And You, My Friend, Are the True Genius!

Bi Ji took a deep breath and was just about to say something.

Just then, Bai Yushan slapped Na'er on the back of the head again.

Smack.

It wasn't hard, but it was loud.

Na'er pitched forward, her spoon fell onto the table, and porridge splashed out.

"Stop fucking sniveling," Bai Yushan said, his voice muffled by the fried egg still in his mouth. "I'm this strong entirely thanks to my talent and hard work!"

As he spoke, Bai Yushan reached out and roughly ruffled Na'er's hair.

His large hand scrubbed hard through her short silver hair twice, making her already messy hair even messier, like a bird's nest overturned by the wind.

Na'er's body swayed from side to side under his rubbing, her amethyst eyes wide.

Bai Yushan continued, "If you want to get stronger, what matters most is actually talent! Hard work comes after that! Without talent, what the hell good is hard work?"

He let go and looked straight into Na'er's eyes.

"And you, my friend, are the true genius!"

Na'er froze.

Her amethyst eyes widened even further.

This wasn't groundless, nor was Bai Yushan flattering her for money.

Through the enhancement brought by electric current push, Bai Yushan could sense just how immense the reserves within Na'er beside him were.

His Martial Soul was bioelectricity. When the current coursed through his body, it sensed the life energy around him like radar. Everyone's body emitted faint life signals, differing in strength and frequency.

The signal an ordinary person emitted was like a little light bulb, weak and dim, liable to go out at any moment. An average Soul Master's signal was like a desk lamp, a little brighter, but only to a limited extent.

But Na'er was different.

What Bai Yushan's current sensed was a massive mass of light, like a lighthouse, like a sun, like a fiercely blazing flame. An unimaginably vast power lay within her, lurking deep in her flesh and blood like a sleeping behemoth that might awaken at any moment.

Like a mighty dragon!

The first time Bai Yushan sensed it, he almost thought his senses were mistaken. How could a six-year-old girl have such enormous power hidden inside her? Even Bi Ji, who seemed to be at the Soul Douluo level, was nowhere near her in the strength of her life signal!

But his senses wouldn't lie.

The current's magnetic field wouldn't lie.

This little girl was definitely no ordinary child.

Na'er was stunned by Bai Yushan's words, her face full of an expression that said, "I don't understand, but I'm deeply impressed."

Bi Ji froze too.

She looked at Bai Yushan, a trace of surprise flashing through her eyes.

This child could sense my lord's talent? A little fellow with innate level-three Soul Power could sense the Silver Dragon King's presence?

Bi Ji recalled what Bai Yushan had said: I'm this strong entirely thanks to my talent and hard work.

Talent...

Just what was his talent?

Bi Ji looked into Bai Yushan's eyes. There were no lies or flattery in them, only honesty and earnestness. He was stating something he was certain of.

Na'er finally came back to her senses and asked quietly, "Big Brother, do I really have talent?"

Bai Yushan rolled his eyes.

"Would I get paid for lying to you?"

Na'er thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"Then there you go." Bai Yushan picked up a soup dumpling and stuffed it into his mouth. "If I say you've got talent, you've got talent. Stop asking so many questions and eat."

A smile finally appeared on Na'er's face.

She picked up her spoon and began eating her plain rice porridge, taking small mouthfuls but eating very earnestly.

Watching this, Bi Ji's lips curved upward slightly.

One of these two children was wild and crazy, and the other was silly and simple, but together, they made quite a fitting pair.

She picked up her chopsticks and placed a fried egg in Bai Yushan's bowl.

"Eat slowly. No one's going to fight you for it."

Bai Yushan grunted in acknowledgment and kept his head down, wolfing down his food.

After breakfast, Bai Yushan was ready to head to Red Mountain Academy.

He jumped down from his chair, slung his schoolbag over his shoulder, and strode toward the door.

Na'er immediately followed him, her little hand clutching his sleeve.

"Where are you going, Big Brother?"

"School," Bai Yushan said without looking back. "Stay home. Don't follow me."

Na'er shook her head and tightened her grip.

"Na'er wants to go too!"

Bai Yushan stopped and turned to look at her.

"What would you go for? You haven't enrolled. You can't get in."

Na'er's eyes reddened, a veil of tears clouding her amethyst eyes. Her lips puckered, and she looked ready to cry again.

Bai Yushan felt a headache coming on. "All right, all right, I'll come straight home as soon as school's over, okay?"

Na'er immediately smiled, holding back her tears before they could fall. Her expression changed faster than turning a page.

Bi Ji stood in the dining room doorway, watching this, and shook her head helplessly.

Bai Yushan first stopped by Aolai City's public security office on the way to let them know he was safe, then began his day's classes.

Red Mountain Academy wasn't large, and it didn't have many students. What a junior Soul Master Academy taught was all very basic: reading and writing, arithmetic, history, all the most elementary things. Bai Yushan wasn't very interested in these classes. He had long since learned what he ought to learn, and couldn't be bothered to learn what he ought not to.

He forced himself to listen for a while during the morning classes, then lay his head on his desk and fell asleep.

In the afternoon, Bai Yushan went to the headmaster's office.

Chen Qingquan wasn't there, and the office was empty. Bai Yushan didn't mind. He found a corner to sit in, closed his eyes, and began meditating.

Increasing Soul Power required meditation. This was something every Soul Master knew. Bai Yushan's Soul Power was only level three, putting him among the most ordinary of all Soul Masters. But he wasn't in a hurry. He could cultivate his Soul Power slowly; first, he would train his body well.

After meditating for an hour, Bai Yushan opened his eyes, walked to the window, and looked out at the field.

Under the blazing sun, there wasn't a soul on the field.

Bai Yushan's lips spread into a crazed grin.

He ran downstairs, charged onto the field, and began his hellish training.

Freestanding handstand push-ups.

His body was upside down, his feet away from the wall, with only his hands planted on the ground. His body hung in the air without any support, relying entirely on his arm strength to maintain balance. Current danced over his body, blue-white arcs crackling. He performed the push-ups one after another, every bend of his arms straining his muscles to their limit, every upward push sending sweat flying.

Thirty, forty, fifty...

Jumping single-leg squats.

He raised one leg, supporting his body with only the other, squatted down, then sprang up forcefully. The instant he landed, his knee bent to absorb the impact, and then he jumped again. Current coiled around his legs like blue-white snakes. Fifty on the left leg, fifty on the right. When he finished, his legs were shaking, but he didn't stop.

Nonstop devil's circuit sets.

The moment he finished his handstand push-ups, he switched to squats; the moment he finished his squats, he switched to pull-ups; the moment he finished his pull-ups, he switched to sit-ups. One after another, without any pause between them. His breathing grew heavier and heavier, and sweat dripped down like rain, but his movements maintained their rhythm throughout, without losing form or slowing down.

Single-arm static holds.

He braced one hand against the ground, keeping his body in a straight line, his other hand behind his back. Current danced wildly over his arm, stimulating every muscle fiber. His arm trembled, its veins bulging, but he gritted his teeth and held on for a minute before switching to the other hand.