Chapter 41: Arrangements.
Watching the three depart, Ma Hongjun's face betrayed resentment, while Dai Mubai's face was filled with inexplicable joy.
Soon, Shi Yi brought the two to his residence, where a young man in a white suit was already waiting.
Seeing Ning Rongrong bow respectfully, the young man casually retrieved another spirit instrument from his collection and presented it to her, saying, "Miss, this is what you requested yesterday."
Ning Rongrong nodded slightly, took it from the young man's hand, and without even bothering to examine it, casually tossed it to Shi Yi, saying, "Thank you for your hard work."
"Miss, you're too polite. If there's nothing else, I won't bother you," the young man replied.
Ning Rongrong said nothing, simply waving her hand, motioning the young man to leave. Seeing this, the young man slowly stood up, glanced at Shi Yi, a flicker of respect in his eyes, and nodded slightly.
Shi Yi nodded in response, smiling. The young man then vanished.
"Not bad, Miss, you're quite efficient," Shi Yi said, giving Ning Rongrong a thumbs-up.
Ning Rongrong clasped her hands over her chest and said proudly, "Of course, anything I order is quickly delivered."
Zhu Zhuqing, standing beside her, also looked at Shi Yi and whispered, "Thank you."
Shi Yi smiled slightly and said, "You're welcome. I'm your teacher after all. If you want to thank someone, thank Rongrong. With Rongrong as your wealthy wife, you don't have to worry about your training expenses."
Zhu Zhuqing, upon hearing this, turned her gaze to Ning Rongrong and said earnestly, "Thank you."
Ning Rongrong, seeing this, also said earnestly, "This is just a small token of my appreciation. As a classmate, I hope you can win."
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes lit up, and she nodded, saying softly, "I'll do my best."
"Of course, Miss," Shi Yi chuckled. Ning Rongrong snorted, a hint of embarrassment crossing her face.
"Well, if that's the case, let's begin training." Shi Yi chuckled at the two of them, as if he were thinking of some wicked idea.
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent, her gaze fixed on Shi Yi. Ning Rongrong also looked at Shi Yi curiously, wondering what kind of training he would give her.
"Zhuqing, attack me as fast as you can now," Shi Yi said calmly to Zhu Zhuqing. Zhu Zhuqing remained silent. Ning Rongrong saw a flash of purple, and then he instantly appeared before Shi Yi, his claws swiping towards Shi Yi's neck. The next second, Shi Yi's hand grasped him firmly.
"It was fast, faster than I expected, but do you know why the attack didn't work?" Shi Yi whispered to Zhu Zhuqing.
The two were very close, their positions even somewhat ambiguous. Shi Yi's presence was clearly audible, causing a blush to appear on Zhu Zhuqing's face.
Ning Rongrong also watched with interest.
Confused by Zhu Zhuqing's lack of response, Shi Yi instinctively glanced down, realizing they were a little too close.
Seeing this, Shi Yi's face flushed. He slowly let go of Zhu Zhuqing's hand, coughed awkwardly, and managed to steady his wavering mind. He said calmly, "Answer the question."
Zhu Zhuqing glared at Shi Yi and said, "I don't know!"
"Speed is only a means of approaching the enemy. Attacks must be launched the instant you reach that speed. This is what you'll be training next, to hone your reflexes. Without strong reflexes, it's difficult to attack in the instant after reaching extreme speed. Even if you possess the highest speed, it will still take a long time for an expert to react, let alone those with powerful perception." Shi Yi said calmly.
"How do I do that?" Zhu Zhuqing looked at Shi Yi seriously.
"Don't worry, this requires the help of a good brother," Shi Yi chuckled.
The next second, a different little ant appeared before the three of them. This little ant was completely different from before. Its entire exoskeleton was stained a dark gold, appearing much more solid, and the bright gold markings on its body became quite prominent.
Shi Yi was extremely surprised. Since Xiao Yi had entered a deep slumber after consuming the immortal treasure, this was the first time Shi Yi had summoned his martial spirit. He understood the significance of golden veins for martial spirits and spirit beasts. Among spirit beasts, golden veins signified royal bloodline.
The Blue Silver Emperor, the Dark Gold Nine-Headed Bat King, and even the queen ant Zhao Wuji had found in the Thousand-Tier Ant Nest all illustrated this point. As for the three Thousand-Tier Ant Kings in the Star Dou Great Forest, it was merely a matter of their cultivation.
If Shi Yi remembered correctly, the original novel also mentioned that those three Thousand-Tier Ant Kings were soldier ants. Even if they had devoured countless queens to achieve this level of cultivation, they might still be just one step away from evolving golden veins.
The two stared at Xiao Yi in amazement. Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong exchanged glances, instantly recalling the time Shi Yi had disappeared on his own.
"How did you do that? Did you hide some secret?" Ning Rongrong glared at Shi Yi.
Shi Yi was startled. Even his master hadn't anticipated Little Ant's condition. He smiled calmly, saying, "Little Ant's quality is very low, so evolving it is relatively easy. After all, Little Ants aren't inanimate."
Ning Rongrong looked at Shi Yi suspiciously, "Really?"
"Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked Teacher Zhao to help me dig out the Thousand-Temperature Ant's nest. This is the greatest advantage of a living martial spirit," Shi Yi chuckled.
Ning Rongrong looked at Little Ant with envy in her eyes. If her martial spirit could evolve, she, Ning Rongrong, would make history in the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. The family tree would have a separate page dedicated to her.
"Hurry, hurry, teach me how to practice," Ning Rongrong urged.
Shi Yi, seeing the excuse had been evaded, breathed a sigh of relief. Even if such a thing as an immortal item existed, he would never admit it. This was the first time he had summoned Little Ant in days, and he hadn't expected Qiluo Tulip to be so powerful.
"Don't worry, let me arrange for Zhuqing first," Shi Yi said softly.
Shi Yi glanced at Zhu Zhuqing and thought to himself, "This little kitty knows her limits and didn't raise any questions to Xiao Yi."
Then Shi Yi took out a handful of golden particles from his soul guide. If Tang San were here, he would be able to tell at a glance that it was the Tang Sect's hidden weapon, the Dragon Whisker Needle, that he had always dreamed of.
Shi Yi placed all the golden particles on Xiao Yi's massive forelimbs and said slowly, "Xiao Yi will throw all the golden particles in a moment. Zhuqing, what you need to do is, before they hit the ground, use your speed to collect them all, until every single one is perfectly accurate. If you fail, don't worry, just collect the particles and give them back to Xiao Yi for retraining."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded. Shi Yi looked at Xiao Yi and whispered, "Don't throw too hard, just use the lightest force possible. Zhuqing, just throw them again when all the particles have been collected."
Xiao Yi nodded humanely.
"If you can collect all the golden particles before they hit the ground, you'll be unmatched among Shrek students, except for me. To transmit information throughout your body and react, even if your opponent blocks, you'll need to initiate a move. Even Xiao San won't be able to react to your attack," Shi Yi said softly.
"Why can you do that?" Zhu Zhuqing asked, looking at Shi Yi.
Shi Yi tapped his temple and smiled. "The secret of mental power. Combat is a complex process. What seems like a simple action actually contains a lot. At low levels, spirit masters primarily rely on their eyes, ears, and nose to receive information and react to the enemy. When Xiao San's eyesight and hearing can't lock onto you, he'll naturally lose to your speed. But high-level spirit masters use their mental power to analyze others' movements and predict their reactions."
"How do we crack this?" Zhu Zhuqing frowned and asked seriously.
"That involves more advanced techniques. Stealth-type attacks, those that can't be sensed, are the most formidable. That's the agility-type monster I was talking about before. Okay, don't get ahead of yourself. Start training first. If I keep talking, someone's going to be pissed." Shi Yi chuckled.
Ning Rongrong, standing beside him, blushed.
Xiao Yi then began training with Zhu Zhuqing.
"Your training is simple. Strengthen your body and mind," Shi Yi said to Ning Rongrong.
"How do you do it?" Ning Rongrong asked, imitating Zhu Zhuqing's tone.
Shi Yi smiled slightly and said, "You know how to control your mind, right?"
Ning Rongrong looked at Shi Yi as if he were a fool and said as a matter of course, "Of course I do."
"I think you can only get to the basics," Shi Yi chuckled.
Ning Rongrong's eyes flickered when she heard that, and she stuck out her tongue and said, "Distraction control is too boring, it's simply not something a human can practice."
"I know that. I want to ask you a question. What do you think is the highest level of distraction control? Think about it carefully before answering my question," Shi Yi said seriously.
"Seven Apertures Heart?" Ning Rongrong felt a little unsure about what Shi Yi said.
Shi Yi shook his head slightly and said, "That's only the highest level a Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda soul master can reach."
"Why?" Ning Rongrong asked with some confusion.
"If I remember correctly, this technique wasn't originally exclusive to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. It was only particularly well-suited to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda's spirit masters that it has been passed down within the sect to this day. It allows spirit masters to simultaneously control multiple spirit abilities."
"This effect naturally stems from their mental power, the heart within distracted control. Since it stems from mental power, it's naturally limited by it. Since spirit masters possessing the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda cannot break through level 80, their mental power naturally can't follow their cultivation to higher realms. Therefore, I'm certain there are higher realms within the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart."
Ning Rongrong was surprised to hear this. She had never expected Shi Yi to be so well-informed about the origins of distracted control.
"So, if you want to break through the limitations of your martial spirit and accelerate its evolution, I suggest practicing distracted control alongside your physical training. Your physical state often affects your mental state. If you can complete distracted control while your physical condition is affected, it will be a tremendous improvement. Even if you one day achieve distracted control at the level of the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart, I still recommend not giving up on it, as it's also a method for increasing your mental power." Shi Yi spoke slowly, looking at Ning Rongrong.
"So what should I do?" Ning Rongrong said to Shi Yi.
"Teacher Zhao will be here after breakfast soon. What you need to do is practice distraction control within Teacher Zhao's gravity. If you can still maintain this even as your physical condition deteriorates, you'll make significant progress," Shi Yi said softly.
Ning Rongrong's face faltered. Distraction control was the most tedious of all training exercises. For a Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda spirit master, practicing distraction control meant constantly unleashing one's own abilities simultaneously on different supporting targets with minimal soul power consumption, while constantly controlling the distribution of soul power between the two abilities.
This was inherently mind-numbing. During battle, combat spirit masters often had to ensure their supporting spirit masters were protected from external interference to avoid diminishing their effectiveness. However, Shi Yi's training precisely required him to practice distraction control despite external interference.
Just as Ning Rongrong was about to ask Shi Yi to change his training, she saw Zhu Zhuqing picking up golden particles, and the words on her lips froze.
Shi Yi smiled slightly at this. He certainly understood what Ning Rongrong was thinking, but if Ning Rongrong wasn't willing to even undergo this simple training, how could she possibly evolve her martial soul? The little ant had already eaten the Qiluo tulip, and he couldn't produce a second one.
"I'll do this training with you later," Shi Yi chuckled.
Ning Rongrong looked at Shi Yi in surprise, "You also use distraction control?"
"The body carries soul power and spirit. The spirit controls the body and soul power, and soul power is the fuel for both. In fact, everyone is born with their own spirit power. Using spirit power to control the body and soul power is a soul master's instinct. Distraction control is simply a more refined refinement of this instinct, like this."
Shi Yi spoke as three spirit rings emerged from his body. Under Ning Rongrong's astonishment, the three spirit rings, under Shi Yi's constant control, formed a different shape than usual, and even flashed according to a certain pattern for each spirit ring.
Ning Rongrong was stunned by this and muttered, "The Heart of Three Aperture Control..."
Shi Yi smiled slightly. He had long admired Tang San's Purple Demon Eye for its ability to indirectly boost his spiritual power. As a vital component of a spirit master's strength, Shi Yi naturally wouldn't give up on research related to its growth.
Shi Yi had also conducted some research on the Purple Demon Eye. From the perspective of internal cultivation, Shi Yi believed it to be a special training method that utilized the morning sun to train one's eyesight. Why choose dawn as the time of day? Shi Yi believed that waking up early in the morning was when one's energy was at its peak.
The sunlight was less intense, providing a certain training effect on the eyes without damaging them. Regular eye training also stimulated the brain and promoted the growth of spiritual power.
Lacking the ability to heal, Shi Yi didn't dare to arbitrarily develop training methods for such a crucial area of the brain as the eyes. Instead, he could only continuously strengthen his control, refining it. Practice makes perfect. With constant training, Shi Yi believed this would indirectly aid the growth of spiritual power.
This distracted control was naturally the result of practice.
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(End of this chapter)