Shi Jian: What Is a Spirit Soul?

Knock, knock, knock!

Shi Quan hurried to the Clay Sculpture Room behind the courtyard. As he knocked on the door, he softly called inside, "Dad?"

Click, clack.

Before long, the sound of the internal lock being undone came from within. The door opened, revealing Shi Jian's tall figure.

"Come in." Shi Jian nodded.

Bang, click.

The sounds of the door closing and being locked again followed. To prevent others from disturbing him, the Clay Sculpture Room's door could be locked from the inside, making it impossible for anyone outside to enter easily.

Once the door was shut, the entire Clay Sculpture Room seemed somewhat dim.

There was only one window in the room, and it was set high up, making it difficult for ordinary people to see inside from outside. Moreover, Shi Jian's workstation for making clay sculptures was directly beneath the window. Even if someone looked in through it, they would not be able to see Shi Jian's movements.

"Come here, Xiao Quan."

There was an extra chair beside the spot where Shi Jian usually made clay sculptures. It appeared to have been specially prepared for Shi Quan.

Just as Shi Quan sat down, Shi Jian suddenly asked, "Xiao Quan, what do you think a Spirit Soul is to us?"

After a brief pause, Shi Quan slowly replied, "Doesn't the book say that Spirit Souls are a kind of inheritance from our bloodline?"

Shi Jian smiled. "That is indeed what the books say, but I don't see it that way."

"Dad, then what do you think a Spirit Soul is?" Shi Quan's curiosity was immediately piqued by Shi Jian's words.

"I think a Spirit Soul is a power that comes from within us. It may be related to bloodlines, but it certainly isn't just about bloodlines. After all, our ancestors couldn't possibly have been a lump of mud, right?"

They really might have been a lump of mud!

Shi Quan thought to himself. He had already experienced something as absurd as transmigration. In the myths of his previous life, hadn't humanity been created when Nüwa molded people from earth?

Though he thought so inwardly, Shi Quan naturally could not say it aloud. Instead, he asked, "What do you mean, Dad?"

Shi Jian continued unhurriedly, "In my view, a Spirit Soul is an expression of inner power. It is a part of our bodies. Even without soul power, it can still be controlled by our own willpower!"

Shi Jian's voice remained steady, but as his words fell, his entire figure seemed to become broader and taller.

Shi Quan's hand tightened around the chair. His eyes widened as he stared blankly at Shi Jian before him. For some reason, he felt as though Shi Jian had become a different person. There was not the slightest Spirit Power Fluctuation from him, yet he now gave off the solid, tranquil weight of the earth, making Shi Quan instinctively feel that he was utterly dependable.

"Did you feel it?" Shi Jian smiled, and he immediately returned to normal.

Shi Quan abruptly sprang to his feet and said indignantly, "Dad, and you still say you're not an expert?"

"Do not be arrogant or impatient." Shi Jian shook his head at Shi Quan, signaling for him to sit down, before continuing slowly, "Your dad is just an ordinary man. What I demonstrated just now was the inner power I spoke of—the power of a Spirit Soul. Release your Spirit Soul first."

"Alright!"

Shi Quan nodded. Perhaps influenced by Shi Jian, his restless heart calmed at once, and he became noticeably more composed. Soul power surged within him, and a faint blue glow appeared in his hand. In an instant, a small, glowing Blue Silver Grass appeared in his palm.

"Blue Silver Grass." Shi Jian looked at it, then said, "Xiao Quan, can you make the leaf on the left side of your Blue Silver Grass bend downward?"

"I'll try." Though Shi Quan did not understand Shi Jian's purpose, he readily attempted it. Yet the moment he tried, he understood the difficulty involved. Making the entire Blue Silver Grass bend was not hard, but trying to control a single leaf produced no response at all.

After repeated attempts, Shi Quan's brows had long furrowed deeply, yet he still could not do it.

"That's enough, Xiao Quan."

Shi Jian spoke at the right moment, then raised his right hand. An earth-yellow light gathered in his palm, forming a palm-sized lump of mud—the very Spirit Mud that was Shi Jian's Spirit Soul.

"Look."

As Shi Jian spoke, his entire focus sharpened. The next second, the mud in his hand began to move.

Under Shi Quan's stunned gaze, the lump of mud continuously transformed into all kinds of shapes: ovals, squares, rectangles. Not only that, the mud began changing in size and turning into more complicated objects. Tables and chairs of different sizes, pots, bowls, ladles, and basins all took shape in his hand within only a few breaths.

Yet this was not Shi Jian's limit. When the mud turned back into a lump, subtle changes began to appear.

Clay sculpture!

In less than a quarter of an hour, a lifelike clay sculpture of a small bird appeared in Shi Jian's hand. Throughout the entire process, Shi Jian had not moved at all. The mud Spirit Soul in his hand seemed to possess a consciousness of its own, directly transforming into the shape of a little bird.

Shi Quan, standing beside him, was so shocked by the sight that he did not know what to say.

As far as he knew, he had never heard of anyone controlling their Spirit Soul itself to such an intricate degree—especially without using soul power.

Shi Quan's throat felt dry. Only after a long while did he recover and ask, "Dad... how... how did you do that?!"

Shi Jian raised a hand and pointed to his heart. "This is the inner power I spoke of. In my view, a Spirit Soul is part of the body, an expression of our inner willpower. As long as we understand our own hearts and our inner power is firm enough, the Spirit Soul itself can be controlled by us and act according to our willpower."

"Dad, what should I do?"

Shi Quan's eyes lit up. He had never expected the secret behind Shi Jian's clay sculptures to be this.

To Shi Quan, Shi Jian's unique method of controlling a Spirit Soul was far more astonishing than the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Heart Separation Control.

It could completely be called Spirit Soul Control. Being able to control a Spirit Soul to perform any action without soul power might not matter much for Beast Spirit Souls or Weapon Spirit Souls, but for plant-type Spirit Souls and elemental Spirit Souls, learning Spirit Soul Control would absolutely be a qualitative leap in strength.

He did not know how Shi Jian had accomplished it, but he now understood why Shi Jian had been so cautious, always making clay sculptures alone.

If the secret that Shi Jian could control his Spirit Soul so freely were to spread, their family would never know peace again.

"Your Spirit Soul differs from mine, though all paths lead to the same destination. I can only teach you based on my own past insights. I'm not sure whether you'll be able to learn it."

Shi Jian clenched his right hand, and the clay bird in his palm turned solid before falling into his hand.

This was the special aspect of Shi Jian's Mutated Soil Spirit Soul. Ordinary Weapon Spirit Souls could only be used by their wielder after being summoned; once the spirit soul was withdrawn, the weapon would vanish with it. But Shi Jian's Mutated Soil Spirit Soul could create things like a Food Spirit Soul, turning them into real objects.

Because Shi Jian had no Soul Power, although his Soil Spirit Soul could materialize into physical matter, it was limited in quantity and could not create things endlessly.

Hearing Shi Jian's words, Shi Quan slowly recovered from his shock and smiled mysteriously. "Dad, I can definitely learn it, because..."

As he spoke, Shi Quan clenched his right hand. The Blue Silver Grass Spirit Soul vanished, and he raised his left hand. "...I have another spirit soul just like yours!"

"What?!" Even with Shi Jian's steady temperament, his face was filled with shock upon hearing Shi Quan's words. His eyes remained fixed on Shi Quan's raised left hand.

A faint earth-yellow glow surged from Shi Quan's left palm. The light gathered, and soon, a clump of soil similar to the one in Shi Jian's hand appeared in Shi Quan's palm.

"R-Really..." Shi Jian nearly instantly grabbed the hand Shi Quan was using to hold the soil. His thick, somewhat rough hand was extraordinarily reassuring.

"Dad, I haven't even had time to tell Mom this secret yet. You're the first person to know."

Shi Quan chuckled. His parents were people he trusted completely, so there was no need to hide the secret of his spirit souls from them.

"Twin Martial Souls. My son actually has Twin Martial Souls."

Because Shi Quan loved reading, Shi Jian and his wife would occasionally browse through his books when they had nothing to do. Thus, Shi Jian understood the concept of Twin Martial Souls and what they represented.

Shi Jian quickly calmed down. He firmly gripped Shi Quan's shoulders and stared straight into his eyes as he warned in a deep voice, "Xiao Quan, Twin Martial Souls are special. You must be careful—the secret of your Twin Martial Souls must never be exposed. The world of Soul Masters is far more dangerous than the world of ordinary people. When you possess something others do not, what it brings is often not praise and envy, but jealousy and suspicion. You must always conceal your talents, understand?"

Shi Quan replied seriously, "I understand, Dad. I definitely won't reveal anything about my Twin Martial Souls."

"Mm." Shi Jian nodded. "Since you have the same spirit soul as me, learning should be easier for you. Earlier, the village chief came by to discuss your enrollment at the Soul Master Academy with us. Our village has a free Work-Study Student spot, and the village chief has already applied for it for you. There are still over three months before the academy starts. You can't fall behind in your cultivation. For these three months, follow me in the afternoons to learn how to use your inner strength. You can cultivate on your own in the mornings, and rest at night when it's time to rest. Balance work and rest."

Shi Quan knew Shi Jian was referring to how he had cultivated last night. After making a quick plan in his mind, he said, "I can learn from you during the day. Actually, I didn't rest at all last night—I cultivated all night. I found that after cultivating, I don't feel tired at all. I think normal cultivation can replace rest."

"Cultivation can replace rest?" Shi Jian frowned slightly, his doubt tinged with concern.

"Mm. Don't worry, Dad. I'll be careful. If anything goes wrong, I'll tell you immediately. You don't need to worry."

"All right." Shi Jian looked seriously at Shi Quan, then sighed softly.

Shi Quan had been clever since childhood and had his own ideas about everything he did. Shi Jian and his wife both knew that. But no matter how smart Shi Quan was, he was still only a six-year-old child. How could they not worry about him?

After a few simple reminders, Shi Jian soon began his first day of instruction.

Shi Jian's method of teaching inner strength was quite unusual.

Playing with mud.

Of course, it was not aimless play. To put it plainly, it was clay sculpting.

After turning three, whenever Shi Quan grew tired of reading, he would occasionally go to Shi Jian to learn some simple clay sculpting techniques. He had long since built a solid foundation in the basics.

But this time, the clay sculpting differed from before. Throughout the entire process, Shi Jian continuously impressed one concept upon Shi Quan: cast aside all distracting thoughts and focus every bit of his mind and attention on the soil in his hands.

He had to immerse himself completely in shaping the soil's form, feeling the power of the soil and the natural sensation that arose during its creation.

It sounded simple, but was extremely difficult in practice.

People were easily affected by distracting thoughts around them. Completely immersing oneself in something was not so easy.

Sometimes, the mind worked that way—the more you tried not to think about something, the more it forced itself into your thoughts. It was impossible to control.

At first, Shi Quan could not meet Shi Jian's requirements at all. Even the faintest sound around him could easily distract him, preventing him from immersing himself. He became restless and impatient.

Fortunately, Shi Jian patiently guided Shi Quan from the side the entire time, never showing the slightest irritation. Even so, it took Shi Quan half a month to meet Shi Jian's initial requirement for the first time.

And he had only entered that state of immersion with the aid of his Spirit Soul.

This was something Shi Quan had discovered by accident. While possessed by the Spirit Soul, his senses and perception were greatly enhanced. More importantly, in that state, his thoughts and consciousness became far more agile than usual.

It was as though he had an extra brain helping him process things. What had once been a single-core processor had become dual-core; both his processing speed and effectiveness were far higher than normal.

Relying on the Spirit Soul's unique innate ability, Shi Quan had finally managed to meet Shi Jian's requirement once.

That feeling was extremely strange.

As he worked, Shi Quan's gaze was wholly fixed on the clump of soil in his hands. It was as if his entire being had immersed itself within it. His hands slowly shaped the soil without pause, and before long, the simplest clay bowl appeared in his hands.

Looking at the roughly finished clay bowl in his hands, Shi Quan had not even noticed time passing. During that brief process, he had only felt that his heart had become one with the clump of soil.

Using the power of focus to comprehend soil.

Shi Quan also understood Shi Jian's purpose.

By concentrating all of his will upon the clay sculpture, the process of sculpting became a kind of indirect comprehension. Through this process, he could clearly feel the soil's texture, grain, moisture, and so on.

The purpose of this process was likely to lay the foundation for later communicating with and understanding his spirit soul, thereby achieving greater control over it.