Two and a Half Years of Training

The day after receiving Gui Mei and Yue Guan, Wu Ling began his first lesson.

"Little Ling, I'll be in charge of your theoretical studies every morning for the foreseeable future." Yue Guan spoke with a giggle, and his coy demeanor sent a chill down Wu Ling's spine. Knowing the truth, Wu Ling now deeply understood the meaning of the phrase, "Knowledge is a curse."

"Okay, Grandpa Yue. Let's begin."

Having practiced martial arts before, Wu Ling possessed remarkable focus. Within minutes, he had adjusted his mindset from earlier. Besides, compared to Blue Star's cramming education, the knowledge Yue Guan taught was practically child's play.

Learning to recognize a Spirit Beast, understanding its traits and weaknesses, figuring out how to identify it, and so on—none of this knowledge, which fascinated Wu Ling, made him tired. Instead, the more he learned, the more seriously he studied. In many cases, he could even draw inferences from one example, and Yue Guan praised him before Bibi Dong.

"Your Holiness, teaching Little Ling is simply a pleasure. No matter what I teach him, he learns it right away. Sometimes, the questions he asks even make me ponder deeply. I'm almost getting addicted to teaching him."

Bibi Dong was somewhat surprised by this. Wu Ling's Martial Soul was impressive enough, but he was talented in learning as well?

"Fine. Then continue serving as his theory instructor."

After giving her instructions, Bibi Dong resumed her day's work. She had only just become Pope, and she had not ascended through the usual process, so there were many matters she needed to understand and change.

In the afternoon, Gui Mei came to Wu Ling's courtyard.

"Wu Ling, for the foreseeable future, I'll teach you how to fight every afternoon."

Gui Mei had originally planned to teach Wu Ling combat the usual way: Gui Mei attacked, Wu Ling defended, and Wu Ling would have nowhere to escape.

But Wu Ling proposed another idea to Gui Mei. "Grandpa Ghost, do you remember my first Soul Skill?"

"I remember. You summon a phantom and absorb it, then gain its combat abilities, right?"

"That's right. My Soul Skill is somewhat special. It doesn't grant me a skill, but rather the phantom's combat techniques. But since they're techniques, I might be able to learn them myself."

Geniuses always had privileges, especially a genius like Wu Ling, who stood at the peak of the pyramid. Gui Mei agreed to Wu Ling's plan and began helping him put it into practice.

Gui Mei sparred with Wu Ling after he used his first Soul Skill. Gui Mei continuously fed him moves, while Wu Ling, who already had a foundation in martial arts, learned every movement quickly.

Then, he used Mind's Eye to find Gui Mei's true body, used Transparency to resist the mental attacks of Gui Mei's Martial Soul, and finally mastered Comprehensive Insights through sparring with Gui Mei.

Wu Ling's rapidly improving martial skills left even Gui Mei astonished. When Bibi Dong later asked about it, he praised Wu Ling with satisfaction.

"Wu Ling's excellence lies not only in his talent. His willpower and his dedication to striving are what truly make him outstanding.

"Given enough time, Wu Ling's combat techniques may become so terrifying that no one would dare engage him at close range."

Hearing Gui Mei's praise, Bibi Dong was somewhat surprised. Gui Mei was usually cold and sparing with words, yet whenever Wu Ling was involved, he became much more talkative. Even Bibi Dong could not help becoming suspicious at this unusual behavior.

Could that boy's Soul Skill's true ability be increasing other people's favorability toward him? Why did Gui Mei and Yue Guan, who used to be perfectly normal, become so excited after meeting Wu Ling?

Wu Ling did not know about Bibi Dong's inner monologue. Right now, all he wanted was to soak in hot water and rest properly before beginning his Soul Power refinement.

At the end of every afternoon, Wu Ling would perform Swallow Reversal—and it was the kind of Swallow Reversal that produced a third slash.

Although the third slash could not keep up with the first two in speed, the strain on Wu Ling's body when he forced it out still burst some of his blood vessels. Hardly any part of his skin remained intact, and he was nearly covered in blood from head to toe.

Gui Mei was so frightened that his Martial Soul nearly fell away. He hurriedly placed Wu Ling into the medicinal bath barrel prepared beforehand.

As Bibi Dong's disciple, the medicinal herbs Wu Ling used were among the finest on the entire continent. The medicinal bath's effects were therefore extraordinarily good. In just a few hours, all the injuries on Wu Ling's body would recover, while his physical qualities rose to another level.

Once his body recovered, the entire night would be his time to cultivate Soul Power.

As time passed, Bibi Dong gained control over every matter and faction within Spirit Hall. Because of Wu Ling's excellence, her visits changed from once a month to once every half month, then once a week, and eventually once every two days.

"So this is what it feels like to nurture a genius. It really is relaxing. I think I understand Gui Mei and Yue Guan's feelings now. Every lesson feels like a kind of enjoyment!"

If ordinary people were like the anime series Blue Star had a decade or so ago, their lives would be filled with hardship and suffering, and in the end, they might not even be the protagonists, but merely "supporting characters."

Then Wu Ling was like the Dragon King stories, or feel-good power fantasies, that appeared on Blue Star more than a decade later.

After watching ordinary dramas for decades, suddenly reading a power fantasy again was an impact beyond comparison.

And so, time quietly passed as Wu Ling immersed himself in study and cultivation, unable to pull himself free...

Two and a half years later.

Wu Ling was currently in the courtyard, exchanging blows evenly with Gui Mei, who was not using Soul Skills. What was worth noting was that Wu Ling was not using Soul Skills either.

Relying on a Douluo's physical qualities, Gui Mei fully displayed the advantages of the agility-attack type. He constantly used attacks to harass Wu Ling, but strangely, Wu Ling easily dodged half of Gui Mei's attacks, while he blocked the other half with the long blade in his hand and counterattacked.

After two and a half years, eight-year-old Wu Ling had grown from 1.3 meters to 1.5 meters tall. Now that he wielded a 1.5-meter-long sword, it was no longer taller than he was.

As Wu Ling grew, his features gradually matured as well. Though only eight years old, he already possessed looks that could drive countless women mad. Whenever Yue Guan saw Wu Ling, he had to tease him first.

"Swallow Reversal!"

With Wu Ling's low shout, Gui Mei, who had intended to attack from Wu Ling's right rear, immediately stopped. He planned to attack during the opening after Wu Ling finished using his skill, but the next second, Wu Ling did not use Swallow Reversal. Instead, he appeared before Gui Mei and slashed down.

Gui Mei had been tricked more than once or twice by Wu Ling's habit of calling out a skill without using it, but every time, he failed to guess Wu Ling's intentions and could only adapt to the situation.

After forcing Gui Mei to the ground, Wu Ling immediately followed. This time, he said nothing and directly used Swallow Reversal.

Two slashes flew toward Gui Mei, ultimately forcing him to use his first skill to escape.

Clap, clap, clap...

As applause rang out, Wu Ling and Gui Mei tacitly stopped fighting. Looking toward the sound, they saw that the newcomer was Wu Ling's teacher, Bibi Dong.

The second Soul Skill is coming soon. Everyone can guess what will be summoned this time! And please save, recommend, and vote.

Before signing, I at least had a few recommendation votes. But ever since signing, forget monthly votes—even the recommendation votes are gone. Boohoo~