Chapter 19: The Conceited Master
A few days later, Tang Chuan returned to Noding Elementary Spirit Master Academy.
Standing at the academy gates, looking at the familiar entrance and bustling crowd, Tang Chuan smiled faintly. At this moment, his spirit power far surpassed that of his peers; he possessed the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone and had absorbed a mutated Millennium Illusionary Hidden Flower spirit ring. His strength was now incomparable to what it once was.
But he had no intention of revealing any of it.
"An innocent man is guilty because of his treasure." This was a saying he always kept in mind.
Therefore, before returning to the academy, Tang Chuan immediately activated the Spirit Ability granted by his first spirit ring. With his Simulation ability, he suppressed and contained the immense spirit power within his body.
To outsiders, Tang Chuan still appeared to be the same 'useless' youth whose Spirit was Blue Silver Grass and whose Innate spirit power was only Rank One.
Pushing open the wooden door of Dorm Seven, Tang Chuan skillfully walked back to his bed, then closed the window. With a soft exhale, he entered a state of meditation.
Subsequently, his breathing gradually calmed, and his consciousness slowly receded inward.
The spirit power within his body flowed gently like a spring, and with the augmentation of the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, it resembled clear, flowing streams, brimming with an incredibly rich life aura.
The next second, Blue Silver Grass quietly emerged from his palm, full of vitality, with faint wisps of blue-golden light shimmering on its surface.
"This time, when I return, Tang Hao shouldn't be able to detect the change in my spirit power Rank, right?" Gazing at the Blue Silver Grass in his palm, Tang Chuan remained silent for a moment before muttering to himself.
"However… after I absorbed the 100,000-year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, if he was secretly observing me, would he have noticed anything?"
Tang Chuan's fingertips gently brushed the edge of the bed, his eyes still calm, but beneath that calmness, a sharp power of insight was hidden.
"Even if he discovered something… what could he do? I am, after all, his son. No matter how suspicious he is, he wouldn't possibly come and kill me."
"At most—" Tang Chuan's lips curved slightly, revealing a confident yet cold arc.
"He would be curious why my spirit power increased so rapidly, and he would suspect that I had some kind of fortuitous encounter."
At this thought, Tang Chuan slowly opened his eyes. The dormitory was still quiet, with only the rustling sound of the night wind passing through the treetops outside the window.
He didn't get up immediately but lay on his bed, his eyes deep, his thoughts gradually drifting back to those days sealed deep within his memory.
"Heh… Tang Hao, oh Tang Hao." Tang Chuan's voice was almost inaudible, yet it carried a hint of coldness: "Do you still remember, in those years at Saint Spirit Village, both I and Tang San were your biological sons, but in your eyes, when did I ever exist for even a moment?"
His fists clenched, and the faded yet clear past involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
Before Tang Chuan and Tang San had Awakened their Spirits, Tang Hao spent his days drinking heavily, silent and withdrawn, sleeping during the day and hammering iron at night. Apart from the sound of his hammer, there was only his snoring.
The two brothers were young; even when they were starving, they had to go to the fields themselves to find wild vegetables and dig up wild yams. Sometimes, they even risked being bitten by wild dogs to steal chickens or catch rabbits.
When they returned home, they still had to wake up early to cook for Tang Hao.
At that time, Tang Hao's temper was as volatile as a wild beast in the mountains.
The dish was a little too salty? A slap would come flying.
The food was a little cold? He would kick the table over.
Tang Chuan still remembered one time when he accidentally burnt the porridge, Tang Hao grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up, and threw him outside, where he rolled in the mud, getting covered in dirt.
And Tang San?
At that time, he was just a child of five or six, like himself.
Everything changed on the day their Spirits were Awakened. Upon learning that Tang San possessed twin spirits and Innate Full spirit power, Tang Hao's attitude changed completely, and he even embraced Tang San for the first time.
From then on, Tang Hao no longer made Tang San cook and even personally taught him forging.
It was as if only then did he remember he still had a son—Tang San.
As for Tang Chuan, in Tang Hao's eyes, he was still a 'useless' person only fit to cook for him. Tang Hao's attitude towards Tang Chuan did not change at all; it remained as it was.
A 'useless' Spirit, Blue Silver Grass, and Innate spirit power of Rank One!
Tang Hao sentenced Tang Chuan's future to death with a single sentence: "It's fine for you to stay in the village and be an ordinary blacksmith. Why go to a Spirit Master Academy? It's a waste of time. If you leave, who will cook for me?"
The Blue Silver Grass gently moved between his fingertips, its blue-golden light faintly flickering in the night.
"Tang Hao, one day I will let you know that the 'useless' person you once disdained will be stronger than your precious son with twin spirits."
"And that day will not be far."
With that, Tang Chuan slowly closed his eyes, his spirit power quietly circulating within him, the light of the Blue Silver Grass in his palm pulsating like a heartbeat.
That night, he meditated without rest, his thoughts unbroken.
A few days later, sunlight filtered through the branches, scattering into the forest behind Noding Academy.
Tang Chuan, as usual, sat quietly on a bluestone in the back mountain forest, eyes closed in meditation. Blue Silver Grass emerged from his palm, quietly resonating with the surrounding Blue Silver Grass.
At this moment, not far from the back mountain.
Grandmaster and Tang San stood beneath a tree, silently observing this scene.
"Teacher," Tang San had witnessed Tang Chuan's daily routine recently, and he spoke softly: "Although Older Brother's Aptitude is very poor, he Cultivates really diligently. Almost every day, I see him going back and forth between the library and the back mountain… He never slacks off."
Grandmaster nodded, his expression calm: "Your older brother is indeed diligent, and he has a bit of cleverness. Knowing his Spirit is Blue Silver Grass, he chose to meditate and Cultivate in this forest rich with Blue Silver Grass. Plant Spirits, in a dense plant environment, can indeed slightly accelerate the growth of spirit power."
Tang San also nodded: "I also think Older Brother is very diligent. A few days ago, I even saw him in the library reading that book, 'History of Plant-Type Spirit Development'."
Upon hearing this, Grandmaster frowned slightly, his expression immediately turning somewhat disdainful.
"Little San, your older brother… it's a pity, a real pity, about his Aptitude." Grandmaster sighed, his tone gradually taking on a hint of mockery: "Innate spirit power is only Rank One, and his Spirit is still Blue Silver Grass. With such Aptitude, he is destined to achieve little in his entire life."
Tang San was startled, wanting to retort, but didn't know how to speak.
After a moment, he said: "Teacher, I think Older Brother really enjoys researching Spirit theories. Perhaps in the future, he can also become a Grandmaster of Spirit Theory, just like you, Teacher."
Upon hearing this, a hint of contemptuous smile immediately appeared on Grandmaster's usually calm face.
"Heh heh." Shaking his head, Grandmaster's tone was undisguisedly sarcastic, saying: "With his limited intellect, do you think he can become a Grandmaster of Spirit Theory?"
Grandmaster's tone gradually became more elevated, carrying an air of self-important pride: "Little San, you must understand, not everyone can be like your teacher, me, who has read extensively, diligently researched, proposed Spirit theories, forged a new path, and become a Grandmaster of Spirit Theory."
At this point, he raised his hand and pointed to his head, his voice full of arrogance: "The reason your teacher is where he is today is entirely due to the wisdom here."
"What does researching Spirit theory rely on? It relies on uniqueness, on boundless imagination. And your older brother, he doesn't even understand the most basic Cultivation direction for Blue Silver Grass. On the path of Spirit theory, he will not achieve Major Achievement."
[end of the chapter]