Chapter 47: Cultivating Spiritual Power and Rapidly Increasing Strength

After returning from Xian Lin'er, Zhou Yi called Qian Ran over to understand the situation. When she learned that Qian Ran had offended both Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, she gave a bitter smile. Initially worried, she was completely stunned upon hearing that Qian Ran had already become Xian Lin'er's disciple. Xian Lin'er was the Dean of the Soul Tool Department!

Her husband, Fan Yu, was the only level-eight Soul Tool Master in the Soul Tool Department, so she was very familiar with those in the department.

In terms of soul tool craftsmanship, neither Xian Lin'er nor the Vice Dean, Qian Duoduo, were particularly skilled. In fact, whether they could even craft soul tools was questionable. Zhou Yi wasn't certain about Qian Duoduo, and Qian Ran couldn't recall if this was described in the original story. Still, it was unlikely that Xian Lin'er could make soul tools.

This alone reflected how weak Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department was. However, there wasn't much they could do about it; they couldn't just make Fan Yu the Dean of the department, as he was skilled in research but lacked the power needed for such a position. If Fan Yu were the Dean, he'd never be able to compete with Yan Shaozhe from the Martial Soul Department for resources.

Xian Liner's strong personality had granted the Soul Tool Department some semblance of influence. Perhaps Mu En appointed Xian Lin'er as Dean because he saw how dire the department's situation was.

Zhou Yi was at a loss for words, realizing her student had become the disciple of her husband's superior.

"This guy is truly exceptional! How long has it even been since he enrolled?"

He's already made enemies with high-level geniuses, offended the top sister in the inner court, is familiar with the academy dean, and has become the disciple of the Martial God Douluo.

Most people wouldn't experience as much in their lifetime as Qian Ran had in this single month.

Even the main characters in most fantasy novels wouldn't have it this good. With Xian Lin'er around, Zhou Yi was no longer worried about Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei's potential retaliation against Qian Ran.

"You should still be cautious of Zhang Lexuan. But she's generally good-natured and shouldn't give you too much trouble," Zhou Yi advised. She didn't know Zhang Lexuan well, but she held considerable respect within the inner court and was not the type to aggressively pursue conflicts.

"I understand. Don't worry, Teacher Zhou," Qian Ran replied, no longer fearful of Zhang Lexuan.

Qian Ran had just received a system reward from signing in with Xian Lin'er: a perfect spiritual cultivation technique called the God Control Art. If cultivated to the extreme, he could condense his spiritual power into various phantom weapons for attack.

Moreover, it allowed him to control others' minds and even had soul-searching capabilities.

It encompassed a variety of spiritual cultivation methods and attack techniques.

If Qian Ran cultivated it well, mastering the God Control Art should make Zhang Lexuan no threat to him.

Currently, Zhang Lexuan hadn't yet broken through to become a Soul Douluo. Based on her level of seventy-five as a Soul Sage, Qian Ran could likely defend against her with just a few basic mental attack techniques.

His current spiritual power was already equivalent to that of a Titled Douluo, which was formidable.

Even if he couldn't unleash his full power, he felt he could handle Zhang Lexuan without issue.

With some luck, he might even catch her off guard.

Compared to visible soul techniques, invisible spiritual attacks were harder to defend against. Most soul masters seemed to overlook mental training; this world didn't seem to emphasize it much.

For the next week, Qian Ran managed to avoid further conflicts.

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi had nearly recovered. Upon hearing that Qian Ran had been accepted by Xian Lin'er and Tang Ya had become Yan Shaozhe's disciple, they fell silent.

Tang Ya becoming Yan Shaozhe's disciple confirmed she wasn't an evil soul master, though her aura could cause misunderstandings.

Anyone could see that with Qian Ran's help, Tang Ya had transformed entirely. Bei Bei had lost his chance to compete with Qian Ran.

Even in class, Tang Ya barely acknowledged Bei Bei. Bei Bei realized that Qian Ran was indeed the ideal partner for Tang Ya. He could never have made her so strong or helped her become Yan Shaozhe's disciple.

However, no one could rationally accept having their beloved taken from them.

His Tang Ya, his future wife, was now lost to him.

If Qian Ran hadn't shown up, he would surely have won Tang Ya's heart.

But because of Qian Ran, everything had changed. Bei Bei regretted not finding an opportunity to kill Qian Ran in the Star Dou Forest. If Qian Ran were dead, none of this would've happened.

But it was too late for "what-ifs."

Upon learning that Yan Shaozhe had taken Tang Ya as a disciple, Xu Sanshi's eyes gleamed with greed. Yan Shaozhe wasn't easily impressed, and having his endorsement proved Tang Ya was free of any issues. What about himself? What could he gain if he absorbed that crystal teeming with malevolent energy?

The best approach was probably to ask Qian Ran and Tang Ya directly, but they were his enemies and wouldn't tell him anything.

As the saying goes, "Fortune favors the bold." If he just cautiously absorbed a bit, he should be fine. If anything went wrong, he could stop.

That should keep him safe.

"If I'm lucky, I might break through to the Soul King level soon," Xu Sanshi thought, his eyes fierce. The humiliation Qian Ran had inflicted on him was something he intended to personally erase.

Not only had Qian Ran severely injured him, but he had also mocked him while he lay near-unconscious.

As the young master of the Mystic Nether Sect, he couldn't endure such disgrace. He would make sure to repay Qian Ran in kind.

Qian Ran spent the rest of his time focused on cultivation.

It seemed Zhang Lexuan was in seclusion and hadn't yet heard about Bei Bei's severe injuries, giving Qian Ran ample time to cultivate.

He spent his days passing time in class, then practicing a physical refinement technique, Body Refinement Technique, he had received from signing in with Jiang Nannan. The rest of his time was dedicated to the God Control Art.

Even Qian Renxue was impressed by the technique and started training with him. She hadn't realized spiritual attacks could be launched directly, without needing a soul ring or consuming soul power, and was enthusiastic about it.

She'd already studied everything Electrolux had taught, so Qian Ran's new technique gave her something exciting to focus on. Qian Ran, however, was somewhat annoyed, as he wanted her to wear silk stockings and dance for him. But with her engrossed in her studies, she barely spent time chatting with him.

Next time he had something valuable, he'd withhold it unless Qian Renxue offered something in return.

Since beginning his spiritual training, the techniques in the God Control Art had broadened his horizons.

To put it simply, Qian Ran could replicate the techniques of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Eyes martial soul, including spiritual detection, but his versions were far more powerful.

Pressed for time and eager to master a skill to defeat Zhang Lexuan, Qian Ran chose a method within the technique to control objects with his spiritual power.

Compared to other complex sections, controlling objects was far easier to grasp. Other abilities like splitting his soul or condensing his spiritual sea into a silver needle for attacks were skills that would take much longer to master.

Once he mastered object control, he could even attempt to fly with his sword. It felt reminiscent of an immortal swordsman, a style he favored immensely.

(End of Chapter)