His Own Plan

After the two finished eating and slowly left the Cafeteria, they saw Tang San waiting obediently at the entrance.

Upon seeing them, Tang San hurried forward. "Teacher, Senior Disciple Brother."

Yu Xiaogang nodded in satisfaction. Although rules were not necessarily a good thing in theoretical research, following them could avoid trouble and bring more opportunities and success.

Shi Yi, however, was not particularly impressed by Tang San's rule-abiding appearance. Having read the original work, he knew all too well what kind of person Tang San was. Tang San's rules were certainly built upon the premise that you were stronger than him.

Whether it was strength, status, or position, once Tang San possessed greater strength, higher standing, and greater achievements, his attitude would change accordingly.

Of course, Shi Yi could understand Tang San to some extent. In his previous life, as an outer disciple of the Tang Sect, following rules had been his only means of self-preservation. The final outcome made that obvious. Once Tang San had achieved a certain level of accomplishment with hidden weapons and become the most dazzling hidden-weapon genius among the outer disciples, he broke the rules he had followed and chose to secretly learn the Tang Sect's ultimate techniques.

Before long, the three arrived at Yu Xiaogang's room together. Upon entering, Tang San was immediately drawn to the books filling the room, just as Shi Yi had been back then.

Yu Xiaogang took a paper packet from his robes and handed it to Tang San. "Eat this first. You're still growing. Poor food won't do."

Tang San froze for a moment before opening the packet. Inside were two chicken legs and a steamed bun, still warm.

"Teacher..."

"That's enough. Hurry and eat. After you finish, your Senior Disciple Brother and I have something to tell you. You can't waste your youth." Master spoke calmly and sternly.

Watching Tang San dig in heartily, Shi Yi could not help but smile as he slowly sat down on his bed.

Yu Xiaogang poured Tang San a cup of water, then walked behind the desk and sat down.

Perhaps feeling their gazes upon him, Tang San ate quickly.

Once Tang San had finished, Yu Xiaogang got straight to the point. "Xiao San, tomorrow is the Opening Ceremony, and formal classes begin the day after. But for you, that would only be a waste of time. Your most urgent task now is to allow your Martial Soul to continue cultivating. After accepting you as my disciple this morning, I gave it careful thought. Tomorrow morning, you will leave the academy with me. I'll take you to find a suitable Soul Ring and advance you to the Soul Master Level."

After saying that, Yu Xiaogang looked at Shi Yi. "Xiao Yi, you'll come with us this time as well. It will be a good opportunity to test your theoretical hypothesis."

Shi Yi nodded. For Little Ant's bloodline to evolve, it would inevitably have to devour Soul Beasts of its own kind. However, that method was only effective for Little Ant. The weaker something was, the greater its potential for growth often became. Yu Xiaogang's problem was different. Luo Sanpao possessed a powerful bloodline but could not awaken it. Forget ordinary Soul Beasts—even Sub-Dragon Soul Beasts would not be eaten by Luo Sanpao, because doing so would only affect its unawakenable bloodline. Unless Yu Xiaogang could obtain the bloodline of a True Dragon.

Shi Yi did have a few ideas regarding Luo Sanpao. The simplest and most direct was to have Yu Xiaogang consume an Immortal Herb, allowing him to continue raising his cultivation and spur Luo Sanpao's bloodline to awaken. Another option was to let Luo Sanpao soak in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The well had formed from the corpses of two Dragon Kings, so it surely contained some True Dragon Bloodline. However, given Yu Xiaogang's cultivation, that would carry considerable risk. Yet risk came with opportunity. The True Dragon Bloodline within might even make Luo Sanpao's bloodline stronger. After all, those had been genuine Divine Dragons.

"I'll handle matters at the academy, so don't worry. I'll teach you about Martial Souls along the way. Xiao San, what are your thoughts on your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul?" Yu Xiaogang asked Tang San.

Tang San replied, "Everyone says it's a useless Martial Soul. But I think everything has its uses and its own characteristics. Even the most common Blue Silver Grass should be no exception."

Yu Xiaogang nodded and glanced at Shi Yi. "Correct. Your Senior Disciple Brother said the same. Blue Silver Grass's defining trait is its exceptionally powerful vitality. I have always maintained that there are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters. Your Senior Disciple Brother is the best example. His Innate Soul Power was merely rank one, yet he created an entirely new Meditation Method and has already cultivated to rank nine in just two years. Tomorrow, I will take you to find a Soul Ring. I hope you can decide for yourself which direction your Martial Soul should develop in."

Tang San paused. "The development direction of a Martial Soul? Teacher, what does that mean?"

Yu Xiaogang looked at Shi Yi. "Xiao Yi, explain it."

Seeing Yu Xiaogang so decisively push the task of explaining basic knowledge onto him, Shi Yi's face darkened.

As Tang San's gaze settled on him, Shi Yi slowly began, "Simply put, a Martial Soul's development direction is what abilities and traits you want your Martial Soul to gain. Your Martial Soul's abilities and characteristics determine what kind of Soul Master you become. It's like people: what skills they learn determines their profession."

"If you want to use Blue Silver Grass in battle, what abilities or traits do you think it needs to serve as a weapon?"

Tang San subconsciously looked at his right palm and slowly fell into thought. Yu Xiaogang did not interrupt him. He wanted to know whether this rule-abiding disciple could offer any novel answers.

When inner strength reaches a profound level, and one uses the Tang Sect's hidden-weapon techniques as a guide, even plucked flowers and flying leaves can wound others. If Blue Silver Grass could become as sharp as steel needles...

Tang San's eyes gradually brightened. He looked at Shi Yi and asked, "Senior Disciple Brother, do you think Blue Silver Grass can gain the attribute of sharpness?"

Yu Xiaogang shook his head slightly. It was not as though no one had tried pursuing sharpness and hardness. The most representative example was Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan. However, Yue Guan's Martial Soul was not remotely comparable to Tang San's. Yu Xiaogang still believed Shi Yi's plan was best, as it nearly brought out every trait belonging to plants.

Shi Yi naturally understood Tang San's thinking. Tang San, whose mind was filled with nothing but hidden weapons, would certainly choose to fire Blue Silver Grass like hidden weapons.

Seeing Yu Xiaogang's expression, Shi Yi said, "Teacher, don't shake your head so quickly. I think Junior Disciple Brother's idea has merit. If we attach Soul Rings according to his method, we only need to find Soul Beasts possessing both strength and sharpness, such as bears, tigers, lions, or leopards. Junior Disciple Brother can also familiarize himself with the fighting methods of an Assault System Soul Master sooner. Wouldn't that lay a foundation for his other Martial Soul as well?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Tang San's youthful face as he looked at Shi Yi. He had not expected Yu Xiaogang to tell Shi Yi about that matter.

Does Teacher even need Senior Disciple Brother's opinion? Tang San thought to himself.

Yu Xiaogang also fell into thought. Shi Yi was right. Though sharpness was not the best choice, it could allow Blue Silver Grass to incorporate strength as well. In the future, Tang San would find using the Clear Sky Hammer more natural.

Shi Yi did not particularly care. In his view, no matter which path Tang San chose, with his talent and those Tang Sect ultimate techniques, he would shine brilliantly in the future. As for the proper way to develop the Blue Silver Emperor, he had already explained it. How Tang San chose was up to his own fate. Shi Yi would not deny Tang San's choice. Even if Tang San made a poor choice, he would still smile and approve.

Let go of the compulsion to help others and respect their fate. That was Shi Yi's motto. He could offer others choices, but he would not make their choices for them.

After thinking for a while, Yu Xiaogang said to Tang San, "Xiao San, your Senior Disciple Brother and I discussed your development direction while we were eating just now. You currently have three plans."

"Please explain, Teacher." Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang with a serious expression.

"The first is the plan you just proposed. While this plan cannot develop your Blue Silver Grass to its fullest potential, it will lay a solid foundation for your second Martial Soul."

"The second is my plan. For developing Blue Silver Grass, I would focus on two important traits. The first is toughness, and the second is poison. That way, you can quickly develop some combat ability as a Control System Soul Master. You can turn Blue Silver Grass into ropes to restrain enemies and add poison to it. You could then choose Soul Beasts such as snakes and spiders, allowing you to establish a foundation while gaining a measure of combat strength."

"The final plan is your Senior Disciple Brother's. It would develop Blue Silver Grass's traits as a plant to the greatest possible extent, selecting Plant Soul Beasts to continuously add new traits to your Martial Soul. But Blue Silver Grass is too weak, so this would lengthen your growth period to a certain extent. However, your Blue Silver Grass would receive the most complete development."

Yu Xiaogang briefly described the three plans, and Tang San silently considered them.

Choosing the plan he had proposed would greatly reduce his consumption of hidden weapons. At the same time, the attributes added by Soul Beasts could lay a powerful foundation for cultivating his second Martial Soul. Having experienced the weight of the Clear Sky Hammer, he naturally understood that to wield it freely, he needed immense strength.

Yu Xiaogang's plan was also quite good. Hidden weapons, as a method of attacking by surprise, often needed something to draw the enemy's attention. A Martial Soul was clearly a good choice. It could become ropes to restrain opponents and carry poison. If Blue Silver Grass could truly do that, his hidden weapons would no longer be aimed at moving targets, but stationary ones.

As for the final plan—

Tang San looked at Shi Yi and asked, "Senior Disciple Brother, can you explain exactly what your plan develops?"

Shi Yi smiled at Tang San. "Although Plant Soul Beasts do not grant the body benefits as powerful as those from Animal Soul Beasts, most of them provide purer and more abundant Soul Power. You can select suitable traits from Plant Soul Beasts, such as powerful vitality, poison, parasitism, devouring, reproduction, and even certain support abilities. Your Blue Silver Grass can still serve as ropes to control enemies. Once it catches an opponent, those powerful negative abilities will continuously weaken them. If a rope could firmly bind someone while absorbing their Soul Power and endlessly multiplying, it would be an extremely terrifying existence."

"Thank you for clearing up my confusion, Senior Disciple Brother," Tang San said softly to Shi Yi.

Shi Yi smiled faintly and nodded.

Tang San considered it. Shi Yi's plan truly did, as Yu Xiaogang had said, develop most of a plant's potential. But as Yu Xiaogang had also said, it would lengthen his growth period.

With that plan, his early combat strength would be far inferior to the first two plans. Moreover, both of those plans would have an enormous positive effect on his hidden weapons. With the Tang Sect's ultimate arts, his close-combat ability was not weak either. Absorbing powerful Soul Beasts such as bears, tigers, lions, and leopards would only make him stronger.

With that in mind, Tang San said to Yu Xiaogang, "Teacher, I still wish to choose my own development plan."

A trace of surprise appeared in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. "Can you explain your reasons?"

Shi Yi smiled as he looked at Tang San. His guess had been correct. Tang San had indeed chosen this development plan, the one that appeared most suitable for him.

The reference for this plan was Yue Guan. While it could grant a certain degree of combat strength in a short time, its offensive power would become somewhat insufficient at higher levels. Qian Xunji, together with Chrysanthemum and Ghost, could not even defeat Tang Hao, who had only just entered the Titled Douluo rank. That showed how limited its destructive power was.

As for laying a foundation for the Clear Sky Hammer, forget it. Tang San barely used the hammer in the later stages of the original work. He even threw the Clear Sky Hammer as a hidden weapon. Tang San, a veteran who had used hidden weapons for years, had long formed his habits of thought. He would not readily engage others in direct, head-on clashes. Compared to overpowering people through sheer force, Tang San was best at winning through tricks and ingenuity. In the later stages of the original work, the Blue Silver Emperor was still the Martial Soul Tang San used most often. Shi Yi's third plan was actually the most suitable one for this scheming bastard.

Tang San had not yet seen much of the world. He would naturally understand in the future.

"Teacher, I believe the foundation is the most important thing. Seeking immediate gains is not what this disciple desires," Tang San said to Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang believed him and chuckled. "You really are greedy."

Naturally, Yu Xiaogang considered it a good thing that his disciple wanted to reach a higher realm.

This brat really knows how to fool people. Using Blue Silver Grass as hidden weapons isn't a bad choice either, Shi Yi thought to himself.

Of course, it was merely not bad. If Tang San could change his fighting style and focus on honing his skill with the Clear Sky Hammer, then this would naturally not be a loss. But Tang San, who had lived two lives, would find it difficult to change. His fondness for hiding in the shadows determined that he was not suited to wield a hammer.

Thinking of that, Shi Yi began considering his own development as well. For his Soul Rings, he would naturally choose insect-type Soul Beasts to add more traits to Little Ant. But he himself was a problem.

This brat can even fool Yu Xiaogang. He probably wants to pick up a move or two from him. Relying solely on the title of cheap Senior Disciple Brother probably won't be enough. I'll still have to rely on myself. It's time to study how to improve my own abilities.

"Fine, then we'll decide that for now. Go back first. I'll come to your dormitory tomorrow morning," Yu Xiaogang said to Tang San.

"Alright, Teacher." After replying, Tang San gave Yu Xiaogang and Shi Yi a slight bow before slowly leaving.

"Teacher, you should still ask the Dean to come along tomorrow. If we really hunt a bear, tiger, leopard, or lion-type Soul Beast for Xiao San, San Pao won't be able to handle it," Shi Yi said with a teasing smile.

Yu Xiaogang's face darkened. He nodded helplessly. Though Shi Yi's words were unpleasant to hear, he did possess that much self-awareness.

After saying that, Shi Yi began searching through Yu Xiaogang's bookshelves.