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"This book is wrong. Why can't I say so?"
Chu Chengzhou retorted without hesitation.
"Wrong? What's wrong about it?"
Hearing someone criticize his work, Yu Xiaogang temporarily suppressed his anger. He wanted to see exactly how his book could be considered wrong.
"Huh? Teacher, are you really going to debate with me?"
"Precisely! If you're just spouting nonsense, you must apologize to me!"
Yu Xiaogang's face hardened, his expression serious.
"Why should I apologize? And besides, if I win this debate, what benefits can you offer me?"
"Why apologize? Because I can have the academy expel you!"
Yu Xiaogang lifted his chin confidently. With his relationship with Principal Su Nan, expelling this brat would be as easy as saying a word.
"My grandfather is the principal. Who's going to expel me? Did he agree to it?"
At this, Chu Chengzhou perked up. Joke's on you—my grandpa, the principal, expelling me? You must be dreaming!
Instantly, Yu Xiaogang's face betrayed his shock. He had overplayed his hand!
True, he and Su Nan were friends, but their friendship wasn't strong enough for Su Nan to expel his own grandson.
"Cough, cough~ Well then… if you can point out the errors in this book and provide solid reasoning, this master will take you as my disciple.
"After all, even the Spirit Hall acknowledges my title as 'Master'!"
Clearing his throat twice, Yu Xiaogang emphasized his prestigious title to shift the conversation and avoid embarrassment.
Upon hearing this, Chu Chengzhou's eyes widened. Acknowledged by the Spirit Hall?
Well, Bibi Dong was the Pope of the Spirit Hall and could represent it. And since you're her first love, claiming the Spirit Hall acknowledges your title isn't entirely baseless boasting.
However, official acknowledgment from the Spirit Hall didn't mean much. The majority of its higher-ups likely disagreed.
"Forget being your disciple. Isn't that belt of yours a storage-type soul-guidance device? If I win the debate, give it to me! If I lose, I'll sincerely apologize to you and this book."
Chu Chengzhou pointed at the black belt tied around Yu Xiaogang's waist.
The belt was entirely black with dark stripes, and evenly embedded with twenty-four small, fingernail-sized milky-white jade stones. Their smooth texture marked them as rare and valuable gems.
If he wasn't mistaken, this belt was none other than the "Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moonlight," the gift Yu Xiaogang gave Tang San in the original story.
Storage-type soul-guidance devices were rare, and the internal space of "Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moonlight" was quite large. Each of the embedded jade stones contained one cubic meter of internal storage space.
In terms of market value, twenty-four cubic meters of storage space would cost no less than 240,000 gold soul coins!
"Hmph~ You brat sure dream big! My storage soul-guidance device has plenty of space. Pick something else!"
Though Yu Xiaogang didn't believe this kid could pinpoint his mistakes or persuade him, the disparity in stakes made him unwilling to agree.
"Then tell me, will this storage soul-guidance device still work if I take off just one jade stone? If it does, I'll settle for just one stone!"
Chu Chengzhou lowered his demands.
Unless he was mistaken, the twenty-four jade stones embedded in "Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moonlight" were spatial attribute gems.
Spatial attribute gems naturally contained internal storage space, and many storage soul-guidance devices in the world of Douluo were crafted this way. While the belt itself was engraved with soul-guidance arrays, their primary function was likely to expand the internal space. Removing a single gem shouldn't render it useless—it might just shrink the available space.
"This…"
Yu Xiaogang hesitated. What if removing a gem damaged the device and rendered it unusable?
Seeing Yu Xiaogang's hesitation, Chu Chengzhou pressed on: "Teacher, you must be Yu Xiaogang, the author of The Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls, right?
"If I can convince you, wouldn't that mean my perspective is correct? You'd gain a groundbreaking discovery that could shock the world! Giving me one gemstone isn't a loss for you.
"And if I lose, you won't need to dismantle the soul-guidance device at all—zero risk!"
Right… Win or lose, this master won't lose out.
Pfft~ This master is acknowledged by the Spirit Hall, renowned across the continent. How could I possibly lose? Impossible, absolutely impossible!
"Fine, this master agrees! Let's see what insights this brat can offer."
Crossing his arms, Yu Xiaogang confidently accepted.
Seeing Yu Xiaogang fall into his trap, Chu Chengzhou inwardly nodded in satisfaction. The storage soul-guidance device was practically in his hands!
"Master Yu, didn't you write in this book that the maximum year limit for a soul master's first spirit ring is 423 years?"
Chu Chengzhou asked.
Yu Xiaogang's The Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls wasn't just ten short theories—it also contained many of his personal insights.
"That's correct! Based on my research, the year limit of a soul master's first spirit ring will absolutely not exceed 423 years!"
Yu Xiaogang nodded confidently.
This wasn't mere speculation—it was a conclusion reached after reviewing countless materials and years of study.
"Very good! Then, Master Yu, doesn't that mean only powerful beast-type martial souls can handle a 423-year spirit ring?"
Chu Chengzhou asked this because Yu Xiaogang had labeled this figure as the "maximum" in the book—not every soul master's first spirit ring could reach 423 years.
Many transmigrators claimed all soul masters shared the same 423-year limit, which was incorrect.
Though Yu Xiaogang's character left much to be desired, he wasn't completely clueless and wouldn't make such an obvious mistake.
"That's correct."
"A powerful beast-type soul master can handle higher-year spirit rings because their physical constitution is stronger, right?"
"That's correct."
"Under otherwise equal conditions, wouldn't an older child have a stronger physical constitution than a younger one?"
"That's also correct!"
"Well then, here's the question: A powerful beast-type soul master with full innate soul power awakens their martial soul at age six and attaches a 423-year first spirit ring.
"Another soul master has the same martial soul and physique but slightly inferior talent. At age seven, they reach Level 10 and become a quasi-soul master before attaching their first spirit ring.
"Since the latter is a year older and thus physically stronger, wouldn't they theoretically be able to attach a spirit ring exceeding 423 years?"
Chu Chengzhou said with a smile.
At this moment, Yu Xiaogang's earlier confidence vanished, replaced by shock as he stared at Chu Chengzhou.
After carefully analyzing the logic, Yu Xiaogang realized… this brat might actually be right?
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