Chapter 43: Strict Teaching

The Hardening ability belongs to a defensive-type amplification soul skill, and its primary function is to increase defense.

Although Blue Silver Grass is weak, Shi Quan's Blue Silver Grass has a mutated attribute after all, and the Ink Jade Bamboo is also a millennium-level one.

It was thus cleverly utilized by Shi Quan as a cage to trap enemies; unless one uses a Strong Attack System soul skill of the same millennium level, it is simply impossible to break through.

Shi Quan was also clear about the current strength of his Blue Silver Grass, so he just watched them struggle quietly.

Before long, seeing that their attacks could not cause much damage to the vines beneath them and that their hands were also numbed by the vibrations, the seven of them all looked toward Xue Beng as if seeking help.

Listening to the movements around him gradually fading, Xue Beng looked around angrily, then could only flush red in the face and say through gritted teeth: "We admit defeat, let us go quickly."

Shi Quan raised his hand and clenched it; the Blue Silver Grass returned to its soft state and quickly receded.

"What is your name?" Xue Beng looked at Shi Quan with an ugly expression.

"Don't you know what my name is?"

Xue Beng's expression paused, and he said with an unchanging look: "How would I know what your name is?"

"Heh." Shi Quan chuckled and turned to look at Ning Rongrong, "It seems training has been too easy these past few days; you still have so much energy to go looking for trouble."

As if she hadn't heard Shi Quan's words, Ning Rongrong stepped forward in surprise and asked: "Shi Quan, do you know Distraction Control?"

"Don't try to change the subject with me here."

"I'm not changing the subject," Ning Rongrong said anxiously, "Didn't you just use Distraction Control to control your Blue Silver Grass and trap all seven of them at the same time?"

Shi Quan explained: "That is because my degree of control over my martial soul is strong."

"It is clearly Distraction Control; you were actually able to split the Blue Silver Grass into seven vines and control seven targets simultaneously. This is already the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart realm!" Ning Rongrong looked at Shi Quan with glowing eyes.

"What Distraction Control? I don't know it."

Shi Quan waved his hand and said. The reason he could control the Blue Silver Grass so freely was, on one hand, because of his powerful Mental Power, and on the other, because of his martial soul control; it had nothing to do with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Distraction Control.

However, in Ning Rongrong's view, this was Distraction Control.

Ning Rongrong had also come to understand Shi Quan's prowess over these past few days, but she hadn't expected that Shi Quan would even know Distraction Control!

This was a secret technique of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect; she hadn't even mastered the basics yet, and yet Shi Quan had already reached the highest realm of Distraction Control?

Moreover, this secret technique was not yet being passed on outside the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. According to Shi Quan's statement, didn't that mean Shi Quan had realized Distraction Control based on his own talent and had directly reached the strongest Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart realm?

Thinking of this, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration for Shi Quan in her heart.

To the side, Xue Beng saw the two ignoring him and felt his face had been mocked, but since the seven of them were no match for Shi Quan, he could only snort coldly and turn to leave.

Ning Rongrong pestered Shi Quan and asked: "Do you really not know Distraction Control? Didn't my father tell you about it?"

"I suspect you are just changing the subject because you caused trouble," Shi Quan said indifferently.

"This young lady takes responsibility for her own actions; would I be afraid?" Ning Rongrong held her head high and puffed out her chest as she looked at Shi Quan. Seeing that Shi Quan didn't even glance at her and turned to walk toward the Canteen, she could only hurry to follow, "Hey Shi Quan, you still haven't said whether my father told you about Distraction Control."

"Uncle Ning hasn't told me about these things." Shi Quan covered his ears, turned around, and reached out to pinch Ning Rongrong's mouth directly, "Aren't you hungry? Go eat quickly and plug your mouth."

"Wu... wu..." Ning Rongrong still wanted to say something, but couldn't, so she could only reach out and continuously pat Shi Quan's arm, signaling him to let go.

"Hmph!" Ning Rongrong glared at Shi Quan and turned to walk toward the Canteen window.

Shi Quan chose a window to get a meal; the food at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy tasted quite good. Not long after Shi Quan sat down, Ning Rongrong also sat opposite him, carrying a plate of food that looked delicious.

"Shi Quan, you just said that was because your martial soul control degree is strong, so how do you practice controlling your martial soul?" While eating, Ning Rongrong asked curiously.

The way she practiced Distraction Control was by continuously releasing her different skills, ensuring the speed and timing of each skill release were distinct, and striving to be as accurate as possible, with total freedom to start and stop.

The whole process was very tedious, and she had never been able to calm her heart down to practice, so her progress in Distraction Control had always been very slow.

Therefore, she was very curious about Shi Quan's Distraction Control practice method, to see if it could be of any help to her own.

"Perceiving the martial soul."

"Perceiving the martial soul?" Ning Rongrong listened with a puzzled look.

"It means perceiving the power of the martial soul, realizing the will of the martial soul, and being in tune with the martial soul." After Shi Quan explained simply, he continued: "Wait until your heart can calm down before talking about it. For now, you should just honestly practice your horse stance; wait until you have mastered your horse stance before talking about anything else."

"That sounds so hard." Ning Rongrong pouted and took a big bite of the delicious food on her plate.

Afternoon.

Heaven Dou Team Training Ground.

Yu Feng said animatedly: "Have you heard about what happened at noon? A monster came to our academy whose second soul ring is already a Millennium Soul Ring. To have group control ability at only two rings—this person must be the one Teacher Qin mentioned."

The usually taciturn Shi brothers also spoke up at this time: "We heard about it too."

Ao Siluo said with disdain: "The commotion this caused wasn't small; it happened right at noon when there were the most people. Who in the academy doesn't know now?"

As the captain, Yu Tianheng also spoke at this time: "This person's strength is not weak, and he is a Control System Soul Master; you all must be careful."

Ao Siluo and Yu Feng looked at each other, and fighting spirit flickered in the depths of their eyes.

"I won't leave the Heaven Dou Team so easily," Yu Feng said with a grin, "So what if he has a Millennium Soul Ring? It won't be that simple to beat me."

Ao Siluo said with a serious and earnest expression: "I am the same."

In the current Heaven Dou Team, there were only three people who remained at two rings; two of them were Yu Feng and Ao Siluo, and the other was Ye Lingling, who served as an Auxiliary Soul Master.

Although they were still at two rings, both of their strengths had reached level 29, just one final step away from the threshold of a level 30 Soul Elder.

As a Control System Soul Master, if Shi Quan wanted to join the Heaven Dou Team, he naturally wouldn't replace Ye Lingling, who was an Auxiliary Soul Master, so the most dangerous ones were naturally Yu Feng and Ao Siluo, who were still at two rings.

However, in reality, everyone knew in their hearts that the most dangerous one was actually just Ao Siluo alone.

Yu Feng and Ao Siluo had comparable talent and were both Agility Attack System Battle Soul Masters, but there was a significant gap between their martial souls. Yu Feng's martial soul was the Wind Bell Bird, while Ao Siluo's martial soul was the Ghost Leopard; the difference between a flying soul master and a ground soul master was self-evident.

If Shi Quan really had the ability to break into the Heaven Dou Team, then the person eliminated from the Heaven Dou Team would inevitably be Ao Siluo.

The seven of them had been training together for two or three years, and a very deep friendship had long since been established among them; they would not be willing to let any one of them be eliminated.

But the Heaven Dou Team was just like that; only the strong could enter. If they wanted to stay, they could only keep working hard to become stronger.

Mimicry Cultivation Environment.

"Don't you have so much energy you don't know where to spend it? Get up, stand for half an hour at once."

A deep blue vine whip landed with a "crack" sound right beside Ning Rongrong, startling her into a shiver.

During the training of the past few days, whenever Ning Rongrong was tired from standing, she would sit cross-legged to cultivate and rest, and Shi Quan had never made any strict demands of her, but after what happened this afternoon, Shi Quan intended to properly "instruct" this Ning Rongrong.

"I can't stand up anymore." Ning Rongrong slumped on the ground, too lazy to move at all; she simply did not believe that Shi Quan would dare to actually hit her.

The next second, following a "crack" sound, Ning Rongrong immediately covered her hand and let out a pained groan.

"You actually dared to hit me!" Ning Rongrong roared angrily.

Shi Quan looked at Ning Rongrong indifferently, "I told you to stand up; otherwise, the next whip will not land on the back of your hand."

"Who do you think you are? Even my father has never hit me, and you actually dare to hit me." Ning Rongrong grabbed a stone from the ground and threw it at Shi Quan with all her might.

Shi Quan lightly dodged to the side, then swung the whip again, and Ning Rongrong let out another cry of pain.

"I said it before, since you are learning from me, then no matter what, I count as half a teacher to you, and also your elder; this whip is a lesson for your disrespect toward your elder."

"Get up and stand properly!" Shi Quan scolded sternly.

Stung by the pain, Ning Rongrong's eyes turned red, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes; hearing Shi Quan's stern voice, Ning Rongrong had no choice but to get up and stand properly.

"Shi Quan, you just wait, I will definitely tell my father and the others about today's events; you actually dared to whip me!" As tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, Ning Rongrong shakily stood in a horse stance, her pitiful appearance making it seem as if she had suffered some great injustice.

"Since Uncle Ning handed you over to me, I naturally have to fulfill my duty; if you want to complain, then go ahead, but as for now, you had better honestly stand properly for me, otherwise don't blame my whip for being heartless."

Shi Quan walked to Ning Rongrong's side, his voice neither salty nor bland, and raised his hand to press Ning Rongrong's posture lower.

"Shi Quan, you stinky guy, you're bullying me..." Ning Rongrong's legs trembled, and while she squatted in a horse stance shedding tears, she kept cursing at Shi Quan.

The result was another whip landing on Ning Rongrong's back.

"Ah!" Ning Rongrong felt the pain, and her already trembling legs gave way because of this whip, causing her to fall directly to the ground.

"If you like to curse, then continue." Shi Quan chuckled as he raised the Blue Silver Vine Whip in his hand, then said: "Get up and stand properly!"

"Wuwuwu!" Originally just shedding tears of grievance, Ning Rongrong now began to wail loudly; having been overbearing since she was small, when had she ever been hit like this before?

Happy New Year.

(End of this chapter)