This Was What Cultivation Was!

Elsewhere, at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy dormitories.

After finishing their meal, Qin Ming began explaining the team's daily training routine to Yang Yunhai while they digested their food.

The contents were not complicated. Qin Ming finished quickly, and Yang Yunhai understood everything clearly.

Simply put, the mornings were for group training. This included practical activities like Physical Training, live spirit battles, and guidance, as well as theoretical lessons on Spirit Masters and Soul Beasts. The afternoons were personal time. Those wishing to strengthen their Martial Soul usage could train their Martial Souls, those wishing to improve their soul skill usage could practice soul skills, and those wishing to strengthen their bodies could train their bodies. If they had questions, they could seek Qin Ming's guidance and corrections.

At night, everyone returned to their rooms to cultivate Soul Power. This was an old tradition in the Spirit Master world.

Teaching according to aptitude, one-on-one guidance, with the actual execution dependent on personal initiative—this was Yang Yunhai's summary of Qin Ming's teaching philosophy.

As expected of someone who had come from Shrek Academy. He had been deeply influenced by it.

Unfortunately, in a place like Heaven Dou Royal Academy, this approach probably could not bring out the students' full potential. Yang Yunhai sighed inwardly.

The students at Heaven Dou Royal Academy lived far too comfortably. Most of their understanding of "training hard" stopped at running ten laps around the Training Ground until their legs ached, then spending a few hours cultivating Soul Power at night before waking up full of energy the next day.

That was when they were in a good mood and felt motivated to cultivate.

Without some degree of compulsion, relying solely on self-discipline meant that motivation, in his view, was like a period—it came when it wanted and left when it wanted.

With cultivation enthusiasm appearing and disappearing, and training intensity rising and falling, how good could the resulting training be?

Not to mention challenging one's limits or breaking through the limits of willpower and the body.

No wonder the Shrek Team had crushed them in Suotuo City despite being so far inferior in resources in the original story.

Ah, I should focus on myself first. Not to mention that I've only just joined the team and have no say yet, even if I did, I can't bring up my own training methods for now. Otherwise, once Qin Ming goes to Shrek, they might become Shrek's methods—or worse, Yu Xiaogang's methods. Helping the enemy before a match is a terrible idea. For now, I'll just train on my own.

In any case, the afternoons are freely arranged, which makes things convenient for me.

As he thought this, Qin Ming's voice sounded again. "All right, everyone, disperse."

As he spoke, he turned to Yu Feng. "Yu Feng, after the lunch break ends, take Xiao Hai and Zhu Qing around the academy's Simulated Environment so they can familiarize themselves with the place."

"Understood, Instructor Qin Ming." Yu Feng hurriedly nodded.

"Then we'll be troubling Senior Yu Feng." Yang Yunhai smiled.

"No problem." Yu Feng grinned cheerfully.

The group dispersed. Yang Yunhai returned to the third floor with Zhu Zhuqing and hurried down the corridor to their rooms.

"Zhu Qing, get some good rest." Yang Yunhai smiled as he spoke, then turned toward his own room and placed his hand on the doorknob.

"Yunhai." Zhu Zhuqing's clear voice suddenly came from behind him.

"What is it?" Yang Yunhai turned his head instinctively.

Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head slightly, her voice soft. "What happened that day was only an accident."

"However..." Her tone abruptly shifted, becoming even quieter. "If it hadn't been for you, I might have joined Shrek Academy by now. Maybe I would never have understood Elder Sister's feelings. I might even have become her accomplice in hurting her someday."

"So, thank you."

For some reason, Yang Yunhai immediately felt a weight lift from his chest. It was like receiving forgiveness after accidentally doing something wrong. A smile appeared on his face, and his tone relaxed somewhat. "Why be so polite? Hurry up and get some rest. We still have to check out the Simulated Environment this afternoon."

"Mm." Zhu Zhuqing pursed her lips and nodded slightly. Then she turned around unhurriedly, opened her door, and went inside.

Seeing this, Yang Yunhai opened his own door and entered as well.

Not long afterward, someone knocked on his door. When he opened it, he found Qin Ming standing outside. The Education Committee had sent someone to deliver their academy uniforms.

After thanking him and accepting it, Yang Yunhai returned to his room, sat on the bed, and closed his eyes to continue cultivating. Since his days at Notting Academy, he had spent most of his time cultivating and had never developed the habit of taking naps. Now, with his body's recovery ability, he needed them even less.

About half an hour later, he opened his eyes and entered the changing room to put on the academy uniform.

It made him look tall and elegant, and it did a fine job of highlighting a noble temperament. The only issue was that the white clothes clashed somewhat with his hair color.

Shaking his head, he walked out of his room and knocked on Zhu Zhuqing's door. Knock, knock, knock.

Soon, the door creaked open, revealing Zhu Zhuqing dressed in a white academy uniform.

The outfit was still a fitted, waist-cinching design. The front connected up to the neck, concealing her fair and lovely chest, while her delicate shoulders were slightly exposed on both sides and her arms were covered by gloves. Lower down, the split shorts hugged her hips and emphasized her curves. Beneath them were her shapely, slender legs wrapped in long stockings.

Without question, this uniform had been specially designed for Agility Attack System Spirit Masters.

As expected of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Even the academy uniforms had special designs based on different Martial Souls, Yang Yunhai thought inwardly.

"That uniform looks very good on you. It suits you well too," he said with a smile.

"Mm. The material is good, and it's quite comfortable." Zhu Zhuqing nodded, unusually talkative.

Was it because of their conversation outside the door earlier? Why did it feel like Zhu Zhuqing had opened up a little? Yang Yunhai was mildly surprised inwardly.

Yet he merely smiled. "Let's go. We should head downstairs."

The two soon arrived downstairs. Looking around, they found no one on the sofas aside from Qin Ming.

Sure enough, without compulsion and relying on self-discipline alone, they're bound to be somewhat lax, Yang Yunhai sighed inwardly.

Without thinking much about it, he walked over with Zhu Zhuqing. "Hello, Instructor Qin Ming." He greeted him and sat on a sofa.

About fifteen minutes later, the other team members gradually came downstairs.

After exchanging greetings, Yang Yunhai and Zhu Zhuqing left the dormitory under Yu Feng's lead.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy covered an enormous area and contained nearly a hundred different Simulated Environments, scattered throughout the grounds. Naturally, they could not visit every one of them, as that would waste far too much time. Thus, the fastest way was to state their requirements and let Yu Feng lead the way.

So, under Yu Feng's guidance, Zhu Zhuqing chose a small zoo that kept many feline animals roaming freely. Yang Yunhai's choice was much simpler. There was plenty of Blue Silver Grass in the Blue Silver Grass Forest, so he simply found a plant-related Simulated Environment nearby and entered it.

He walked to a patch of grass where Blue Silver Grass grew, sat down, and immediately summoned his Blue Silver Grass.

Next, I'll first familiarize myself with my Third Soul Skill. Then, once the academy's Education Committee helps me find a secluded spot in the forest and builds a place for cultivation, I can begin practicing Thunder Attribute attack techniques, along with an advanced application of Blue Silver Grass: Shapeshifting Weaving.

After that will come deeper Soul Power Shapeshifting.

As far as he was concerned, any soul skill—whether lightning or vines—was merely an external manifestation of Soul Power.

Thus, Blue Silver Grass could become vines, but it could also become the Blue Silver Overlord Spear, the Blue Silver Vine Dragon, Blue Silver Vine Armor, or even Blue Silver Wings. Naturally, it could also become Devouring Golden Threads that had separated from the form of vines.

And if that was the case, why could lightning not become a Thunder Beast?

He would begin with the basic forms of his existing soul skills, expand upon them, then trace them back to their origin and investigate them step by step.

He believed that one day, his soul skills would no longer be restricted by form. They would transform endlessly and move as he wished.

And in his eyes, this was what cultivation truly meant!

Hunting Soul Beasts, absorbing Spirit Rings, then using whatever soul skill one received—what the hell was that?

For Spirit Masters, wasn't Soul Power the true foundation? Even when he had read the original story, he had never been able to fully understand the Soul Power cultivation methods of Spirit Masters on the Douluo Continent.

It's time to let this world see what top-tier tricks look like! What true imagination and boundless creativity mean!

With that thought, he began activating his Third Soul Skill and releasing Parasitic Spores.

Mm, I can place them on teammates and control them to grow into Vine Armor for defense. I can also use teammates to get close to enemies, or wait for enemies to approach before launching a sudden attack. It would naturally be ideal if I could bind and restrain them, but even if I couldn't, I could still scare them back.

No matter what, I need to improve my control over the changes that occur after Parasitic Spores grow into Blue Silver Grass.

As he thought, he controlled the Parasitic Spores to drift onto his body and gradually injected Soul Power into them to stimulate their growth.

Time passed bit by bit. Gradually, vines wrapped around his body and formed a suit of distorted Vine Armor.

A while later, rip, rip.

Vines suddenly extended from the armor over his chest, back, and even his limbs, transforming into numerous tentacle-like tendrils that twisted and rose through the air, as though each possessed an independent mind.

From a distance, the sight was exceptionally unnerving.