The Old Spider Complains About Yu Xiaogang

"Teacher... please, don't think of me as being that foolish."

Zhu Zhuqing did not slow her pace, muttering the words under her breath.

Gu Chensha chuckled and continued.

"It is indeed a Soul Ascension Pill, just as Hu Liena said. Its core function is to increase soul power, and this pill is truly exceptionally precious."

As a transmigrator, even after living for hundreds of years, the settings of the Douluo World remained crystal clear in his memory.

He knew very well that this Soul Ascension Pill was extremely difficult to refine.

Across the entire continent, only a tiny handful of top-tier plant-type Titled Douluo could refine it, with an annual production of no more than twenty pills.

Even in the era of the Peerless Tang Sect, when Soul Tools were prevalent, it remained a priceless treasure that money could not buy; countless soul masters would bankrupt themselves just for the chance to obtain one.

Its medicinal properties were mild and free of side effects; beyond steadily increasing soul power, it could also cleanse the marrow and strengthen the bones.

A single pill could provide the entire amount of soul power required for a soul master to advance from level 30 to level 31.

Even for a Soul King below level 50, consuming one would result in a tangible increase in soul power.

Not to mention the countless soul masters stuck at a bottleneck; a single pill could shatter their shackles, saving them years or even over a decade of bitter cultivation.

Of course, it had its limitations.

A soul master could only consume one in their lifetime; taking more would not only be ineffective but would damage their future cultivation foundation, severing the path to higher realms.

Yet, for the vast majority of soul masters who would never even touch the threshold of a Soul King in their entire lives, possessing just one was a heaven-sent opportunity.

Thinking of this, Gu Chensha could not help but laugh.

He recalled that "Master of Theory," Yu Xiaogang, who had an Innate Soul Power of only 0.5. He wondered how many such top-tier pills had been wasted to force his soul power up to level 29, and how many treasures that ordinary people could only dream of had been squandered just to barely scrape together a level of cultivation that could never be broken through.

He shook his head to clear away the stray thoughts and continued speaking to Zhu Zhuqing.

"The only thing she didn't mention is that one can only take this pill once in a lifetime; taking more has no effect."

"Though, whether she mentioned that or not is of little consequence."

"Then, should I take it now, or wait until later?"

Zhu Zhuqing asked immediately, her pace quickening as the figures of Lang Taihui and his group came into view ahead.

"No rush. We can discuss that tonight when you're in bed."

"For now, just keep up with that bishop."

Gu Chensha's tone carried a hint of cold mockery. "This Bishop Lang deliberately slowed his pace to give Hu Liena enough time and space to win you over."

"We shouldn't keep them waiting too long."

"Understood, Teacher."

Zhu Zhuqing quickened her pace in response. After only a few steps, she saw a young girl standing not far ahead.

It was another disciple under Lang Taihui, similar in age to the previous Lei Xiang, clearly left behind specifically to wait for her.

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing approach, the girl hurried forward, looking quite nervous.

"T-Teacher told me to wait here for you and help you understand the curriculum of the Martial Soul Hall's advanced academy."

"Um... may I call you Zhuqing?"

Zhu Zhuqing nodded.

The girl let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly introduced herself.

"My name is Li Moyue. According to... according to age and seniority in the Hall, you can call me Senior Sister, or Second Senior Sister."

Zhu Zhuqing gave a slight nod and replied.

"Senior Sister Li."

"Oh, good."

Li Moyue's cheeks flushed slightly. She hesitated for a long while before biting her lip and speaking softly.

"Actually... I wanted to say that Senior Brother Lei Xiang, he... he isn't a bad person, he just has a bit of a short temper."

"He came from the slums and has always hated those arrogant noble disciples, which is why he acted that way toward you. It's just... he's just too eager to prove himself."

Halfway through, seeing that Zhu Zhuqing's expression remained unchanged, she began waving her hands, her speech becoming stuttered.

"I, I'm not speaking up for him!"

"It's just... he was punished severely by the teacher today, so he definitely, definitely won't bother you again."

"I, I apologize on his behalf. I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

Zhu Zhuqing's tone was flat, devoid of any emotion.

Li Moyue opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but seeing that Zhu Zhuqing had no intention of continuing the topic, she tactfully fell silent.

The two walked side by side along the white jade corridor, neither speaking.

Li Moyue stole several glances at Zhu Zhuqing, her heart drumming in her chest.

She wasn't good with words to begin with, and dealing with someone so cold and unreadable was even harder.

Lei Xiang, though hot-tempered, at least wore his emotions on his sleeve, making him easier to get along with.

This new junior sister, however, had a cool, clear gaze and no extraneous expressions from start to finish, making her truly inscrutable.

She cleared her throat and, bracing herself, decided to change the subject.

"So, um... shall I take you on a tour of the academy's courses and rules first?"

"Teacher specifically instructed that since you're new to the Hall, there are many things you won't know, so I should explain them to you in detail."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded. "Thank you for your trouble, senior sister."

"No trouble at all, no trouble!"

Li Moyue waved her hands quickly, as if she had finally found a familiar topic. She visibly relaxed, her tone becoming much lighter.

"Actually, the core cultivation content of our Martial Soul Hall Higher Academy is practical combat experience."

"Most of the students here have bishops from the Hall as their teachers, but not every bishop has the time to mentor disciples."

"Red-robed bishops are powerful figures in the Martial Soul Hall, many of them concurrently serving as hall masters of major branch halls. They are constantly traveling, and some don't return to headquarters even once a year, so they simply can't pay attention to their disciples. Most disciples have to figure things out on their own."

"But our Teacher Lang is different. He doesn't hold any external positions, so he has plenty of free time and is exceptionally attentive to us. He formulates cultivation plans specifically for each person's martial soul and weaknesses."

"So, do we mainly rely on classes for our usual cultivation?"

Zhu Zhuqing asked a question for the first time.

"Not entirely."

Li Moyue shook her head, stopping at the end of the corridor and pointing to a magnificent circular building on the right.

"See that? That's the Mission Hall of the Martial Soul Hall Higher Academy."

"The Hall values practical combat experience the most, so besides our regular theory and cultivation classes, we spend most of our time following our teachers to accept missions from the Martial Soul Hall and go out for training."

"Missions are ranked from one to five stars, with increasing difficulty."

"When we follow our teachers, we usually take on two-star to three-star missions. The teacher will be with us the whole time, teaching us how to cooperate and how to deal with unexpected situations..."

"And completing missions yields two crucial things."

Li Moyue held up two fingers, her tone becoming a bit more serious.

"The first is Contribution Points."

"Contribution Points are our hard currency as higher-level students; they're much more useful than Gold Soul Coins."

"You can exchange Contribution Points for elixirs, the Mimicry Training Ground, internal resources, and even a personal guidance session from a Titled Douluo."