Chapter 4: Become a Disciple
Shi Yi arrived at the gate. Carved into the rock at the center of the archway were the four large characters "Notting Academy. " Through the cracks in the iron bars, he could see a wide, winding path within, flanked by greenery.
In the distance, he could see several exquisite rooftops. A young man looked Shi Yi up and down, his words bluntly pronounced, "Stop, kid! Where are you from? Go play somewhere else! This is the Spirit Master Academy. You've disturbed the Spirit Masters, and I can't help you."
Shi Yi could only force a smile and say, "Big brother, I'm from the village. The Spirit Hall said I've awakened my spirit power and sent me here to study. This is the certificate they issued me."
Shi Yi then handed over the Spirit Master certificate hidden within a package.
The young man's expression softened at Shi Yi's slightly flattering tone. He took the certificate with a suspicious look, then examined it, confirming it was from the Spirit Hall, albeit one issued by the Yuehua City Spirit Hall.
"Why don't you go to the Yuehua City Junior Spirit Master Academy?" the young man asked, sizing Shi Yi up.
"I... I came to Notting City to stay with my relatives, so I didn't study in Yuehua City," Shi Yi said to the young man, feigning timidity and stammering.
Seeing Shi Yi's expression, perhaps sensing he couldn't get much out of him, the young man casually handed his certificate back to Shi Yi and said, "Go in. Once you're inside, find the registration office and register."
Shi Yi breathed a sigh of relief and said casually, "Thank you, big brother."
With that, Shi Yi slowly entered the academy. He had wanted to ask the young man about Yu Xiaogang's situation, but the young man was clearly not the type to talk to; arousing suspicion would only lead to further trouble.
"Never mind, since we're here, let's learn meditation first. Even if Yu Xiaogang isn't here, this junior academy won't be in vain," Shi Yi thought to himself.
Soon, after asking around, Shi Yi arrived at the registration office. After a simple registration, Shi Yi became a member of the Notting Junior Soul Master Academy and was assigned to Dormitory 7.
After some research, they discovered that only a few part-time students came each year. Dormitories one through six were for regular students, with Dormitory seven being the only dormitory reserved for part-time students.
While registering, Shi Yi glanced at the report list in the teacher's hand, but didn't see Tang San's name.
"Could it be that I'm older than Tang San?"
Shi Yi pondered, still unsure. If Yu Xiaogang was still here, it meant he'd arrived too early. The worst-case scenario was that Yu Xiaogang wasn't here, and he was already in the middle of the original storyline.
"Kid, what's wrong? Is there anything else?" The report teacher asked, puzzled, noticing Shi Yi hadn't left.
Shi Yi smiled slightly, shook his head, and bowed slightly to the teacher. "Nothing, thank you."
With that, Shi Yi slowly departed.
Watching Shi Yi's departure, the teacher's eyes flickered with surprise. Looking at Shi Yi's name on the list, he nodded slightly.
"Work-study student, quite a polite child." Shi Yi strolled through the academy, not deliberately seeking information about Yu Xiaogang. If Yu Xiaogang was indeed there, he wouldn't be able to escape. If he wasn't, Shi Yi could accept the outcome calmly. He knew that his presence here was, at most, a chance to try his luck.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Shi Yi stumbled upon the Notting Academy library. He was deeply interested in soul master knowledge, having never practiced cultivation.
Like the university of his previous life, the library here required a student ID, and Shi Yi, using the one he had just registered, successfully entered.
Entering slowly, he discovered the library wasn't large, with few books, and even fewer readers. Clearly, the theoretical knowledge of martial spirits presented a significant barrier to entry.
Martial spirits often represent powerful military strength. Those who achieve theoretical success in martial spirits are undoubtedly formidable. Successful theories developed or summarized in-house are naturally not made public. This is similar to the Haotian Sect's secret techniques, which can generally be considered the fruits of martial spirit research.
For those lacking talent, studying martial spirits is like a third-grade student claiming to pursue scientific research. Yu Xiaogang is a prime example.
How can someone appreciate the scenery from a mountaintop without having climbed to the top?
The library's books aren't even categorized, and given the sheer volume, there's no need for such categorization. There are only three rows of bookshelves, and there aren't many books on martial spirit theory. Most of them are illustrated guides to spirit beasts, and those are low-level ones at that.
Shi Yi searched the shelves for the few books he needed, searching for the basic meditation method he was looking for.
Suddenly, a few familiar characters caught his eye, and Shi Yi couldn't help but smile.
He picked up "The Ten Core Competencies of the Martial Spirit," flipped through them, smiled, and shook his head, before returning it to its place.
"Kid, what do you think of this book?" A slightly hoarse voice suddenly echoed in Shi Yi's ears.
Startled, Shi Yi looked towards the source of the voice. A man with short, buzzed hair was looking at him, his hands clasped behind his back. He looked very imposing, his expression filled with decadence and melancholy, but Shi Yi could see a hint of pride beneath that decadence and melancholy.
Shi Yi asked uncertainly, "Who are you?"
"I am the author of that book," Yu Xiaogang said calmly, looking at Shi Yi.
Shi Yi's heart skipped a beat at the words, a flicker of excitement in his young eyes. Sure enough, his trip hadn't been in vain. Even though Tang San wasn't his age, he could still wait and see at Notting Academy.
Seeing the growing doubt in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, Shi Yi, coming to his senses, quickly shook his head and said, "No... no opinion."
Even if Shi Yi had an opinion, he wouldn't say it. The fact that a child from a small mountain village could criticize his seemingly flawless theory was itself a matter of suspicion.
"Oh?" Yu Xiaogang looked at the child before him, a glint in his eyes. Although he doubted a child could have any opinion on his theories, everything Shi Yi had just shown him told him that Shi Yi must have his own.
"Can you tell me if there are any books on meditation here?" Shi Yi quickly changed the subject.
Yu Xiaogang glanced at Shi Yi's bundle and whispered, "Second row, third book. If you can tell me what you think, I can teach you meditation myself."
Shi Yi's face froze at this, clearly his trick of changing the subject wasn't enough to fool Yu Xiaogang.
"This old fellow, while not particularly learned, is incredibly good at reading people's expressions. No wonder he was able to trick Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong," Shi Yi thought to himself.
In interpersonal relationships, understanding someone's inner thoughts often allows one to cater to their needs. Wasn't that how Tang San became his apprentice?
Shi Yi feigned hesitation, nodded slightly, and said timidly, "Okay, Senior, I'm only sharing my own opinion. It doesn't guarantee correctness."
Yu Xiaogang looked at Shi Yi and nodded slightly. He was also a little curious about what a child who didn't even know how to meditate could think of his theory.
"Yu Xiaogang, Yu Xiaogang, you're crazy, actually messing around with a child. Well, maybe a child who hasn't practiced cultivation can see a different world," Yu Xiaogang thought to himself as he looked at Shi Yi.
Shi Yi picked up the book "The Ten Core Competencies of the Martial Soul" and flipped to the first page. Shi Yi pointed at the subheading and said, "Your book says that the level of innate soul power is proportional to the strength of the spirit. I don't think that's right."
"Oh? Tell me what's wrong."
"If that theory is correct, then why do people with the same spirit awaken different innate soul powers?" Shi Yi asked.
Yu Xiaogang was slightly surprised. He didn't expect a child who had never practiced cultivation to raise such a pointed question. Indeed, the best example was their three upper sects. Most people awakened the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus spirit, but their innate soul powers varied. He had his own explanation for this.
"You're right. While some martial souls share similarities, people's talents vary. Some people's talents can become a burden to their martial souls, while others can fully unleash their power. This isn't the martial soul's fault. The same martial soul brings the same benefits to everyone, but it's because he's limited, resulting in a loss of innate spiritual power. This statement is indeed a bit sloppy. However, the most important thing about reading is understanding the deeper meaning. You're quite insightful," Yu Xiaogang said softly, looking at Shi Yi.
Shi Yi didn't object. After all, Yu Xiaogang admitted that he lacked the rigor of a scholar.
"Can you teach me meditation now?" Shi Yi looked at Yu Xiaogang expectantly.
Yu Xiaogang smiled slightly at the anticipation in Shi Yi's eyes and asked softly, "Can you show me your martial soul certificate?"
Shi Yi then obediently pulled the martial soul certificate from his bag and handed it to Yu Xiaogang.
"Mutated ants, with innate first-level spiritual power." Yu Xiaogang's eyes flashed with interest. Mutation was something he had been studying, after all, his own martial soul had evolved from a mutation.
"Follow me," Yu Xiaogang said softly to Shi Yi.
With that, he headed for the door without waiting for Shi Yi's response. Seeing this, Shi Yi followed him, clearly having something good waiting for him.
Shi Yi followed Yu Xiaogang, who soon brought Shi Yi to his dormitory.
Shi Yi couldn't help but look at Yu Xiaogang's room full of books with surprise. The amount was even greater than what he had seen in the library earlier.
"Young Master is Young Master. He has books from Blue Lightning, and I'm sure there's quite a few from the Spirit Hall as well. Such a noble man!"
Yu Xiaogang's voice echoed in Shi Yi's ears, bringing him back to reality.
"Just now in the library, I couldn't let you release your spirit. Now release your spirit and show it to me," Yu Xiaogang said softly, looking at Shi Yi.
Shi Yi wasn't surprised; it was clear that Yu Xiaogang was also very interested in the transformation of his spirit.
"Old man, I hope you won't be surprised when you see this," Shi Yi thought, a smile forming on his lips. He nodded slightly at Yu Xiaogang, raised his hand, and with a thought, an ant appeared in his palm.
Yu Xiaogang looked at the ant in Shi Yi's palm, his pupils suddenly constricting, his entire body trembling. The scene seemed to transport him back to the time when he had awakened his martial spirit.
After a long silence, Yu Xiaogang asked Shi Yi, "Is your martial spirit alive?"
Shi Yi boasted, "How is it? Pretty impressive, isn't it?"
Seeing the optimism on Shi Yi's face, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but smile bitterly. Recalling Shi Yi's performance just now, a glint flickered in his eyes.
"This child seems to be destined for me. Was he sent to me by the heavens?" Yu Xiaogang thought to himself.
"You think that's impressive?" Yu Xiaogang asked Shi Yi calmly.
Shi Yi nodded as a matter of course, and then asked, "Of course. The little ant has its own consciousness and can do things that most other martial spirits can't. Isn't that impressive?"
Yu Xiaogang fell silent. Was Shi Yi right? Of course, that's right. The most intuitive point is that possessing an intelligent martial spirit is equivalent to fighting two against one. However, if one lacks innate spirit power, nothing can be achieved, as innate spirit power determines the speed of one's cultivation.
He was only half a level of innate power, and even after reaching fifty, he still persisted in meditation, but he couldn't make it past level thirty. He estimated that Shi Yi, at level one, was only one level higher than him, perhaps even lower, given that he had received support from his family.
After a moment's silence, Yu Xiaogang walked to a bookshelf, took a book from it, and handed it to Shi Yi, saying calmly, "This is the meditation method I practice. I hope it will be helpful to you."
Shi Yi felt a slight excitement. Although he didn't know if meditation methods had any such thing as levels or qualities, if they came from a major sect like Blue Lightning, they would surely have something unique to offer.
Just as he was about to take the book from Yu Xiaogang, Shi Yi saw Yu Xiaogang's hand slightly withdraw. Shi Yi looked at Yu Xiaogang in confusion, but the next moment, he heard Yu Xiaogang say, "If you are willing to become my disciple, I will pass on all my life's knowledge to you."
"..." Shi Yi looked at Yu Xiaogang, a strange look crossing his young face, and he hesitated.
Shi Yi had no prejudice against Yu Xiaogang. Although Yu Xiaogang was not a qualified scholar or a qualified teacher, Shi Yi still saw some valuable qualities in him, namely his tenacity and perseverance.
After all, not everyone could devote so many years to theoretical research on their own problems. Anyone else might have resigned themselves to their fate and given up. Moreover, Yu Xiaogang had something he lacked most: background.
And if he followed Yu Xiaogang now, wouldn't Tang San have to call him "Senior Brother" from now on? With Shi Yi's qualifications, following Yu Xiaogang would mean he wouldn't offend anyone in the Heaven Dou Xing Luo Sect or the Spirit Hall.
On the Tiandou side, who wouldn't give Lan Dian some respect? If he fell into the hands of the Spirit Hall, all his problems would be solved by hugging Bibi Dong's thigh and calling her "Master's Wife."
"Safe, so safe! Being the Tang Sect's Senior Brother seems like a good choice," Shi Yi thought to himself.
"Why? Don't you want to?" Yu Xiaogang asked softly, looking at Shi Yi.
Recovering from his daze, Shi Yi bowed slightly to Yu Xiaogang and said, "Disciple, I am willing!"
(End of this chapter)