In truth, Hui Mian could hardly be blamed for holding Yi Shuyuan in such high regard.
First, and most importantly, Yi Shuyuan treated Hui Mian very well, without the slightest aversion to spirits.
Such heartfelt, naturally expressed care could be feigned for a moment, but not shown at every turn.
Second, Yi Shuyuan studied the Five-Element Control Art with enthusiasm and curiosity, yet to Hui Mian, his progress was outrageously fast.
Comparing it to all those years of personal practice, Hui Mian even wondered whether Yi Shuyuan was deliberately "learning it for the first time" to help correct those mistakes.
In fact, however, Yi Shuyuan already knew how to command wind, and the Mountain God's book had given him some understanding of controlling earth and metal. Naturally, he learned those quickly.
Water and fire were what occupied most of Yi Shuyuan's time, making it appear as though he had learned everything swiftly.
After several months, while Yi Shuyuan could not claim complete mastery of the Five-Element Control Art and the Storage Concealment Art, he could at least use them with ease.
At Paper-Sunning Ridge on Broad South Mountain, Chen Pingye gazed at a patch of paper stock spread over the hillside like frost, realizing that this year's stock had matured earlier than in previous years.
Although this batch had been prepared a month earlier than usual, its progress was at least two or three months ahead, and its quality seemed better as well.
After making a circuit of the ridge, Chen Pingye came to the pile of stock Yi Shuyuan had prepared.
The pile stood knee-high, its quality even more outstanding and its "frosty hue" more pronounced.
Chen Pingye studied it for a while, then went to wash at the stream. When he returned, he found Yi Shuyuan waiting