Chapter 9: The man is innocent, but guilty of possessing a treasure
"I understand, Teacher."
After listening to Teacher's clear and insightful analysis, Tang San nodded slightly, his eyes filled with respect, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly:
"Teacher is indeed knowledgeable, truly worthy of being a master of Spirit theory…"
"Not only does he have a deep understanding of Spirits, but he also analyzes the continent's situation and the operations of various forces so thoroughly."
"With his guidance for my Spirit Cultivation, there will be no mistakes."
However, just then, Yu Xiaogang suddenly changed the subject, his tone becoming slow and solemn:
"Tang San, there's one more thing I must warn you about in advance."
"From today onwards… try to keep your distance from your older brother, Tang Chuan."
Tang San was stunned, staring blankly at Yu Xiaogang, full of confusion: "Teacher? Why? Tang Chuan is my brother, he has taken care of me a lot over the years. What do you mean by this?"
Yu Xiaogang's gaze was calm, yet it held an unquestionable depth as he slowly said:
"Tang San, you possess Innate full spirit power and twin spirits, making you an extremely rare Genius. This Aptitude is rarely seen in a century; becoming a Titled Douluo is only a matter of time."
"But your brother… Tang Chuan, his Spirit is just an ordinary Blue Silver Grass, and it's in its most initial form, without any mutations. Furthermore, his Innate spirit power is only Rank one."
"Do you know what this means?"
Tang San remained silent.
Yu Xiaogang continued:
"With his Aptitude, no matter how hard he Cultivates, his Cultivation speed will be extremely slow."
"I'm afraid… by the time you already have your second spirit ring and have advanced to a Spirit Grandmaster, his spirit power might still be below Rank ten, unable to even obtain his first spirit ring."
Hearing this, Tang San's eyes were somewhat complex, and he still didn't speak.
Seeing that Tang San did not refute, Yu Xiaogang's tone softened, with a hint of thoughtfulness in his eyes:
"Tang San, you will become a Titled Douluo, or even a Super Douluo."
"As for your brother, in his entire life, he will probably only reach the Spirit Grandmaster Rank."
"If he sees your Cultivation speed getting faster and faster, your spirit power Rank constantly increasing, while he himself can barely make progress, what will he think?"
At this point, Yu Xiaogang paused, then said meaningfully:
"Most people are not afraid of failure, but rather of being left far behind by those around them. For your brother's sake, I advise you to interact with him less in the future, lest you bring him Cultivation pressure."
Hearing this, Tang San was silent for a moment, then whispered: "Teacher, I understand."
Just now, memories of the Tang Sect from his previous life surfaced in his mind.
In the Tang Sect.
The gap in status and resources between Inner Sect Disciples and Outer Sect Disciples was simply worlds apart.
Inner Sect Disciples could Cultivate the most profound Cultivation Techniques, obtain precious Inner Sect resources, and receive personal guidance from the Elders. As for Outer Sect Disciples… they could only slowly explore Cultivation on their own, and some might even never enter the Inner Sect in their entire lives.
At that time, as an Outer Sect Disciple, he had seen many Outer Sect Disciples watch their fellow disciples climb to high positions step by step, while they themselves remained stagnant. Their eyes gradually became distant, cold, and eventually, they completely estranged themselves.
Now, he possessed Innate full spirit power and twin spirits, making him a rare Genius across the entire Douluo Continent.
However, his brother, Tang Chuan, was merely an ordinary Spirit Master with a Blue Silver Grass Spirit and only Rank one Innate spirit power… In the future, the distance between them would only grow larger.
In Tang San's view, this world was ultimately about stratification.
What Yu Xiaogang said just now was not without reason.
Several hours later, as dusk approached, inside Noding Academy's cafeteria.
At a wooden table in a corner, Tang Chuan was engrossed in eating, his expression natural, yet his movements were unusually swift, almost like a whirlwind.
He swallowed his fifth basket of steamed buns in one go before finally pausing, then picked up the nearby kettle and guzzled a large mouthful of water.
The empty bowls and plates on the table were already piled into a small hill, and several students sitting not far away were already dumbfounded, unable to help but whisper:
"Isn't that Tang San's brother? Why is he eating so fiercely? How many days has he not had enough to eat?"
"Six or seven baskets of steamed buns… I can't finish that in two or three days."
Tang Chuan ignored the discussions around him, his eyes calm.
He just silently looked at the empty food plate in front of him, his expression complex.
"I didn't expect that after absorbing the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, not only did my spirit power Rank and Physique improve significantly, but even my appetite increased."
Tang Chuan muttered to himself, then subtly clenched his fingers. Immediately, he felt a vast energy flowing between his bones and muscles.
His spirit power surged, and his Qi and blood were abundant.
The most direct manifestation was that his current food intake had skyrocketed by two or three times compared to before.
"If it were just the increase in spirit power, that would be fine, but this improvement in Physique is too obvious. My meager subsidy as a work-study student will probably soon not even be enough for food."
Thinking of this, Tang Chuan frowned slightly, looked down at the empty plate, and couldn't help but start calculating, whispering:
"To solve the food problem, I need to receive the gold coin subsidy from Spirit Hall. To do that, I must obtain a spirit ring and become a formal Spirit Master."
At this point, all logic was as clear as could be.
But the problem was… he had only been enrolled for half a month.
Who would believe that a work-study student with only Rank one Innate spirit power and a Blue Silver Grass Spirit could reach Rank ten spirit power in just over ten days?
"My spirit power Rank is increasing too quickly. If I expose it rashly, it's very likely that people will guess I absorbed a Spirit Bone. After all, on this Douluo Continent, the most easily conceivable way to quickly help a Spirit Master increase their spirit power in a short time is through a Spirit Bone."
"An innocent man is guilty because of his treasure."
Tang Chuan's eyes slightly chilled, and a hint of vigilance immediately arose in his heart.
"I can't go through the Academy's process."
"I must find a way myself, without alarming anyone, to hunt a suitable plant-type Spirit Beast and then absorb its spirit ring."
His eyes narrowed, and a clear path quickly flashed through Tang Chuan's mind.
"To hunt a Spirit Beast on my own, I first need to solve three problems."
"First, the Spirit Beast must match the Blue Silver Grass's attributes. Second, it cannot be too strong, otherwise, my body, which lacks combat experience, might not be able to handle it. Third, I need to find a way to conceal my strength, to avoid being questioned if my spirit power increases too quickly in the future."
"If I could obtain a Simulation-type Spirit Ability like Huo Yuhao in Douluo Dalu 2… then whether it's changing the spirit ring color or concealing spirit power fluctuations, it would be easy to do."
"At that time, even if my spirit power skyrockets, outsiders would only think I am still below Rank ten, completely unaware of my true strength."
Simulation Spirit Ability was the king of disguises.
But then, Tang Chuan secretly shook his head.
[end of the chapter]
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