章 52: Uncontented Barter
Shout-out to Xavier Contreras
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"First, answer me that do you know who those individuals were?" Qian Daoliu questioned.
"Black axe, and probably an ape spirit. Respectable strength amongst their own ranks. Most probably, they belonged to the upper Seven Sects of the continent," Ah Yin answered with ease.
Qian Daoliu turned to look at Ja Sun.
"Since they belonged to another faction, the reason they entered the Spirit Hall is to collect information. Of course, we don't mind it. Most of our knowledge is quite public and with enough strength, our libraries are open to almost every Spirit Master except for the ones titled in the Bounty List. Now, should any of you have exposed these thoughts then and there?"
Ja Sun shook his head calmly.
"Why?"
Ah Yin was stumped at this point. Any organization would want to know of beings within their systems holding ill intentions.
"Exposing a spy defeats their purpose of being in their appointed place." Ja Sun finally replied after a moment. The answer was practically clear to him but he, too, needed to reveal the appropriate duration of thought before answering as such.
"Correct. As the Holy Land of Spirit Masters, how can we openly discriminate against Spirit Masters from other sects? And this reveals the intricate political dilemmas that our Hall faces. We cannot stop those with ill will from entering. So we use them. All those spirit masters are talented combatants if not cultivators. They can be appointed to various locations. It works for them and us.
What Bibi Dong did was only filter them out of her own class."
Qian Daoliu smiled and Ah Yin nodded after digesting everything.
"What about Liu Erlong?" Ja Sun posed.
"What about her?"
"She was my opponent once. After the defeat, she revealed her heritage of Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Why wasn't she removed?"
"Because it may be a false bravado on her part. There is another individual from that clan highly seen by the elders."
Ja Sun's gaze glimmered as he recalled one particular Lightning Dragon.
"Yu Xiaogang."
"Correct. While Liu Erlong deliberately cut herself from her clan, Yu Xiaogang was exiled with a certain danger of death. Meeting you can be considered his fortune."
"He killed his martial soul for curiosity," Ah Yin pointed out.
"Then it must be his own lucky stars," Qian Daoliu shrugged.
"Anyway, how all of this concerns the two of you is... my son, the Supreme Pontiff. As calm and collected as he may seem on the surface, the reality is far from this. Somehow, he will try to bring you into the political situation of the continent. Accepting the two of you as my disciple is my fortune, and to make this fortune his own, Xunji will make use of the two of you and try to merge both the realms of Spirit Hall.
Martial and Political as one."
Seeing their unconcerned look, Qian Daoliu smiled, "What are your thoughts? Ah Yin, since you... no, first, tell me your real ages."
"19."
"20."
"Then Ka-ul, I will start with you."
"Me... I don't have any particular thoughts on this matter. I entered the Spirit Hall to get stronger. If political mess will make me stronger, I will partake. If secluded cultivation will make me stronger, I will do that, too."
The middle-aged man's eyes glimmered for a moment and then he looked at Ah Yin.
"I am willing to be stronger myself, but there are some actions I would rather not commit. As master said, worldly matters, at times, can be a whirlpool of madness. I don't want to do anything with it."
"I see... remember these answers carefully. Truth or not, both of you know it in your heart. Your actions should be based on your paths and not the ones determined by those wishing to manipulate you. Now, let us discuss the points you both are missing in your cultivation."
Ah Yin and Ja Sun glanced at each other before nodding. In reality, no matter how much knowledge he has, Ja Sun wasn't stupid enough to compare to a Titled Douluo in matters of experience. In his previous life, he was merely 19 years old. His maturity? His deviousness? His ability? None of them came with aged experience but a bloody one. In this world, he didn't have any experience of battle but only the art of hiding and running.
So, when Daoliu pointed out their 'missing' pieces, the both of them couldn't help but frown in confusion.
"You both have cultivated Heart Separation Control to an extent. If you accidentally cultivated it by practical experience, then let me tell you what it means. It is the act of completing various tasks simultaneously. In theory, there is no limit on the number of simultaneous tasks that you can accomplish at once. It is a great ability to have... even Bibi Dong has mastered this art to a higher extent. She just didn't wish to reveal her true capabilities."
"But what you two lack is harmony."
Seeing the confused look on the two of their faces, Qian Daoliu gave a chuckle, "No need to think too deeply. The essence of harmony itself opposes utmost concentration. It is possible that you two may not achieve it in your entire lifetime," his gaze was incomparably calm, "After all... who can really feel true harmony so easily?"
Shaking his head, Qian Daoliu continued, "But, from today, the both of you will spar with each other after your classes in here. Nobody will enter the forest, but, you both cannot use more than three rings. When Ka-ul reaches the ranks of Spirit Ancestor, use four rings. Ah Yin, you lack compared to Ka-ul. Ka-ul, you are lacking compared to Bibi Dong. First, balance yourselves out."
"Don't refuse," Qian Daoliu's gaze condensed on the two of them as he stopped Ja Sun from speaking up. His gaze revealed a rather strange emotion and he stated in low voice, "A spirit master's true measure is not his or spirit rank. It can increase at its own pace. A spirit master needs to learn extreme control. Bibi Dong is still trying to control her new strengths, and you need to learn your true extent, too," he looked at Ah Yin.
"Ka-ul, your first two spirit abilities should be the kind that continuously expends spirit energy, but you lack the understanding. In a month's time, you manage to learn it yourself, well and good. If not, I'll gladly instruct you. Once every week, I will also spar with the two of you. However, the two of you are expected to never leave out Bibi Dong's lessons.
I will tell the two of you now, Bibi Dong is considered the essence of both the martial and political realms of the Spirit Hall.
What Bibi Dong can teach is something I and Xunji cannot compare to."
Ja Sun and Ah Yin nodded as Qian Daoliu smiled, his body fading and his words echoing, "Work hard, you two. There's a reward waiting for you at the end of the month."
With that, he completely disappeared and Ja Sun slumped back on the ground.
"Get up, let's fight."
Ah Yin turned to look at Ja Sun as he shook his head slightly. His eyes closed.
"I'm thinking something. A minute..."
'Harmony... well, it certainly is a new concept. And he said that I lack the knowledge of the true essence of my first two skills...' Ja Sun stretched his arms and sat up with a clear look in his eyes.
"You won't feel bad if you lose to me, right?"
Smirking, Ah Yin stood up, "We'll see. You're no Bibi Dong."
"Yep, I just have a dong."
Ah Yin's expression froze. Qian Daoliu, who was observing the two, had his calm smile freeze in astonishment. He shuddered and looked around.
'Please don't just say that in front of Bibi Dong herself...' He gulped. Xunji calling Yu Xiaogang a late bloomer was already a headache enough. If Ja Sun matched Bibi Dong's name to a certain male body part, then the troubles will be endless.
Three rings appeared around Ah Yin and Ja Sun simultaneously.
"You will use your third ability?" Ah Yin narrowed her eyes.
"If you can make me," Ja Sun calmly replied, his body shooting forward and instantly dodging the whipped-up vine.
---
[Objective: Strike Bibi Dong three times, achieve the passing score and find an enclosed space privately.
Optional Objectives:
1) Complete the objective within 30 seconds.
Mission Rank: C-A
Mission Rewards: Directory of Poison—Neidan Pear.]
[Status: Complete.]
With whip marks on his body, Ja Sun sat on the toilet seat and gazed at the golden pear-shaped fruit and the thin booklet that described many poisons and their origin perfectly alongside the methods to counter it.
'Well... you fight poison and the rewards will definitely be great.'
In reality, before setting this mission, Ja Sun had also added the objective of being unscathed but it was considered impossible by his trait. Ja Sun silently stored the fruit in the essence tool that can hold herbs and fruits greater than the thousand-year-old category.
Walking out, Ja Sun saw a perfectly fine Ah Yin and if it wasn't for her inexhaustible vitality, at least, one of her eyes would be blue. Her uniform was quite disheveled at this moment and the both of them glared at each other before snorting simultaneously.
"Cheater..." Ah Yin mumbled.
"Yeah, you can heal completely in a single breath and I'm the cheater," Ja Sun snorted.
Both of them crossed their arms sat on the sofa silently.
*Kuuuu*
"Hunger! Hunger!"
Both of their stomachs released a slight sound picked by Caihong and Olivia who began causing a ruckus in the residence.
"Here," Ah Yin calmly pressed her hand over Ja Sun's shoulder and filled his body with currents of warmth that began to quicken the pace of his own body in healing a few difficult injuries.
"What should we eat?" Ja Sun inquired.
"Let's just eat in the Academy's cafeteria. We will bring a plate for these two, too. They need to eat fresh food."
At Ah Yin's words, the two owls nodded sagely and Ja Sun agreed. Anyway, it was free food so he wouldn't mind himself. Changing his clothes, Ja Sun wore his full face mask once again. While eating, he would just have to push it up slightly.
---
Although the Spirit City was grand and had various establishments that served absolutely delicious food, the dinner served in Spirit Academy is far nutritious. In fact, to enhance the competition, their cafeteria is divided into three levels with three different qualities of dinner served. Those with capabilities can get to the highest level. All the teachers of the academy naturally eat in the third level. The cafeteria was an entire building itself. The halls were wide with two sets of stairs leading to the second level. Aside from the ground floor, the upper two levels had squarish space in the middle from where the ground level could be viewed.
"To think they will make others fight for food, too," Ja Sun smirked. He wasn't 'that' hungry that he will bulldoze his way into the third level. Ah Yin, who was a vegetarian, was even more concrete on this belief. She was just here for a plate of salad.
"Woah, hey, why don't you—" A rather gorgeous male with blonde locks wearing the silver uniform walked forward with a bright expression. His eyes trailed Ah Yin and then he gazed at the masked Ja Sun but before he could complete his sentence, he flinched. Even Ja Sun and Ah Yin flinched momentarily.
"Where are you going?"
A cold voice interrupted their path.
Slowly turning back, they saw Bibi Dong staring at the two ferociously.
"Eat... dinner?" Ah Yin cautiously answered. Bibi Dong, despite their master's praises, has only proved herself to be a slightly unstable woman. Anything could flip her off so the two would rather not interact with her too much.
"All my students eat on the third level." She stated but silently stood as if waiting for the two to move towards the stair. As for the youth... no, actually, there were three youths, each having their own charms, rooted in their spot as they fearfully gazed in Bibi Dong's direction before returning to their seats silently.
'And not a single girl asking me out...' Ja Sun sighed internally. Maybe he should lose the mask already.
Bibi Dong only followed the duo. The armored guards on the end of each staircase stepped aside naturally until the trio reached the third level. It was of the same size as the second level but because of the low number of individuals present, this hall looked extremely spacious. The temperament of the hall had changed, too. Instead of going to the serving area and getting their food, there were waiters present serving the food at the beck and call of teachers and students.
They very naturally found a wide table with more than 10 students of their class present and didn't need any extra direction to move in that direction. All of them were already eating with great gusto.
Sensing Bibi Dong's approach, everyone stopped eating and looked at Ja Sun and Ah Yin in the front. Hurriedly wiping off the thick sauce of the food from her lips, Liu Erlong's expression turned gloomy while others looked at the only two 'hitters' with a varied intensity of curiosity. Out of the 18 students selected, there were 12 present and including Ja Sun and Ah Yin, there were 14 individuals present.
On this level, there were many more students, each probably an elite in their own manner. From the corner of his eyes, Ja Sun caught Yu Xiaogang silently eating with a group of two girls and two boys. A few middle-aged men and women glanced in Bibi Dong's direction before keeping to themselves, too.
But what truly impressed Ja Sun was the lingering scent of food that uplifted the entire environment of the floor.
"This is where you will eat from now on. The food on the third level is the most beneficial to weak bodies... like yourselves."
'Are you a teacher, or a kid?' Ah Yin rolled her eyes.
She sat next to the other Spirit King girl with a fox martial soul while Ja Sun sat next to her.
On the opposite side, Liu Erlong glowered and tore the meat of her dish very ruthlessly, sending a clear message. Bibi Dong sat in the corner silently. She didn't touch the food.
In a few seconds, a waiter came and recited the dishes on the menu but seeing nothing to her liking, Ah Yin gave a weak smile.
"Can you get me a plate of salad from the first level?" She inquired calmly.
"Of course," the waiter nodded and looked at Ja Sun.
"I will have everything."
Flinching, the man nodded, "Yes, right away."
"Can you eat all of that?" Ah Yin frowned.
"No... but I can store it. There are many on this floor who gifted me their storage essence tools," Ja Sun's reply made the eyes of other students shine.
'Why didn't we think of that?!'
Only Liu Erlong's mood plummeted.
Bibi Dong interrupted their joy this time, "No student can store more than two plates overall each day."
Though grumbling, the order still arrived, and with a tilt of his mask, Ja Sun dug in.
"Hey, why aren't you eating meat?" The girl next to Ah Yin spoke with a smile. During the lesson, the two were the only ones standing together and had passed a few words and grew slightly more familiar than complete strangers.
"This is more refreshing for me," Ah Yin replied while the girl drank her soup. Glancing at Ja Sun, she elbowed her partner sitting next to her as he accidentally choked. Quickly drinking a glass of water, he glared at Lana before glancing at Ja Sun who had his head lowered and entirely focused on the food.
"My name is Xie Xan and she is my childhood friend, Hu Lana. Can I ask your names?" He gave a polite smile. Xie Xan had his silky black hair combed entirely to his left, giving him a certain 'emo' look but in this world, it was classified as elegant. Glancing at him and Hu Lana, Ah Yin softly introduced herself.
"Call me Ah Yin," she nodded and the two expectantly gazed at Ja Sun. Seeing no response from his side and Ah Yin continuing to eat silently herself.
"Brother... Ka-ul, isn't it rude to not introduce yourself?" It wasn't Xie Xan who spoke but another youth on the table. Stopping for a moment, Ja Sun swallowed the bite completely and exhaled slightly, "If you know my name already, what else do you want to know? No, I'm not anybody's father here. No, all of your mothers don't hide my picture from you all."
His cold tone made everyone frown but his words made everyone rage. Ja Sun understood quite early that insults based on parents that would only be considered a playful banter in his previous world would be taken as the highest offense in this one.
Seeing him eat so peacefully after insulting the parents of every student, many of whom were already orphans, even Bibi Dong twitched slightly. Though used to his words, Ah Yin couldn't help but cough softly.
'Only... I could be considered the least affected by such insults,' she thought in her heart.
"There's no need for insults," Xie Xan frowned and spoke with a cold expression.
"Stupid inquiries warrant insults. If you want to ask something, then do it clearly. That way, you might get a clearer reply from me," Ja Sun, in fact, couldn't look. His mask had been pushed up so that he could eat. The holes of the mask were also pushed up and now, Ja Sun could only see the food on his plate from his point of view.
"Then here is a clear inquiry. What is your martial soul?" Roldiarra inquired. His mood was already destroyed.
"Not your concern."
Ja Sun chuckled and continued to eat. There was simply too much he had ordered. But even with a full stomach, he wouldn't forget to provoke any and everyone. Provoking someone allows the opponent to know their buttons. What to push and what not to push. It even allows Ja Sun to know if the opponent is dangerous or not.
"You're probably like me, an elemental flying type martial soul holder," Roldiarra pressed.
"Does that mean we're connected?" Ja Sun inquired, "I can probably guess how we're connected."
With Ja Sun's previous words, how would Roldiarra not know what Ja Sun meant? His blood boiled and his stare turned venomous.
"I'm not insulting you. I prefer that we don't have any—"
"If you don't like talking to me. Stop."
Ja Sun shut the man up. Without televisions, screwing with short-tempered men is one of the rare delicacies he had started to enjoy.
Roldiarra only snorted and stood up before leaving.
"Was that really necessary?" Ah Yin inquired in a low voice.
"Of course. Now I'm sure that he isn't my son," Ja Sun snickered openly.
"Teacher, he is openly insulting everyone," Liu Erlong looked at Bibi Dong who continued to sit in the corner calmly. Glancing at Liu Erlong, she spoke faintly.
"None of you are kids. If someone insults you, insult them back. Or attack them outside the territory of the Academy."
Instantly, everyone's stare focused on Ja Sun.
Shaking his head, Ja Sun adjusted his mask and his sparkling eyes returned the gaze calmly, "Or, if you really have such a high spunk, attack me now. Of course, I never seeded any coward. Not attacking me now would mean that none of you are really my kids."
Everyone gritted their teeth. Ja Sun had them stumped.
Attacking him now would mean that Ja Sun would shamelessly call any attacker his own blood. Not attacking him now brands them a coward. With just a few words, Ja Sun had them blocked and frustrated.
With a snort, a few more students left. Liu Erlong and the couple sitting next to them left, too. Finally, the last to leave hurriedly filled their mouth, glared at his direction, and left the table.
"You need to control your tongue or later... you wouldn't be able to get the greatest benefit," Bibi Dong stared at Ja Sun before finally ordering food for herself.
Nodding silently, Ja Sun accepted the words, "Apologies, teacher."
"What will you do if everyone... gangs up on you?" Finished with her food, Ah Yin set her elbow on the table and supported her cheek. Her very image of languidness caused a few stares to land on her. Even Bibi Dong was slightly startled before she gently pushed her mask up a little and began eating silently.
"Run, of course," Ja Sun smiled, "Or rob them if they really want to pursue me. Financial losses can really wake a person up from rage."
***
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