Tang San had figured something out. Since Yi Yun had said he would teach him real skills once his physique improved, he would build up his physique first.
Whether it was Pole Vault or Radio Calisthenics, he would practice it as long as it made him stronger.
But he still had a knot in his heart, one that had taken root the day he awakened his martial soul: Blue Silver Grass.
Everyone mocked Tang San's Blue Silver Grass.
The students at Nuoding Academy laughed at his trash martial soul, the teachers thought he had no future, and even he felt he was a joke.
So what if he had innate full soul power? Blue Silver Grass was still Blue Silver Grass. What waves could a blade of grass possibly stir up?
But Tang San knew Blue Silver Grass wasn't simple.
In his previous life in the Tang Sect, turning the rotten into the miraculous had been his greatest strength.
He could work wonders with the very things others dismissed.
Over the past half month, Tang San had never abandoned his research into Blue Silver Grass between practicing Pole Vault and Radio Calisthenics.
He discovered that although Blue Silver Grass had little offensive power, it was extremely tough and conducted soul power exceptionally well.
If he could strengthen Blue Silver Grass with soul power, making it tougher and more flexible, perhaps it could become a unique control-type martial soul.
Today, Tang San felt his Blue Silver Grass cultivation had reached a bottleneck. It was time to test it on someone.
Who should he choose? Xiao Wu? No, he couldn't bring himself to attack her.
Zhu Zhuqing? No, he didn't know her well.
Ning Rongrong? No, she was Yi Yun's disciple.
That left only Yi Yun.
As usual, Yi Yun lay sunbathing on the grass, Xiao Wu lay beside him munching a carrot, Zhu Zhuqing cultivated beneath a tree, and Ning Rongrong practiced Standing Stake.
Tang San approached with his vaulting pole over his shoulder and stopped in front of Yi Yun.
Even with his eyes closed, Yi Yun could sense Tang San's arrival. "Little San? Finished your Radio Calisthenics today?"
"Yes."
"What about Pole Vault?"
"That too."
"Then what do you want?"
Tang San drew a deep breath. "I want to challenge you."
The back hill fell silent for a moment.
Xiao Wu nearly dropped her carrot again, Zhu Zhuqing opened her eyes, and Ning Rongrong stopped her Standing Stake. All three pairs of eyes turned toward Tang San.
"Challenge me?" Yi Yun opened his eyes, looked at Tang San, and smiled. "Didn't you challenge me last time? With just one finger..."
"This time is different," Tang San interrupted.
"How?"
"This time, I'm not competing with you in strength. I'm competing in technique."
Yi Yun's interest stirred. He sat up on the grass, crossed his legs, and rested his hands on his knees like a child listening to a story. "Oh? What technique?"
Tang San extended his right hand, palm upward, and activated his soul power.
A stalk of Blue Silver Grass grew from his palm, its emerald blades shimmering faintly in the sunlight.
"Blue Silver Grass," Tang San said.
"I know it's Blue Silver Grass. It's your martial soul."
"I'm going to tie you up with Blue Silver Grass."
Yi Yun raised an eyebrow. "Tie me up? You think a blade of grass can hold me?"
"Let's find out."
Yi Yun looked at Tang San's serious expression and smiled. "All right, go ahead. If you can hold me, you win. If you can't, I win."
"Fine."
Without wasting words, Tang San swept his right hand forward. Blue Silver Grass shot from his palm like a snake, instantly growing longer and thicker as it coiled toward Yi Yun.
The first strand of Blue Silver Grass wound around Yi Yun's right ankle, the second around his left ankle, and the third around his right wrist.
The fourth wrapped around his left wrist, the fifth around his waist, and the sixth around his neck.
Tang San produced more than a dozen strands of Blue Silver Grass in one go, wrapping Yi Yun tightly from head to toe and leaving only his face exposed.
The Blue Silver Grass kept tightening, each blade digging into Yi Yun's clothes until his entire body was bundled into a green rice dumpling.
The training ground fell silent. Xiao Wu's mouth opened wide, and the carrot slipped from her hand and rolled twice across the ground.
Zhu Zhuqing stood up, her feline pupils contracting slightly. Ning Rongrong stopped her Standing Stake, her eyes perfectly round.
Had Tang San succeeded? Had he really tied Yi Yun up?
Tang San himself froze. He hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. Yi Yun hadn't dodged or resisted at all. He had simply sat there and let the Blue Silver Grass wrap around him.
An ominous feeling suddenly rose in Tang San's heart. This had been too easy. With Yi Yun's strength, how could he possibly let Tang San tie him up so easily?
"Finished tying?" Yi Yun's voice emerged through the gaps in the Blue Silver Grass, as calm as if he were asking whether someone had finished eating.
Tang San watched him warily. "Yes."
"Then do you think you've restrained me?"
Tang San fell silent. He felt the Blue Silver Grass trembling faintly, not because he was exerting force, but because it was afraid.
The Blue Silver Grass was terrified of the dreadful strength inside Yi Yun. Although Yi Yun hadn't released any soul power at all, plants sensed danger far more keenly than humans. They were telling Tang San that this person was dangerous, extremely dangerous.
"What exactly are you trying to do?" Tang San's voice sounded a little dry.
"Nothing. I just wanted to see how your Blue Silver Grass training was coming along," Yi Yun said. "Not bad. It's tough enough, flexible enough, and conducts soul power very well. The only problem is..."
Yi Yun gave a gentle shudder. There was no ripple of soul power, no eruption of imposing force. His body merely trembled slightly.
More than a dozen strands of Blue Silver Grass snapped at once, breaking into dozens of pieces that slid off Yi Yun and scattered across the ground. The severed blades twitched faintly like little snakes chopped apart.
Tang San's face instantly paled. The Blue Silver Grass he had spent half a month cultivating, the Blue Silver Grass he had thought was tough enough, couldn't withstand even a gentle shudder from Yi Yun.
"It's too fragile." Yi Yun brushed the grass fragments off his clothes, stood up, and walked over to Tang San. "Your Blue Silver Grass has good toughness, good flexibility, and excellent soul power conductivity, but it lacks strength. It's too fragile. Against a strength-type opponent, one struggle will snap it."
Tang San lowered his head and stared at the scattered fragments of Blue Silver Grass on the ground, remaining silent for a long time.
"How can I make it stronger?" Tang San asked.
"Two ways. First, raise your soul power level. The stronger your soul power, the stronger your Blue Silver Grass. Second, add soul rings to your Blue Silver Grass. The older the soul rings, the higher the quality of your Blue Silver Grass."
Tang San nodded. He knew all of this.
"But," Yi Yun changed tack, "there's another way."
Tang San raised his head. "What way?"
Yi Yun smiled, a hint of the slyness Tang San knew so well in his expression. "Growing vegetables."
Tang San was speechless.
"Think about it. Blue Silver Grass is grass. What does grass need? Soil, water, sunlight, and nutrients. Right now, you're only using soul power to make Blue Silver Grass grow, but you haven't provided an environment for it to grow in. If you let Blue Silver Grass take root in the soil and absorb nutrients from the earth, its strength will at least double."
Tang San froze. He had never considered this approach.
In his previous life in the Tang Sect, he had studied hidden weapons, poisons, and lightness skills. He had never grown vegetables.
After transmigrating to the Douluo Continent, he had studied soul power, martial souls, and combat techniques, but still had never grown vegetables. The words "growing vegetables" were far removed from him.
But what Yi Yun said seemed to make sense. Blue Silver Grass was a plant, and plants needed soil. That was the most basic common knowledge.
"You mean... you want me to plant Blue Silver Grass in the ground?" Tang San asked doubtfully.
"Yes, but not in the ordinary way." Yi Yun crouched down, picked up a broken strand of Blue Silver Grass, and turned it in his hand. "You need to improve the soil with soul power, irrigate with soul power, and supply nutrients with soul power. Treat Blue Silver Grass like your child and nurture it carefully."
Tang San fell silent. Something felt wrong, but he couldn't put it into words.
"Are you sure you're not setting me up?" Tang San asked.
"When have I ever set you up?"
"You say that every time you set me up."
"So do you believe me or not?"
Tang San stared into Yi Yun's eyes for a long time before finally nodding. "I do."
"Then starting tomorrow, I'll teach you to grow vegetables."
"Aren't we growing Blue Silver Grass?"
"Growing vegetables is the foundation. If you can't even grow vegetables properly, how will you grow Blue Silver Grass?"
Tang San took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Fine. I'll learn."
He was used to it by now. He had practiced Pole Vault and done Radio Calisthenics. What was growing vegetables? He had nothing left to lose anyway.
Xiao Wu had witnessed the entire process, from Tang San tying Yi Yun up with Blue Silver Grass, to Yi Yun shattering it with a gentle shudder, to Yi Yun suggesting that Tang San learn to grow vegetables.
"Brother Yun is going to set Tang San up again," Xiao Wu whispered.
"I don't think this counts as setting him up," Zhu Zhuqing said, speaking up for once. "Growing vegetables really can train soul power control."
"You're taking Brother Yun's side too?"
"I'm merely analyzing it objectively."
Xiao Wu pursed her lips. She didn't believe any of that talk about objective analysis. Zhu Zhuqing had clearly been brainwashed by Yi Yun.
Ning Rongrong skipped over and tugged Yi Yun's sleeve. "Handsome Master, I want to learn to grow vegetables too!"
"Why would you learn to grow vegetables? Just practice your Standing Stake properly."
"But I want to grow them too!"
"You've never even grown flowers. What vegetables could you grow?"
"I can learn!"
Yi Yun sighed helplessly. He had discovered that Ning Rongrong wanted to learn everything and have a hand in everything.
"Fine, fine. Learn if you want, but growing vegetables is much more tiring than Standing Stake. Don't start complaining about the hardship later."
"I won't complain!" Ning Rongrong puffed out her chest, as proud as a little rooster.
The next day, Yi Yun marked out a plot beside the training ground, roughly two zhang on each side. The soil was hard and covered with weeds.
Tang San and Ning Rongrong stood at the edge of the plot, each holding a hoe, and stared at each other.
"Turn the soil first." Yi Yun sat on the grass nearby with one leg crossed over the other, looking like an overseer.
Tang San raised his hoe and turned the soil, stroke by stroke.
Ning Rongrong followed suit, but the hoe was so heavy that she was panting with exhaustion after only a few swings.
"Handsome Master, I'm so tired..." Ning Rongrong wheedled.
"That's how it should be. You can only improve when you're tired."
Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth and continued swinging her hoe.
Tang San turned the soil silently, without a word.
His movements were precise. Every stroke reached the same depth, and the clods he turned over were uniform in size.
Watching Tang San work, Yi Yun nodded inwardly. This boy took everything seriously. Even turning the soil, he was meticulous.
Once they finished turning the soil, Yi Yun brought out some seeds.
They weren't ordinary vegetable seeds, but spirit plant seeds he had found in the Star Dou Great Forest. They contained soul power, and the vegetables they produced would aid cultivation.
"Sow the seeds. Three in each hole, half a chi apart," Yi Yun instructed.
Tang San crouched down, placed the seeds in the holes one by one, and covered them with soil.
Ning Rongrong crouched down too, but she fumbled as she sowed, scattering either too many seeds or too few.
"Handsome Master, this is so hard..."
"That's how it should be. If it weren't hard, why would I have you learn it?"
Ning Rongrong puffed out her cheeks and kept sowing.
After sowing the seeds, Tang San and Ning Rongrong carried water to irrigate the plot.
They carried bucket after bucket from the well to the field, making more than a dozen trips back and forth.
Ning Rongrong's legs went weak from all the running. Tang San was tired too, but he didn't make a sound.
"All right, today's task is complete." Yi Yun clapped his hands. "From now on, water it once every morning and evening, weed it, and fertilize it. You'll be able to harvest in half a month."
Tang San wiped the sweat from his face. Looking at the freshly planted plot, he suddenly felt something strange.
It was different from what he felt when he mastered a new hidden weapon. Mastering a new hidden weapon brought excitement and accomplishment, while growing vegetables brought peace and a sense of solidity.
"Brother Yun," Tang San suddenly said.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
Yi Yun paused. "What are you thanking me for?"
"Thank you for teaching me to grow vegetables," Tang San said earnestly.
Yi Yun looked at Tang San for a few seconds, then smiled. "You're welcome, but don't thank me too soon. After planting, you still have to learn fertilizing, pest control, grafting, seed breeding..."
Tang San's face darkened again. "Just how many things are you going to teach me?"
"Plenty. Enough to keep you learning for a lifetime."
Tang San drew a deep breath and shouldered his hoe. "Fine. I'll learn."
At dusk, Tang San stood alone beside the newly planted vegetable plot, looking at the seedlings that had just sprouted.
The seedlings were a tender green, swaying gently in the evening breeze like newborn babies.
Tang San crouched down and reached out to gently touch one of the seedlings. The corners of his mouth lifted without his realizing it.
He suddenly felt that growing vegetables might not be so embarrassing after all. At least it was better than Radio Calisthenics.
"Tang San." A voice came from behind him.
Tang San turned and saw Xiao Wu standing behind him with a carrot in her hand.
"Xiao Wu?"
"Are you still angry with Brother Yun?" Xiao Wu asked.
Tang San shook his head. "Not anymore."
"Why?"
"Because I've figured it out." Tang San stood up and looked at the distant sunset. "Brother Yun likes setting me up, but he's never harmed me. Everything he's given me has its use. The vaulting pole, Radio Calisthenics, growing vegetables-they're all helping me become stronger."
Xiao Wu looked at Tang San, a trace of complicated emotion flashing through her eyes.
She had rejected this person, and Yi Yun had set him up countless times, yet he had never blamed heaven or others. He simply endured in silence, worked hard in silence, and grew stronger in silence.
"Tang San, you're a good person," Xiao Wu said.
Tang San gave a bitter smile. "What good is being a good person? A good person still can't beat Yi Yun."
"So you can't beat him. Who could beat a monster like Brother Yun anyway?"
The two exchanged a glance and both laughed.
Xiao Wu broke the carrot in half and offered one half to Tang San. "Want some?"
Tang San looked at the half carrot, took it, and bit into it. It was crunchy and sweet, and tasted pretty good.
"Is it good?" Xiao Wu asked.
"It is."
"Then you can grow your own from now on. Didn't Brother Yun teach you how to grow vegetables? You can grow carrots."
Tang San paused, then smiled. "All right."
Before you continue