Triggering a treasure chest in Douluo Continent

Chapter 18 The Master's Doubt

Seeing that the deterrent effect had been achieved, Shi Quan withdrew his Blue Silver Vine Whip, released Xiao Wu from his feet, and turned to run towards the back mountain.

Tang San was also unsure of Shi Quan's exact strength, so he didn't immediately go to seek revenge. Instead, he quickly stepped forward to help Xiao Wu up and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Xiao Wu, I failed to protect you."

Xiao Wu shook her head, gently rubbing the back of her neck, and said, "It's not your fault, it's my fault for being careless. This jerk is actually so powerful."

Tang San coldly stared in the direction Shi Quan had left and said, "Shi Quan's strength is not simple, but don't worry, I will definitely find a chance to avenge you."

"No need." Xiao Wu shook her head, her gaze falling on the whip marks on the tree trunk. While still feeling lingering fear, she said fiercely, "Isn't this bastard just relying on his powerful soul skills? He only has level one innate soul power. If my strength were a little higher, I could take revenge myself. He actually dared to trample me to the ground. I'll see if I don't throw him to the ground a few more times."

"Okay!" Tang San smiled and patted Xiao Wu's head in agreement, but his gaze toward the direction Shi Quan had left remained icy.

Tang San knew about Shi Quan's talent. As time went on, the gap between Shi Quan and them would logically widen, and Xiao Wu's revenge in the future was inevitable.

Tang San felt that Shi Quan's strength was not that simple. Regardless of whether Xiao Wu could take revenge on her own, he would not let Shi Quan off easily. But before that, he needed to confirm some things.

……

night.

Yu Xiaogang's dormitory on the rooftop.

Every night, Yu Xiaogang would give Tang San a private lesson.

"Xiao San, is something on your mind?" Yu Xiaogang asked Tang San with concern. He had noticed that Tang San was somewhat distracted during class today, something that had never happened before.

Tang San paused for a moment before asking, "Teacher, I have a question for you."

Yu Xiaogang nodded and said, "Go ahead."

"Teacher, my question is, does innate soul power necessarily determine future achievements?"

Yu Xiaogang frowned. His innate soul power was only half a level, which was why his soul power had remained at level twenty-nine. However, he patiently explained, "Generally speaking, yes. Innate soul power determines a person's talent. The stronger the talent, the faster the cultivation speed, and the higher the realm one can reach in the future. Of course, to become a strong person, besides talent, there are other factors, but talent is undoubtedly the most important among them. You should know these basics. What? Have you encountered some problems in your cultivation?"

"My cultivation is fine." Tang San shook his head and continued, "Teacher, with innate soul power at level one, is the strongest I can reach in the future only a Soul Master?"

Although Yu Xiaogang had some doubts, he nodded and said, "If one's innate soul power is only level one, it is not difficult to become a soul master through normal cultivation. It is extremely difficult for ordinary people to break through to become a great soul master. Very few people with level one innate soul power can become a soul lord, and even if they become a soul lord, they are among the weakest."

Tang San then asked, "Teacher, is it possible for the detection of innate soul power to be wrong?"

Yu Xiaogang shook his head and said, "This situation is generally unlikely. If there is a problem with the testing crystal, it will only fail to detect soul power, and it is rare for it to cause an error in the level of innate soul power."

Tang San fell silent for a moment, then Yu Xiaogang asked, "What do you want to say, Tang San?"

After letting out a long breath, Tang San asked, "Teacher, do you remember Shi Quan?"

Yu Xiaogang said, "Is it that child with the mutated Blue Silver Grass martial soul?"

"Yes." Tang San nodded and continued, "His innate soul power is only level one, but I feel that his soul power is not low."

"Not low?" Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up with curiosity. "You can sense his soul power level?"

"No..." Tang San then recounted the story of Xiao Wu's battle with Shi Quan to Yu Xiaogang.

Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaogang's eyes were filled with surprise and astonishment. "According to you, Shi Quan's soul power level is at least level five. The possibility of a problem being found during the examination is extremely low. A level one innate soul power couldn't be cultivated this quickly! Unless..."

For some reason, Yu Xiaogang's expression turned serious.

Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang curiously, "Unless what?"

Yu Xiaogang said with a serious expression, "Unless these stones are all from evil spirit masters."

"Evil Soul Master? Teacher, what is an evil soul master?" This was the first time Tang San had ever heard of this term.

Yu Xiaogang explained in a deep voice: "Evil Soul Masters refer to Soul Masters who possess evil martial souls. Normal Soul Masters can only improve their Soul Power level through their own cultivation, while Evil Soul Masters can cultivate by absorbing Soul Power, Soul Rings, Spiritual Power, Flesh and Blood, Souls, Martial Souls, etc., in addition to cultivation. The cultivation speed of Evil Soul Masters cannot be predicted by common sense."

"Devour?" Tang San's eyes flashed coldly. Wasn't this just like those who cultivated evil arts in his previous life? If this happened in the martial arts world, he would be hunted down by everyone.

"But..." Yu Xiaogang paused, his eyes showing a thoughtful expression, "The mutation of Blue Silver Grass is already rare, and I've never heard of Blue Silver Grass mutating into an evil martial soul. Xiao San, didn't you see him use his martial soul? Can you tell the difference between his Blue Silver Grass and ordinary Blue Silver Grass?"

Upon hearing Yu Xiaogang's words, Tang San shook his head and said, "When Shi Quan uses his martial soul, he directly transforms the Blue Silver Grass into a vine whip. Simply put, it looks no different from ordinary Blue Silver Grass."

"That's the strangest thing. I said before that his mutation should not be obvious, so it looks like ordinary Blue Silver Grass. If it really is an evil martial soul, his Blue Silver Grass cannot be without any changes..." At this point, even Yu Xiaogang, who prided himself on having the strongest theory, couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

He is currently unsure of Shi Quan's specific situation.

Yu Xiaogang said in a deep voice, "Xiao San, I will investigate Shi Quan's matter. You can focus on your studies and cultivation. If he really is an evil soul master, I will report it immediately, and someone will handle it."

"Okay, teacher." Tang San nodded, a cold smile creeping across his face. If Shi Quan really was an evil soul master, it would save him a lot of trouble. It was just a pity that he couldn't take revenge himself.

……

Yu Xiaogang had also heard about Shi Quan's affairs.

Shi Quan comes from Shijia Village. He had heard of this village many years ago at the college. The village is famous for its stone carvings and clay sculptures, and most of the stone carvings and clay sculptures in the college come from Shijia Village.

"He is indeed diligent." Yu Xiaogang looked out of the dormitory window at Shi Quan, who was walking towards the back mountain.

Previously, he had focused all his attention on Tang San and paid little attention to other things and people.

After hearing Tang San mention it, Yu Xiaogang conducted a simple investigation and quickly grasped most of Shi Quan's situation at the academy.

"And he's also very eager to learn," Yu Xiaogang said to himself. "There's plenty of Blue Silver Grass in the back mountain, so even in a simulated environment, his cultivation speed couldn't be this fast. There are other reasons as well."

Watching the figure gradually blur and disappear in the distance, Yu Xiaogang stood there for a moment before turning around and walking out of the dormitory downstairs.

library.

"Mald." Before we even got close, Yu Xiaogang's voice came from outside the library.

"Xiao Gang, what brings you to the library?" Mald stood up and looked at the library door.

Yu Xiaogang said helplessly, "Besides the office, this is the only place I can find you."

Mald laughed heartily, "You wouldn't come here without a reason, so tell me what it is."

Yu Xiaogang didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "You should know Shi Quan, right?"

Mald nodded and said, "A hardworking and ambitious child is a rare find."

"It seems you like him a lot." Yu Xiaogang looked at Mald with some surprise. As friends, he knew Mald's temperament very well. Mald was serious and a bit rigid, and it was difficult to gain his approval, but Shi Quan had clearly gained Mald's approval.

Mald chuckled and said, "I just noticed you've found an apprentice, so I was thinking maybe I should find one too?"

Yu Xiaogang looked at Mald in surprise, "His innate soul power is only level one, and you actually want to take him as your disciple?"

Mald looked at Yu Xiaogang seriously and said, "So what if he's at level one? Xiaogang, I see your shadow in him. If this child can maintain this hard work and eagerness to learn, I think his future achievements will be no less than yours."

"Him?" Yu Xiaogang's eyes were filled with disdain. In his opinion, Shi Quan was no match for him. He was a member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan, one of the three upper sects. His knowledge, besides his own research, came largely from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan and the Spirit Hall. What made Shi Quan think he could compare to him?

Mald shook his head. He knew that Yu Xiaogang had his own pride, so he didn't say anything. Instead, he got up and walked towards the front desk of the library. He bent down and carried out a stack of books. He didn't finish carrying them all at once, so he carried them a second time.

There were more than twenty books on the table.

Yu Xiaogang glanced at the books on the table, which covered everything from basic to more advanced martial spirit theories, but he still didn't understand what Mard meant. "What does it mean?"

Mald said calmly, "These books are the ones Shi Quan took from me last semester to study."

"What!" Upon hearing Mard's words, Yu Xiaogang couldn't sit still any longer. He picked up one of the books in surprise and began to flip through it. After confirming the contents of the book, Yu Xiaogang suddenly felt his mouth go dry. "Mard, are you sure he has already learned everything in the book?"

Mald nodded. "Every time this child comes to borrow books, I test him on the content of the books randomly. Every time, he can answer fluently and even add his own thoughts. He is not only smart, but also able to draw inferences from one instance to another. His intelligence is beyond the reach of ordinary people."

Marde patted Yu Xiaogang on the shoulder and said, "Xiaogang, do you know why I haven't taken him as my apprentice yet? It's because I've discovered his learning ability is too strong. I'm afraid that if I take him as my apprentice, in less than two years, I won't know what to teach him anymore. You have to understand that he taught himself all these books. If I give him a platform, enough learning materials, and someone to teach him, he'll probably leap over the dragon gate and soar to great heights. In just a few years, he'll become a new master in martial spirit cultivation!"

Shi Quan's powerful learning ability is undoubtedly influenced by his spiritual martial soul. In addition, he started learning at a young age, giving him a lead of at least five years over his peers, making him naturally incomparable to them.

The books that Mard carefully selected could not be simple books. Yu Xiaogang had always been an arrogant person, but after hearing Mard's evaluation, he had to admit that Mard's words were true.

"It's just a pity that this child's martial soul is Blue Silver Grass, and his innate soul power is only level one. Otherwise, his future achievements would definitely be remarkable."

At this point, Mald couldn't help but sigh. How could such a smart child have such low talent?

Yu Xiaogang, who was standing to the side, also came to his senses and said in a deep voice, "I came here today to talk about his talent."

"A talent problem?" Mald frowned. "What's wrong with his talent?"

Yu Xiaogang said, "You should know something about what happened between Xiaowu and Shi Quan, right?"

"I've heard about it too. It's just kids being competitive. What's the problem?"

Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "I'm afraid things aren't that simple. I recently heard from Xiao San that Xiao Wu lost in her sparring match with Shi Quan. Although neither of them used their martial souls, based on Xiao San's description, I speculate that Shi Quan's soul power level is at least level five, or even higher."

Mard quickly shook his head and said, "That's impossible. His innate soul power is only level one. It's impossible for him to improve that quickly in just one year."

Yu Xiaogang stated unequivocally, "It is a fact that Xiao Wu lost. I previously speculated that her martial soul was a mutated martial soul, and now, judging from the current situation, it is almost certain that her martial soul is a mutated martial soul. However, I cannot yet determine the specific direction of the mutation, and I do not rule out the possibility that her martial soul may be a mutated evil martial soul."

"An evil spirit?" Mard quickly shook his head, denying it, "Impossible, how could Blue Silver Grass mutate into an evil spirit? How could such a good child be an evil spirit master?"

Yu Xiaogang remained calm and continued, "We'll only know after we investigate. Right now, we only have suspicions, and we don't know his soul power level yet. Since you're familiar with that child, you can find an opportunity to confirm his soul power level."

Marde's expression kept changing. As Yu Xiaogang's good friend, he naturally understood Yu Xiaogang. Yu Xiaogang would not do something so baseless. Since he said it, Yu Xiaogang must have some basis for it.

"I understand. I will investigate Shi Quan's martial spirit and soul power level, and I will let you know the results later."

"Okay." Seeing Mald agree, Yu Xiaogang's eyes also showed a bit more anticipation and curiosity. This was the first time he had encountered Shi Quan's situation, and he also wanted to know what secret Shi Quan had, and that secret would soon be revealed.

(End of this chapter)