The arrival of Yu Xiaogang, known across the continent as The Grandmaster, was a quiet but seismic event at Nuoding Primary Soul Master Academy. He was there seeking students to test his controversial theoretical research, particularly his "Ten Core Competitiveness" theory, which stated that a Master's development was inextricably linked to their Martial Soul's starting quality.
The Grandmaster quickly reviewed the registration records, seeking out the one student with Innate Full Soul Power: Tang San. However, his attention was immediately hijacked by the most anomalous entry he had ever seen: Lin Feng.
The records listed Lin Feng with an utterly useless starting Martial Soul (The Scrawny Chicken, albeit now the Fusion Phoenix in disguise) and, most confusingly, a Level 13 Soul Power reading, which should have been impossible for anyone without a Title Douluo-level backing. Worse, the official documentation stated that his sole Soul Ring was White (10-year).
The contradiction shattered the Grandmaster's core understanding of cultivation. How could a 10-year ring provide the energy for Level 13? Lin Feng's very existence was a walking refutation of his life's work. He immediately sought out Lin Feng, his usual professorial calm replaced by frantic, academic obsession.
Lin Feng, who had been anticipating this encounter, waited for the Grandmaster in the main courtyard, accompanied by a fiercely protective Xiao Wu. When the Grandmaster approached, his eyes drilling into the mysterious White Soul Ring shimmering around Lin Feng's hand, Lin Feng performed his most critical social fusion.
He used the IFS to fuse 'Sincere Respect' with 'Academic Purity' and directed the projection toward Yu Xiaogang. This made Lin Feng appear as a brilliant, humble scholar who genuinely revered the Grandmaster's theories, despite his own contradictory power.
"Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang," Lin Feng stated, bowing low with perfect formality. "I have studied your theories extensively, and I believe they are fundamentally correct. However, I seem to have an anomaly in my cultivation, and I believe you are the only mind on the continent capable of helping me understand it."
The flattery and the direct acknowledgment of his academic merit completely bypassed the Grandmaster's defenses. Lin Feng, understanding Yu Xiaogang's desperate need for validation, was offering himself up as the ultimate proof—or the ultimate challenge—to his theories.
Lin Feng's genius lay in his proactive, manipulative proposal. He didn't wait to be asked; he volunteered.
"Grandmaster, I humbly request to become your disciple," Lin Feng proposed, his voice ringing with earnest conviction. "My talent is merely an accident. Your knowledge is the true power. I need you to analyze my cultivation anomaly—my White Ring power—and help me stabilize it."
The Grandmaster, reeling from the sheer potential of the study subject before him, immediately forgot all about Tang San and his "simple" Full Innate Soul Power. Lin Feng was a phenomenon! Yu Xiaogang's lifelong dream was not just to mentor a genius, but to prove his theory using that genius. Lin Feng was the living paradox.
However, Lin Feng added the crucial contingency: "But my sworn sister, Xiao Wu, must join us. She is my cultivation partner and my pillar of strength. We train as one. If you accept me, you must accept her."
The Grandmaster, unwilling to risk losing the most fascinating research subject in history, quickly agreed to the condition. Xiao Wu smiled triumphantly, realizing she had secured the best training for both of them.
Lin Feng had successfully stolen the Grandmaster's mentorship, the single most valuable early-game resource for Tang San. The Grandmaster now viewed Lin Feng as his life's ultimate study and Xiao Wu as a necessary adjunct.
Yu Xiaogang briefly asked about the other student, Tang San, whose name was on his original list. Lin Feng casually dismissed him with a subtle, dismissive wave.
"Tang San? Oh, the boy with the Blue Silver Grass. His talent is predictable, Grandmaster. A niche case, relying on secret methods rather than Martial Soul quality. He's too rigid, too unstable for your sophisticated theories. My anomaly is the real key to proving your life's work."
Convinced, the Grandmaster allowed Lin Feng to take over the narrative entirely. The chapter ends with the Grandmaster completely focused on Lin Feng's confounding "White Ring" anomaly, setting up private lessons for Lin Feng and Xiao Wu, and leaving Tang San to remain alone in the common dormitory, his existence as a talent utterly forgotten by the world's greatest theorist.