Carriage Conversation

As the carriage left Notting City, dawn had just fully broken.

The dirt road beyond the city gates was damp with dew. As the wheels rolled over it, they left behind two shallow tracks.

Yu Xiaogang leaned against one side of the carriage, resting with his eyes closed.

Tang San sat opposite him, silently watching the fields and low hills slide past outside the window.

After traveling for about half an incense stick's time, Yu Xiaogang opened his eyes and asked,

"Little San, have you thought through what I asked you yesterday about your expectations for your First Spirit Ring?"

Tang San withdrew his gaze and fell silent for a moment.

"I've thought about some things," he said.

"Tell me."

Tang San did not answer right away.

He lowered his head and looked at his open palm, where the lines seemed especially deep in the morning light.

"A control-type," he said. "Just as Teacher judged before."

Yu Xiaogang gave a quiet hum but did not interrupt.

"But besides the Spirit Skill itself, I thought of something else."

Tang San raised his head. "Blue Silver Grass itself may possess the ability to control."

Yu Xiaogang paused slightly.

"How so?" His tone remained calm, but his gaze had turned serious.

After thinking for a moment, Tang San told him about the little experiment Luo Yan had done with him yesterday.

Blue Silver Grass wrapping around a wrist, the room for reaction when it was pulled, and the possibilities a single strand could offer without any Spirit Skill or Soul Power involved.

"Its strength may not be high, but its flexibility and extensibility make it better suited to restraining opponents than I imagined."

Tang San concluded, "If my First Spirit Skill can build on its inherent resilience, perhaps that would be more far-reaching than simply pursuing a 'control skill.'"

Yu Xiaogang did not speak immediately.

He stared at Tang San for several seconds, an indescribable glimmer in his eyes.

"Did you come up with that yourself?" he asked.

Tang San paused, then did not hide it. "Luo Yan reminded me of part of it."

Yu Xiaogang's expression did not change, but his fingers lightly tapped his knee.

"Luo Yan?"

"Yes. He said Blue Silver Grass had value even when used as rope."

Tang San said, the corner of his mouth unconsciously lifting slightly, "It sounded like a joke, but I don't think he was joking."

The carriage fell quiet for a while.

Outside, early-rising birds startled up from the roadside grass and fluttered into the distance.

"I understand."

Yu Xiaogang spoke softly, yet with solemnity. "On this Spirit Hunting trip, I'll do my best to find you a Spirit Beast suited to the direction of 'resilience.'"

Tang San nodded. "Thank you, Teacher."

Yu Xiaogang did not respond. He leaned back against the carriage wall and closed his eyes again.

But Tang San could tell he was not truly resting.

He was thinking.

Tang San said nothing. He turned back toward the window, leaving Yu Xiaogang some quiet.

After a long while, Yu Xiaogang suddenly spoke, his voice very soft.

"Little San, his Martial Soul is a mask?"

Tang San turned his head. "Yes. That's what he says."

"A mask-type Martial Soul."

Yu Xiaogang slowly repeated the words, his eyes still closed. "They are extremely rare in the Martial Soul system across the entire continent. There are no more than three known mask-type Martial Souls."

Tang San did not speak, quietly waiting.

"Do you know the effects of his Spirit Skill?"

As Yu Xiaogang spoke, he opened his eyes.

Tang San shook his head. "I've only known him for a few days. I didn't think we were close enough yet, so I never asked."

Yu Xiaogang nodded. His gaze fell upon the carriage floor, and his tone remained even. "Such Martial Souls generally lack direct physical attack capabilities. They tend more toward mental powers, control, or some form of special support."

Tang San hesitated before saying, "Luo Yan mentioned that his First Spirit Ring came from an Illusion Fox."

Yu Xiaogang visibly paused.

"An Illusion Fox?"

His brows knitted slightly. "He told you that himself?"

"Yes. Yesterday outside Dorm Seven, I asked him about hunting Spirit Beasts, hoping to learn from his experience. He mentioned it in passing," Tang San said.

He simply did not mention Luo Yan's claim that the mask had flown out by itself and bitten the Spirit Beast to death. He did not believe that at all.

Yu Xiaogang was silent for several seconds, his fingers lightly tapping against his knee.

"Then it makes sense," he said.

Tang San looked at him.

"According to known records, the Spirit Skills of Illusion Foxes mostly lean toward mental interference and creating illusions."

"Their means of attack are neither biting nor elemental damage. Instead, they influence their target's senses and consciousness, causing the target to make misjudgments."

Yu Xiaogang spoke at an unhurried pace as he organized his thoughts. "Therefore, his First Spirit Skill is most likely some kind of mental ability. It may create illusions, or perhaps briefly influence the target's emotions or judgment."

After thinking it over, Tang San said, "He mentioned that his Martial Soul is called the Elation Mask. Could the word 'elation' be related to his Spirit Skill?"

Yu Xiaogang nodded, a faint light appearing in his eyes. "I've seen his Spirit Hall certificate. The names of most Martial Souls are related to the direction of their abilities."

"The word 'elation' most likely points toward emotions, the mind, or some form of state-based effect."

"If his First Spirit Ring came from an Illusion Fox, then the direction of his Spirit Skill can basically be confirmed as mental-type rather than direct attack."

Tang San thought for a moment. "He usually seems laid-back, but his reactions are very fast. Yesterday, when Xiao Wu sparred with me, he judged her next move just by watching."

"Could that kind of perception be related to his Spirit Skill?"

Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "Not necessarily. Observation ability has no inevitable connection to Spirit Skills. Some people are simply born with stronger instincts for battle than others."

"But you said his reactions are fast. That does fit the traits of a mental-type Soul Master. One of the most important abilities of a mental-type Soul Master is reading and judging the intentions of others."

Tang San gave a quiet hum and said no more.

"And he has Innate Full Soul Power."

Yu Xiaogang continued, his tone turning solemn. "I have seen several people with Innate Full Soul Power. But for every one of them, the choice of their First Spirit Ring is extremely important."

"Because Soul Masters with such talent have a much higher absorption limit for their First Spirit Ring than ordinary people. The fact that he could absorb a four-hundred-year Spirit Ring not long after awakening already shows that his mental strength far surpasses that of others his age."

Hearing this, Tang San could not help but think again of Luo Yan's ever-smiling face.

That person appeared carefree and improper, yet when he spoke of Blue Silver Grass, the certain light in his eyes made him seem like an entirely different person.

"Teacher."

Tang San suddenly spoke. "Could his Spirit Skill possibly be more than just pure illusion? Could it be... something else?"

Yu Xiaogang glanced at him. "Why do you ask?"

Tang San thought for a moment. "I can't quite explain it. I just feel that whenever he speaks or acts, he gives me the sense that he is waiting for something. And when he had me wrap Blue Silver Grass around his wrist, it did not seem like a spur-of-the-moment idea."

Yu Xiaogang did not answer at once.

He leaned back against the carriage wall again, his gaze falling upon the shifting shadows of trees beyond the window. He remained silent for a long time.

"Pay closer attention to him in the future."

Yu Xiaogang spoke quietly, but with rare gravity. "This Luo Yan's Spirit Skill is definitely not simple. And I suspect that even the four words 'Elation Mask' are only the part he is willing to let us know."

Tang San turned his head and looked out the carriage window.