Chapter 10: In Preparation

Zhu Wushi remained in Zhou Sheng'an's room, feeling a little awkward as he watched Tai Long and the others leave. After all, they were all students of similar age, but Zhou Sheng'an was still a teacher.

Being alone with a teacher, especially after offending him just now, made him quite nervous.

"Te—Teacher, I can't possibly defeat Tai Long. He's… he's our leader, incredibly strong. No one in Blue Tyrant Academy can beat him…"

Zhu Wushi scratched his face and spoke hesitantly.

Zhou Sheng'an gestured for him to sit down, poured a cup of water, and pushed it toward him with a warm smile. "I know him—Tai Long, his martial soul is the Giant Strength Ape, and he's a Level 33 Spirit Elder."

"Yes, he has the highest soul power level among us, while I'm only a Level 29 Grandmaster…" Zhu Wushi lowered his head, not daring to drink the water Zhou Sheng'an handed him.

Zhou Sheng'an smiled faintly and said:

"I also know you—Zhu Wushi, your martial soul is the Thousand Silk Demon Spider. You're actually older than Tai Long. Your first soul skill is Silk Bounce, and your second soul skill is Spiderweb Descent."

Zhu Wushi abruptly looked up, staring at Zhou Sheng'an in shock. "Teacher, how… how do you know all that?"

Zhou Sheng'an tapped his temple and said, "I've memorized all the students' information."

Zhu Wushi was momentarily stunned. The look in his eyes changed, now carrying a hint of admiration.

"But… but my strength really isn't a match for Tai Long, Teacher. I don't want to disappoint you…" Zhu Wushi sighed, shaking his head.

"How do you know if you haven't fought him yet? I've studied Tai Long. His strengths are obvious, but his weaknesses are just as glaring—and you counter him perfectly. Give me half a day, and I'll teach you how to defeat him."

Zhou Sheng'an spoke with confidence.

Zhu Wushi widened his eyes in disbelief.

Defeat Tai Long?!

That was absurd! He had never even dared to imagine such a thing!

Zhou Sheng'an continued, "You just need to follow my instructions. Your martial soul has great potential. You still have four years until graduation, right? I'm confident I can train you to reach the Spirit Ancestor level—or maybe even the Spirit King level."

"Teacher, you… you must be joking." Zhu Wushi twitched at the corner of his mouth. Reaching the Spirit Ancestor level within four years? He didn't even dare to dream of that!

"Words are cheap. We'll start with the basics. Tomorrow, in the open class, you'll defeat Tai Long for me. Zhu Wushi, don't waste time—summon your martial soul now."

Zhou Sheng'an's expression became serious as he spoke in a firm tone.

Zhu Wushi quickly stood up. His purple spirit power surged around him as his body underwent changes—his skin turned a dark purple, his arms and legs became thinner, and his mouth widened. Two yellow spirit rings rose from beneath him, circling around his neck.

Behind him, the illusory figure of a Thousand Silk Demon Spider let out a fierce roar.

"Teacher, this is my full strength…"

Zhu Wushi said awkwardly.

Zhou Sheng'an nodded slightly. "Not bad. Your first soul skill lets you spit out a sticky Silk Bounce attack. What's your understanding of its use?"

"My understanding? Of course, I either hit an enemy directly with it or use it as a trap in the surrounding terrain," Zhu Wushi said, puzzled.

Zhou Sheng'an chuckled. "That's the standard approach. However…"

Hearing that "however," Zhu Wushi immediately focused.

"What's your casting speed? Can you actually hit a moving target? Especially Tai Long?" Zhou Sheng'an asked.

Zhu Wushi thought for a moment before sighing. "Tai Long may be focused on strength, but his speed isn't slow either. My Silk Bounce would be hard to land on him…"

"Exactly. So why not change your approach? Instead of using it as a long-range attack, turn it into a close-range barrier—something to place between you and him when he strikes. Try this…"

Zhou Sheng'an immediately began guiding him.

Zhu Wushi activated his first soul ring, opening his mouth to spit out a basketball-sized clump of white silk, highly adhesive in nature. He then spat out several more, forming a bulky shield.

"Teacher, if I cover Tai Long in this stuff, he'll get annoyed and might just beat me to death…" Zhu Wushi panicked.

"Then use more silk. You need to understand—no matter how strong someone is, their attacks need to land to be effective. Now, tell me about your second soul skill. What's the highest frequency you can fire it? How dense is the spiderweb?"

Zhou Sheng'an patiently guided him.

At first, Zhu Wushi was extremely nervous, but as Zhou Sheng'an coached him, his confidence grew. He began to cooperate more actively. By the end, he was even looking forward to his battle with Tai Long.

By around 9 PM, Zhou Sheng'an finally let him leave.

…

At the same time, the Martial Soul Temple in Heaven Dou City was far from peaceful. The current Hall Master, Salas, had just received a theoretical research paper. As he examined its contents, his brows furrowed deeply.

Fixing his gaze on the elderly scholar who had reported to him, Salas asked,

"You're saying this is real?"

The elderly scholar nodded firmly. "Absolutely! He showed me his identification plate. His innate soul power was only half a level, and his martial soul was Blue Silver Grass. He's eighteen years old this year!"

Salas stroked his chin, his eyes flashing with intrigue.

Though he was notorious for his indulgences, he was also a shrewd man—otherwise, he wouldn't have reached the Spirit Douluo level.

If this theory proved valid and could be widely applied, then the person behind it would be elevated to godlike status in the soul master world!

If he could get close to this person, it would be an opportunity of a lifetime!

Even in the worst-case scenario, simply forging a connection with such an individual would be incredibly beneficial.

Narrowing his eyes, Salas ordered, "Investigate immediately, but do not make this public yet. Where is he now? I want to meet him personally."

The elderly scholar hesitated awkwardly. "I… I was in such a hurry to report this that I didn't check. He's no longer at the bookstore."

Salas frowned. "Fine. That's no longer your concern. If he returns to the bookstore, inform me at once. And don't leak any of this information."

"But, Hall Master, the young man clearly wanted us to publish this and benefit the soul master world. How can we…" The elderly scholar hesitated.

Salas sneered. "Something this valuable? Why should it be shared with outsiders?"

The scholar fell silent for a moment before turning to leave.

Salas didn't notice the look of determination in the elderly scholar's eyes.

…

"Young Master, we've asked around…"

Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo had returned, reporting their findings.

As they looked at Qian Renxue, whose aura had grown even sharper, a hint of confusion flickered in their eyes.

Qian Renxue still looked the same, but her presence had become far more imposing!

She nodded slightly. She hadn't slept all night, but now, upon hearing their report, confirming the truth about Zhou Sheng'an and his Martial Soul Supplementation Theory, she suddenly felt like crying.

It was all real!

That meant she had to find Zhou Sheng'an—because he was her man!

"Uncles, continue searching for Zhou Sheng'an. Also, do not let Bibi Dong's people reach him first… If necessary, use force!"