Chapter 3: The Human Heart
Slowly, Shi Yi drifted off to sleep, and when he woke again, it was already sunset.
Shi Yi gazed out the window at the setting sun, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. If possible, he'd sleep right through until the next day. He yawned, still twitching from sleep.
Coming to his senses, Shi Yi cast his gaze upon the table beside him, only to discover that Xiao Yi had disappeared.
"Could it be that his soul power was insufficient and it automatically returned to its body?" Shi Yi wondered, and with a thought, he summoned Xiao Yi again.
However, Xiao Yi didn't appear in his palm, evidently still in the outer world. Slowly getting out of bed, Shi Yi's room was small, and after a quick glance, he found no trace of Xiao Yi.
"Xiao Yi probably couldn't have gotten very far. My strength wouldn't allow it to travel very far."
Just as Shi Yi was about to continue his search, a strange feeling washed over him, a feeling that seemed to tug at his soul.
"Is this... Little Yi's call?"
Following this faint pull, Shi Yi opened the door and saw Little Yi gnawing on the corpse of an ordinary ant not far away.
Shi Yi watched this scene thoughtfully. Clearly, compared to rice porridge, cannibalism was the fastest evolutionary process. He didn't see anything wrong with it. Survival of the fittest—this was something he'd learned long ago.
Different lives have different values, and being a part of nature's food chain is the meaning and value of their existence.
"I hope Little Yi and I will have better luck." Shi Yi sat quietly on the doorstep, watching Little Yi enjoy his meal.
Night fell, and Shi Yi, now unsure of cultivation, could only retire early. In this world, there wasn't much entertainment. Fortunately, this world was free of industrial pollution. The clear starry sky at night was Shi Yi's only entertainment. For a soul master, night was often a time for cultivation.
After an indeterminate amount of time had passed, Shi Yi yawned and rolled over in his bed, suppressing his excitement and anticipation as he drifted off to sleep.
The next day, the first rays of sunlight barely penetrated the night sky, and the village was still shrouded in a light mist. The crowing of roosters broke the night's stillness, heralding the start of a new day.
Shi Yi had risen early. He usually did a little exercise in the village at this time. While he wasn't sure if it would help his cultivation, it certainly wasn't a bad thing to be healthy. Of course, the intensity of his workouts wasn't high: just some casual running, some Ba Duan Jin exercises, and some chores for the villagers.
He understood the principle that too much is as bad as too little. Even in this fantasy world, Shi Yi believed many fundamental principles remained unchanged. How could a child still in his formative years endure such intense training?
The law of conservation of energy still applies in this world. Physical growth requires energy. Shi Yi, who had studied fitness in his previous life, understood how physical strength increases. Proper, long-term exercise thickens muscle fibers, leading to larger muscles. This also improves the body's ability to control them, ultimately increasing strength.
All of this requires energy. Constant, diligent exercise during growth may yield some impressive physical improvements, but many areas of the body will inevitably remain underdeveloped. The most immediate problem is lack of height.
Even when Yu Xiaogang ordered the Shrek men to run, he understood the importance of careful attention to their diet and prepared medicinal baths. By then, Tang San had reached twelve years old and possessed three spirit rings.
Shi Yi recognized this age for physical training. Having read the original novel, he understood that absorbing spirit rings not only fostered growth in a spirit master's martial spirit, but also accelerated their development. This was why children in this world seemed so precocious.
He cleaned his room, tied his bag around his body, and stood at the doorway, quietly observing everything within. Perhaps he wouldn't return to this place for a long time.
It wasn't that he was heartless, but rather that he knew exactly what path he was taking. On the path of a soul master's cultivation, struggle never ceases, and Shi Yi didn't want anyone to die because of him.
After watching quietly for a while, Shi Yi put away Xiao Yi and headed towards the village entrance.
Soon, Shi Yi saw the village uncles and uncles pulling their goods to the village entrance and loading them onto donkey carts.
"Xiao Yi, you're here," Shi Yi saw a middle-aged man greeting him.
"Uncle Wang, good morning," Shi Yi nodded in response.
"Congratulations, Xiao Yi. The village chief has given me a heads-up. Once Uncle Wang finishes loading their goods, we can set off."
"Thank you, Uncle Wang," Shi Yi smiled at the middle-aged man.
After a brief greeting, Shi Yi stopped talking and took the initiative to walk to a corner, quietly watching them load the carts, trying to make his presence felt as little as possible.
Having navigated society for so many years in his previous life, Shi Yi knew full well that proactively greeting these uncles and aunts at this moment wasn't a good idea. Greeting them and working with them would only lead to the misconception that you were showing off your awakened soul power, thus satisfying your own sense of superiority.
This was how jealousy arose. It wasn't that Shi Yi harbored any resentment towards the villagers; it was simply how human nature was. He understood that not everyone would be happy for him.
None of their children had awakened their soul powers, so why should an orphan awaken his own soul power and change their fate?
In the six years since he arrived in this world, there had been no shortage of people seeking a sense of superiority in Shi Yi, an orphan. Although they were just children, Shi Yi didn't take them seriously, but they often reflected their parents.
Silence and impoliteness were particularly appropriate at this moment. Giving them a chance to whisper, or even curse, could help soothe their inner imbalance.
After doing a lot of good, sometimes you need to be a bit of a bad person, too. A balance of firmness and flexibility, a balance of tension and relaxation, is the key to living in the world.
Soon, the villagers' belongings were loaded onto donkey carts. Since it was spring plowing season, everyone needed to exchange their produce for new seeds, so there wasn't as many people going to the market as usual. Shi Yi also boarded the donkey cart and followed the middle-aged man out of the village.
As the middle-aged man left with Shi Yi, the villagers immediately erupted in discontent.
"I never thought that kid could become a spirit master."
"At least the village still gives him food, and he acts like a polite child on weekdays. But today he left without even saying goodbye."
"He's a spirit master now, how can he look down on us peasants?"
"What nonsense... That kid is usually more sensible than your own children. How could he be that way?"
"I think you're just jealous of him because he's awakened his spirit power."
"That's right. I saw your kids calling him a wild kid earlier."
The person being retorted was speechless.
Yuehua City was not far from Hetan Village, and the two arrived in less than half an hour. After following the middle-aged man into the city, Shi Yi parted ways with him.
Shi Yi did not go to the Yuehua Junior Spirit Master Academy, but instead inquired about the location of a carriage shop within Yuehua City.
In this world, the primary means of transportation was still by horse-drawn carriage. Upon arriving at the carriage shop, Shi Yi quickly spent the five silver coins Li Yi had hidden in a package and rented a carriage to Notting City.
Shi Yi wasn't sure if this was a bargain. There was nowhere to spend money in the village, and the purchasing power of money in this world was not well described in the original novel. Shi Yi didn't intend to dwell on such trivial matters. Soon, the driver and Shi Yi set off.
On the way, Shi Yi sat in the carriage and summoned Xiao Yi. Now that he had embarked on the path of a spirit master, he had much to accomplish.
Considering the direction of his spirit's development was a crucial and long-term issue.
Hard work is important, but without the right direction, it's wasted. Isn't Yu Xiaogang a prime example of this?
If Shi Yi possesses a golden finger, it's his familiarity with the plot and modern scientific knowledge.
In his previous life, Shi Yi was a manager in charge of the data department of a listed company, collecting and analyzing data, and evaluating reasonable solutions for the company. Shi Yi believes that his modern abilities and insights will surely bring incredible charm to this world.
Now, it's up to Shi Yi to formulate a development plan that aligns with his spirit.
Shi Yi quietly observed Xiao Yi, mentally analyzing Xiao Yi's potential as a spirit. He took out a piece of paper and drew a hexagram.
Living Beast Spirit: Xiao Yi. (Score 1-5)
Bloodline: 0 points.
In the world of beast spirits, bloodline power is a crucial factor in combat. The Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex is known as the world's number one beast spirit because of its powerful dragon bloodline, which can suppress most beast spirits, while Xiao Yi is practically at the bottom of the food chain.
Strength: 3 points.
Strength is one of the few things an ant can boast about, but for a living beast spirit, size and bloodline are crucial factors influencing its strength.
Defense: 0 points.
For a small ant whose bloodline hasn't improved at all, its defense is nearly zero; even an ordinary person could crush it. It's best not to summon it in crowded areas.
Speed: 0 points.
...
Energy: 0 points.
No special attributes.
Special: 3 points.
Poison. Highly sensitive antennae can develop into sensing. With the improvement of bloodline and the improvement of spirit master cultivation, it might be possible to communicate with its own kind and become the king of the ant world.
Shi Yi looked at the hexagram he had drawn. He thought this diagram was quite good for a first-level innate spirit master, at least not completely useless. Clearly, the most important thing for a beast spirit is its bloodline.
A beast spirit with a strong bloodline not only suppresses its opponents, but its abilities are also greatly influenced by its bloodline. This isn't just for beast spirit masters; spirit beasts with special abilities also possess powerful bloodlines.
With a powerful bloodline, simple three-dimensional attributes like strength, speed, and defense would all see significant increases. Therefore, Shi Yi believed that these three dimensions were the least important of the six, as they would grow with the spirit's development. This was also the advantage of Little Yi as a living spirit, and Shi Yi was confident in his spirit's growth.
Shi Yi actually valued the vast ant community more. If possible, Shi Yi would make Little Yi the king of the ant world. Like Tang San's mother, the Blue Silver Emperor, ants were a common sight across the Douluo Continent.
Shi Yi drew another diagram on the paper, but this time it wasn't a hexagram, but a quadrilateral: body, spirit power, mental strength, and Little Yi.
These were the four most important factors influencing him. Shi Yi knew that no ability could escape these four factors. In other words, with these four factors in place, there was no ability unattainable.
His flaws were obvious. His body was clearly at the level of a normal child, but his mental strength surpassed that of an average child, perhaps due to the advantages of having lived two lives. Shi Yi could clearly sense that his memories of his past life were incredibly clear, but his soul power and martial spirit were far too weak.
"It seems I need to get confirmation of the timeline from Notting City before I can plan my future. Right now, I don't even have the most basic meditation techniques, so many things are just wishful thinking."
With this thought, Shi Yi put away the paper he had been writing on and began to gently play with a small ant. Looking out the car window, anticipation welled up in his heart.
Two days later, Shi Yi lifted the curtain and looked up at the Notting City plaque on the distant city wall. A wave of excitement welled up in his heart.
"I hope this trip wasn't in vain."
If the protagonist's storyline hadn't begun yet, he would have been able to participate in many things, and his journey as a soul master would have been much smoother.
As the carriage entered the city, Shi Yi slowly disembarked, dark circles under his eyes. Young and needing sleep, the journey was tiresome, so he had no choice but to sleep. However, the roads on Douluo Continent weren't great, and even the carriage was bumpy. Shi Yi was constantly drifting between sleep and wakefulness.
"With this traffic, no wonder a carriage ride is so expensive! I'd feel bad for the driver if I didn't give him five silver coins."
For the past two days, except for the nights, the driver had been diligently working during the day. Not to mention that the roads on Douluo Continent were nothing like those in his previous life, even in his previous life, when Shi Yi was on a business trip to a nearby city, he wouldn't have driven himself, but would have taken public transportation.
Shi Yi casually asked around and soon arrived at the Notting City Junior Soul Master Academy. As he approached the gate, he was stopped by a young gatekeeper. Seeing the young man's aggressive demeanor, Shi Yi felt a wave of frustration. It's true that it's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with the little devils.
Seeing this, Shi Yi had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk forward.
(End of Chapter)