Chapter 12: Thousand-pound
Ants. Shi Yi looked on and nodded slightly. If the issue of fighting style was excluded, transforming the Blue Silver Grass into a hidden weapon was indeed a good option. At least now, even ten of him couldn't possibly harm Tang San.
"Junior Brother's technique does have the potential to create a unique spirit skill. Using it to launch your own martial spirit has given me a new idea. Junior Brother's spirit ring selection isn't limited to sharpness. You can also choose projectile-friendly properties and spirit skills like archery spirit masters, such as lock-on, tracking, corrosion, poison, and explosion." Shi Yi smiled.
Yu Xiaogang and Tang San savored Shi Yi's words, their eyes brightening. Yu Xiaogang whispered, "But can Junior San achieve the same effects as a bow spirit master with just his technique?"
Shi Yi chuckled, "That depends on whether Junior Brother has the confidence to develop his technique into a unique spirit skill."
"A unique spirit skill? What is a unique spirit skill?" Tang San asked, somewhat puzzled.
Yu Xiaogang patted Tang San's shoulder and whispered, "A self-created spirit skill, as the name suggests, is a spirit skill created by the spirit master himself. It's not just a simple technique, but requires the integration of spirit power into one's own technique. It's a little early for you now, but Xiaoyi is right. Your technique does have the potential to become a self-created spirit skill and you should develop it well."
"Spirit power? The more advanced Tang Sect hidden weapon techniques require a huge expenditure of internal energy. Aren't they what teacher calls self-created spirit skills?" Tang San's childish eyes lit up with joy.
Tang San looked at Shi Yi, who was standing not far away, and thought to himself, "It seems that Senior Brother has indeed achieved great theoretical accomplishments, even surpassing teacher. Just by watching me demonstrate a simple hand-fling arrow, he saw the potential behind it and even provided me with more diverse directions for the development of my martial spirit characteristics."
Thinking of this, Tang San looked at Shi Yi with even more respect.
"Using Blue Silver Grass in this way compensates for this to a certain extent..."
Shi Yi was about to say the word "Clear Sky Hammer" when he saw the dean abruptly stop him and quickly changed his words, saying, "The attack range of the plant spirit."
Yu Xiaogang nodded at Shi Yi, understanding what Shi Yi meant. Tang San's twin spirits were more suited to extreme power than his father, Tang Hao. This obviously offered a much higher upper limit, but the only drawbacks were range and frequency. Unless the opponent engaged head-on, Blue Silver Grass served as a useful supplementary attack.
In Shi Yi's eyes, the Clear Sky Hammer still had significant limitations. Tang Hao's extreme power development strategy was far inferior to the balanced approach of Sect Master Tang Xiao.
This was the essence of the Nine Clear Sky Wonders; the various power-generating techniques effectively compensated for the Clear Sky Hammer's shortcomings.
A closer look at Tang Hao's most remarkable battles reveals his battles with Qian Xunji and Jin Crocodile. Both shared the same flaw: relying on their superior cultivation to attempt to defeat their opponents head-on. While Shi Yi admitted that this was certainly satisfying, it also demonstrated a lack of combat acumen.
This is also why Tang San was able to defeat the Seventh Elder in the Haotian Sect's duel through various tactics of manipulation and control. Clearly, the Clear Sky Hammer struggled to fully exploit the strengths of a highly agile spirit master like Tang San. Naturally, Tang San's combat acumen precluded him from becoming a successful wielder of the Clear Sky Hammer.
The Clear Sky Hammer is a tool, not Tang San's total package. Many methods that Tang San considers superior actually limit his ability to utilize and comprehend the Clear Sky Hammer. People often grow through failure.
Cultivation isn't simply about improving one's cultivation. Shi Yi understands cultivation as a spirit master's constant effort to address their weaknesses, as exemplified by Tang Chen's creation of techniques like the Nine Clear Sky Absolutes and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's distraction control, all designed to compensate for the shortcomings of their martial spirits.
Today, Tang San had chosen to add a spirit ring with sharp properties to the Blue Silver Grass, to compensate for the lack of his hidden weapon.
"Alright, now all we need is your spirit ring. Let's eat first. You can summon the little ants to search later. The little ants are much more sensitive to the scent of their own kind than the three cannons. The Thousand Jun Ants are so numerous, we should be able to find them quickly," Yu Xiaogang whispered to Shi Yi.
Shi Yi nodded slightly.
Everyone gathered together and ate some simple food. After packing up, Shi Yi summoned the little ants to continue their search through the Soul Hunting Forest.
Everyone quietly followed the little ants, and to Tang San's surprise, they encountered no soul beasts along the way.
Yu Xiaogang saw through Tang San's thoughts and smiled, "Although your senior brother's spirit is a common ant, the weakest spirit beasts in the forest are often extremely sensitive to danger. Even Sanpao is far inferior to Xiaoyi in this respect. As long as you follow the ants in the forest, you will usually avoid danger."
Xiaoyi led the others, constantly changing directions, and they encountered no one along the way. Just as the dean was getting impatient, they saw a Qianjun Ant not far ahead.
Compared to the small ant, the Qianjun Ant seemed enormous. Seeing it, Xiaoyi revealed a human-like fear and joy.
The fear was due to bloodline instinct, and the joy was because Xiaoyi could clearly sense that the Qianjun Ant possessed something it desired.
Yu Xiaogang looked at the Qianjun Ant's face with surprise not far away. He silently estimated its size and immediately realized that it was about the same age as the Gold Devouring Leopard.
Yu Xiaogang's gaze fell on the little ant. It was clear that the little ant not only possessed the ability to seek advantage and avoid danger, but also had developed a certain ability to assess things. Its reference point for finding its target was the gold-eating leopard from yesterday.
Yu Xiaogang refused to believe that this Thousand-Tier Ant was Shi Yi's luck. It was clear that the little ant had been constantly changing direction throughout the forest, aiming for this Thousand-Tier Ant.
Tang San watched as a flicker of surprise flashed in the little ant's tender eyes.
"In such a complex environment as the forest, the ant's perception is surprisingly powerful, capable of sensing the power of a spirit beast. Senior Brother is truly a rare talent," Tang San thought to himself.
"Now it's up to you to take action," Shi Yi said, bowing slightly to the dean.
The dean nodded and slowly stepped forward, a long sword appearing in his hand, his spirit rings emanating from him.
The Thousand-Tier Ant had already sensed the danger, but it discovered that no matter how it shifted, this immense threat remained close behind it.
By this time, the Thousand-Bound Ant had already assumed a fighting stance, its two saber-teeth prominent. Each possessed two sturdy forelimbs, somewhat resembling the claws of a scorpion.
The dean's face was filled with disdain. While the Gold-Eating Leopard could stretch its muscles, the Thousand-Bound Ant was barely an appetizer. A hundred-year-old Thousand-Bound Ant was only six inches tall. Size was a crucial metric for the combat effectiveness of many spirit beasts, and with so many students at the academy, killing Thousand-Bound Ants was a common occurrence for him.
Part-time students actually made up a tiny fraction of Notting Academy's population. The majority of those admitted to the Spirit Master Academy were children of the nobility. Every year, many parents asked him to help their children hunt for hundred-year spirit rings.
The dean's spirit ring lit up, and soul power erupted instantly. Though powerful, the Thousand Jun Ant was extremely slow, leaving it no time to react. The dean's long sword had already precisely penetrated the gap in its exoskeleton, and its two saber teeth and sturdy forelimbs could only hold the sword tightly.
Don't underestimate the Thousand Jun Ant's two saber teeth and forelimbs. Even as a Soul Master, if his arm was grasped, he could only rip it off, but crushing a Soul Master's martial spirit would be impossible.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss..."
The Thousand Jun Ant hissed, but there was nothing it could do. This was the Thousand Jun Ant's greatest weakness. It lacked any spirit skills, only strength and slow speed. Once restrained in this way, it had no way to fight back.
Soon, as its injuries worsened, the Thousand Jun Ant's two saber fangs and forelimbs began to loosen. The moment they did, the dean instantly pulled out his deeply embedded long sword and expertly severed the two forelimbs. He then addressed Shi Yi, saying, "Take the dagger and thrust it through the gap in the exoskeleton at the back of his head to finish him off."
Yu Xiaogang also conveniently offered a dagger to Shi Yi, who took it and advanced behind the dying Thousand Jun Ant, thrusting it in.
Just as he had done yesterday, the blade pierced the head, and a faint yellow light began to condense above the Thousand Jun Ant's body, a yellow spirit ring appearing before everyone's eyes.
Shi Yi said nothing more and sat cross-legged. Little Yi was also on his thigh. Pulled by Shi Yi's pale blue spirit power, the century-old Thousand Jun Ant spirit ring slowly flew towards him.
More precisely, towards Little Yi.
As the century-old Thousand Jun Ant spirit ring approached, he felt an unprecedentedly powerful pressure, his bones crackling under the strain.
Soon, a yellow halo reached Xiao Yi's head. Without giving it a chance to react, it suddenly contracted, transforming into an incredibly solid golden ring, the size of a bracelet, that landed directly on Xiao Yi.
A powerful surge of soul power suddenly erupted, a surge of scorching energy surging into Shi Yi's body. Instantly, Shi Yi's internal organs felt as if they were on fire, and his body trembled violently.
Shi Yi now hurriedly activated the twelve meridians, using the rapid circulation of soul power to absorb the incoming soul power.
"No, the twelve meridians are too slow. I need to reduce the distance traveled and increase the number of soul power cycles."
With this in mind, Shi Yi controlled his soul power to circulate rapidly around his dantian. This was the most efficient method he had discovered through experimentation, which he called the advanced version of the twelve meridians.
After two years of practice, Shi Yi discovered that different people experienced different results from practicing the same technique. The most obvious difference was the different meridians that were blocked, the varying degrees of blockage, and even the varying thickness, toughness, and location of the meridians.
These differences lead to one consequence: the effectiveness of the same technique will vary among different people.
Shi Yi's practice path is uniquely his, derived from countless experiments and recording the time it takes to practice each session. It's arguably the fastest path for him.
As the technique's speed increases, Shi Yi can clearly feel the pressure of the energy influx on his body lessening.
Gradually, the fiery heat transforms into a warm warmth, and a sense of connectedness arises within him.
Although Shi Yi is still in the process of absorbing the spirit ring, he can clearly sense the transformation of the little ant.
Outside, Yu Xiaogang's expression is complex as he observes the little ant on Shi Yi's thigh. The little ant has undergone a profound transformation compared to its previous appearance.
The most noticeable change isn't just in size, but also in its mouthparts, which have grown into saber-shaped teeth, like the Qianjun Ant's earlier one. Its two forelimbs are also undergoing a transformation visible to the naked eye. The only thing that puzzles Yu Xiaogang is that the little ant's exoskeleton appears much more lustrous than that of a typical Qianjun Ant. Otherwise, the little ant is indistinguishable from a regular Qianjun Ant.
Tang San, meanwhile, was constantly observing the changes in Shi Yi and Xiao Yi.
"Brother's breathing stabilized so quickly! Could it be... impossible? Even the Xuan Tian Gong doesn't have such a high internal energy digestion efficiency. It took me nearly an hour, but you only took a little over half an hour. How did you manage to digest this massive influx of internal energy so quickly?" Tang San thought to himself.
It wasn't like Tang San hadn't seen the Twelve Meridians created by Shi Yi. While impressive, it was only at the level of an outer disciple's foundation-building technique. But the level of power Shi Yi displayed today surpassed the Xuan Tian Gong, at least in terms of internal energy digestion.
This was unbelievable to Tang San. After all, the Xuan Tian Gong was the highest internal energy technique of the Bashu Tang Sect's inner sect, continuously refined by countless Tang Sect veterans.
He couldn't believe Shi Yi had created a technique that surpassed the Xuan Tian Gong.
"Brother must have used some special method, Qianjun Ant..."
Thinking of this, Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang and asked, "Teacher, is this Qianjun Ant the most suitable soul beast for senior brother?"
Yu Xiaogang nodded slightly and said, "Xiao Yi's martial soul is an ant. In the theory of beast martial souls, if you can find a soul beast with the same bloodline as the martial soul, absorbing it will help promote the evolution of the martial soul. You should have seen the changes in Xiao Yi, but bloodlines are often not downward compatible.
This is why the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex, known as the world's number one beast martial soul, is prone to mutation, and most of them are malignant mutations. This is a mutation caused by the excessive power of the bloodline being affected by low-level bloodlines."
"Will the right soul beast be easier to absorb?" Tang San continued to ask.
Yu Xiaogang nodded slightly and said, "Of course, if the soul ring you absorb is not suitable, there will be a rejection reaction. For example, an ice-attributed soul master cannot absorb the soul ring produced by a fire-attributed soul beast."
Hearing this, Tang San's face suddenly showed a look of enlightenment. Perhaps it took him so long just because he didn't absorb a plant-type soul beast, while Shi Yi absorbed a very suitable soul ring, which led to the time difference.
(End of this chapter)