Thinking of this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel fortunate for having unlocked his eight extraordinary meridians back in the day.
Had he not done so, if he'd delayed cultivating even a little longer, his meridians might have solidified.
Then he would've been stuck following that Xuantian Technique step-by-step—at best, only reaching its first level by now.
"Guess I gotta thank that old dog Tang Hao. If he hadn't been looming over me as a threat, I wouldn't have thrown myself into cultivation so desperately—and broken through so smoothly."
Xiao Yan chuckled softly and stepped out of the Spirit Hall.
He'd gathered quite a bit of information today—it needed proper digestion.
He still didn't know just how powerful the truly strong Spirit Masters of this world could become.
These so-called Grand Spirit Masters? Their strength was honestly pathetic.
Still, Xiao Yan didn't look down on Spirit Masters as a whole.
He'd read enough cultivation novels to understand: once a person reached a certain level, some kind of transformation occurred—an evolution in essence.
Maybe Spirit Masters, when reaching that point, would undergo a similar leap in power.
Su Yuntao was weak not because Spirit Masters were weak, but because he simply hadn't cultivated far enough.
At this moment, Su Yuntao and the other kids had already left. Xiao Yan walked over to Old Jack and said,"Grandpa Jack, that master is gone. Let's head back too."
Old Jack, still mentally replaying Su Yuntao's words, turned to Xiao Yan with a somewhat dim expression,"It's you, Xiao San... What spirit did you awaken?"
Xiao Yan replied,"Blue Silver Grass. I heard it's a trash spirit. But the master said I have innate full spirit power—apparently that means I'm pretty talented."
"Xiao San, you're the child that master said had innate full spirit power and Blue Silver Grass as your spirit?" Old Jack looked at him in shock.
"That's me," Xiao Yan nodded.
"Xiao San, who would've thought you'd have such incredible talent! It's just a shame your father couldn't pass on a better spirit... If only he had, maybe you really could've become the second Spirit Saint in our village."
Xiao Yan smiled. Spirit inheritance really did seem to rely heavily on bloodlines. But hey, he didn't just have Blue Silver Grass as a spirit. There was another one in there somewhere too...
Old Jack then asked,"Xiao San, tell Grandpa—would you be willing to attend a specialized school to learn how to cultivate as a Spirit Master? Only at a place like that can you truly learn everything there is to know about spirits."
Xiao Yan replied,"Grandpa Jack, I do want to go to school and learn. But my family might not agree... What are the benefits of being a Spirit Master anyway?"
"Spirit Masters are the most noble profession of all. Once you earn that title, the country will give you monthly subsidies. With that, your family's life would get a lot better too," Old Jack explained.
Xiao Yan looked down, thinking.He hadn't expected Spirit Masters to enjoy such perks. That must mean they're pretty rare.Since spirits are tied to bloodline inheritance, the cultivation system in Douluo Dalu—especially at the top—is really only accessible to a very select few.
Old Jack sighed. Why was he explaining all this to a kid?
That Tang Hao might seem like a useless drunk, but he was still the adult here. His approval would be necessary.
"Let's go, Xiao San. Grandpa will walk you home."Old Jack led Xiao Yan back to the blacksmith shop.
It was still morning—Tang Hao's usual nap time. The shop was dead quiet.
Old Jack didn't care whether Tang Hao was off dreaming or not. As soon as they reached the door, he bellowed,"Tang Hao! Tang Hao!"
"Who the hell's yelling like that?"Tang Hao's voice came from inside, tinged with annoyance. He staggered out, brushing the curtain aside.
He glanced at Xiao Yan, then turned to Old Jack."What do you want?"
Knowing these two would start bickering the second they spoke, Xiao Yan cut in first:"Today was Spirit Awakening Day. I awakened innate full spirit power. Grandpa Jack wants me to go to the Spirit Master Academy."
That Blue Silver Grass had been dismissed by Su Yuntao as trash. As a Spirit Hall deacon, the man knew his stuff—clearly, most of the Douluo world saw it as garbage too.
But even so, he had been deeply impressed by the innate full spirit power.
So naturally, when speaking, Xiao Yan mentioned the good part first.
"Innate full spirit power?"A glint of light flashed in Tang Hao's bleary eyes.
That kind of talent was rare—even among the top three clans, fewer than twenty people had been born with it in the past hundred years.
Tang Hao quickly asked,"What's your spirit?"
Old Jack, for once, gave Tang Hao a rare smile."This kind of talent is incredibly rare. The work-study slot from the village this year is going to Xiao San. He'll attend Nuoding City's Primary Spirit Master Academy. The village will cover travel expenses."
Tang Hao had never liked Old Jack. He lowered his head and thought,If Xiao San had awakened the Clear Sky Hammer, his talent wouldn't be bad—but once he left the village, his identity would definitely be exposed.
"No." Tang Hao looked up and said flatly.
Xiao Yan's heart dropped.That old dog Tang Hao really is my archenemy.Even with innate full spirit power, he still wouldn't let him attend a Spirit Master Academy?Clearly he was afraid Xiao Yan would grow stronger and come back for revenge someday.
"Tang Hao—"Old Jack suddenly raised his voice."Even if the spirit you gave Xiao San was just Blue Silver Grass, he's still got innate full spirit power!"
"Blue Silver Grass?"Tang Hao looked surprised and turned to Xiao Yan."Your spirit is really Blue Silver Grass?"
Xiao Yan raised his hand and released his spirit."It is Blue Silver Grass."
Old Jack's earlier shout had triggered a coughing fit. Once he caught his breath, he continued:"As long as Xiao San gets even one spirit ring—any ring, even the lowest quality—he'll become a Spirit Master. A real Spirit Master. Do you know how long it's been since our village produced one of those?"
"I bet that's what you really care about," Tang Hao sneered."Blue Silver Grass is trash. What can it possibly cultivate into?"
Xiao Yan replied calmly:"People's paths are chosen later in life. Whether a spirit is strong or weak also depends on how you train it."
"You think Blue Silver Grass can actually cultivate into something useful?"Tang Hao snorted dismissively.
Xiao Yan didn't bother replying.These people were so narrow-minded. Words wouldn't convince them.
He pinched a leaf from the Blue Silver Grass between two fingers, held his breath, focused his energy—and flicked it toward a ceramic bottle on the table.
Under the eyes of Tang Hao and Old Jack, that thin grass leaf struck the bottle with a clang—sharp and swift like a blade—and embedded itself into the ceramic.
"Xiao San, you—"Old Jack was wide-eyed in shock.
That kind of aim and power would be tough even for a real Spirit Master. And this was just a grass leaf.
Tang Hao was stunned too.In all his years in the Spirit Master world, he'd never seen someone weaponize Blue Silver Grass like that.
And this Xiao San was only at spirit power level ten right now.If he got stronger?He might be able to cut stone—or slice metal—without breaking a sweat.
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