Literacy

Shi Yi wolfed down the entire table of food in no time. After six years, he had finally regained some of the joy of eating from his previous life. If not for Yu Xiaogang, there was no way Shi Yi could afford a meal like this with his current circumstances.

"Teacher, thank you for the meal. From now on, I'll wait for you here whenever it's time to eat. I have something to do, so Little Ant and I will be leaving first," Shi Yi said brightly.

Yu Xiaogang's face darkened at once. As a teacher, it was only natural for him to treat his disciple to meals, but for some reason, every time he heard Shi Yi speak, he felt an urge to hit him.

"What could you possibly have to do?" Yu Xiaogang asked Shi Yi with an unfriendly expression.

Shi Yi pointed at Little Ant in his hand and smiled. "Since Heaven gave Little Ant intelligence, we can't let him lose at the starting line, can we? Although Little Ant can't speak, we can't let him lose the ability to express himself. This afternoon, I plan to find somewhere quiet and teach Little Ant to read and write. That way, he'll at least be able to convey information."

Yu Xiaogang froze slightly and inconspicuously glanced at his right hand. A trace of guilt slowly rose in his heart. All these years, he had only known how to study cultivation. Although San Pao had gradually become able to understand his words and accurately grasp his meaning as his Soul Power Level increased, he had never treated his Martial Soul as family, much less as his own child, as Shi Yi did.

"What is it, Teacher?"

Shi Yi's voice pulled Yu Xiaogang back to reality. Looking at Shi Yi, Yu Xiaogang said softly, "Nothing. I'm very happy that you understand these things."

Shi Yi nodded. "Then, Teacher, I'll be going first."

With that, Shi Yi slowly left the Cafeteria under Yu Xiaogang's watchful gaze.

Watching Shi Yi's departing back, Yu Xiaogang suddenly felt that Shi Yi might truly be able to break through his innate shackles.

In the end, I'm bound by too many things.

At that thought, a bitter smile appeared on Yu Xiaogang's face. The surprises Shi Yi had brought him once again made him feel the gap in talent. Shi Yi had spotted the flaw in his seemingly invincible theories at a glance. Though their Martial Souls were similar in nature, Shi Yi could always uncover their unique value. Such powerful comprehension and such a distinctive perspective toward things were qualities that he, a Master, lacked.

After leaving the Cafeteria, Shi Yi brought Little Ant to a secluded grove within the academy. In an instant, Shi Yi sensed Little Ant's delighted emotions. Clearly, Little Ant liked this environment very much.

Seeing Little Ant explore in every direction, Shi Yi did not interrupt him. He merely snapped off a branch and waited quietly. Little Ant was no different from a child right now, so it was good to let him explore and familiarize himself with his surroundings.

As for Little Ant's studies, time was what Shi Yi lacked least. He was only at Innate Soul Power Level One now. Before he came up with a Cultivation Method like the Mysterious Heaven Skill, meditation was the least efficient thing he could do. Practicing a little at night would be enough.

Shi Yi's requirements for Little Ant today were not high. As long as Little Ant learned to draw the character for "one" on the ground, today's task would be complete. Given enough time, Little Ant would naturally understand what those symbols he drew meant and gradually be able to communicate fully.

As Little Ant explored this world he liked so much, Shi Yi did not remain idle either. He set the branch in his hand aside and sat beneath a large tree, carefully considering over the past few days how he and Little Ant could break through their innate shackles.

Whether for Shi Yi or Little Ant, there were roughly three methods to improve themselves, whether in cultivation or bloodline.

The first method was absorption, and it was also the cultivation method Soul Masters used most often. Through meditation, they transformed the energy between Heaven and Earth into Soul Power and fed it back into themselves. Its advantage was stability; its disadvantage was slow progress and its dependence on talent.

What Shi Yi could do was create his own Cultivation Method and continually refine it, find a place suited to his cultivation, and continuously strengthen his body so it could absorb even more energy.

The second method was inheritance. In Shi Yi's view, absorbing Soul Rings and Soul Bones was theoretically inheriting a Soul Beast's abilities. A Soul Beast's bloodline, traits, and abilities were all greatly reflected in Soul Rings and Soul Bones. There was also one most special kind of existence: Immortal Herbs. Having read the original work, Shi Yi knew that Immortal Herbs could also grow into Plant Soul Beasts. An Immortal Herb could be treated as a Soul Ring and Soul Bone that did not occupy a Soul Ring or Soul Bone slot.

Having clarified this, Shi Yi wondered whether Little Ant, as a Living Martial Soul, could directly absorb an Immortal Herb. That way, the Immortal Herb's power could be unleashed through the Martial Soul to the fullest extent.

The final method was plunder. The saying that murder and arson brought golden belts applied here as well. Through devouring, one could steal everything from another person—their bloodline, soul, and cultivation. Its advantage was speed, undeniably so, but its drawback was equally obvious: plunder required finding a suitable target.

The chosen target had to be extremely compatible with oneself. Different bloodlines could easily cause rejection or even mutation. Once mutation occurred, the variables would become uncontrollable. It would be best to obtain methods like Tang San's Eight Spider Lances and Blue Silver Domain before considering plunder. Compared to a direct devouring ability, the Eight Spider Lances and Blue Silver Domain were immensely useful.

The combination of these two mediums clearly served both to devour and filter. In the later stages, Tang San's devouring of Golden Threads ignored the other party's attributes entirely, and after Tang San devoured them, neither his body, soul, nor bloodline suffered any problems.

Even Bibi Dong had become mentally unstable after devouring Qian Xunji, yet Tang San's devouring came without any harm.

Clearly, if Shi Yi wanted to reach great heights despite his low Innate Soul Power, he would have to use all three methods.

"Sorry, my future Disciple Brother. Your talent is already so good—it would be a waste for you to take so many opportunities." Shi Yi could not help smiling as he thought this.

As Little Ant gradually lost interest in exploring, Shi Yi picked up the branch beside him and began teaching Little Ant to read and write. Passersby saw this scene, but none of them noticed Little Ant. Seeing Shi Yi talking to himself, they simply took him for someone mentally unsound.

After an unknown amount of time, orange light spilled across the earth. Looking at the crooked character for "one" that Little Ant had scraped into the ground, Shi Yi nodded in satisfaction.

Afterward, Shi Yi mooched another meal before returning to the dormitory and entering his first meditation in this life.

The next day, Shi Yi slowly awoke from meditation. A sense of comfort spread throughout his entire body from the inside out. He could clearly feel that the small, previously insubstantial current of warmth within him had grown slightly stronger.

"This speed really is slow enough." Shi Yi shook his head.

Shi Yi did not dwell on it. After getting up and washing, he began jogging through the academy grounds in the early morning. Once his body was warm and he had worked up a light sweat, he stopped. His exercise now was more for clearing his meridians. Once he could feel his blood and qi circulating, that was enough.

When he arrived at the Cafeteria, Yu Xiaogang was already seated on the second floor as usual. The breakfast before him had changed from one serving to two.

"Morning, Teacher." Shi Yi greeted him politely.

Yu Xiaogang watched Shi Yi sit across from him, covered in sweat, and nodded slightly. "Not bad. Even after becoming a Soul Master, you need to maintain a good body. That's a good habit."

"I'm just thinking that if I run into any danger later, staying alive is what matters most." Shi Yi grinned and followed Yu Xiaogang's line of thought.

Seeing Shi Yi's punchable expression, Yu Xiaogang unexpectedly did not retort. Instead, he nodded in strong agreement. "That's right. When walking the world of Soul Masters, the most important thing is protecting yourself. Eat. Once we're done, we'll officially begin your studies."

"No problem." Shi Yi agreed and began eating with gusto.

After eating, Shi Yi followed Yu Xiaogang to his room. Yu Xiaogang took an extremely thick book from the shelf.

Shi Yi waited for Yu Xiaogang's lesson, but Yu Xiaogang wore a hesitant expression.

"Is something wrong, Teacher?" Shi Yi asked softly.

Yu Xiaogang sighed lightly. "Xiao Yi, I kept thinking yesterday about how to train you, but after thinking about it for a long time, I gave up."

Shi Yi looked surprised. "Why is that, Teacher?"

Yu Xiaogang raised his hand slightly. His somewhat dejected eyes suddenly brightened. He brought his hands together before his chest, then swiftly spread them downward. "Come out, Luo Sanpao."

With a puff, pale purple Soul Power separated from Yu Xiaogang's palms. Shi Yi felt a wave of Soul Power ripple out from the Master, and a creature had already appeared before him.

It looked much like a dog, but its size was more like that of a pig. It was over one and a half meters long, and its waist circumference was probably about the same.

Its entire body was covered in pale purple fur. Its two little ears drooped down, while its large deep-blue eyes blinked gently, its gaze soft. Its fat body wriggled, causing its plump rear to sway from side to side. With four short, thick legs, it was difficult to imagine just how slow its movements must be.

There was a round bulge atop its head, though no one knew what it was. The moment it appeared, it ran toward Yu Xiaogang and rubbed its large head against the Master's leg.

Two rings of light rose beneath the Master's feet and moved up and down his body. Both rings were yellow, clearly hundred-year Soul Rings.

Shi Yi looked at Luo Sanpao and put on a surprised expression. "Teacher, this is..."

"This is my Martial Soul. You can call it Luo Sanpao, or simply San Pao. Xiao Yi, do you understand now why I accepted you as my disciple?" Yu Xiaogang sighed softly.

Shi Yi nodded slightly.

Yu Xiaogang continued, "Originally, I intended to teach you everything I knew, bit by bit. But after gaining a simple understanding of you yesterday, I abandoned that idea. You have excellent comprehension and can view problems from many different angles. For a scholar who researches Martial Soul theory, that is an exceedingly precious quality. I do not want to ruin this precious quality in you. Perhaps I am getting old and know too much. In research, I have always been bound by my own experience. If I taught you everything, you might become a second me. Do you understand what I mean?"

Shi Yi looked at Yu Xiaogang and nodded again. This was also where he differed from Tang San. Tang San was someone who deeply respected his teachers and teachings. Even Yu Xiaogang's mistaken theories would be treated by him as unquestionable truths.

"Therefore, I do not intend to teach you directly. However, you may choose any books in this room that interest you and study them on your own. If you break through your shackles someday, perhaps your teacher will be able to bask in your glory." Yu Xiaogang's eyes were filled with anticipation as he spoke.

Shi Yi silently looked at Yu Xiaogang and suddenly felt that having such a nominal teacher did not seem like a bad choice.

"Of course." Shi Yi looked at Yu Xiaogang and answered seriously.

Yu Xiaogang said nothing more. He picked up the thick book he had just taken from the shelf and handed it to Shi Yi.

"This is what you wanted to study yesterday. Although your current store of knowledge is insufficient, you can look through the books. If there are questions or knowledge you do not understand, you can ask me. I will answer you at any time," Yu Xiaogang said softly.

Shi Yi did not say much in response. He took the book from Yu Xiaogang, casually found a place to sit, and began reading. What surprised Shi Yi was that Yu Xiaogang did not remain idle either. Just as Shi Yi had done yesterday, he was teaching Luo Sanpao to read and write.

Perhaps sensing Shi Yi's gaze, Yu Xiaogang's face flashed with embarrassment. Shi Yi smiled and began reading through Yu Xiaogang's unfinished research as well.

Shi Yi did not read much of the rambling text. Instead, his gaze fell upon the diagrams tucked inside the book. If Wang Sheng had seen the diagrams in Yu Xiaogang's book, he would surely have been shocked to discover that the little figures Yu Xiaogang had drawn looked extremely similar to the ones Shi Yi had drawn.

Looking at the flow of Soul Power through the meridians in the diagrams, Shi Yi had to admit that Yu Xiaogang had done fairly well to reach this point. At the very least, while most people still relied on the Meditation Method, he already knew of the existence of meridians and blockages—the endpoint mentioned in those materials.

Although the Twelve Meridians and Eight Extraordinary Meridians in these diagrams were severely incomplete, Shi Yi noticed one point where the two ends of the Soul Power circulation had already drawn extremely close. If Yu Xiaogang's talent had been a little better, and that spot had not been blocked, he might have been able to create a Cultivation Method with a complete cycle.

At that thought, Shi Yi began trying it himself. To create a Cultivation Method, the most important thing was finding a Soul Power circulation suited to one's own body. Every person's body was different, and the impurity-filled meridians within them differed as well. Once one's Soul Power became strong enough, it could break through those blockages and expand the circulation of Soul Power, allowing it to flow more smoothly through the body.

"To form an internal cycle, it should begin from the Dantian. This is also the most suitable place for a Soul Master to condense their first Soul Core. Since I was able to awaken Soul Power, it means my Soul Power can at least barely flow from within my body into that blue crystal ball used to test Soul Power," Shi Yi thought to himself.

With that in mind, Shi Yi slowly set down the materials in his hands, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and sensed the tiny current of warmth within his body.