Shi Quan Walks Alone

Achoo!

Shi Quan sneezed violently the moment he arrived at the Cafeteria. "Are my Parents thinking about me?"

Rubbing his nose, all he wanted now was something to eat. Without giving it much thought, he headed straight for the serving window.

Completely unaware that he had already become a Mutated Blue Silver Grass Spirit Soul in the eyes of the master and Tang San.

After wolfing down five large steamed buns and two bowls of rice porridge, Shi Quan's growling stomach finally stopped its wailing.

Leaving the Cafeteria, Shi Quan headed toward the academy's Library.

There was the Opening Ceremony in the morning, and he could not fall behind in his studies. Then there was training his control over his Spirit Soul, along with cultivating the six martial arts. Just thinking about it gave Shi Quan a headache. He simply had too much to do.

Moreover, he needed to find somewhere relatively quiet and free from disturbances to practice martial arts.

He had to plan all of this carefully.

Notting Academy's Library was actually converted from two Classrooms. It was not large. There were only five or six bookshelves inside, with five or six tables near the main entrance and a management desk off to one side.

Shi Quan entered the Library and lightly knocked on the management desk.

"Who is it?" Hearing the sound, the sleepy Gray-robed Elder behind the desk lazily raised his head.

"Hello, Teacher. I'd like to borrow some books. Do I need to go through any procedures?" Shi Quan waved at the elder.

The elder finally woke up. He lowered his gaze and looked Shi Quan over before asking, "A first-year new student?"

"Yes, Teacher. My name is Shi Quan, and I'm a first-year student."

"This is the first time I've seen a first-year student come to borrow books." The elder chuckled and waved his hand. "Just take whatever books you want. Bring them over and let me know once you've chosen them."

"Thank you, Teacher."

Shi Quan nodded and walked deeper into the Library.

He still did not know what the first-year curriculum covered, but he did not need to guess that it would be very basic. There was no need for him to study such foundational knowledge again, so he needed to borrow books with broader coverage and teach himself in advance. Otherwise, his morning class time would be wasted.

Perhaps to make things convenient for students, the bookshelves were not tall, and stools had been placed beside them. However, dust had gathered in many places on the shelves. It seemed that few people came to the Library to borrow books or read.

Shi Quan had a clear goal: books concerning Spirit Souls and spirit beasts.

Ordinary people could only buy books that recorded common spirit beasts. Books about Spirit Souls were difficult for ordinary people to obtain, with most of them collected within academies and Spirit Hall.

If he wanted to understand the countless strange and unusual Spirit Souls and the vast variety of spirit beasts on Douluo Continent, studying through books was essential.

After searching around, Shi Quan quickly returned to the management desk carrying two books.

"Spirit Soul Record Encyclopedia, Hundred Explanations of Spirit Beast Types?" The Gray-robed Elder glanced at Shi Quan again as he looked at the books Shi Quan handed over, then smiled and returned them. "That's fine."

"Thank you, Teacher." After politely thanking him, Shi Quan took the books and left the Library.

Watching Shi Quan's departing back, the smile on the Gray-robed Elder's face deepened. "A polite kid. There are so few children his age who enjoy reading..."

There was still some time before the Opening Ceremony, so Shi Quan carried the two books straight to the Sports Field where the ceremony would be held. He casually found a corner and sat down, quietly reading as he waited for it to begin.

Warm sunlight fell over him. Looking at the books in his hands, Shi Quan felt as if he had returned to the little courtyard in Stone Family Village.

Immersed in the ocean of knowledge, time passed quickly.

The Opening Ceremony soon began. Areas had already been divided on the Sports Field according to grade. Only when the students assembled did Shi Quan slowly rise from where he had been sitting and walk to the very back of the first-year group.

Shi Quan had attended plenty of ceremonies like this in his previous life. It was nothing more than academy leaders passionately delivering words of encouragement. It made no difference whether he listened or not.

Just as Shi Quan had expected, once the teachers finished taking attendance, the people onstage immediately began their impassioned speeches.

Shi Quan could not be bothered to listen and simply lowered his head to continue reading.

"What are you reading?" A voice suddenly interrupted Shi Quan.

When he looked up, he saw a girl with a sweet smile. The moment he saw that distinctive ponytail, Shi Quan recognized her at once. Xiao Wu!

Xiao Wu had never been someone who could sit still. She had originally thought the Opening Ceremony would be something fun, but after learning from Wang Sheng how boring it was, she had not wanted to attend. Unfortunately, the teachers had to take attendance, so she could only sneak to the back and look for a chance to slip away. Then she saw Shi Quan looking down at something and curiously leaned over.

"Reading."

Looking at Xiao Wu's large eyes so close to his face, Shi Quan instinctively took a step back. A Hundred Thousand Year old rabbit was certainly putting her all into pretending to be a child. He had to give her acting skills some credit.

"Reading?" Xiao Wu pouted. Once she saw the books in Shi Quan's hands, she immediately lost interest and drooped like a wilted eggplant. "What's so good about books? This is way too boring."

Shi Quan smiled faintly. "Books hold houses of gold and beauties like jade. You wouldn't understand."

"Books hold houses of gold? Books hold beauties like jade? What does that mean?" As bored as she was, Xiao Wu seemed to have discovered something interesting and stared curiously at Shi Quan.

"It means books contain money and beautiful women."

"Books contain money?"

Xiao Wu's eyes immediately lit up. Yesterday, she had nearly gone without food because she had no money, and when she later arrived at the Cafeteria, she had been mocked by upperclassmen over money. Now that she heard books contained money, she was instantly interested. Looking at the two books in Shi Quan's hands, she familiarly snatched the other one from him and began flipping through it.

"Money? Where's the money?" Xiao Wu asked as she turned the pages.

Seeing her like this, Shi Quan could not help but laugh. He truly did not know whether this Hundred Thousand Year old rabbit was genuinely foolish or simply naive to actually think money was hidden inside books.

Shi Quan reached out and took the book back from Xiao Wu's hands. "Money lies in the knowledge contained in books, not tucked between their pages."

Xiao Wu's expression stiffened, and she said indignantly, "You were fooling me?"

"I wasn't. You misunderstood it yourself," Shi Quan said calmly.

Xiao Wu glared fiercely at Shi Quan. "I'll remember you. What's your name?"

He already disliked being disturbed while reading. Hearing Xiao Wu say that made Shi Quan even less inclined to pay her any attention. He glanced at her, ignored her, and lowered his head to continue reading.

When Xiao Wu saw that Shi Quan was ignoring her, she gritted her teeth in anger. When had Sister Xiao Wu ever been ignored like this?

If this were not the Opening Ceremony, she would definitely teach this boy a proper lesson.

Shi Quan had no mind to spare for Xiao Wu beside him. He still had far too many things to do.

The ceremony proceeded steadily. Shi Quan was reading intently when he suddenly noticed that the voice from the stage seemed somewhat familiar. He looked up and discovered that the person speaking was actually the elder who guarded the Library.

The nameplate on the desk before him clearly read: Dean Marde.

"He's the dean?"

Shi Quan had not expected the dean to be guarding such a small Library.

"Dean Marde seemed to be friends with the master. It looks like the two shared an interest in Spirit Master theory?"

On second thought, Shi Quan recalled this crucial detail. Otherwise, why would the dean of an academy appear in a Library?

As Dean Marde's voice fell silent, the Opening Ceremony also drew to a close. With a call to dismiss, the entire Sports Field immediately became lively.

Picking up his books, Shi Quan hurried toward the academy's Back Gate. While touring the academy with his Parents yesterday, he had noticed a Small Hill outside the Back Gate. There were quite a few trees on it, and it was clearly rarely visited. There was also plenty of Blue Silver Grass on the hill. With few people around and half of a simulated environment, it was an excellent place for Shi Quan to cultivate either martial arts or Soul Power.

The Small Hill was not steep. After casually choosing a suitable patch of woods and making sure no one was nearby, Shi Quan found a somewhat spacious clearing in the forest and stopped, placing his books to one side.

With his upper body upright, Shi Quan sat cross-legged on the Blue Silver Grass in the Five Hearts Facing Heaven position. After calming his mind and steadying his breath, he quickly focused his Willpower on his Dantian and began cultivating.

Inner Force traveled along the Ren Meridian to the Shanzhong Acupoint. The heels of his palms pressed together, his palms pointed upward, and his fingers naturally spread apart. Then he raised his hands above his head. Following the upward motion with his Willpower, the Inner Force within his body entered through the Huiyin Acupoint as Mysterious Yin Force in a spiral.

It rose through the Central Meridian and spiraled out from the Baihui Acupoint atop his head. Then he turned his palms downward and pressed them toward his Dantian while exhaling. Following the downward motion of his hands with his Willpower, he drew Mysterious Yang Force in through the Baihui Acupoint in a spiral, then expelled it through the Huiyin Acupoint via the Central Meridian in a spiral. The two cycled endlessly.

This was the Nine Shadows Shift. It was merely the most basic Inner Strength Cultivation Method of the Nine Yin Shift. Since it was Shi Quan's first time practicing it, he could only familiarize himself with the circulation route. Later, he would need to practice it together with Footwork and Body Movement.

Shi Quan's goal today was to familiarize himself with the foundational circulation routes of five martial arts: the Internal Refinement Method of Muscle and Marrow Cleansing, the external training art Indestructible Divine Skill, the Light Body Technique Nine Shadows Shift, the force art Star Shift, and the mental martial art Gather Spirit Soul Control Art. This would lay the foundation for his future cultivation.

Shi Quan cultivated with such single-minded focus that when he finally noticed the time, the bright moon was already hanging high in the sky.

"Eating one full meal and then going hungry the next won't do my body any good..."

He had skipped dinner yesterday because of cultivation. Today was even worse—he had even forgotten to eat lunch.

Yet after a full day of arduous cultivation, Shi Quan's gains were considerable. In just one day, he had more or less entered the beginner stage of all five martial arts.

The reason Shi Quan cultivated so quickly and smoothly was not merely his own talent. The greater reason was the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Divine Art.

As everyone knew, Inner Strength Cultivation Methods formed the foundation of martial arts. As the strongest Inner Strength Cultivation Method among the True Scriptures, the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Divine Art was unimaginably difficult for ordinary people to cultivate. Even those with outstanding talent needed a certain stroke of fortune to have a chance of mastering it.

Yet Shi Quan had directly succeeded in cultivating the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Divine Art because of a trace of Yin Yang Qi within the True Scriptures. This was equivalent to building him a perfect and powerful foundation. Cultivating these martial arts was like building houses upon that foundation.

The better the foundation, the easier and faster it naturally was to build the house. But if the foundation was poor, not only would one need to worry over every step, the house might not even be built at all.

Furthermore, the contents of the True Scriptures had all been transmitted into Shi Quan's mind, making him a Martial Theory Master. Combined with the enhancement of his Spirit Soul, Shi Quan's Comprehension and Learning Ability far surpassed those of ordinary people. Naturally, cultivation came much more easily to him.

If he also entered the Spirit Enlightenment State, Shi Quan believed that cultivating martial arts would yield Twice the Result with Half the Effort.

Seeing that it was late, Shi Quan did not linger. He picked up the books beside him, and Inner Force surged within his body. His feet stepped sideways, yet despite it being only a sideways step, his entire figure shot forward.

This was the Nine Shadows Shift. However, judging from his movements, Shi Quan was clearly still somewhat stiff at first, and his rushing speed was not fast. But as time passed, his movements gradually became smoother and smoother, and his speed increased.

In just a short while, Shi Quan's figure appeared at the foot of the hill like a ghostly shadow.

"Awesome!"

Shi Quan let out a long breath. After rushing all the way down, he discovered that not only had the Inner Force in his body not been depleted in the slightest, but the Yin Yang Power was mutually generating itself. It flowed on without end, even showing signs of growing stronger and stronger. His entire body seemed filled with inexhaustible strength.

"As expected of the strongest cultivation art. This alone is beyond comparison with ordinary arts. At the same level, it's absolutely invincible. Even against someone above my level, I'd have the strength to fight!"

As his cultivation deepened, he gained an even clearer understanding of the True Scriptures' power.

Moreover, he had a feeling that the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Divine Art was far from as simple as it appeared on the surface. His Soul Power had not yet been fully converted into Inner Force, yet it had already produced such results. Once the interference from the Soul Power in his body was gone, he wondered whether his Inner Force would undergo other changes.

But judging from his current progress, converting all the Soul Power in his body into Inner Force would probably take about another month.

It was late at night, and there was no food left at the academy. Shi Quan could only return to the Dormitory hungry. Fortunately, Li Meili had bought him some snacks and put them in his cabinet when he arrived, enough to barely ease his hunger.

The Dormitory was much the same as it had been yesterday. After quietly eating something, Shi Quan tidied up briefly and climbed into bed to begin his usual cultivation.

Early the next morning, before anyone else in the Dormitory had gotten up, Shi Quan was already awake. He left the Dormitory alone.

Whether at an academy or in society, there were always a few exceptional people who walked alone—mysterious and elusive, with almost no dealings with those around them. Shi Quan was now one of those people. He had long grown used to it. After all, he had been like this back in Stone Family Village, not to mention that he was now constantly occupied with cultivation.