Natural Prodigy

After Jun Xuehan demonstrated what he had just memorized, She Long immediately pointed out his shortcomings and explained how the techniques worked, telling him to practice more.

After guiding Jun Xuehan for a while, She Long headed straight out of the garden, leaving Jun Xuehan alone to practice there.

When he arrived in the sitting room, She Long looked at Qian Renxue, walked over to her, and said, "Young Master, do you have any plans for Xuehan?"

Hearing She Long's question, Qian Renxue was briefly surprised. She gently shook her head and said, "Not for the time being. What is it, Elder She Long? Is there something you need?"

A smile appeared on She Long's face. "Young Master, that child Xuehan is truly exceptionally talented. I only demonstrated the basic techniques once, yet he remembered seventy percent of them. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have dared believe it. It made me consider taking him as my inheritor. But I was worried you might have plans for him, Young Master, so I came to ask."

Qian Renxue gently shook her head. "No, Uncle Long. He isn't someone you can teach, so there's no need to bring this up again. I'll handle his affairs personally."

Qian Renxue spoke calmly, but there was an unmistakable air of finality in her voice. Though she had not yet decided how to arrange Jun Xuehan's future, She Long taking him as a disciple was absolutely out of the question.

For no other reason than that She Long was incapable of teaching Jun Xuehan. Although She Long was a Titled Douluo, his strength among Spirit Hall's Titled Douluos was not considered great. He could even be said to rank near the bottom.

In Qian Renxue's view, Jun Xuehan was exceptionally outstanding in cultivation talent, temperament, intellect, and strategic vision. Moreover, he was very skilled at concealing himself. Such a person was undoubtedly a superb piece of jade.

Since he was fine jade, he naturally needed meticulous carving before he could become something worthwhile. But before that careful carving could begin, the jade had to be firmly held in one's hand. If it could not be held, it would not only be a tremendous loss, but also something truly terrifying.

If someone had only talent but no intellect, then even if they grew strong, they would merely be a brute. If they had only intellect but no talent, they would merely be someone who talked tactics on paper. But someone with talent, intellect, scheming ability, and a gift for hiding themselves would undoubtedly become terrifying once they matured.

Jun Xuehan was precisely such a person. Although she had not known him for long, his Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls were enough to prove his exceptional cultivation talent. Before his Martial Soul had even awakened, he could affect the surrounding environment, proving that he possessed both the courage and intelligence to make a desperate gamble. He had deduced that she was plotting against the Heaven Dou Empire, yet said nothing and pretended to know nothing, proving that he was skilled at concealment, knew when to advance and retreat, and understood what should and should not be said.

Therefore, no matter how one looked at it, She Long was unsuitable to teach him. It was not that She Long lacked ability, but that Jun Xuehan's talent was simply too outstanding.

Qian Renxue could not guarantee anything else, but there was one thing she could guarantee: once word of Jun Xuehan's Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls spread, that woman in Spirit Hall would definitely come out to take him as a disciple. Furthermore, that woman was the only person who knew how to resolve the Soul Ring Backlash caused by Twin Martial Souls.

"This... very well." She Long spoke with some regret, gently shook his head, and walked out of the hall without asking further.

Late at night, a gentle breeze swept past, stirring Jun Xuehan's silver hair. In the garden, Jun Xuehan gripped the Silver Dragon Spear and continued practicing without pause. After more than ten hours of training, he no longer felt awkward when wielding the silver spear, but he still lacked She Long's smooth, flowing ease.

Sweat continuously streamed from his head, sliding down his face and dripping onto the ground. Feeling the soreness in his arms, Jun Xuehan put away the silver spear and headed toward the room where he rested.

Back in his room, Jun Xuehan sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and began Meditative Cultivation. As he meditated, the surrounding spiritual energy flowed into his body, transforming into pure Soul Power that circulated through his meridians.

At dawn, when the sky had only begun to brighten, Jun Xuehan emerged from Meditative Cultivation. He pushed open his door and walked out of the courtyard.

He remembered She Long saying that the age limit of Soul Rings had much to do with the strength of one's physique. Thus, he intended to train his body and lay a solid foundation for absorbing Soul Rings in the future.

After leaving his room, Jun Xuehan had just touched the manor's main gate when a voice sounded behind him.

"Xuehan, what are you planning to do, heading out so early?" She Long's voice carried a trace of confusion as he quietly watched Jun Xuehan ahead of him.

"The day's work begins in the morning. I'm planning to go out for morning training. Would Uncle She Long like to join me?" Jun Xuehan turned to look at She Long, his somewhat cool voice sounding from his lips.

"Not bad. You're at the stage where you need to build your foundation, so going out for morning training is the right choice. I have nothing to do right now, so I'll join you." She Long nodded in satisfaction and walked out of the manor with Jun Xuehan.

Once outside the manor, Jun Xuehan began jogging at a steady rhythm. She Long followed beside him and asked softly, "Xuehan, where are you planning to do your morning training? If you keep going straight, you'll soon leave Heaven Dou City."

Jun Xuehan replied indifferently, "I'm planning to run a lap around Heaven Dou City, then go back and practice with the spear."

Jun Xuehan had calculated that a full circuit around Heaven Dou City was not a short distance, but it should be within his limits. He estimated it would take two hours, bringing him back to the manor just in time for breakfast.

"A lap around Heaven Dou City is quite a distance. Can you really keep it up without using Soul Power?" She Long looked at Jun Xuehan in surprise. Jun Xuehan was not using any Soul Power at all right now. Running around Heaven Dou City without using Soul Power was certainly no easy task.

"I don't know. I haven't tried it before, but I feel like it shouldn't be a problem." Jun Xuehan answered calmly, then began paying attention to his breathing rhythm and the state of his stamina.

"Building a foundation isn't something that happens overnight. It requires gradual progress, so there's no need for you to rush too much right now." She Long nodded in satisfaction. Talented and hardworking—if only he could take him as his inheritor, he would be an excellent choice. What a pity...