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"Of course, that's no problem. From now on, you can study in the library in the mornings. I'll inform the teachers.
Marde's expression was excited. After taking a breath, he sighed, "Originally, I was going to take you as my disciple, but now it seems it was correct that I didn't propose it. Your World is not within the scope of my Elementary Spirit Master Academy."
Shi Quan responded with a smile, "Thank you for your approval, Dean."
Marde kindly patted Shi Quan's head, "Good boy, rest assured, I will keep everything between you and me today a secret."
"Thank you, Dean."
Marde shook his head, "This is what I should do. Good boy, I should also thank you for being willing to tell me all this. From now on, I am your teacher in the academy. If you don't understand anything or need help, you can always come to me, understand?"
Shi Quan immediately changed his address, "Understood, Teacher Ma."
Marde said with a smile, "Good, good, good. My old bones have been idle for so long, it's time to get some exercise. You don't need to take the books back. I will specially prepare lessons for you. Just come directly to class tomorrow morning."
After leaving the library and having lunch, Shi Quan walked towards the back mountain. The Cultivation plan for the back mountain also changed slightly due to this matter. The Cultivation time for martial arts was further compressed and reduced, with most of the time now dedicated to the Cultivation of the Blue Silver Grass Martial Spirit. He had now entered the sight of certain people, and to make the act complete and convincing, he had to do this.
From that day on, Shi Quan no longer did morning exercises on the training ground. After eating breakfast early in the morning, he would go to the library to Cultivate and wait for Marde to arrive. After class in the morning, he would stay in the library until noon. After having lunch at the cafeteria, he would immediately head to the back mountain to continue Cultivating, repeating this cycle.
…
"Marde, have you asked about Shi Quan's matter?"
Yu Xiaogang, who had not received any news from Marde, finally couldn't sit still and came to the library to inquire about the situation.
Hearing the sound, Marde finally lifted his head from a pile of books and looked at Yu Xiaogang.
"Xiaogang, I'm sorry. I've been busy teaching this kid these past few days and forgot to tell you."
"You took Shi Quan as your disciple?" Yu Xiaogang's expression was a little stiff.
Marde smiled and shook his head, "Although I am the Dean of the academy and a teacher, isn't it normal for me to teach the students of the academy?"
Yu Xiaogang said in disbelief, "So Shi Quan has no problems?"
Marde nodded and said, "Xiaogang, Shi Quan is truly a prodigy. I have investigated thoroughly, and he has no problems."
"Then his spirit power…"
"Xiaogang." Before Yu Xiaogang could finish speaking, Marde directly interrupted him, "That child indeed has some secrets, it's true, but I promised him to keep his secrets. You only need to know that he has no problems. He is my student now, and I hope you do not doubt him."
Yu Xiaogang was speechless. After a while, he nodded and said, "I understand."
Marde also knew that his tone had been a bit harsh just now. He stood up and comforted him, "Xiaogang, I didn't intentionally hide it from you. It's just that I promised that child, and I can't betray his trust in me, right?"
"Hmm, I understand." Yu Xiaogang simply said a few words and did not stay any longer, finding a casual excuse to leave.
Marde looked at Yu Xiaogang's departing figure and couldn't help but shake his head slightly. Compared to Yu Xiaogang, who could only rely on others to prove his theories, Shi Quan was clearly stronger, because he would verify his own theories himself.
Marde didn't disbelieve Master, but the fact that he used Tang San to help him verify his theories was not well-regarded by their few theoretical scholars. To put it plainly, Master was using Tang San as an experiment. If it succeeded, it would be fine, but if it failed, it would ruin Tang San.
With Marde's presence, Shi Quan's Life became a three-point line, settling down calmly.
Four months later.
In the early morning, Shi Quan, who would usually have already gotten out of bed, tidied up, and gone out, was still maintaining a five-heart-facing-heaven Cultivation posture.
It wasn't until the first ray of sun rose in the east that Shi Quan slowly opened his eyes with a joyful expression.
He had a Breakthrough!
Feeling the abundant and full spirit power within his body, it seemed to have touched a certain Bottleneck.
Undoubtedly, his spirit power had finally reached Rank ten!
Calculating the time, he had taken about ten months to Break through from Rank six to Rank ten, averaging one Rank increase every two months. If it weren't for the fact that some Internal Energy continuously nourished his Martial Spirit during Cultivation, the speed would have been even faster!
"Finally, I can obtain a spirit ring."
Shi Quan calmed his excited emotions, quickly got out of bed, washed up, and tidied himself.
After leaving the dormitory and finishing breakfast, he immediately rushed towards the library without stopping.
Library.
Marde also looked at the empty library with some confusion. Usually, Shi Quan would have already been waiting for him in the library early in the morning. Today, he suddenly didn't see anyone, so he was inevitably a little confused.
Fortunately, not long after, Marde heard familiar footsteps coming from outside the library.
"Teacher, I'm Rank ten." Marde was about to ask Shi Quan if something had happened when he heard Shi Quan's excited voice.
"Rank ten?" Marde stood up abruptly and strode towards Shi Quan, quickly examining the situation within Shi Quan's body.
"A year and a half." Marde was too excited to speak, "You Cultivated from Rank one to Rank ten in a year and a half."
"No wonder you've been asking me about plant-type Spirit Beast knowledge lately." Marde patted his head, looking enlightened, "It seems you're ready?"
Shi Quan nodded with a smile, "That's right."
Marde thought for a moment and reminded him, "Shi Quan, it has been verified that plant-type Martial Spirits can absorb Beast Spirit spirit rings. Haven't you considered absorbing a Beast Spirit spirit ring?"
Shi Quan shook his head, "I believe that plant-type Martial Spirits are best suited for absorbing plant-type Spirit Beasts. spirit ring absorption has a certain compatibility. The more similar the type of Spirit Beast, the higher the compatibility of absorption. For example, Tang San's Datura Snake spirit ring; the Blue Silver Grass cannot inherit the Datura Snake's hard scales, sharp fangs, or flexible body. Its only improvement was gaining the Datura Snake's toxins and the attribute boost from the spirit ring. But if he had obtained a spirit ring from plant-type Spirit Beasts like Ghost Vine or Blood Vine, which also possess powerful toxins, the Blue Silver Grass would not only gain toxins but also potentially gain the Ghost Vine's thorns or the Blood Vine's saw-like vine leaves."
After listening to Shi Quan's explanation, Marde suddenly felt enlightened. Although he was a teacher, Shi Quan's unique and insightful views also benefited him greatly.
"What are your thoughts on your first spirit ring?"
Shi Quan calmly flipped through his notebook and handed it to Marde.
"Lanxin Vine, Qingxin Grass…" Marde looked at the names of the plant-type Spirit Beasts marked in Shi Quan's notebook and quickly frowned, "Shi Quan, are the Spirit Beasts you've chosen…?"
Seeing Marde's hesitant expression, Shi Quan understood why he reacted that way. The Spirit Beasts he marked were all ordinary Spirit Beasts, none of them possessing powerful abilities. If there was any special characteristic, they were all Spirit Beasts with relatively strong Life force. But which plant-type Spirit Beast's Life would be weak, except for a very few special ones?
Shi Quan unhurriedly took out another notebook, "Teacher, please look at this first."
Marde knew that Shi Quan must have a reason for choosing this way. He took the notebook Shi Quan handed him and began to read it.
The first page began with a few large characters: spirit ring Absorption Limit Theory!
"This is?!" Marde's eyes widened as he looked at the content of the book, becoming more and more shocked as he read. After a long while, Marde finally asked with an extremely serious expression, "Shi Quan, you want to absorb a spirit ring that surpasses the limit?"
"That's right!"
"That's too dangerous." Marde quickly shook his head, "You must know, if your body cannot withstand the energy, you will die. The current limit year data is already the optimal choice summarized by countless Seniors."
Shi Quan said unhurriedly, "Teacher, the current limit theory is not accurate. In my opinion, this limit theory is wrong; it simply cannot adapt to everyone.
The absorption limit of a spirit ring's age should be comprehensively considered based on various aspects such as the Spirit Master's Martial Spirit quality, physical fitness, Soul power, spirit power, and so on. It's impossible to have a unified spirit ring age standard.
To give a simple example, Teacher, do you think a Tool Spirit owner can compare physical endurance with a Beast Spirit owner? Can a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Spirit and a Lizard Martial Spirit of the same Rank be the same?"
"Indeed… indeed not the same." Marde felt his worldview being impacted. Coupled with the detailed records and descriptions in Shi Quan's notebook, he was speechless for a moment, unable to refute.
The spirit ring Absorption Limit Theory written by Shi Quan was based on his current learning accumulation, combined with his analysis of the original work, and written comprehensively.
As Shi Quan said, the limit of a spirit ring is not only limited by physical endurance, but also by Martial Spirit quality, Soul strength, spirit power, and the environment, all of which affect the spirit ring's age limit.
For example, Tang San absorbed the Man Faced Demon Spider's third spirit ring. This was his first time absorbing a spirit ring beyond the limit. At this time, Tang San had not undergone the Immortal Herb's transformation, but he endured it. Besides his so-called unyielding will, Tang San's most special feature was the spirit power within his body. The Internal Energy of Mysterious Heaven Skill was flexible, powerful, and inexhaustible.
In Shi Quan's view, Mysterious Heaven Skill also played an indispensable role in Tang San's ability to absorb a spirit ring beyond his Rank for his third spirit ring.
The help of energy spirit power in spirit ring absorption became even more apparent when Tang San absorbed his fourth spirit ring.
"Teacher, you know my situation. My Martial Spirit quality has improved due to Cultivation, and it's no longer an ordinary Blue Silver Grass. With the nourishment of the Blue Silver Grass's Life force, my spirit power is purer than that of normal Spirit Masters, and my body is also much stronger than ordinary people."
Shi Quan paused and continued, "I am confident that I can withstand more energy, and to be on the safe side, the Spirit Beasts I have chosen are all Spirit Beasts with relatively weak offensive capabilities, so the pressure of absorption will be much smaller."
He was clear about his own situation. His body possessed Indestructible Divine Skill, and internally he had the method of Yi Jin Jing and Marrow Cleansing. His Internal Energy was Nine Yin Nine Yang Divine Skill, and the Yin and Yang attribute Internal Energy could even achieve the effect of transforming his Martial Spirit. Furthermore, he possessed the special ability to grow stronger the more he fought. Attempting to absorb a spirit ring beyond his Rank was absolutely feasible.
"But…" Marde naturally felt Shi Quan's persistence. As a theoretical scholar, how could he not understand the risks involved?
Shi Quan said with a fearless expression, "Teacher, as scholars, shouldn't we have a heart that dares to try?"
Silence. Having been together for so long, Marde also understood Shi Quan's character. After a moment of contemplation, he asked again with a solemn expression, "Shi Quan, are you sure you've thought it through? If you do this…"
"…It really could kill you!"
Shi Quan said solemnly, "Teacher, don't worry, I've thought it through. I believe in myself, and nothing will happen to me!"
"By the way, Teacher, if possible…" Shi Quan paused slightly, then added, "…I'd like to trouble you to call the people from Spirit Hall."
"Why?"
Shi Quan then explained, "The fact that my Innate spirit power was only Rank one is not a secret. Although you helped me conceal my spirit power Rank, after obtaining a spirit ring, the fact that my spirit power Break through to Rank ten will eventually be exposed. Instead of being discovered by others, investigated secretly, and targeted, I think it's better to report it proactively. Besides, I don't want my theory to be buried."
"That's right." Marde nodded, "It was me who didn't consider it comprehensively."
"Shi Quan, don't blame me for being long-winded, but I still have to remind you, do not casually join any forces, especially Spirit Hall." However, due to Master, Marde's impression of Spirit Hall was not good.
Shi Quan said with a smile, "Don't worry, Teacher, I don't want to lose my freedom."
Although he said that, Shi Quan didn't think that way. Given his current situation, he had to find a backer, otherwise, his situation would be very dangerous.
"Good to know." Marde nodded slightly, then stood up, "Then you can temporarily read and study by yourself today. I'll go to Spirit Hall first and talk to Dean Dawson about your matter. Your strength has reached a Bottleneck, so there's no need to Cultivate. Just wait here for my news."
"Okay." Shi Quan immediately nodded.
To rationalize his Innate Rank one talent, the long-laid plan was now nearing its end. As long as Spirit Hall didn't discover any anomalies, even if other forces investigated, there would be no flaws.
If his Innate spirit power had been higher, he wouldn't have needed to go to such great lengths to establish this persona for himself.
"Master?" Shi Quan smiled faintly, leaning back in his chair and softly muttering to himself, "In the future, there will only be one Martial Spirit theory Master, Shi Quan. As for Yu Xiaogang, let him become a joke."
Suddenly thinking of something, Shi Quan abruptly sat up, "If I ruin Yu Xiaogang's reputation, will that crazy woman Bibi Dong target me? This matter still needs long-term planning, otherwise, offending Bibi Dong would be a huge loss…"