Grandmaster held no official teaching position at Nuoding Academy. He refused to serve as a guest lecturer, yet he enjoyed the privilege of a private room and free meals within the campus.
Xiao Wu and I stood before his door.
"Teacher," I called, a soft rap of my knuckles against the wood.
Silence met my greeting. I exhaled, pushed the door open, and stepped inside. The room felt cramped, dominated by towering bookshelves that obscured almost every wall. Scraps of paper and aged parchment lay scattered across a heavy wooden desk. In the corner, a simple bed stood in stark contrast to the surrounding mountain of literature.
Behind the desk, Grandmaster sat hunched over a fragile, ancient scroll. His fingers traced rows of archaic script while his other hand scrawled notes on a separate sheet. He appeared so consumed by his study that our presence went unnoticed.
I knew it was an act. As a Spirit Elder, he undoubtedly sensed us at his threshold.
Grandmaster looked up as if suddenly aware of our arrival. "Oh, you've come."
"Teacher," I said. "Forgive the intrusion. We came to inquire about today's training."
Yu Xiaogang rose from his chair with a faint smile. "Unfortunately, there are no lessons today. The good news is, I have determined the first spirit ring for you," he said, clasping his hands behind his back.
"Find a seat; this will take some time," he added, gesturing toward the empty chair.
The room contained only one chair. The only other option involved letting Xiao Wu sit on Grandmaster's bed, a choice I immediately discarded. Without a word, I pulled the wooden chair out, sat down, and lifted Xiao Wu onto my lap.
The rabbit girl gasped. Her fingers gripped my trousers for a moment before she yielded. Her face flushed a deep crimson, vivid against the pale skin of her neck. "San-ge..." she murmured, her voice barely a breath.
Her body felt incredibly light, almost weightless. From this distance, the fresh scent of wildflowers from her hair filled my senses. I patted her head with a gentle hand to calm her. Since I stood half a head taller than her, the arrangement felt natural enough, though I could feel her heart racing faster than usual.
The corner of Grandmaster's mouth twitched, but he offered no comment. He pulled a book from the shelf, flipped to a specific page, and laid it before us.
On that page was a detailed sketch of a snake with sharp, defined scales. Its vertical pupils looked cold, staring out from the yellowing paper through bold black ink strokes.
"Datura Snake," I whispered, reading the title.
Below the illustration, the description read: The Datura Snake is among the most lethal predators in the spirit forests. It is renowned for its highly toxic neurotoxin and incredible strike speed. Its body possesses extreme elasticity, allowing it to constrict prey with immense force, while its scales provide formidable physical defense.
This was the original Tang San's first spirit ring, intended to provide poison and control attributes.
"This snake possesses venom potent enough to affect even hundred-year Spirit Beasts," Grandmaster added, his finger tapping the desk. "Your Blue Silver Grass lacks natural offensive capabilities, but this venom will provide an attack attribute. Meanwhile, its physical toughness will compensate for the natural fragility of your plant."
I nodded with a slow dip of my head, feigning agreement. Internally, I suppressed the urge to scoff. Even after learning that my Blue Silver Grass was the Blue Silver Emperor, he still suggested a poison attribute ring. Adding poison to a plant celebrated for its vitality was an inefficient concept.
In the original timeline, Tang San indeed benefited from this ring. However, after becoming a Spirit Saint, he stopped using it because his opponents easily ignored the paralysis and shattered the Blue Silver Grass bindings. Spirit rings did not evolve with the user in this world, at least not in this era.
He was wasting a spirit ring slot for early-stage advantages. That was likely Grandmaster's plan.
"But Teacher, does the Blue Silver Emperor's life attribute not conflict with poison?" I asked with feigned innocence, playing the part of a confused student.
Grandmaster paused. His eyes glinted as he explained his theory. "A very sharp question," he said, leaning forward.
"In the theory I developed, the life attribute does not always mean passive or healing. Life is about adaptation and survival. The extraordinary vitality of the Blue Silver Emperor will actually serve as the most stable vessel for such venom. Instead of conflicting, its vitality will assimilate the poison as a form of self-defense. It will become a predator, not just an ornamental plant."
The reasoning sounded plausible on the surface. Aside from the conclusion, Yu Xiaogang was not entirely wrong. Unfortunately, Blue Silver Grass would never match a Martial Soul dedicated to poison.
"Even as an Emperor, Blue Silver Grass lacks offensive power. Therefore, we need to add attack and control attributes to cover that weakness," Yu Xiaogang stated with a hint of pride.
"Teacher, I understand your point," I said in a low voice, raising my right hand. A gentle blue light began to shimmer, and several strands of Blue Silver Grass sprouted from my palm.
Manipulating the grass felt effortless. They swayed in the air, weaving themselves into an intricate net in an instant. The grass lashed out and coiled around a table leg with high speed.
Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened. He did not expect such extraordinary control. What I displayed could already be called a self-created Spirit Skill. It was far faster than the original spirit ring which required activation, and it required no cooldown.
"I feel no need to use a spirit ring just to increase control, let alone use poison to paralyze opponents. I prefer to enhance the vitality of the Blue Silver Emperor, so it can grow faster than an opponent's ability to destroy it. Percentage-based enhancement skills suit me better. Infinite growth and resilience are stronger foundations for long-term control. Poison might be effective now, but vitality will support more powerful skills in the future."
The middle-aged man fell silent. He tried to tear the net from the table and failed.
Yu Xiaogang cleared his throat. "To create a self-made Spirit Skill before obtaining a spirit ring is truly remarkable, Xiao San. However, I must warn you to abandon this path at once. You are still very young. People usually create their own skills only after reaching the Titled Douluo level. Like the former Clear Sky Douluo."
When he mentioned the Clear Sky Douluo, his eyes seemed to mist over before turning stern again. "Doing so before reaching nine rings will hinder your growth, because whatever you develop will ultimately pale in comparison to a skill from a spirit ring."
Again, he was not wrong by general standards. But if you intend to teach a monster, you should not compare him to ordinary geniuses.
"Teacher, trust me." I cut the debate short. "Give me the chance to choose my own first spirit ring. Watch how I handle it. If I am wrong, I will follow everything you say."
The expression of disappointment on Yu Xiaogang's face looked fake to me. He nodded. "Fine, I will give you a chance. But remember, if you are wrong, I will teach you in the harshest way possible."
He yielded only because of that bond. I couldn't wait to go to Shrek Academy and sell him out.
"Thank you, Teacher," I said with a faint smile. "I won't let you down."
Yu Xiaogang let out a long sigh. His gaze was difficult to read. "Very well, you have until tomorrow to research the Spirit Beast that suits you best. Tomorrow we depart for the Spirit Hunting Forest."
He glanced toward the window. "Wake Xiao Wu up; you can go to class for now. We can discuss Xiao Wu's spirit ring during the journey tomorrow."
Asleep? I blinked and looked at the girl in my arms. This little rabbit had actually fallen fast asleep. If this were an anime, my forehead would probably be covered in gloom lines.
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The scent of old wood and chalk dust filled the air. At the front of the classroom, a middle-aged teacher with thick glasses stood with a formal posture.
"The power of a spirit ring can be determined by its color," the teacher said, tapping the blackboard.
He wrote the characters on the board with white chalk: 白 (white), 黄 (yellow), 紫 (purple), 黑 (black), 红 (red). All in Hanzi, like Kanji for the Japanese.
He pointed to the first character. "This is the weakest spirit ring." Then he moved to the last character. "And this is the strongest."
"White indicates a ten-year age. Yellow means hundred-year. Purple means thousand-year. Black means ten-thousand-year. And red means hundred-thousand-year."
"You must remember the difference between a hundred-year yellow ring and a nine-hundred-year one. This affects not only the quality of the skill you obtain but also the soul power utility. A hundred-year speed ring increases speed by one percent. A nine-hundred-year ring might reach five percent. Do not underestimate that difference, because in a real fight, four percent can mean victory or defeat."
He paused for a moment to scan the class, ensuring everyone listened with full attention.
"Besides the Spirit Skill, the age of the spirit ring is crucial for your soul power growth potential. The older the ring, the greater that potential. Therefore, you must choose your spirit ring wisely," he stated with a firm tone.
"You should consider obtaining a yellow spirit ring if you aspire to become a true Spirit Master."
Many students' faces turned sour. Far from dreaming of a yellow spirit ring, for these children, reaching level ten was already a massive challenge. I, however, felt bored because I already knew all this. I was tempted to sleep like Xiao Wu.
The bell saved me. I hurried to wake Xiao Wu and led her out of the classroom.
"San-ge... is it time to eat?" Xiao Wu murmured, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
This girl... I couldn't let this become a habit.
I had decided not to let this girl have nothing but muscles for a brain. After obtaining the first spirit ring, I would have to take her education more seriously.
A sudden feeling of a gaze made me turn. Liu Long watched me from across the hall. I gave him a short nod. He returned it before he hurried away.
"Wake up, Xiao Wu," I said, pulling her hand.