NOVEL WEB Chapter 51: Scholars Beyond Academia
The package contained only some personal clothing, dry food, and the like. The wooden box, on the other hand, housed two large "Blue Silver Grass" shrubs resembling small shrubs and a small "Blue Silver Grass" that had just sprouted, with tender, pale blue leaves almost white.
Although there were two large ones and one small, the interior of the wooden box on Ling Yi's back was intricately divided into three equal compartments by inserting slices of iron birch wood vertically.
The difference lay in the soil composition provided in these three separate spaces for the three "Blue Silver Grass" plants, which varied significantly.
First, the smallest one, the recently sprouted little "Blue Silver Grass."
The soil at its roots was relatively ordinary, dug by Ling Yi from the ridges by the Zhang family's fish pond, sieved carefully to ensure no large stones, wild seeds, or insect eggs were present, then mixed with a handful of fine river sand as a seedbed.
As the only seed left behind by the three-hundred-year "Blue Silver Grass" that dedicated itself to Ling Yi, this little one deserved Ling Yi's attention and effort to create the most suitable environment for its growth.
The other two were "Blue Silver Grass" shrubs resembling small bushes, two of the remaining five three-hundred-year "Blue Silver Grass".
As for the other three, Ling Yi decided to keep them in the courtyard of the Ling family, planted next to the chicken coop and rabbit nest.
Now, back to the two three-hundred-year "Blue Silver Grass" bushes.
Despite their energy fluctuations being stronger than the over two-hundred-eighty-year "Hibiscus Tree" in the grand duke's court of the 【Waterwood Duchy】, their size fell short.
While their roots, if spread out and straightened, could indeed cover a diameter of over thirty centimeters, once bundled up, even with the soil and the thirty-plus-centimeter high stems and leaves above it, they only occupied a third of the space in the wooden box on Ling Yi's back.
Just to sidetrack a bit, due to the inherent frail nature of the 'Blue Silver Grass', its energy fluctuations are so minuscule they're almost nonexistent. This could be deemed a survival trait in nature, an innate ability aside from being easy to nurture.
As for why Ling Yi can detect the fluctuations of the 'Blue Silver Grass' he's been cultivating, even more so than that of the two hundred and eighty-year-old 'Hibiscus Tree', it's due to his unusually keen spiritual senses and close proximity.
Anyone holding it as carefully as he does would feel something peculiar.
Of course, over the past three years, the six stalks of 'Blue Silver Grass' that broke the second seal and surpassed a hundred years didn't stay in Ling Yi's dorm room for long. Seizing the opportunity during a return home, Ling Yi took them back to his house in Shanhai Village, planting them in an environment full of 'Blue Silver Grass'.
To hide a drop of water, you don't need to throw it into the sea; placing it in a small creek will suffice.
Inside the wooden box, a sapling of the 'Blue Silver Grass' sits in the center, flanked by two three-hundred-year-old 'Blue Silver Grass' on either side.
The one on the left, its soil is almost indistinguishable from that of the central sapling, except Ling Yi has added a special 'fertilizer' to it.
'Dodder', also known as the fine yellow string-like vines abundant along the roadsides, was akin to the 'Dodder' familiar in Ling Yi's previous rural life.
This plant, like the 'Blue Silver Grass', for years wasn't even a spirit beast. It merely clung to other plants, altering its physical traits to mimic its host, creating a facade as a kind of parasitic plant.
Now, Ling Yi had taken a knife, cut off some tendrils of the 'Dodder', and draped them at the root of the three-hundred-year-old 'Blue Silver Grass', leaving it to parasitize.
However, when faced with the three-hundred-year-old "Blue Silver Grass" possessing soul power, even the "Dodder Weed," which is known as the 'bully among plants,' finds itself in a predicament similar to a dog trying to bite a porcupine. It's unable to find an angle of attack, only to prick its own mouth and, in turn, have the porcupine transform into a mighty tiger, threatening to swallow it whole.
Ling Yi did not bother himself too much with the ongoing struggle between the Blue Silver Grass and the weak, pitiful, and helpless Dodder Weed. Instead, he continued his routine of nurturing the Blue Silver Grass with soul power each month. As for the batch of Dodder Weed, once they wilted, they would simply be replenished.
Regarding this three-hundred-year-old Blue Silver Grass on the right side of the wooden box, its soil has been mixed with a proportionate amount of wood shavings from the "Iron Birch Tree" branches, which Ling Yi meticulously smashed into fluffy iron birch sawdust.
Currently, as a competent 'amateur scientist,' Ling Yi relies on his imagination to construct the desired petri dish, leaving the ultimate outcome to the whims of fate, luck, and the magic of soul power.
In the future, once he has handled enough experimental samples to truly summarize a set of rules, Ling Yi might barely qualify to call himself a researcher.
During his ten-day stay in Shanhai Village, Ling Yi used his first soul skill, "Vitality Unleashed," to bless all his natural blood relatives—his parents, siblings, grandparents, maternal grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and even their extended families in the neighboring villages, cleansing them of the hidden injuries from years of labor.
Although most people merely experienced the "Vitality Unleashed" blessing once, combined with Ling Yi's simultaneous application of "Hypnosis," one deep sleep later might not cure all ills but definitely improved their overall health significantly.
As the oldest among them, third grandpa and fourth grandaunt, put it, it felt as if they had grown several years younger!
As for his immediate relatives — father Ling Xiaoshan, mother Zhang Xiaoyu, brother Ling Shan, sister Ling Si, grandfather Ling Changqing, and uncle Zhang Dahe, the closest kin from the Ling and Zhang families received the "Vitality Unleashed" blessing with deep hypnosis every day, supplemented by hearty meals of fish, meat, and ginseng chicken soup.
Over these ten days, Zhang Lei's soul power directly increased by one level, reaching level seven!
Although it was partly due to being on the verge of a breakthrough.
In the year 2594 of the Douluo Calendar, Zhang Lei awakened. He started cultivating from a mere trace of soul power, honing his body with the then-unrefined "Farmer's Three Forms." By 2597, when Ling Yi's martial spirit awakened, Zhang Lei's soul power had naturally grown to level two within three years.
Now in 2601, four years later, thirteen-year-old Zhang Lei's soul power had reached just over level six, nearly seven.
On the surface, Zhang Lei gained the most, having achieved a breakthrough in soul power, a fortune that none had experienced.
Like Ling Yi's younger brother, Ling Shan, who also possessed soul power. Since awakening around March last year, over the course of one year and seven months, his soul power grew from an initial 0.2 level to 1.6 by Ling Yi's return, barely reaching just above level one, averaging less than 0.1 level per month.
After ten days of intense training, Ling Shan's soul power advanced by 0.3 levels compared to the previous year and seven months, reaching 1.9, but still failing to break through to level two.
Others, like Father Ling Xiaoshan and Mother Zhang Xiaoyu, naturally experienced their own gains.
Ling Yi's parents, in their thirties, alongside uncles and aunts, maintained robust health due to their continual practice of the "Farmer's Three Forms." The luxurious regimen significantly boosted their vitality.
Even Zhang Xiaoyu and Ling He, the two women of the household, showed noticeable muscle definition.
Fortunately, "Farmer's Three Forms" wasn't a muscle-building exercise, instead exuding a streamlined elegance, sparing Ling Xiaoshan and Zhang Dahe from scenes that might reduce them to tears.
It was as if the elderly, the grandparents and grandmothers, had their bodies rejuvenated by a surge of lively energy. Both internally and externally, they seemed several years younger, reaching the standard health for their age, rather than exhibiting the accumulated fatigue and aging from years of hard work that made them appear nearly a decade older.
Moreover, over the past ten days, aside from the direct relatives of the Ling and Zhang families, the ones who benefited the most were undoubtedly Ah Huang and Meow Meow.
In fact, even Zhang Lei and Ling Shan did not gain as much in these ten days as this cat and dog duo.
To use an imperfect analogy, if Ah Huang and Meow Meow had died of unnatural causes before, they would have merely passed as ordinary, albeit robust, animals.
But now, if they were to die again, they would each manifest — a white soul ring!
In other words, Ah Huang and Meow Meow are no longer just ordinary mongrels and tabby cats. They are no longer the lucky ones with a trace of soul force by chance; now, their soul force has reached the level of a decade, fully evolving into soul beasts!
Ah Huang and Meow Meow have been taught a small technique to mask their soul force fluctuations through mental sensing. Leveraging their innate animal instincts for stealth during hunting, they were nearly undetectable unless they were facing a soul master with keen spiritual senses and attacking with full force. With this peace of mind, Ling Yi decided to set off once more.
"If successful, aid the world; if unsuccessful, perfect oneself."
Currently, Ling Yi can only be considered moderately prosperous, with his family free from worry about food and clothing.
To achieve further wealth, he must seek out more fertile grounds to draw additional nourishment.
As the silent evening descended, the quiet whispers of the village held untold secrets. Ah Yin and his companions gathered around the old oak tree, its shadow stretching across the moonlit grass. "Ah Huang, your transformation is truly remarkable," Ah Qiang remarked, observing Ah Huang's sleek new appearance as he settled quietly nearby.
Ah Rou, accompanied by Annuo, joined the circle, their expressions filled with curiosity and admiration. "It's like we've stepped into a new world with these soul powers," Ah Rou smiled, her eyes sweeping over the group.
"Indeed," Ethan Annuo nodded thoughtfully. "The energy we harness has not only altered our fates but also binds us closer to the mysteries of this land."
Aunt Qing, usually quiet and reserved, surprised everyone by speaking up. "This enlightenment must be shared," she suggested, her voice carrying a weight of wisdom that drew the group's attention.
Ling Yi nodded in agreement. His eyes gleamed with determination under the starlit sky, his mind set on pushing boundaries and exploring the vast potentials soul powers could unlock. "We must continue to nurture our understanding," he concluded, his voice firm.
Meanwhile, Ethan Pike and Ethan Lillian, standing a bit apart, whispered amongst themselves about the newfound potential of their abilities, pondering their next steps as soul masters on a path less traveled.
(End of Chapter)
