Water Wears Through Stone

Flender had his own expectations for Chu He's path. The concept represented by jade was indeed not bad. If this kid could truly grow, he would definitely have a place in the world.

As his teacher, what Flender needed to do was nurture him and help him grow.

As for the other three little ones, Flender also gave them a few key assessments of how suitable their Martial Souls were, first laying out their future prospects.

A lesson ended quickly. When Flender said the words "class dismissed," all four children looked reluctant to leave.

Dreaming of the future, envisioning their own strength—daydreaming was a joyful thing.

"All right, boys. The principal's cultural lesson ends here for now. I still have some time, so let's talk about something important."

"First, come with me."

The four children moved swiftly and lined up in moments. Chu He led the way, while the little chicks followed behind Flender like they were trailing after a mother hen.

"As Spirit Masters, cultivating Soul Power every day brings progress as gradual as water wearing through stone. Sleep can ease mental exhaustion, but cultivating Soul Power can replace sleep."

"You are still children and need to grow. Excessive forcing of growth will hinder you, but you should prepare yourselves in advance."

"Once your cultivation reaches a certain level, you can officially replace sleep with cultivation."

"That is what your principal does now. I only sleep occasionally to ease my mind."

As he led the way, Flender spoke of the cultivation path that awaited them in the future.

The four children nodded like little chicks, listening with great seriousness.

In the Cultivation Room, Qin Ming had followed Flender's instructions and ordered Chu Heng to build it to absolute standards of soundproofing and isolation, leaving only the most basic ventilation passages.

Flender opened the door. The moment they stepped inside, silence and dimness filled their vision, followed by the quick, soft sound of the door closing.

"You will cultivate here from now on. It is quiet and free from distractions, and it will also help you better nurture your state of mind."

Flender explained, calming the children who had been slightly frightened by the silent environment.

"Next, I will teach you the circulation method used for Soul Power cultivation. Remember, this is knowledge belonging to the school. You must keep it firmly in your hearts."

Hearing the principal's solemn tone, Chu He nodded seriously as well. He knew that major clans all possessed secret cultivation methods that could not be passed on to outsiders. Back when he had attended school, his teacher had taught him a basic cultivation method. He wondered what the principal's method would be like.

Like Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill, after obtaining forbidden knowledge from the continent's ancient era, Flender possessed a great number of cultivation secrets in his mind.

What he was teaching these children now was the most basic method, but also the one most suited for everyone's improvement.

Its cultivation speed would probably be twenty to thirty percent faster than the method taught in ordinary schools, though the exact results would vary from person to person.

Flender had better methods, but the same principle applied: given these children's current circumstances, the most basic one was the most suitable.

They could discuss better methods after obtaining their first Spirit Ring.

Soul Power appeared in Flender's hand. He had the children sit down one by one, guided them through the circulation once, then had them imitate it themselves.

Chu He still had the greatest talent. After around five or six attempts, he could circulate it independently. The fastest among the other three needed more than ten attempts, while the slowest needed over twenty.

Flender patted the child who was nearly frantic enough to cry, his tone calm. After the child finally managed to circulate it independently and enter the proper state, Flender offered him a word of encouragement.

"Very good. Now you have all learned our school's cultivation method. There is still about two hours before lunch. For the remaining time, cultivate properly here. Since this is your first day, I will stay with you, and then we will go eat together."

"Don't just stand there, children. Begin."

Faint phantoms of Soul Power emerged. The children hurriedly sat down and began cultivating their Soul Power again and again, clumsily.

Ordinary people could not see the details, but in Flender's eyes, wisps of "clear smoke" belonging to Soul Power faintly emerged from each child.

As expected, Chu He possessed the greatest amount of Soul Power.

Among the other three children, the one with the best Soul Power was unexpectedly the handkerchief girl. The scythe came next, while the weakest was naturally the child whose Martial Soul was pig feed. He had also been the one unable to circulate it independently after twenty attempts.

People's talents varied. That child clearly had difficulty walking the path of a combat-type Spirit Master, and Flender had already reached a conclusion.

Then he would take the path of a life-type Spirit Master. As long as he improved compared to before, his studies would not have been in vain.

Once the four children had properly entered their cultivation states, Flender silently walked toward a switch in one corner of the Cultivation Room.

Using wind-attribute Soul Power, he brushed it open and activated the Soul Tool Flender had secretly installed the night before. It immediately began drawing in natural energy from outside, bit by bit.

Flender had spent years collecting and modifying these Soul Tools together with Zhao and the others, all for this day.

Flender himself also owned a small shop in Suotuo City, one that specialized in selling Soul Tools and related materials. Naturally, he would not be stingy when it came to his students.

Time passed, and the natural Soul Power within the Cultivation Room slowly increased.

In Flender's eyes, the amount of Soul Power within the children's bodies seemed to increase by the slightest trace. It was minuscule, likely not even one ten-thousandth.

But it was possible.

"If an artificial environment can have such an effect, then if a true natural environment is created in the future..."

Flender began to imagine it. For instance, if a plant-type Spirit Master cultivated within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, how much faster would their cultivation become?

"There is no way to do that yet, but Sunset Forest seems to be half unclaimed territory. If that old Dugu can claim land and rule it, then perhaps I can do so in the future."

With a plan forming in his heart, Flender's smile became even gentler.

Once the Soul Tools in the Cultivation Room had been activated, Flender had no intention of turning them off again. He wanted them to continuously enhance the environment day and night; he would only need to inspect and maintain them from time to time.

Seeing the children become increasingly immersed in their cultivation, Flender nodded in satisfaction.

Keep going, future rising stars.

After exchanging messages over the past few days, Flender and the other group members had roughly discovered one thing: time passed differently in their respective worlds.

At present, time seemed to flow fastest in Flender's world. At least a week had passed since he returned from Sunset Forest, while only two days at most had passed for the others.

Yet once they entered the Chat Group to speak, everyone's flow of time seemed to reach a balance. While they communicated in the Chat Group, time passed at the same rate, and whenever someone entered the group, at least one person would be online.

The time flow of different worlds did not necessarily maintain a fixed ratio either.

Sometimes a week would pass for Flender while less than a day passed for Dumbledore. Yet at other times, a day would pass in the Douluo world and a day would pass in the magical world as well.

While the children cultivated, Flender opened the Chat Group and intended to chat for a bit.

The only one online was Professor Oak. He said he was preparing to face Pryce, but he had only just set out and had not traveled far.

Flender had been looking forward to it a week ago, yet Professor Oak still had not reached his destination.

Just as he was asking what had happened, the Chat Group suddenly underwent a change it had not seen in a long time.

[Ding! Inviting member]

[Flender:!]

[Samuel Oak:?]