Chapter 11: Shi Quan's Solitary Path

"Achoo!"

Having just arrived at the canteen, Shi Quan sneezed violently. "Are Mom and Dad missing me?"

Rubbing his nose, he only wanted to eat something now, so he walked straight toward the canteen's serving window without giving it much thought.

He had no idea that he had already become a mutated Blue Silver Grass martial soul in the mouths of Master and Tang San.

After wolfing down five large steamed buns and two bowls of rice porridge, Shi Quan's rumbling stomach finally stopped wailing.

Walking out of the canteen, Shi Quan headed toward the academy's Library.

There was an opening ceremony in the morning, and he couldn't fall behind on his studies here; plus, there was the training of Spirit Control, and on top of that, the training of the six great Martial Arts. Just thinking about it made Shi Quan's head ache; he really had too much to do.

Moreover, for his Martial Arts training, he needed to find a relatively quiet place where no one would disturb him.

He had to plan all of this out properly.

The Notting Academy Library was actually just two converted classrooms and wasn't very big; there were only five or six bookshelves in the library, and five or six tables were placed at the entrance, with a management desk to the side.

Shi Quan walked into the Library and tapped lightly on the management desk.

"Who is it?" Hearing the noise, a gray-robed old man with sleepy eyes behind the management desk lazily raised his head.

"Hello, Teacher. I'd like to borrow some books. Is there any procedure I need to follow?" Shi Quan waved at the old man.

The old man finally woke up, lowered his head to scan Shi Quan from top to bottom, and asked, "A first-year freshman?"

"Yes, Teacher. My name is Shi Quan, a first-year freshman."

"You're the first first-year student I've seen come to borrow books." The old man smiled lightly and waved his hand. "Just go and take whatever books you want; once you've taken them, just let me know."

"Thank you, Teacher."

Shi Quan nodded and walked into the Library.

He didn't know the first-year curriculum yet, but he didn't need to guess to know it was certainly very basic. For him, there was no need to study this basic knowledge, so it was very necessary for him to borrow books with a more comprehensive scope to self-study in advance; otherwise, the time spent in class in the morning would be wasted.

Perhaps for the convenience of students, the bookshelves weren't high, and stools were specially placed beside them. However, many parts of the shelves were already covered in dust; it looked like very few people came to the Library to borrow books to read.

Shi Quan's goal was very clear: he was looking for books about martial souls and Spirit Beasts.

Ordinary people could only purchase books recording common Spirit Beasts; books about martial souls were hard for ordinary people to buy, as most were collected within academies and the Spirit Hall.

If one wanted to understand the various strange and peculiar martial souls and the thousands of species of Spirit Beasts on the Douluo Continent, reading and studying was very necessary.

After searching for a round, Shi Quan quickly returned to the management desk with two books.

"Spirit Record Encyclopedia, Spirit Beast Species Hundred Solutions?" The gray-robed old man looked at the books Shi Quan handed over, couldn't help but take an extra look at Shi Quan, and then smilingly handed the books back. "That's fine."

"Thank you, Teacher." After thanking him politely, Shi Quan took the books and walked out of the Library.

Watching Shi Quan's departing back, the smile at the corner of the gray-robed old man's mouth grew even richer. "A polite little kid. Children who like to read at such a young age are rare..."

There was still some time before the opening ceremony, so Shi Quan carried the two books directly to the Playground where the ceremony was being held, walked casually to a corner of the Playground, sat down, and quietly began reading while waiting for the ceremony to start.

With the warm sunlight spilling onto him and looking at the book in his hands, Shi Quan felt as if he had returned to the small courtyard in Shi Family Village.

Immersed in the ocean of knowledge, time passed quickly.

The opening ceremony soon began. The Playground had already been divided into areas according to grade level. As the students gathered, Shi Quan finally got up slowly from the Playground and walked to the very back of the first-year line.

Shi Quan had participated in plenty of these ceremonies in his past life; they were just academy leaders standing up there, speaking passionately about motivational things. It didn't matter whether one listened or not.

The facts were as Shi Quan expected: after the teacher finished taking attendance, the person on the stage immediately began to speak passionately.

Shi Quan couldn't be bothered to listen and simply lowered his head to read.

"What are you reading?" A voice suddenly interrupted Shi Quan.

Looking up, what came into view was a girl with a sweet smile. Looking at that iconic ponytail, Shi Quan recognized the girl before him at a glance: Xiao Wu!

Xiao Wu was someone who could never sit still. She had originally thought the opening ceremony would be something fun, but after learning from Wang Sheng that the ceremony was so boring, she hadn't wanted to attend. But there was no help for it—the teacher had to take attendance—so she had snuck to the back, hoping to find a chance to slip away, but then she saw Shi Quan looking down at something and curiously leaned in.

"Reading."

Looking at Xiao Wu's large eyes right in front of him, Shi Quan subconsciously took a step back. A hundred-thousand-year-old rabbit, she was certainly committed to playing the part of a child; he had to give her credit for her acting.

"Reading?" Xiao Wu pouted. Seeing the book in Shi Quan's hand clearly, she immediately lost interest, like a wilted eggplant. "What's so good about books? This is too boring."

Shi Quan smiled faintly. "Within books, there are golden houses; within books, there are faces like jade. You wouldn't understand."

"Within books, there are golden houses? Within books, there are faces like jade? What does that mean?" Bored to death, Xiao Wu acted as if she had discovered something interesting and stared curiously at Shi Quan.

"It means there is money and beauty in books."

"There's money in books?"

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up instantly. Yesterday, she had almost been unable to eat because she had no money, and later at the canteen, she had been mocked by upperclassmen because of money. Now, hearing that there was actually money in books, she immediately became interested. Looking at the two books in Shi Quan's hands, she took the other book from Shi Quan's hand with familiar ease and began to flip through it.

"Money, where is the money?" Xiao Wu asked while flipping through the book.

Seeing Xiao Wu like this, Shi Quan couldn't help but chuckle. He really didn't know if this hundred-thousand-year-old rabbit was truly stupid or just naive to think that money would be hidden inside a book.

Shi Quan raised his hand to take the book back from Xiao Wu and explained, "The money is in the knowledge of the book, not tucked inside the pages."

Xiao Wu's expression stiffened, and she said indignantly, "Are you tricking me?"

Shi Quan said calmly, "I am not. You were the one who misunderstood."

Xiao Wu glared fiercely at Shi Quan. "I'll remember you. What's your name?"

He didn't like being disturbed while reading, and hearing Xiao Wu say this, Shi Quan wanted to pay attention to her even less. After glancing at her, he ignored her and lowered his head to continue reading.

Seeing that Shi Quan was ignoring her, Xiao Wu was so angry she gritted her teeth. When had she, Big Sister Xiao Wu, ever been ignored like this?

If it weren't for the fact that it was the opening ceremony, she would definitely have taught this boy in front of her a good lesson.

Shi Quan had no intention of caring about Xiao Wu on the side; he had plenty of things to be busy with.

The ceremony continued in an orderly fashion. Shi Quan was reading intently when he suddenly noticed that the voice on the stage seemed somewhat familiar. He looked up and discovered that the person speaking on the stage was actually the old man who guarded the Library.

And on the nameplate in front of his desk, it clearly read: Dean, Maerde.

"He is the Dean?"

Shi Quan hadn't expected that the Dean would actually be guarding a small library.

"Dean Maerde seems to be a good friend of Master. It looks like the two of them share a common hobby for Spirit Master theory?"

Thinking about it, Shi Quan did recall this key point; otherwise, how would a dignified academy Dean appear in a library?

As Dean Ma's voice faded, the entire opening ceremony drew to a close. With the sound of a dismissal, the entire Playground suddenly became lively.

Picking up his books, Shi Quan headed toward the back gate of the academy without stopping. When he toured the academy with his parents yesterday, he had noticed a small hill outside the back gate. There were quite a few woods on the hill, which looked like they were rarely visited, and there was plenty of Blue Silver Grass on the hill. With few people around and it being half a Mimicry Environment, it was a good place for Shi Quan to practice both Martial Arts and soul power.

The hill was not steep. After choosing a suitable patch of woods and confirming there was no one around, Shi Quan stopped in a slightly larger clearing in the woods and set his books aside.

With his upper body upright, Shi Quan sat cross-legged on the Blue Silver Grass with his five hearts facing the sky. After calming his mind and breath, he quickly focused on his dantian and began to practice.

Internal Energy followed the Conception Vessel route to the Danzhong Acupoint; with the heels of his palms pressed together and fingers pointing upward, he naturally spread his ten fingers. Then, he raised them to the top of his head, his intent following the upward motion, as the Internal Energy within his body was drawn in from the Huiyin Acupoint in a spiral shape, forming Mysterious Yin Power.

It rose through the central meridian and shot out in a spiral from the Baihui Acupoint at the top of his head; then, he turned his palms downward and pressed them down to his dantian while exhaling. His intent followed the downward pressure of his hands, drawing the Mysterious Yang Power in a spiral into the Baihui Acupoint, and shooting it out in a spiral from the Huiyin Acupoint via the central meridian; the two circulated.

This was Nine Shadows Shift, and it was only the most basic internal cultivation method of Nine Yin Shift. Shi Quan could only familiarize himself with the movement route during his first practice; later, he would need to practice it in coordination with footwork and body movement.

Shi Quan's goal today was to familiarize himself with the basic operating routes of five types of Martial Arts: the internal refining method Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing, the hard-body skill Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, the movement skill Nine Shadows Shift, the force technique Universe Shift, and the mental Martial Art Spirit Gathering Soul Awe Technique, laying a foundation for subsequent practice.

As Shi Quan practiced with such dedication that he forgot to eat and sleep, when he finally noticed the time, the bright moon was already hanging in the sky without him realizing it.

"Eating one meal and starving the next, the body can't take it..."

Because of his practice, he hadn't eaten dinner yesterday, and today was even worse; he had even forgotten to eat lunch.

After a day of bitter practice, Shi Quan's gains were not small. In just one day, he had almost mastered all five Martial Arts.

The reason Shi Quan's practice was so rapid and smooth, besides his own talent, was largely due to the Nine Yin Nine Yang Divine Art.

As everyone knows, internal cultivation methods serve as the foundation for Martial Arts. As the strongest internal art among the true scriptures, the Nine Yin Nine Yang Divine Art is as difficult as ascending to heaven for ordinary people to practice; even those with exceptional talent need a certain stroke of luck to have a chance at successful practice.

Yet, because of a wisp of Yin Yang Energy within the true scripture, Shi Quan successfully practiced the Nine Yin Nine Yang Divine Art directly. This act was equivalent to helping Shi Quan cast a perfect and powerful foundation; practicing these Martial Arts was equivalent to building a house on that foundation.

The better the foundation, the easier and faster the house is built; but if the foundation is poor, let alone having to think twice, the house might not even be able to be built.

Coupled with the fact that the entire content of the true scripture was transmitted into Shi Quan's mind, making him a master of martial theory, and combined with the amplification effect of his Spirit Soul martial soul, Shi Quan's comprehension and learning ability were much stronger than ordinary people's, so his practice was naturally even more relaxed.

If he were to coordinate it with the Spirit Enlightenment State, Shi Quan believed that his Martial Arts practice would yield twice the result with half the effort.

Seeing that it was late at night, Shi Quan did not linger. He picked up the books to the side, his Internal Energy surged, and he stepped out with his feet. Even though it was just a horizontal step, one could see Shi Quan's entire figure rushing forward.

This was Nine Shadows Shift. However, judging from the movements, Shi Quan's actions were clearly still a bit stiff at the beginning, and his rushing speed was not fast. But as time passed, Shi Quan's movements clearly began to become fluid, and his rushing speed became faster and faster.

In just a moment, Shi Quan's figure had already appeared at the foot of the hill like a ghost.

"Refreshing!"

Shi Quan let out a long breath. Rushing down the whole way, he discovered that the Internal Energy in his body had not been consumed in the slightest; instead, the Yin and Yang powers nourished each other. Under the continuous cycle, there was a trend of them becoming more and more intense, as if he had an inexhaustible supply of power throughout his body.

"It lives up to being the strongest technique. Just this point alone is something ordinary techniques cannot compare to. At the same level, it is absolutely invincible, and it even has the power to fight across levels!"

As his practice deepened, he had a clearer understanding of the power of the true scripture.

Moreover, he had an intuition that the Nine Yin Nine Yang Divine Art was definitely not as simple as it appeared on the surface. His soul power had not yet been fully converted into Internal Energy, and it already had such results. He wondered if there would be other changes to his Internal Energy once the interference of the soul power in his body was gone.

However, according to his current progress, it might take another month to convert all the soul power in his body into Internal Energy.

It was late at night, and there was no food left in the academy. Shi Quan could only endure his hunger and return to the Dormitory. Fortunately, Li Meili had bought him some snacks and put them in the cabinet when he arrived, which could barely help Shi Quan relieve it.

The situation in the Dormitory was much the same as yesterday. After Shi Quan quietly ate something and tidied up simply, he got into bed and began his routine practice.

Early the next morning, before the people in the Dormitory were awake, Shi Quan got up early and walked out of the Dormitory alone.

Whether in the academy or society, there are always a few mavericks who are rarely seen and almost never interact with the people around them. Shi Quan was such a person now, and he had long been used to it. After all, he was like this when he was in Shi Family Village, not to mention that he was now busy with practice.

(End of this chapter)