Chapter 18: Torture.
After leaving Flanders' shop, Shi Yi found a secluded spot outside Soto City. He retrieved the crystal and, using a forging hammer, cracked it open, collecting the scattered golden specks.
The golden specks scattered, reflecting a dazzling light in the setting sun. Shi Yi slowly crouched down. Each golden particle was perfectly uniform in size, about the size of a grain of rice, perfectly round, and shimmering with a faint golden luster. He picked up one and squeezed it, finding it slightly soft yet resilient.
"It's soft enough, but once injected with soul power, it becomes incredibly hard, somewhat like a non-Newtonian fluid. Only the Tang Sect would transform such a precious substance into a hidden weapon," Shi Yi said, shaking his head slightly.
The strength of the hair crystal increases dramatically after being infused with soul power. In the original novel, it was even able to pierce Zhao Wuji's soul shield. While this was aided by the power of the Tang Sect's techniques, it also demonstrated the immense strength of the hair crystal.
"If this material were made into a trigger-type defensive spirit guide, ordinary spirit masters would have difficulty breaking through the defense. If it were also designed to absorb spirit power, the higher the spirit power level, the harder the hair crystal would be. It could also absorb the opponent's spirit power, rendering their attacks invisible.
I wonder if this material could cover the entire body. Carving a core formation with such tough metal would be quite challenging, and ordinary flames wouldn't be able to fuse it together," Shi Yi thought to himself.
With this in mind, Shi Yi began collecting the scattered hair crystals on the ground. This was a very promising special metal.
Once Shi Yi had finished collecting, he was amazed at the bagful of hair crystals. Within this relatively small crystal, tens of thousands of hair crystals could be found, demonstrating its immense malleability.
"Tang San wouldn't be able to fire away even tens of thousands of them in his lifetime," Shi Yi thought to himself.
The Dragon Beard Needle ranked high among Tang San's hidden weapons. This precious weapon would likely only be used in crucial moments. It's one thing for ordinary hidden weapons to be unretrievable once launched, but if the Dragon Beard Needle is launched, there's a high probability it can't be retrieved unless the opponent has already been killed.
Shi Yi now understood why Tang San had added the sharp attribute to his martial spirit. The Tang Sect's advanced techniques often involved hundreds or even thousands of hidden weapons, which was practically a waste of money.
The next morning, after breakfast, Shi Yi left the hotel and exited Soto City through the south gate, heading towards his destination.
Leaving Soto City, he followed the road south. Both sides of the official road were lined with vast farmland. Soto City's reputation as the grain capital of the Barak Kingdom was well-deserved.
Shi Yi walked leisurely along the road when he spotted two overlapping figures ahead.
"Hey, Xiao Wu, you're having Xiao San carry you so early in the morning?"
Xiao Wu and Tang San were startled by the familiar voice. Turning to look, they saw Shi Yi smiling at them from behind.
Xiao Wu blushed slightly and quickly got off Tang. She snorted at Shi Yi and said, "What's it to you?"
Tang San, somewhat embarrassed, approached Shi Yi and greeted him, "Brother, good morning."
"Xiao San, please take care of yourself," Shi Yi chuckled.
Tang San coughed slightly and said, "Brother, you're joking."
Shi Yi smiled at Tang San and said, "Let's go. Today is your entrance exam."
Tang San was a little surprised and asked, "Brother, aren't you going to school with us?"
Shi Yi smiled and shook his head, saying, "According to Shrek's requirements, I'm over the age limit. You don't have to worry about this. I'll find a way to get in when the time comes."
"I'm afraid someone got in through the backdoor," Xiao Wu said sarcastically.
Shi Yi paid no heed to the sarcastic tone in Xiao Wu's words. Instead, he nodded in approval and said, "Not bad, you guessed it right. I usually hate backdoors, but I'm quite happy to get this one."
"Shameless!" Xiao Wu, seeing Shi Yi's nonchalant expression, only grew even angrier.
Shi Yi, seeing Xiao Wu's fury, laughed heartily.
"You!" Before Xiao Wu could do anything, Tang San grabbed her.
"Brother, you're joking. You've made considerable contributions to spirit theory research. It's not impossible for you to use your expertise to join the academy," Tang San said, pulling Xiao Wu aside.
"Xiao San, privilege is privilege. You're not as straightforward as Xiao Wu on this point. Of course, privileges can be earned," Shi Yi said, smiling and patting Tang San's shoulder.
With that, Shi Yi walked on.
Looking at Shi Yi's back, Xiao Wu stuck out her tongue at him and snorted softly, "Xiao San, your senior brother is no different from those disgusting aristocratic children."
Hearing this, Tang San's face was filled with resignation, but he remained silent. In a sense, they too were privileged. Coming from the Tang Sect, he naturally understood that sometimes intelligence was a privilege.
Without the Master, he wouldn't have known about Shrek Academy, and he wouldn't have come here in the first place. After spending years together, Tang San had come to understand Shi Yi quite well. Often, even his own teacher couldn't influence this senior brother's choices. Shi Yi was someone who wouldn't take any chances. Since Shi Yi had come here, this academy must have something special.
"Alright, let's go check it out," Tang San reassured Xiao Wu.
Soon, Shi Yi arrived at a small village. Seeing a large crowd gathered at the village entrance, Shi Yi knew he had arrived in the right place. Tang San and Xiao Wu had also lined up at the entrance.
Shi Yi didn't join the other two, but bypassed the registration line and headed into the village.
After searching the village for a while, a kind villager soon brought Shi Yi to the village chief's.
Shi Yi explained his purpose and expressed his willingness to rent two rooms next to Shrek Academy in Flanders.
Upon learning of Shi Yi's identity as a spirit master and his purpose, the village chief immediately became enthusiastic.
Shi Yi soon followed the village chief to the two houses near Shrek. Although they were not small, they had obviously been uninhabited for a long time.
Shi Yi casually looked around and saw that there were no major problems with the houses. He readily paid his rent. The village chief enthusiastically called two people to help Shi Yi clean up the house. Shi Yi preferred quietness and did not like living with others, unless they were taciturn people like Yu Xiaogang.
Looking at the tidy house, Shi Yi also took out bedding from his spirit guide. Most of the commonly used furniture was still in the house.
In the other room, Shi Yi planned to transform it into his own research space.
"After so long in this world, I've finally found my own place and a research lab," Shi Yi muttered as he lay in bed.
The feeling of lying alone in bed reminded Shi Yi of his past life, when he struggled alone.
After an unknown amount of time, a strong surge of soul power reached him. Sensing this powerful surge, Shi Yi's lips curled slightly, thinking to himself, "Xiao San, accept one of the few punishments you'll ever receive."
Tang San was no longer a control-type soul master. With only two soul rings, the Blue Silver Grass couldn't break the defenses of Zhao Wuji's Mighty Diamond Bear. It could even be said that Tang San's method of developing the Blue Silver Grass was inherently countered by Zhao Wuji. With the Hair Crystal still in his possession, he'd lost his only chance of victory.
It wasn't surprising that Tang San, a powerful attack-type soul master, would be severely tortured by Zhao Wuji. Of course, Haozi would help fight back that night.
"I can't miss such a good show."
With this in mind, Shi Yi slowly stood up, casually closed the door, and headed towards the source of the soul power surge.
The house the village chief had arranged for Shi Yi had Shrek as its next-door neighbor. Shi Yi soon made his way through several large trees and arrived at an open space.
By then, Tang San and three others were already engaged in battle with Zhao Wuji.
A man approached Shi Yi. He was about 1.8 meters tall, a bit taller than him. He looked younger, with broad shoulders and a handsome, yet resolute demeanor. His long, golden hair flowed down his back, reaching nearly to his waist.
His eyes were the most striking thing, a pair of sinister eyes, each possessing a double pupil.
"Who are you? Shrek Academy is not a place for casual wandering," Dai Mubai demanded bluntly.
Shi Yi smiled faintly, pointing to Tang San, who was struggling to dodge with Shadow Shadow, and said, "I'm his senior brother, come and see."
Dai Mubai's expression softened, and he said to Shi Yi, "Are you here to join the academy?"
Shi Yi nodded and said, "Well... you could say that, but I'm over twelve, so I didn't sign up."
Dai Mubai nodded slightly and said nothing more, though a subtle glint of disdain flashed in his evil eyes.
Seeing Dai Mubai fall silent, Shi Yi also cast his gaze on the field.
The situation was pretty much as Shi Yi had estimated. The Blue Silver Grass lacked control. Although Tang San's hidden weapon firing rate increased, his influence on the battle was reduced. In the hands of a battle-experienced Soul Sage like Zhao Wuji, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu were quickly eliminated, leaving Tang San alone to constantly engage Zhao Wuji with Shadow Shadow.
Seeing Xiao Wu injured, Tang San's hidden weapons suddenly became more ruthless, mostly aimed at Zhao Wuji's lower body, making Shi Yi feel a chill in his pants. However, Tang San did not challenge Zhao Wuji to a duel as in the original novel. He must have discovered the shortcomings of the strong attack system.
Shi Yi understood that this was just a slow death. With Zhao Wuji's defense, he could completely ignore Tang San's hidden weapons and blue silver grass, but people always get tired.
At this moment, the shortcomings of Tang San's original development path were fully revealed. Shi Yi believed that Tang San's chosen path would be difficult to match in a duel of the same level, and it also raised the ceiling of the future Clear Sky Hammer. However, the disadvantage of the strong attack system was also obvious: it was easy to be restrained.
In teamfights, you're countered not only by control-types but also by defense-types. Even when the opposing offensive-type surpasses you, they can still counter you. However, control-types are a panacea. Yu Xiaogang's plan favors the Clear Sky Hammer while retaining the crucial control factor.
After all, Yu Xiaogang didn't know Tang San's spirit was the unawakened Blue Silver Emperor. Yu Xiaogang's plan was actually a good one; at least it allowed him to do more in the current situation.
Tang San's figure was constantly moving around the field, a sense of powerlessness washing over him. He had always believed his development plan was the best choice. Even at the Rose Hotel, even against Dai Mubai, he could rely on his Tang Sect's unique skills to prevail. But now, he was beginning to doubt himself.
Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding...
Countless Blue Silver Grass blades, carrying sharp energy, struck Zhao Wuji, crackling. At that moment, Tang San understood that Zhao Wuji's cultivation was too high, and he lacked the means to deliver a decisive blow.
"Little monkey, besides these, do you have no other tricks?" Zhao Wuji said to Tang San.
With that, a powerful golden light erupted almost instantly, and a furious roar suddenly rang out. "Roar..."
In that intense golden light, everything Tang San had done was rendered futile. The intense concussion caused Tang San to spit out a mouthful of blood in mid-air, his entire body aching and numb, his internal organs burning.
"It's over, little monkey." Zhao Wuji retracted his martial spirit and slowly approached Tang San."
"Teacher Zhao, look..." Dai Mubai hurriedly trotted over to Zhao Wuji and said.
Zhao Wuji's palm, like a palm leaf fan, immediately landed on the back of Dai Mubai's head, angrily saying, "You still need to ask? They've already passed the test. You really expect them to beat me? If you let them escape, Flender will scold me to death. Let Oscar come and help them recover."
"Yes, yes, yes..." Dai Mubai quickly replied.
At this moment, Zhao Wuji also noticed Shi Yi, who had been standing on the sidelines. Pointing at Shi Yi, he asked Dai Mubai, "What's this kid doing?"
Dai Mubai quickly replied, "He said he's Tang San's senior brother. He wanted to sign up, but he's over twelve, so he just came here to take a look."
Zhao Wuji nodded and said, "Since he's this little monkey's senior brother, he's also a relative. Take him to find a place to stay, so that outsiders won't say that we Shrek Academy don't know how to treat guests."
Upon hearing this, Shi Yi bowed slightly to Zhao Wuji and chuckled, saying, "Don't bother me, senior. I've rented a house in the village and will stay for a while."
Zhao Wuji also nodded slightly and said to Dai Mubai, "Go arrange dormitories for the new little monsters."
Seeing that the excitement had subsided, Shi Yi slowly returned to his room.
Back in his room, Shi Yi felt a little hungry. Thinking of the food situation at Shrek Academy, Shi Yi felt a little helpless.
"I was so busy buying materials that I forgot about this. I have to go to Soto City to buy some supplies. I'm going to become malnourished from eating in this cafeteria." Shi Yi thought to himself.
Then, Shi Yi slowly stood up and headed towards Soto City.
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(End of this chapter)