Talent and Rotten Wood
Zhou You closed the book, his brows knitted tightly together.
It seemed he had stumbled upon something extraordinary.
No wonder Spirit Hall monopolized this knowledge and kept it hidden. If it were allowed to spread, it might shake the foundations of human society as it stood.
"Well? Have you gained anything from these books?"
A gentle voice interrupted Zhou You's thoughts. He turned around and found that the priest had been standing there all along.
"Sorry, I was so absorbed in reading."
"No need to apologize." The middle-aged man was quite amiable. "In fact, I'm glad to see you react this way. It proves you truly understand the value of this knowledge."
He said with feeling, "As the history of Soul Masters has unfolded, our numbers have grown ever greater, and our influence ever stronger, but fewer and fewer people are willing to use their brains."
"Many Soul Masters cling to the cultivation methods passed down by their ancestors. Those famous Soul Master families and sects dare not make the slightest change to their ancestral classics, and they refuse to learn anything else. Even when someone occasionally tries to probe their mysteries, it's no more than scratching an itch through a boot, never getting to the heart of the matter."
"As a result, the people truly willing to pour their hearts and effort into studying these things are instead low-ranking Soul Masters with poor talent and low cultivation. It's a sad thing to say..."
Hearing this, Zhou You immediately thought of Yu Xiaogang.
He couldn't help wondering: if Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul had undergone a complete mutation and become a Golden Sacred Dragon, he would probably have struggled to find the motivation to study theory.
So the priest's words did reflect the current state of Soul Master society. Only Soul Masters who could no longer advance through normal cultivation would try to find a way forward by other means.
As for the things he had just deduced, Zhou You hesitated, but in the end said nothing.
Some sensitive topics were better left undiscussed.
Zhou You decided not to dwell on such complicated questions, but he still recognized the value of this book.
"Priest, may I borrow this book?"
"Of course, but you'll need to return it within a week. If you can do that, you may take it with you."
That was more than enough time, so Zhou You readily agreed.
"No problem!"
The middle-aged man smiled. "I may not always be here, but I assume you've memorized the route and can follow the rules here, haven't you?"
Zhou You nodded at once.
And so he got his wish and took the book with him. The priest led him back through the underground maze the way they had come, and they returned to the great hall.
The priest watched Zhou You leave the Holy Church, keeping his eyes on him until the great doors closed again.
Just then, a tall, gaunt figure suddenly appeared behind the priest.
"This disciple you've taken is quite remarkable, though I'm afraid there's little you can teach him."
"You have a keen eye, Great Enshrined." The newcomer was none other than She Long, whom Zhou You had only recently acknowledged as his teacher.
"But you made the right decision. Though you can teach him little, you've given him a good starting point. Bibi Dong hasn't grown suspicious of you, has she?"
"Her Holiness the Pope trusts me completely, but Yue Guan and Gui Mei still shut me out."
"Chrysanthemum and Ghost." Qian Daoliu sighed.
In theory, all Soul Masters above level ninety in Spirit Hall were under the Elder Hall's authority. But people were not machines, and Titled Douluo were not chess pieces to be manipulated at will. They had likes and dislikes, positions, and political leanings of their own.
Through Bibi Dong's efforts over the years, quite a few elders had gone over to her side and supported her ideals.
Apart from the Worship Hall, which was firmly committed to the Angel Faction, most elders were actually somewhat ambiguous in their stance.
Ultimately, the Angel Faction and the Pope Faction simply followed different paths, but their struggle was an internal affair of Spirit Hall. Whichever side the elders joined, it could hardly be called betrayal.
Thus, a Centrist Faction had emerged. These people were in no hurry to pick a side, instead choosing whom to favor based on their own judgment.
She Long had once been such a centrist. As long as the orders he received from the Angel Faction and the Pope Faction did not conflict, he carried them out to the letter.
If they did conflict, he refused them. He was a Titled Douluo, after all, a powerhouse at the pinnacle of this world's pyramid, and he had at least that much autonomy.
But because the struggle between the two factions had remained basically restrained, She Long had rarely been forced to choose, leading both sides to believe he was one of theirs.
Bibi Dong was too confident. She thought that, after all these years, the academy had become entirely the Pope Faction's domain, unaware that the Library had remained under the Elder Hall's supervision all along.
The elementary material was one thing, but whenever knowledge touched on the fundamentals, the Elder Hall kept a firm grip on it.
Of course, this also had to do with the prevailing attitude. Soul Masters generally placed little importance on highly theoretical matters, favoring knowledge they could put to use straight away.
This was also why Yu Xiaogang could be revered as "Grandmaster." For those new to the field of Soul Masters, his theories could quickly guide beginners through the basics. They were easy to understand and highly practical.
Many people overlooked one thing: Soul Masters were not born knowing how to cultivate, nor was everyone qualified to enter Spirit Hall Academy after awakening their Martial Soul. Besides, Spirit Hall Academy did not necessarily meet the required standard everywhere.
There were actually many makeshift outfits like "Shrek Academy" in the original work, whose credentials were not even recognized. They were akin to private schools, lacking textbooks, teachers, and funding.
Many Soul Masters who taught had only a partial understanding of cultivation themselves. How could anyone expect them to teach their students well?
Under these circumstances, Yu Xiaogang's theories could explain the fundamentals of Soul Master cultivation relatively clearly. To Soul Master families and sects with inherited traditions, this knowledge naturally amounted to little; they might even consider it common knowledge that everyone knew.
But to Soul Masters truly at the bottom, this "common knowledge" remained immensely precious.
Moreover, Yu Xiaogang's knowledge was publicly available. Wherever Spirit Hall opened a branch, his theories could be found. Although there were still certain barriers to accessing this knowledge, a corner had already been torn open in the solid wall.
In Qian Daoliu's view, however, what Yu Xiaogang had done might not necessarily be a good thing in the long run.
After all, the Douluo Continent's resources could not keep pace forever with the growing demands of Soul Masters. The more actively Yu Xiaogang broke down barriers to knowledge and gave Soul Masters at the bottom hope of advancement, the more fragile the balance between Soul Masters and Soul Beasts became.
Spirit Hall had originally been a disseminator of knowledge, yet now it had chosen to monopolize it. Class considerations certainly played a part, but the most fundamental reason was to maintain that balance.
Spirit Hall was not the only one carefully maintaining this balance. Soul Master families and sects with long histories were likewise preserving it by tacit agreement, though some people might have already forgotten that original purpose.
At that thought, Qian Daoliu suddenly smiled, leaving She Long somewhat puzzled.
"She Long," he said softly, "do you think that child noticed something?"
"Uh, what are you referring to, Great Enshrined?" She Long looked utterly bewildered.
"Alas..." Seeing his blank expression, Qian Daoliu thought again of Zhou You's eyes, which seemed capable of piercing through every veil of mist, and couldn't help sighing.
Rotten wood!