Eating

Looking at Shi Yi, Yu Xiaogang smiled faintly. "Don't agree so quickly. Your Innate Soul Power isn't high. Even if you become my disciple, I may not be able to change your current situation. Even so, do you still wish to take me as your teacher? I'm merely a stranger you know nothing about."

Shi Yi grinned and nodded. "Choices have always gone both ways. There's something about me that you value, and there's something about you that I value as well—like all the books in this room."

Surprise appeared on Yu Xiaogang's face. He raised a hand and gently rubbed Shi Yi's head. "You're very clever, Xiao Yi."

With that, Yu Xiaogang handed over the Meditation Method he was still holding. "From now on, study by my side. The academy teachers will be informed for you. You may read any book in this room. As for your martial soul, I won't offer you any advice. I hope you can find a path to break through the shackles you were born with."

Shi Yi accepted the Meditation Method Yu Xiaogang handed him and gave a slight bow. "Thank you, Teacher."

Yu Xiaogang nodded. "Go. Pack your luggage. You can begin studying here tomorrow."

"Goodbye, Teacher." Shi Yi bid Yu Xiaogang farewell and slowly backed out of the room.

Looking at the Meditation Method in his hands, Shi Yi smiled faintly. By accepting this book and becoming Yu Xiaogang's disciple, he had not only connected himself to the protagonist's storyline, but also established some ties with Spirit Hall.

As for the controversies surrounding Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, what did any of that have to do with him? He understood that the soul master's path, filled with conflict, was forever lonely. Tang San understood it too; that was why he could become a god. It was just that his methods had not been very aboveboard.

Shi Yi had never considered himself a good person. Good people often had to give up a portion of their own benefits just to earn a word of praise. And the weaker one was, the less one could afford to be a good person. Only the strong had the capital to give charity and mercy.

Being himself, always maintaining his own judgment, and choosing the option that benefited him—those were the things Shi Yi ought to consider.

As he walked toward the dormitory, Shi Yi carefully pondered Yu Xiaogang's meaningful words. He understood that Yu Xiaogang wanted to find a new possibility through him—a possibility of breaking the innate shackles.

Before long, Shi Yi found the dormitory—the place where Tang San's dream had begun: Dormitory Seven.

The door was half-open. As Shi Yi approached, he heard the children inside making a racket. He pushed open the door and entered slowly. Several gazes immediately fell upon him, and for a moment, Shi Yi felt as if he had returned to the orphanage from his previous life.

There were roughly thirty or forty beds inside, but most were bare wooden frames. Clearly, there were not many Work-Study Students, displaying just how scarce soul masters were. Seven or eight young children stood gathered around one bed, chatting.

"New here?" A sturdily built boy walked over and sized Shi Yi up.

Shi Yi wore a friendly smile. "Hello, my name is Shi Yi. You can all call me Xiao Yi. My martial soul is an ant. I hope everyone will look after me from now on."

A fairly sturdy boy stepped forward, putting on a bold manner. "My name is Wang Sheng. My martial soul is War Tiger. I'm also the boss of all Dormitory Seven. Welcome to Dormitory Seven."

Shi Yi looked at Wang Sheng with some surprise. Since this character existed while Tang San had not yet enrolled, Tang San would probably arrive within the next year or two.

Shi Yi then smiled. "Then I'll have to rely on you, Boss, to look after me from now on."

Hearing how Shi Yi addressed him, Wang Sheng, still just a child, seemed somewhat embarrassed. He scratched the back of his head. "No problem. We're all classmates. There are plenty of empty beds, so pick whichever one you like."

Shi Yi looked around Dormitory Seven and chose a spot close to the window with good ventilation. The children in Dormitory Seven soon resumed their lively chatter.

"Is the new Work-Study Student here?" Just as everyone was talking, a shout came from outside. Everyone turned to look and saw a young male instructor with light green hair. He carried a set of bedding in his arms and swept his gaze across the room. "Who is Shi Yi?"

"I am." Shi Yi slowly rose and stepped forward.

"My name is Mo Hen. You can call me Teacher Mo. Shi Yi, this bedding is from Master. From now on, you won't need to attend the academy's classes. He has already explained everything to me."

"Thank you, Teacher." Shi Yi accepted the bedding softly, a trace of surprise appearing on his childish face.

Mo Hen nodded, then left.

With that, Mo Hen slowly departed. Looking at the bedding in his hands, Shi Yi could not help smiling. A set of bedding might not amount to much, but it was precisely what he needed most right now.

I wonder whether Yu Xiaogang will still treat me this well once Tang San appears. Shi Yi thought as he silently made his bed.

Sitting on his bed, Shi Yi slowly opened the Meditation Method Yu Xiaogang had given him.

"Sit quietly in an empty, tranquil place, with a heart as clear as still water. Let your breathing follow nature, and focus your intent upon the Dantian..."

Only after Shi Yi had finished reading the entire Meditation Method did he understand why soul masters' cultivation speed was restricted by their Innate Soul Power.

It could be said that the Meditation Method was the most rudimentary cultivation method Shi Yi had ever seen. Calling it rudimentary was no exaggeration. Put simply, its principle was to use one's martial soul to communicate with the energy of heaven and earth and draw it into one's body. How far one could cultivate depended entirely on talent.

It did not involve meridians, acupoints, or any such knowledge at all, much less opening the meridians and acupoints to allow Soul Power to circulate endlessly through the body.

Of course, being rudimentary had its advantages. First, this thing suited everyone. As long as one had awakened Soul Power, human or ghost, anyone could cultivate it. Second, it required no studying and had no difficulty whatsoever. Even a six-year-old child could easily understand it.

Shi Yi felt that turning the Meditation Method into a book was completely unnecessary. It could be understood as an idiot-proof cultivation method. It could not even truly be called a Cultivation Method, because in Shi Yi's impression, Cultivation Methods required comprehension. Many were divided into different stages, and ordinary people could not learn them at all. Nor did Cultivation Methods possess such powerful universality. Even in the novels Shi Yi had read, there were methods suited for men, women, the neither-male-nor-female, quick success, and steady-as-an-old-dog progress.

Even Shi Yi, someone who had never studied traditional Chinese medicine, knew about the Twelve Meridians and Eight Extraordinary Meridians. If he had never studied traditional Chinese medicine, had he not at least been to a massage parlor?

I'll try it tonight, once things are quieter. For now, I should recall whatever knowledge of meridians and acupoints I still remember. It will definitely come in handy.

With that thought, Shi Yi drew upon his extensive massage experience. He took out a fresh sheet of paper, drew a little human figure, then sketched meridians across it. He understood that if he wanted to improve his cultivation speed, he first had to sort out the meridians in his own body. Only then could he achieve twice the result with half the effort.

After an unknown amount of time, Wang Sheng's voice reached Shi Yi's ears. "Xiao Yi, why did you draw so many lines on that little person?"

Shi Yi came back to himself and smiled faintly, his expression unchanged. "Nothing. Just passing the time."

Wang Sheng nodded. "It's getting late. Let's go eat together."

Shi Yi shook his head. "No, I'll be eating with my teacher later."

"Teacher?" Wang Sheng recalled what Mo Hen had said earlier and asked in surprise, "Your teacher can't be Master, can he?"

Shi Yi smiled and nodded. Seeing this, Wang Sheng said nothing more, merely looking at Shi Yi with an amused expression. Shi Yi showed no reaction. He had never cared about what others thought, because one could not have everything.

Wasn't Tang San so conflicted precisely because he cared too much about his reputation and cherished his feathers? Perhaps that also had something to do with the society Tang San had lived in during his previous life. He had clearly stolen his sect's secret manuals, yet still had to prove his resolve through death. As a modern person, Shi Yi truly could not understand such contradictory behavior.

Shi Yi put away his drawings. Feeling a little hungry, he slowly rose and headed for the Cafeteria.

When he arrived at the Cafeteria, Shi Yi went up to the second floor but did not see Yu Xiaogang. He sat at a table near the stairs to wait. Could calling Yu Xiaogang "Teacher" possibly be for nothing?

Just as Shi Yi expected, Yu Xiaogang soon appeared before him.

Walking up to Yu Xiaogang, Shi Yi smiled. "Teacher, you came to eat too."

After their conversation that morning, Yu Xiaogang had gained some understanding of Shi Yi's personality. Yet the instant he saw Shi Yi, he still felt as though he had been schemed against. Could taking in this child have been a mistake?

Seeing Yu Xiaogang's expression, Shi Yi smiled. "Teacher, I'm growing right now. You wouldn't want me to become malnourished, would you? Wouldn't that bring shame upon your school?"

Yu Xiaogang looked at Shi Yi and gave a soft snort. "I hope you're this clever during lessons too."

Shi Yi patted his chest. "As your disciple, I can't promise I'll achieve anything in cultivation, but I can guarantee there won't be any problems when it comes to knowledge."

Yu Xiaogang looked at Shi Yi and nodded faintly. He then went straight to the serving window, ordered several dishes, and returned to sit across from Shi Yi.

Seeing that Yu Xiaogang was not speaking, Shi Yi felt rather awkward and took the initiative. "Teacher, I went back to the dormitory earlier and read the Meditation Method you gave me. I have some thoughts I'd like to discuss with you."

"Oh?" A glimmer flashed through Yu Xiaogang's calm eyes. Interest appeared on his somewhat stiff face. He had taken Shi Yi in not only because of his martial soul, but also because he hoped to see the unique ideas of youth in him.

After researching for so many years without changing himself in the slightest, Yu Xiaogang was honestly beginning to doubt his own abilities. Otherwise, he would not have come to this place where no one knew him to continue his research in silence.

"The Meditation Method you gave me felt simple at first glance. Could we possibly optimize it, or even improve it?" Shi Yi hinted to Yu Xiaogang.

A light flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. He truly did have an unfinished line of research: optimizing and improving the Meditation Method. His original idea had been to make Soul Power continuously circulate through pathways in the body, forming a vortex of Soul Power that would draw the energy of heaven and earth into the body faster, thereby accelerating cultivation.

However, as his research deepened, he gradually discovered that Soul Power circulating within the body simply could not form a cycle. The channels that carried Soul Power through the body seemed to have endpoints. Once it reached a certain place, it would stop. Yu Xiaogang had tried forcing it to continue, but the result was that the Soul Power jolted him into internal injury. Nor had he used only one research subject. He discovered that every person's "endpoint" was located somewhere different.

Yu Xiaogang nodded slightly. "The current Meditation Method is indeed simple, but simplicity has its advantages. You are all children who have only just awakened your martial souls. How could you understand so much knowledge? I've done the research you mentioned as well, but I did not succeed. If you're interested, after tomorrow's lessons, take it back and study it."

Shi Yi nodded. He knew Yu Xiaogang was probably referring to that Cultivation Method that had already taken shape in its initial form. After all, if it had not formed a cycle and could not cultivate through an entire Major Circulation, then was it not merely an initial framework?

Yu Xiaogang looked at Shi Yi and nodded in satisfaction. He hoped Shi Yi would take an interest in theoretical research rather than stubbornly throwing himself into cultivation like ordinary soul masters. The facts had proven that even though he was the young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, despite cultivating diligently for over fifty years, he still had not become a Soul Elder.

Soon, all the dishes were served, and Shi Yi began eating with Yu Xiaogang. While eating, Shi Yi tore off a strip of shredded meat for Little Ant. Only then did Yu Xiaogang realize that Shi Yi had kept Little Ant out in the open the entire time.

Yu Xiaogang looked at Shi Yi in some surprise. "Have you been maintaining your martial soul in its summoned state this whole time?"

Shi Yi replied as if it were only natural, "Of course. Little Ant is my only family. Besides, I think that since Little Ant doesn't consume Soul Power while outside, that means it has its own ability to absorb the energy of heaven and earth. Though it can't cultivate like I can, constantly absorbing the energy of heaven and earth should be a good thing, right?"

Yu Xiaogang's expression froze. That was right—wasn't meditation about using one's martial soul to communicate with the energy of heaven and earth and draw it into oneself? Keeping one's martial soul summoned outside would surely bring some benefits, no matter how slight.

It seems I've been too concerned with the impact San Pao had on me. Yu Xiaogang could not help revealing a bitter smile. When it came to accepting reality, he was not even as capable as a child.

With that thought, Yu Xiaogang was about to raise his hand and summon his martial soul, but hesitated when he saw the people dining around them.

The words from long ago echoed through his mind: "Trash," "farting pig," "Is that a dog?"

"Teacher, why aren't you eating?" Shi Yi's words brought Yu Xiaogang back to himself. Yu Xiaogang gave a stiff smile and slowly resumed eating.

Seeing this, Shi Yi looked at Yu Xiaogang, a trace of pity flashing through his eyes. A young master of a great clan becoming trash—such a plot in novels was usually the prelude to showing off and humiliating others. But Shi Yi believed that the overwhelming majority of people ended up becoming Yu Xiaogang instead.

In this world, becoming strong was simple to explain: eat well, drink well, live well, and have good parents.

Yu Xiaogang possessed all of those things, yet that one unexpected mutation had occurred.