Chapter 6: Nuoding City

In the process of making mud sculptures, Shi Quan keenly perceived one thing: this kind of focused, singular mud sculpture production, besides increasing the compatibility of his Mud Spirit martial soul, might also be able to increase his Mental Power.

If one were to use the Mud Spirit martial soul to mold a good, lifelike, and even spiritually expressive work, the entire process would require concentrating one's entire Mental Power into the martial soul; this process could absolutely achieve the effect of exercising Mental Power.

The way his father flexibly controlled his martial soul also consumed his own mental energy—that is, Mental Power—and if he controlled it for too long, Shi Jian would also feel exhausted.

"Xiao Quan, you did very well."

Shi Jian looked at Shi Quan, who had just awakened from that state, with eyes full of shock. He had started learning to make mud sculptures at age six, and the state Shi Quan had just been in was one he had only entered at eighteen or nineteen by a stroke of luck, where one is completely immersed in the creation of a mud sculpture to the point of self-forgetfulness.

In his plan, it would have been quite good if Shi Quan could enter this state of self-forgetfulness within these three months; yet, now, after only half a month, Shi Quan had actually entered it, so how could he not be shocked?

"Is this the talent of a Spirit Master?" Shi Jian thought to himself, feeling genuinely happy for Shi Quan from the bottom of his heart.

"Xiao Quan, remember that feeling from just now. In the time to come, you must try to enter that state as much as possible. Practice makes perfect; when you can control it freely, that will be the time for you to try using your martial soul to make mud sculptures."

After savoring that feeling for a moment, Shi Quan nodded and replied, "I understand, Dad."

He was currently only using ordinary mud to make mud sculptures; according to Shi Jian, only when he could freely immerse himself in the production process could he attempt to use his martial soul to make them.

Seemingly ordinary mud sculptures were actually not as simple as imagined to make; that feeling of self-forgetful immersion was not so easy to enter.

If it weren't for the habit of reading that Shi Quan had cultivated since childhood, which made his heart easier to calm than others', plus the assistance of his Spirit Soul martial soul, it would have been impossible to reach this state for the first time in just half a month.

This state of focus, self-forgetfulness, and immersion was extremely special.

Even if it couldn't help Shi Jian improve his control over his martial soul, this special state was of great benefit to his cultivation.

With the assistance of his Spirit Soul martial soul, after seven days, Shi Quan entered this state of self-forgetfulness for the second time. Throughout the practice process, Shi Quan could feel his Mental Power being influenced and subtly progressing, which significantly enhanced his perception of his Spirit Soul martial soul.

As the number of times increased, Shi Quan found it increasingly easy to enter this state of self-forgetfulness; after more than two months, he had reached the point where he could enter it almost every day.

Just as Shi Jian had expected, this state of focused, self-forgetful immersion was not only useful for controlling one's martial soul, but it could also provide some assistance and improvement to his cultivation. His cultivation speed would be a few fractions faster than normal; although not much, it would lead to a significant improvement over time.

This kind of focused, calm learning and cultivation made Shi Quan appear more steady, causing him to subconsciously calm his heart and mind when doing things, allowing him to quickly immerse himself in them.

Seemingly simple mud sculptures, but the benefits brought by truly doing this one thing well far exceeded Shi Quan's expectations.

Deep down, Shi Quan still admired his old man somewhat; an ordinary person was actually able to achieve this level.

In the Douluo World, without too much influence from external objects, there were countless ordinary people like Shi Jian who dedicated their whole lives to one thing, but to be able to derive a method of controlling a martial soul from this extremely ordinary task—besides the coincidence of martial soul compatibility—was more a manifestation of Shi Jian's own talent.

"If Dad had been born in a world of Dao-cultivation and enlightenment, he would definitely be a genius."

Three months passed quickly in this fulfilling cultivation.

This special state felt somewhat similar to the state of sudden enlightenment in the novels of his past life; although similar, there was also a clear difference.

Now he could freely enter this special state, but what gave Shi Quan a headache was that there was a prerequisite: it required the assistance of his Spirit Soul martial soul.

Therefore, he gave this special state a name: 'Spirit Enlightenment'.

Currently, he could only rely on his Spirit Soul martial soul to quickly clear the miscellaneous thoughts in his heart and fully immerse himself in the Spirit Enlightenment state.

The more times he entered the Spirit Enlightenment state, the more Shi Quan admired his father. The boost that the Spirit Enlightenment state provided to a Spirit Master's cultivation was comprehensive, and this boost would likely only increase, not decrease, as one's strength improved.

Especially for a Level 95 Title Douluo; if Shi Quan remembered correctly, the original work seemed to say that Title Douluos above Level 95 did not rely on the accumulation of soul power, but on the understanding of their own martial souls. If there were the assistance of the Spirit Enlightenment state, one could be said to have no bottlenecks after Level 95.

If this news were to spread, I fear the entire continent would be shaken.

Of course, Shi Quan wasn't sure; after all, when Tang San's soul power level increased, it always soared directly, and there was no such thing as needing enlightenment.

Although the Spirit Enlightenment state was strong, it also had some drawbacks. Because in the Spirit Enlightenment state, all of one's consciousness and thoughts were immersed in a certain thing, it would cause one to ignore time and even everything around them. Once danger was encountered, there would be no time to react, so one must be in a safe place to enter the Spirit Enlightenment state.

……

"Xiao Quan, let's rest today."

Shi Quan, who had just stepped into the Ni Su Fang, paused, and looked at Shi Jian inside the room in confusion. "What's wrong, Dad? Why aren't we cultivating today?"

Shi Jian said calmly, "Tomorrow you are going to the Spirit Academy in Nuoding City to study. You'll be gone for a year, and you've been in this Ni Su Fang every day during this time. On your last day, go keep your mom company."

"I understand, Dad."

Shi Quan's expression flickered. He had been cultivating every day during this time and really hadn't noticed the issue of time. He hadn't expected that he would be going to the academy so soon. Li Meili had doted on him since he was small, and now that she was sending Shi Quan off to study, her mood must be low. Shi Jian must have noticed Li Meili's mood, which was why he specifically told him to go keep her company.

Arriving in front of the courtyard, Li Meili was sitting quietly in the courtyard alone, staring blankly at a recliner on one side. That recliner was not large; it was prepared for Shi Quan, and usually, Shi Quan liked to lie on it to bask in the sun and read books.

For these three months, he had cultivated every day and had not lain on it even once, but the recliner was still spotlessly clean.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Shi Quan came behind Li Meili and hugged her from behind.

"Why didn't you cultivate today?" Hearing the voice behind her, a brilliant smile immediately appeared on Li Meili's face.

Shi Quan chuckled and said playfully, "Isn't it because I missed our beautiful and lovely mom?"

"Why is our Xiao Quan's mouth so sweet?" Li Meili giggled, turned around, and pulled Shi Quan into her arms. "What delicious food do you want for lunch? Mom will make it for you!"

"Sweet and sour pork ribs, spicy rabbit meat..." Shi Quan counted on his fingers one by one, and in less than a moment, he had listed a long string of foods. "... I like everything Mom makes~"

"Hahaha, alright, alright."

In just a few words, Shi Quan had Li Meili laughing happily.

Happy times always pass quickly; amidst the laughter and joy, night soon fell.

In his room, for once, Shi Quan did not start cultivating immediately upon returning. Instead, he looked at the moonlight outside the window and stared blankly for a while. Thinking of the Spirit Academy he was about to enter, and Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Master within the academy, Shi Quan was uncharacteristically restless.

Regarding the outside world, he had some expectations, but his heart also carried the reluctance of the impending separation.

Early morning.

Amidst the fragrance of clear congee, Shi Quan awoke from his cultivation. During these three months, he had spent every night in cultivation. He still only had a few rough directions for the system's treasure chest triggering rules; he had tried a few times in the three months, but there was no reaction. Now he could only temporarily rely on his own diligence and effort to improve his strength as much as possible.

After three months of hard cultivation, his soul power level had also increased to Level 5, and he was not far from Level 6. According to this rate of improvement, he was confident that he would break through to Level 20 before graduating from the primary academy.

In the main room, Li Meili had already prepared breakfast for the two of them. They had already helped Shi Quan pack his things in advance. To see Shi Quan off, the two of them had specially worn brand-new clothes; of course, new clothes for Shi Quan were naturally included.

Although they lived in a village, Shi Quan's family was not poor. After all, Shi Jian's craftsmanship was well-known, and his mud sculptures were enough to keep their family well-fed and clothed.

"Xiao Quan, come and eat quickly."

Li Meili's call came from the main room.

Perhaps because she was thinking that Shi Quan was going to the academy today, the breakfast on the table was exceptionally rich, all of which were things Shi Quan liked to eat.

Gorging himself, Shi Quan's stomach soon bulged. Even though he ate until he was stuffed, there was still nearly two-thirds of the breakfast left on the table.

Couldn't finish it; absolutely couldn't finish it.

Shi Quan rubbed his bulging little belly with a look of complete satisfaction, which made Li Meili, who was beside him, giggle.

After the three of them finished breakfast, the carriage that Shi Jian had arranged in advance was already parked steadily outside their door; after packing simply and loading the prepared items onto the carriage one by one, the group began to head toward Nuoding City.

The things they had prepared for Shi Quan were very complete; quilts, pillows, palm mats, clothes, shoes, and even toiletries had all been prepared well for Shi Quan.

Shi Jian drove the carriage while Shi Quan and Li Meili sat in the back; along the way, the three of them were like people out on a trip, laughing and talking. Of course, Shi Jian's instructions were also indispensable; Shi Quan was clear about the special nature of the Spirit Enlightenment State, he knew the gravity of it and would not expose it casually, and from now on, without Shi Jian's guidance, Shi Quan would have to rely on himself to practice until he mastered it.

The speed of the carriage was not fast, but the distance between Shi Family Village and Nuoding City was not far either; just as it approached noon, they could already see the towering city walls of Nuoding City in the distance.

Shi Quan had been to Nuoding City many times before with Li Meili and Shi Jian, so it was not unfamiliar to him.

There was still plenty of time for registration, and since it was approaching noon, Shi Jian drove the carriage directly to the front of a restaurant in Nuoding City, intending to eat lunch first.

"Yo, Master Shi, are you here in the city to deliver clay sculptures again? Come, come, come, sit over here."

Just as they walked into the restaurant, the shopkeeper greeted Shi Jian enthusiastically; the restaurant was decorated quite grandly, and there were many exquisite clay sculptures displayed on the shelves in the back hall behind the counter, but as it was just approaching noon, the shop was already full of people eating, with only one or two empty tables left at the edge.

Shi Jian also waved his hand with a smile to greet the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper Li's business is still as booming as ever; today I'm just here to drop off this boy of ours."

"Oh?" Shopkeeper Li greeted Shi Jian and the others to sit at an empty table, his gaze changing slightly as he looked at Shi Quan.

This Shopkeeper Li was also a shrewd person; people came and went in the restaurant every day, he had seen all kinds of people, and he understood much more than the average person, so he cupped his hands and congratulated him: "Congratulations, Master Shi, for having such a precious son."

Shi Jian smiled calmly and said, "Shopkeeper Li, you are joking; this is all his own good fortune."

"Master Shi is still the same as ever; you sit for a moment, and I will have the kitchen prepare a few more of our signature dishes for you." Shopkeeper Li smiled and walked toward the back kitchen.

"Dad, are you very close with that Shopkeeper Li?"

Shi Jian shook his head, "He ordered clay sculptures from me twice before, so we have only dealt with each other simply, but the food in his shop is indeed good; eat a bit more in a while."

Shi Quan nodded thoughtfully; his father was not only mature and steady, but also exceptionally shrewd in his conduct.

What is a restaurant for? It is a place for bragging, chatting, and gathering, where there are many people and many eyes.

The fact that he possessed the talent of a Spirit Master would soon spread among those in Nuoding City who knew Shi Jian through Shopkeeper Li's mouth; after all, a Spirit Master appearing in an ordinary family was a rare piece of gossip, and there was no harm in the matter spreading—it might even help the family increase their business, with advantages and no disadvantages.

After lunch.

Li Meili was afraid that the prepared items were not enough, so she insisted that Shi Jian drive the carriage around the street again, under the guise of checking for any omissions, saying that if they saw anything needed, they would buy it along the way; Shi Jian also understood his beloved wife in his heart, knowing that Li Meili wanted to accompany Shi Quan a little longer, so he obediently drove the carriage toward the street.

The mother and son walked, played, and had fun, as if they had come to Nuoding City specifically to go shopping.

"Hello, sir, may I ask if you know which way to go to Notting Academy?"

Just as the three of them were having a good time shopping, they were all attracted by an old voice coming from not far away, and all three subconsciously turned their heads to look in the direction the voice came from.

(End of this chapter)