong soul rings! Under these two mistakes, any genius would have been ruined. Thankfully, Tang San possessed the Tang Sect techniques, which barely compensated for the disadvantage of his martial soul during the early stages of cultivation.
Only, Tang San had never realized that this disadvantage was caused by Yu Xiaogang.
---
Qin Tian didn't want to waste any more words and directly concluded, "Let's leave Tang San aside for now and take you as an example. Yu Xiaogang, if I remember correctly, nearly thirty years ago, when I first met you, you were already at level twenty-nine. Now, after all these years, your cultivation hasn't improved."
"In that case, your soul master theory is utter nonsense. First, if you can't even apply it to yourself, how can you expect to apply it to others?"
Yu Xiaogang refused to accept this and argued, "My disciple Tang San is a perfect example. Hah, I see it now—this debate was clearly a setup orchestrated by you all to trap me."
"Anyway, whether my theory is right or wrong, you'll deny it either way. What else do I have to say?"
Ke Jie ignored his impotent rage and continued, "First, we must clarify one point—Tang San's Blue Silver Grass is not a useless martial soul. Moreover, as far as I know, Tang San possesses the top-tier talent of innate full soul power. This was already made clear earlier when we discussed Blue Silver Grass soul masters, so we won't elaborate further."
"Yu Xiaogang, if you really want to prove your theory is correct, why not start with yourself? Or find a few low-level soul masters with supposedly useless martial souls and train them into powerful individuals?"
"Without you, Tang San, who possesses innate full soul power, would still progress rapidly. Turning a top-tier genius into an ordinary one is enough proof that your abilities are lacking."
Chen Lei smiled and suddenly remarked, "In my opinion, 'No useless soul masters, only useless martial souls' is indirectly saying that he himself is useless."
"Otherwise, why hasn't his cultivation improved in the nearly thirty years since Principal Qin first met him?"
At this, the audience burst into laughter.
Yu Xiaogang's earlier words had sparked lengthy discussions among them. But after Chen Lei's remark, no one thought the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was targeting Yu Xiaogang—they simply saw him as venting impotent rage.
After all, how could a normal person go out of their way to insult themselves?
Another scholar chimed in with a laugh, "I think it'd be better to rephrase it as 'No useless soul masters, only useless martial souls.' Wouldn't that make more sense?"
"I'm quite familiar with Yu Xiaogang's background and have interacted with him before. Due to his martial soul undergoing malignant mutations, he began researching soul master theories. After all these years, he still hasn't progressed. This is entirely because his martial soul hindered his future."
"Swapping the subject of his original theory reflects the current state of soul masters on the continent. Martial souls and innate soul power determine everything."
---
"Haha, I'm laughing so hard! A fame-seeking plagiarist actually dared to research soul master theories? Let me ask bluntly—do you even deserve it?"
"A guy who calls himself useless—I've never seen anything like it."
"Nine out of his ten core competencies of martial souls are plagiarized, and the remaining one is complete nonsense. Does someone like this deserve to be called a master?"
"Hmph, you obviously didn't listen carefully to Principal Ke's tone earlier—it was clearly sarcasm."
"Damn you, Yu Xiaogang, wasting my emotions! Hurry up and get off the stage. I still have questions to ask these masters—you can't delay us any longer!"
Yu Xiaogang's reputation was completely ruined, and no one would speak up for him.
From the start, when Ke Jie introduced him as the son of Yu Yuanzhen, the audience also directed their criticism toward the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.
On the high platform, Ning Fengzhi secretly rejoiced.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family had always been aloof, unwilling to collaborate with any other forces. If that was the case, then let them silently fade into obscurity.
After all, the strength of the Snow Mountain Sect was enough to replace the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family as one of the new top three sects. The aging and weakened Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family being phased out by the times was inevitable.
Qin Tian concluded with one final remark, "Yu Xiaogang, your martial soul is actually a good subject for research. Beast-type martial souls cannot fuse with the body yet possess autonomous consciousness. If you could study it properly, there might be a place for you among the scholars of the continent."
"Such a pity—the treasure was right on your body, yet you failed to realize it, choosing instead to plagiarize the theories of our predecessors."
Yu Xiaogang's martial soul was a unique case on the continent. Others who wanted to study it couldn't find a suitable subject. Yet Yu Xiaogang, blessed with such fortune, remained oblivious and chased after irrelevant pursuits.
Now, his reputation was in tatters. Even if he managed to achieve some success in future research, no one would believe him.
—
In the audience, Tang San's anger reached its peak, but he didn't dare make any moves, fearing that he would be targeted by the powerful individuals from the Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect present.
The people around him assumed he was filled with resentment towards Yu Xiaogang and didn't pay much attention.
"What kind of academic exchange conference is this? It's clearly meant to suppress us, teacher and disciple. Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, I thought you were a sect with backbone, but it turns out you're just a bunch of cowards colluding with the Spirit Hall."
In Tang San's mind, the entire Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was marked for death.
There was no need for him to stay at an academic exchange conference with such clear biases! But he felt no guilt whatsoever, as if all the responsibility lay with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, and had nothing to do with him giving Yu Xiaogang the entry tickets.
On the stage, Yu Xiaogang was in a daze, staggered a few steps, then collapsed weakly to the ground.
It was over; everything was over.
Now, not only was he disgraced, but he had also brought shame upon the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.
Unable to bear the blow, Yu Xiaogang fainted on the spot.
After Ke Jie had the staff take him away, the conference continued.
Liu Erlong didn't dare delay and quickly left the venue with Yu Xiaogang.
The conference continued, but Yu Xiaogang's embarrassing state today was deeply imprinted in everyone's minds. Moreover, the news spread rapidly, and soon it became widely known across the continent that the son of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family's patriarch had plagiarized and copied the ideas of his predecessors.
There were many who hoped the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family would fall, and quite a few who coveted the position of one of the top three sects. If the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family fell, the vacant spot would inevitably be filled by another sect.
Thus, with the instigation of various major powers, this matter quickly swept across the continent.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family originally intended to expel Yu Xiaogang from the clan's ancestral hall to quell the storm, but Yu Yuanzhen, protective of his son, did not do so. Instead, the entire sect silently endured the external criticism.
---
The academic exchange conference lasted for three days.
Aside from the incident involving Yu Xiaogang, the conference was a complete success, and both guests and hosts were satisfied.
Before leaving, many soul masters inquired about when the next conference organized by the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect would be held.
Before the dispersal, Ke Jie uniformly replied to the soul masters: "The academic exchange conference is held once every five years, at the same location. Esteemed scholars and guests, if interested, please arrive on time. Starting from the next session, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect will expand the venue to accommodate more spectators."
Afterward, the venue was not dismantled but instead used as the stage for the inter-academy competition.
When Ke Jie privately contacted Qin Tian, he inquired about the situation regarding this year's Soul Master Tournament.
Qin Tian's response was: He hadn't received any news from the Pope's Hall, and the Spirit Hall showed no signs of organizing a tournament.
With this, Ke Jie knew that this year's Soul Master Tournament was destined not to happen.
The upcoming inter-academy competition would be the last official match for the academy team members before graduation. Therefore, he wanted to organize this competition well to ensure the students wouldn't leave with regrets.
---
As the academic exchange conference concluded, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect gained unprecedented fame.
Inside the Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong was extremely enraged.
Her plan to hunt souls had long been prepared. She was simply waiting for the right moment to execute it.
Now that the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had become the focus of attention across the continent, if the Spirit Hall were to act against them, it would surely incite public outrage and shake their foundation.
"Who allowed Qin Tian and the others to attend the academic exchange conference!" Bibi Dong loudly questioned.
Inside the Pope's Hall, Ju and Gui Douluo remained silent.
Qin Tian and Ke Jie were old friends with a very good relationship. It was only later, when they served different factions, that their contact diminished.
However, the Spirit Hall did not arbitrarily restrict the personal freedom of its members. Qin Tian was merely invited to participate in the academic exchange and did not disclose any secrets of the Spirit Hall. In principle, the Spirit Hall had no right to question his actions.
Bibi Dong's current behavior was somewhat disheartening.
In Ju Douluo's heart, Ning Tianchen's words from back then resurfaced.
Following Bibi Dong meant being constantly scolded and even having one's stipend docked.
Such a stingy and ungrateful leader relied solely on strength to suppress subordinates, making it hard to gain their true loyalty.
Ning Tianchen's generosity touched Yue Guan's heart. At this moment, he truly wished to leave the Spirit Hall and join the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
Two pieces of soul bone—he couldn't even dream of it.
After a long silence, Hu Liena saw that Bibi Dong's anger had somewhat subsided and said, "Teacher, Principal Qin attended in his personal capacity. Moreover, he did not leak any secrets of the Spirit Hall during the exchange conference. We have no right to question him."
"If you insist..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but she believed Bibi Dong could understand the consequences.
One of the important reasons the Spirit Hall attracted many soul masters was that it didn't arbitrarily restrict the freedom of its members. In contrast, almost every sect or empire on the continent exploited those who joined.
This condition was the Spirit Hall's advantage in attracting talent.
Bibi Dong took a deep breath.
Qin Tian was someone she had promoted, and they had a good friendship dating back over twenty years. Bibi Dong naturally wouldn't hold him accountable—it was just venting her frustration.
Now that the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had garnered such attention, she couldn't move against them.
If she didn't eliminate two of the top three sects during the soul-hunting operation, the future plan to unify the continent would be impossible to carry out.
"Gui Mei, Yue Guan, investigate the whereabouts of the Hao Tian Sect. Hmph, they've been too comfortable for too long—it's time to remind them of their place."
Since she couldn't move against the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, she decided to target the Hao Tian Sect.
Yue Guan reminded, "Your Eminence, what about the Worship Hall?"
The reason the Spirit Hall hadn't completely settled accounts with the Hao Tian Sect was due to the bet between Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen back in the day.
If they moved against the Hao Tian Sect now, the Worship Hall side would likely not agree.
Relying solely on the few people in the Pope's Hall, unless Bibi Dong personally intervened, it would be difficult to even take down the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.
Before Bibi Dong could speak, Hu Liena quickly said, "Grandpa Ju, you go handle your matters first. The rest will be taken care of by Teacher."
------------------------------------------------------
40+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)