The Grandmaster's "Insight"

The cafeteria incident came to an end when the older student was tossed out like garbage.

The table was piled high with braised pork, crystal pork knuckles, and steamed white buns.

Ye Liuyun sat at the head of the table, eating at an astonishing speed.

His table manners were not crude—in fact, they carried a hint of elegance—but the speed at which he swallowed was so fast that afterimages seemed to appear.

Years of craving needed a great deal of carbohydrates to fill the void.

"Um... Boss?"

Xiao Wu, sitting beside him with her chopsticks between her teeth, watched Ye Liuyun wolf down food, and the dissatisfaction of having been "usurped" resurfaced in her heart.

I refuse to accept this!

I'm obviously the boss of Seven Dorm!

That grass did show off a little just now.

But I'm a rabbit, and he's grass. My bloodline naturally suppresses his.

What am I afraid of?

With that thought, Xiao Wu puffed out her barely developed chest, slammed her chopsticks onto the table, and said,

"Hey, Cousin! I think we still need to spar before deciding who gets to be the boss of Seven Dorm."

Ye Liuyun paused.

He swallowed the braised pork in his mouth and slowly turned his head. The warmth in his eyes from enjoying the food instantly froze beneath a layer of glacial frost.

"You want to spar?"

Bzzz—!

Xiao Wu's soul suddenly trembled.

Her wild instincts told her that the pressure was overwhelming.

She was merely a poor, helpless little white rabbit, while he was like a towering tree made of countless vines, standing before her like a mountain.

The courage Xiao Wu had just gathered instantly deflated like a punctured ball. Her upright rabbit ears flopped down with a soft plop.

"Uh... well..."

Xiao Wu shrank back, the arrogance on her face instantly turning into a fawning smile. She picked up the chicken leg from her bowl and placed it in Ye Liuyun's.

"I meant... sparring... I couldn't beat you even if we sparred, Cousin! You're obviously the boss. Whoever refuses to accept that, I'll beat them up!"

Ye Liuyun withdrew his gaze and continued eating.

However, Xiao Wu had yielded, but someone else had not.

"I don't think so."

Tang San, seated across from him, put down his chopsticks.

He looked at Ye Liuyun, his eyes burning with unyielding determination.

He had never considered Xiao Wu an opponent, because she was a girl, and he possessed the "chivalry" and protective instinct of a man.

But Ye Liuyun was different.

They both possessed Innate Full Soul Power, both had Blue Silver Grass, and Ye Liuyun's attitude of disregarding everything deeply wounded Tang San's pride.

"Ye Liuyun."

Tang San spoke in a low voice.

"After we finish eating, let's have an official spar on the training field."

"We'll settle not only who is stronger, but also who is qualified to lead Seven Dorm."

Wang Sheng and the others beside them were instantly fired up.

A showdown between two geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power!

This was practically the battle of the century at Nuoding Academy!

"Alright! Boss, show him how formidable the new king of Seven Dorm is!"

Wang Sheng egged him on from the side.

Ye Liuyun picked up a piece of braised pork with both lean and fatty meat and put it into his mouth without even raising his eyelids.

"No time."

"After eating, I'm going back to sleep."

I came here to cultivate, not to play childish games with kids.

Tang San is clearly a transmigrator who has lived two lives too. Why is he so childish?

Tang San choked on his words, and his expression darkened slightly.

"As a Spirit Master, avoiding battle is a sign of cowardice."

Ye Liuyun acted as though he had not heard him and continued focusing on the crystal pork knuckle before him.

That disregard hurt Tang San more than mockery ever could.

Half an hour later.

The group left the cafeteria.

Tang San still refused to let it go. Just as he was about to issue another challenge and force Ye Liuyun to make a move—

At that moment.

"Little San."

A hoarse, stiff voice came from the edge of the training field.

Tang San shuddered and turned his head.

Yu Xiaogang stood beneath the shade of a tree with his hands behind his back, his deadpan face still carrying that unfathomable expression.

"Teacher!"

The gloom in Tang San's eyes instantly vanished. He hurried over and bowed respectfully. "Why are you here?"

Yu Xiaogang glanced at Tang San, satisfaction flashing through his eyes. Then his gaze swept over Ye Liuyun and the others in the distance, and his brow creased almost imperceptibly.

"There's no time to waste. I'll take you to the Soul Hunting Forest now to obtain your first Spirit Ring."

"Only after obtaining a Spirit Ring can you truly become a Spirit Master."

Tang San was delighted.

Is it finally beginning?

Teacher's instruction for me.

He glanced at Ye Liuyun, and his resolve hardened.

After making a few preparations, the two set off.

On the road.

Tang San gave a detailed account of what had happened in the cafeteria, especially Ye Liuyun's strange Blue Silver Grass Bind and regenerative ability.

"...Teacher, his Blue Silver Grass is incredibly tough, and after breaking, it can instantly split and grow again. Can ordinary Blue Silver Grass really do that?"

Tang San harbored doubts and even suspected that Ye Liuyun had some special cultivation method.

After listening to Tang San's description.

A faint, contemptuous sneer appeared on Yu Xiaogang's otherwise impassive face.

With his hands behind his back, he casually glanced at Ye Liuyun in the distance, as if he had already seen through everything.

Yu Xiaogang had not personally witnessed just how powerful Ye Liuyun's Blue Silver Grass regeneration was in the cafeteria.

But in his imagination, Blue Silver Grass did indeed possess decent vitality and could certainly be cultivated for regeneration.

Yet if that were the case, Blue Silver Grass would possess almost no combat ability.

And even if it could regenerate, how impressive could it be?

At most, it would only provide the advantage of catching someone off guard at the outset.

"Little San, you're overthinking it."

Yu Xiaogang shook his head, wearing the confident expression of someone who knew the answer.

"Blue Silver Grass is a useless Martial Spirit with extremely poor natural toughness. There is only one possibility for it to achieve the effect you described."

He raised one finger and declared,

"He has already obtained his first Spirit Ring."

"What?!" Tang San was startled.

"Not only that."

A mocking curve rose at the corner of Yu Xiaogang's mouth.

"Given his age and family background, without guidance from an elder, he most likely randomly hunted a ten-year plant-type Spirit Beast, something like a Ghost Vine or Green Vine."

"Those low-level Spirit Beasts may provide a little toughness and regenerative ability, but they offer no benefit whatsoever for future development."

"Moreover, the reason he won just now was nothing more than relying on the Soul Power suppression granted by his first Spirit Ring, combined with catching the older student off guard."

At this point, Yu Xiaogang sighed. He looked at Ye Liuyun as though he were looking at a ruined man.

"More haste, less speed."

"For the sake of a bit of immediate strength, he recklessly absorbed a Spirit Ring and tainted the purity of his Martial Spirit. This child's path has already narrowed."

"A brute without theoretical guidance will ultimately never achieve greatness."

Hearing his teacher's clear and logical "deduction," the last trace of doubt in Tang San's heart instantly vanished.

So that's how it is!

No wonder he's so strong. He got a head start!

And he got that head start by randomly absorbing a trash Spirit Ring!

A sense of superiority immediately rose in Tang San's heart.

Although Ye Liuyun was temporarily ahead, he had traded away his future for it.

Meanwhile, with a peerless theoretician like the Grandmaster guiding him, Tang San's first Spirit Ring would surely be the optimal choice after careful selection!

Ye Liuyun, you've already lost.

When Tang San thought of Ye Liuyun again, the jealousy in his eyes had become pity.

"Grandmaster, your insight is profound."

Tang San said respectfully, "This disciple understands. I will never be as shortsighted as he is."

"Mm, you are teachable."

Yu Xiaogang nodded in satisfaction. "Come. Your teacher has already selected several types of Spirit Beasts suitable for the development of Blue Silver Grass."

"Yes!"