Yu Xiaogang

Ye Lan held out his right hand, and a blade of grass with blue veins sprouted from his palm.

Several slightly larger blue leaves hung from the slender stalk of the Blue Silver Grass.

Looking at the frail blue grass, Ye Lan thought that fighting with his current Blue Silver Grass was utterly impossible. Only after attaching a Soul Ring and strengthening it would he have a chance to rely on the Blue Silver Grass in battle.

He put away the Blue Silver Grass and took out the Spirit Hall General Meditation Method Su Yuntao had given him. Ye Lan sat cross-legged, calmed himself, emptied his mind, sensed the specks of Soul Power permeating the air, and guided those points of light into his body.

Ye Lan discovered that he was most strongly drawn to the green specks floating through the air. Those tiny points continuously gathered into his body.

He felt the specks gradually transform into Soul Power, flowing through his meridians before finally entering the Dantian in his abdomen...

The next morning, Ye Lan sensed the Soul Power in his Dantian. There was only a trace of it. He estimated that if he cultivated steadily, then with his Innate Soul Power of level three, it would take at least thirteen months to rise one level.

So this was Innate Soul Power at level three? It was far too slow! It really couldn't compare to Innate Full Soul Power.

In the original story, someone with Innate Full Soul Power could rise one level in roughly four and a half months as long as they did not slack off. Compared with Innate Full Soul Power, Ye Lan's cultivation speed was three times slower. That was only thanks to his exercising from childhood and receiving sufficient nutrition, allowing his meridians to develop without restriction. Otherwise, his cultivation would likely have been even slower; he might not have risen one level even in a year and a half.

Suppressing his disappointment, Ye Lan patiently resumed training with the Dripping Water Mill technique. Only upon reaching level ten could he obtain a Soul Ring. When that time came, he could seek a turning point through "Skill Selection."

One month later.

Ye Lan rode an ox cart carrying fruits and vegetables to Nuoding City. After half a day, he arrived there.

Though Nuoding City was a small border city of the Heaven Dou Empire, it neighbored the Star Luo Empire. Its location had helped it develop into a relatively prosperous trade city. Its walls were exceptionally grand and thick, perhaps with military purposes in mind as well.

After being questioned by the city guards, Ye Lan entered Nuoding City without issue. Having bid farewell to the villagers from Harvest Village, he headed west according to the information Su Yuntao had previously given him. Before long, Nuoding Academy's imposing gates caught his eye.

The enormous gates were over twenty meters wide and more than ten meters tall, their iron doors forged from precious black iron. As expected of a place that trained Soul Masters—even the school gate had been built with such grandeur.

Ye Lan collected his thoughts and found the relevant documents in his bundle. He walked to Nuoding Academy's entrance and handed the Spirit Hall Order to the young man standing nearby.

"Sir, this is a Spirit Hall Order, along with a letter from Soul Grandmaster Su Yuntao. I'm this year's Work-Study Student, Ye Lan."

The young man eyed the plainly dressed yet clean-looking dark-blue-haired youth suspiciously. He accepted the letter and read the contents of the order, his expression immediately changing. "So you're Soul Grandmaster Su Yuntao's nephew. Come in, come in! The academy needs talented people like you!"

Ye Lan smiled inwardly. As expected, there was no shortage of flatterers in this world.

As for the young man before him, Ye Lan knew of his difficult temperament. He had made things hard for Tang San and the others, to the point that Tang San had even wanted to ambush and kill him with a Sleeve Arrow. Had Yu Xiaogang not stepped in, this young man would likely have died an undeserved death.

Thus, Ye Lan simply invoked Su Yuntao's name to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Ye Lan accepted the documents the young gatekeeper handed back and strode into Nuoding Academy. Many large trees had been planted throughout the campus, lush and verdant. The paths beneath his feet were paved with dull white marble slabs, arranged in a pleasing pattern.

After walking for a short while, Ye Lan noticed a middle-aged man lying beneath a large tree nearby. The man had a crew cut and a somewhat thick beard. He was of average build and wore the despondent look of someone whose ambitions had gone unfulfilled. Ye Lan guessed that this man was likely the Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang.

However, Ye Lan did not think much of it and had no intention of rushing over to become Yu Xiaogang's disciple. He merely glanced at the man before continuing onward.

Unexpectedly, the man called out and interrupted his journey.

"Hey! I saw you speaking with the gatekeeper, and you don't look like one of the previous students. Are you a new student this year?" The middle-aged man waved him over.

Ye Lan had no choice but to turn toward him. After studying him carefully, he said, "My name isn't 'hey.' It's Ye Lan. I'm this year's Work-Study Student. Are you a teacher here?" He then handed over the Spirit Hall certificate in his hand.

The middle-aged man accepted the certificate. After reading it, he said in a hoarse voice, "I've long forgotten what my own name is, but everyone calls me Grandmaster. You may call me Grandmaster as well."

So it really was Yu Xiaogang. However, Ye Lan found the title "Grandmaster" deeply ironic. What kind of person called himself a Grandmaster? And what kind of Grandmaster had theories so shallow?

Compared to the theorists of his previous life, only people like Newton and Einstein, who had touched upon the essence of the world, deserved Ye Lan's sincere respect as Grandmasters.

Still, Ye Lan did not reveal his thoughts. Suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, he asked, "Grandmaster, is there something you need?"

After reading the Spirit Hall certificate in his hand, Yu Xiaogang said in surprise, "Blue Silver Grass can awaken Innate Soul Power at level three? As far as I know, very few Blue Silver Grass Martial Souls awaken Soul Power at all. Even when they do, they never exceed level one Innate Soul Power!"

Hearing Yu Xiaogang's certainty, Ye Lan did not refute him and merely replied frankly, "I don't know. The test during my awakening showed that my Innate Soul Power was level three."

Although Ye Lan knew the reason, he had no intention of telling Yu Xiaogang.

Ye Lan did not wish to invite trouble. The foundation of his theories involved the source of his information, and he had no personal connection to the Grandmaster. It was better to brush the matter aside.

Yu Xiaogang lowered his head in thought. Blue Silver Grass with level three Innate Soul Power? Perhaps one parent had possessed such exceptional talent that it had forcibly raised the Blue Silver Grass's Innate Soul Power. Forget it. It was only a Waste Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass. Its Innate Soul Power was merely level three; even with my guidance, it would never amount to much.

If Ye Lan knew Yu Xiaogang's thoughts, he would only laugh them off. Blue Silver Grass was not merely the common little grass found everywhere; there was also the Blue Silver King, and even the Blue Silver Emperor.

As for why Ye Lan had awakened with level three Innate Soul Power, it was related to his training and sufficient nutrition. In the end, Martial Soul strength and Innate Soul Power were not absolutely linked. The same Martial Soul could possess different levels of Innate Soul Power.

Ye Lan guessed that Innate Soul Power was related to inborn aptitude. Otherwise, how could someone like Oscar possess Innate Full Soul Power while having such a common Martial Soul as Sausage? Ye Lan could not decide his inborn aptitude, so he could only exercise and maintain proper nutrition, allowing his body's talents to fully develop.

That was also why wealthy families on Douluo Continent had a higher proportion of children awakening Innate Soul Power. There was no other reason—only sufficient food and clothing.