Seeing that the deterrence effect had been achieved, Shi Quan withdrew the Blue Silver Grass whip, released Xiao Wu from under his foot, and turned to run towards the back mountain.
Tang San was also unsure of Shi Quan's exact strength, so he did not immediately go up for revenge. Instead, he quickly stepped forward to help Xiao Wu up and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Xiao Wu, I didn't protect you well."
Xiao Wu shook her head, gently rubbing the back of her neck, and said, "It's not your fault, it's also my carelessness. This scoundrel is actually so powerful."
Tang San looked coldly in the direction Shi Quan had left and said, "Shi Quan's strength is not simple, but don't worry, I will definitely find an opportunity to get revenge for you."
"No need." Xiao Wu shook her head, her gaze fixed on the whip marks on the tree trunk. While feeling a lingering fear, she said fiercely, "Isn't this scoundrel just relying on his powerful Spirit Ability now? He only has Innate Rank 1 spirit power. As long as my strength is a little higher, I can get revenge myself. He actually dared to step on me. When the time comes, I'll make sure to throw him to the ground multiple times."
"Okay!" Tang San smiled and rubbed Xiao Wu's head, agreeing, but his gaze towards the direction Shi Quan had left remained icy.
Tang San knew Shi Quan's talent. As time went on, it was reasonable to say that the gap between Shi Quan and them would only grow larger. Xiao Wu's future revenge was inevitable.
But Tang San always felt that Shi Quan's strength was not that simple. Regardless of whether Xiao Wu could get revenge herself, he would not let Shi Quan off easily, but before that, he had to confirm some things.
...
Night.
Yu Xiaogang's dormitory on the top floor.
Every evening, Yu Xiaogang would give Tang San individual lessons.
"Tang San, is something on your mind?" Yu Xiaogang asked, looking at Tang San with concern. He had noticed that Tang San was somewhat distracted during class today, a situation that had never happened before.
Tang San paused, then asked, "Teacher, I have a question I want to ask you."
Yu Xiaogang nodded and said, "Go ahead."
"Teacher, what I want to ask is, does Innate spirit power necessarily determine future achievements?"
Yu Xiaogang frowned. It was precisely because his Innate spirit power was only half a Rank that his spirit power had remained at Rank 29 until now, but he still patiently said, "Generally speaking, yes. Innate spirit power determines a person's talent. The stronger the talent, the faster the Cultivation speed, and naturally, the higher the Realm that can be reached in the future. Of course, to become a strong person, in addition to talent, there are also various other factors, but talent is undoubtedly the most important of these many factors. You should know these basics, right? What? Have you encountered any problems with your Cultivation?"
"My Cultivation has no problems." Tang San shook his head and continued, "Teacher, if one's Innate spirit power is Rank 1, can the strongest they reach in the future only be a Spirit Elder?"
Although Yu Xiaogang was somewhat puzzled, he still nodded and said, "If your Innate spirit power is only Rank 1, with normal Cultivation, becoming a Spirit Master is not difficult. It is extremely difficult for ordinary people to Breakthrough to Spirit Grandmaster. Very few with Rank 1 Innate spirit power can become a Spirit Elder, and even if they do, they are among the weakest."
Tang San then asked, "Teacher, is it possible for the Innate spirit power test to be wrong?"
Yu Xiaogang shook his head and said, "Generally, such a situation will not occur. If the testing crystal has a problem, it will only fail to detect spirit power. Errors in Innate spirit power Rank are rare."
Tang San immediately fell silent. Yu Xiaogang paused, then continued to ask, "Tang San, what do you want to say?"
Tang San let out a long breath and said, "Teacher, do you remember Shi Quan?"
Yu Xiaogang said, "You mean the child with the mutated Blue Silver Grass Martial Spirit?"
"Yes." Tang San nodded, then continued, "His Innate spirit power is Rank 1, but I feel his spirit power is not low."
"Not low?" A hint of curiosity appeared in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. "Can you sense his spirit power Rank?"
"No..." Tang San then recounted the battle between Xiao Wu and Shi Quan to Yu Xiaogang.
After listening, Yu Xiaogang's eyes were filled with surprise and astonishment. "According to your description, Shi Quan's spirit power Rank is at least Rank 5 or higher. The possibility of an error in the test is extremely small. It's impossible for Innate Rank 1 spirit power to Cultivate so quickly! Unless..."
Yu Xiaogang's expression became serious, as if he had thought of something.
Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang curiously, "Unless what?"
Yu Xiaogang said with a serious expression, "Unless Shi Quan is an evil Spirit Master."
"Evil Spirit Master? Teacher, what is an evil Spirit Master?" This was the first time Tang San had heard this term.
Yu Xiaogang explained in a deep voice, "Evil Spirit Masters are Spirit Masters who possess mutated Martial Spirits. Normal Spirit Masters can only improve their spirit power Rank through their own Cultivation, while evil Spirit Masters, in addition to Cultivation, can also Cultivate by devouring spirit power, spirit rings, mental force, flesh and blood, Souls, Martial Spirits, etc. The Cultivation speed of evil Spirit Masters cannot be inferred by common sense."
"Devouring?" Cold light flashed in Tang San's eyes. Wasn't this just like those who practiced evil arts in his previous life? If this were in the Martial World, they would be hunted down by everyone.
"But..." Yu Xiaogang paused, his eyes showing a thoughtful expression, "The mutation of Blue Silver Grass is already rare, and I have never heard of Blue Silver Grass mutating into an evil Martial Spirit. Tang San, didn't you see him use his Martial Spirit? Can you tell if his Blue Silver Grass is different from ordinary Blue Silver Grass?"
Hearing Yu Xiaogang say this, Tang San shook his head directly and said, "When Shi Quan used his Martial Spirit, he directly transformed the Blue Silver Grass into a vine whip. It simply looked no different from ordinary Blue Silver Grass."
"This is the strangest point. I said before that his mutation should not be obvious, which is why it looks like ordinary Blue Silver Grass. If it really were an evil Martial Spirit, his Blue Silver Grass couldn't have no changes..." At this point, even Yu Xiaogang, who prided himself on being the strongest theorist, couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
He couldn't pinpoint Shi Quan's specific situation now.
Yu Xiaogang said in a deep voice, "Tang San, I will investigate Shi Quan's matter. You can focus on your studies and Cultivation. If he truly is an evil Spirit Master, I will report it immediately, and there will be specialized people to handle it then."
"Okay, Teacher." Tang San nodded, a cold sneer in his heart. If Shi Quan truly was an evil Spirit Master, it would save him a lot of trouble, but it would be a pity that he couldn't personally get revenge.
...
Yu Xiaogang had also heard about Shi Quan's matter before.
Shi Quan, from Shi Family Village. He had heard of this village for many years at the academy. The village was famous for its stone carvings and clay sculptures, and most of the stone carvings and clay sculptures in the academy came from Shi Family Village.
"Indeed diligent." Yu Xiaogang looked out the dormitory window at Shi Quan walking towards the back mountain.
Before, his mind was entirely focused on Tang San, and he rarely paid attention to other matters and people.
After Tang San brought it up, Yu Xiaogang conducted a simple investigation and quickly grasped most of Shi Quan's situation at the academy.
"And he's very eager to learn." Yu Xiaogang said to himself, "There's a lot of Blue Silver Grass in the back mountain. Even with a simulated environment, his Cultivation speed couldn't be so fast. There must be other reasons."
Looking at the gradually blurring and disappearing figure in the distance, Yu Xiaogang stood in place for a moment longer before turning and walking out of the dormitory, heading downstairs.
Library.
"Marde." Before he even got close, Yu Xiaogang's voice came from outside the library.
"Xiaogang, why are you in the library?" Marde stood up and looked towards the library door.
Yu Xiaogang said helplessly, "Besides the office, this is the only place I can find you."
Marde chuckled, "You don't come to the temple for no reason. Speak, what is it?"
Yu Xiaogang got straight to the point, "You should know Shi Quan, right?"
Marde nodded and said, "He's a rare good child, hardworking and eager to improve."
"It seems you like him very much." Yu Xiaogang looked at Marde with some surprise. As good friends, he knew Marde's temperament very well. Marde was serious in his work and a bit rigid. It was very difficult to gain his approval, but Shi Quan clearly had Marde's approval.
Marde said with a laugh, "Didn't I see that you found a disciple? I was just thinking if I should also find a disciple?"
Yu Xiaogang looked at Marde in surprise, "His Innate spirit power is only Rank 1, and you actually want to take him as a disciple?"
Marde, however, looked at Yu Xiaogang seriously, "What if he's Rank 1? Xiaogang, I see your shadow in him. If this child can maintain this hardworking and studious attitude, I think his future achievements will be no less than yours."
"Just him?" Yu Xiaogang's eyes held a hint of disdain. In his opinion, Shi Quan and he were incomparable. He was from the Upper Three Sects' Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. His vast knowledge, in addition to his own research, was accumulated from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and Spirit Hall. Why should Shi Quan compare himself to him?
Marde shook his head. He knew Yu Xiaogang had his own pride and said nothing. Instead, he stood up and walked towards the library counter, bent down, and carried out a stack of books. He couldn't carry them all at once, so he carried a second stack.
More than twenty books were placed on the table.
Yu Xiaogang briefly flipped through the books on the table. They covered everything from basic to slightly advanced Martial Spirit theories, but he didn't understand Marde's specific meaning. "What do you mean?"
Marde said lightly, "These are all the books Shi Quan borrowed from me to study last semester."
"What!" Hearing Marde say this, Yu Xiaogang couldn't sit still. He picked up one of the books in surprise and flipped through it. After confirming the content of the book, Yu Xiaogang suddenly felt a little parched. "Marde, are you sure he has learned all the content in the books?"
Marde nodded, "Whenever this child came to borrow books, I would randomly test him on the content of the book. Every time he could answer fluently and even add some of his own ideas. He's not only smart but also able to draw inferences from one instance. His level of intelligence is absolutely beyond what ordinary people can compare to."
Marde patted Yu Xiaogang's shoulder and said, "Xiaogang, do you know why I haven't taken him as a disciple yet? It's because I found his learning ability to be too strong. I'm afraid that after I take him as a disciple, in less than two years, I won't know what to teach him anymore. You have to know that these books were all self-taught by him. If he's given a platform, with enough learning materials and someone to guide him, he'll surely leap like a Dragon and soar into the sky. In just a few years, in terms of Martial Spirits, he will become a new Master!"
Shi Quan's powerful learning ability was greatly influenced by his Martial Spirit Soul, and he had also started learning from a young age, leading his peers by at least five years, so he was naturally incomparable to his peers.
How could the books carefully selected by Marde be simple? Yu Xiaogang had always been an arrogant person. After hearing Marde's evaluation, he had to admit that Marde's words were true.
"It's just a pity that this child's Martial Spirit is Blue Silver Grass, and his Innate spirit power is only Rank 1. Otherwise, his future achievements would definitely not be low."
At this point, Marde couldn't help but sigh. Such a smart child, why was his talent so low?
Yu Xiaogang on the side also came back to his senses and said in a deep voice, "I came today to talk about his talent problem."
"Talent problem?" Marde frowned, "What's wrong with his talent?"
Yu Xiaogang said, "You should know about the matter between Xiao Wu and Shi Quan, right?"
"I've heard about it too, but it's just children competing, is there a problem?"
Yu Xiaogang shook his head, "I'm afraid the matter is not that simple. I recently heard from Tang San that Xiao Wu lost the sparring match with Shi Quan. Although neither side used their Martial Spirit, from Tang San's description, I estimate Shi Quan's spirit power Rank is at least Rank 5, or even higher."
Marde quickly shook his head and said, "That's impossible. His Innate spirit power is only Rank 1. It's impossible for him to improve that quickly in one year."
Yu Xiaogang, however, said with certainty, "It's a fact that Xiao Wu lost. I previously speculated that his Martial Spirit was a mutated Martial Spirit. Now, looking at this situation, the fact that his Martial Spirit is a mutated Martial Spirit is almost a certainty. It's just that I can't determine the specific direction of the mutation yet, and I don't rule out the possibility that his Martial Spirit is a mutated evil Martial Spirit."
"Evil Martial Spirit?" Marde quickly shook his head and denied, "Impossible. How could Blue Silver Grass mutate into an evil Martial Spirit? How could such a good child be an evil Spirit Master?"
Yu Xiaogang's expression remained unchanged, and he continued, "We'll only know after investigation. Right now, it's just a suspicion. We also don't know his spirit power Rank yet. Since you're familiar with that child, you can find an opportunity to confirm his spirit power Rank."
Marde's expression changed constantly. As Yu Xiaogang's good friend, he naturally understood Yu Xiaogang. Yu Xiaogang wouldn't do something based on baseless rumors. Since he said it, Yu Xiaogang must have some basis.
"I understand. I will investigate Shi Quan's Martial Spirit and spirit power Rank, and I will tell you the result afterward."
"Good." Seeing Marde agree, Yu Xiaogang's eyes also showed a hint of anticipation and curiosity. This was the first time he had encountered a situation like Shi Quan's, and he also wanted to know what secrets Shi Quan held, and that secret would soon be revealed.