“Fainted?” Su Yuntao raised his eyebrows in surprise.
In his career of overseeing Martial Soul awakenings, this was the first time he had heard of such a situation.
His gaze wandered as he carefully examined Russell’s Martial Soul, then he lowered his head with a soft exclamation.
“This…
Blue Silver Grass seems much more robust than ordinary Blue Silver Grass.” “Your insight is truly sharp, sir.
After I woke up, my Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul became like this.” Russell took out an ordinary Blue Silver Grass plant and placed it next to his Martial Soul for comparison, making the difference very clear.
Seeing the distinction, Su Yuntao grew interested and began to show off his knowledge.
“There’s a phenomenon called Martial Soul Mutation, which is extremely rare among Soul Masters.
Your situation seems very much like a Martial Soul Mutation.” “Come, let’s go test your Soul Power.” Before reaching level ten, Soul Power is very weak, and its fluctuations are not obvious.
Even high-level Soul Masters find it difficult to determine the exact level without the aid of a testing crystal ball.
They entered the interior of the branch hall.
The tall marble building was lit by candlelight, and as it was nearing nightfall, the main hall was empty and quiet.
Su Yuntao retrieved a crystal ball from a side room and handed it to Russell.
As soon as Russell’s palm touched the crystal ball, it emitted a bright light, several times more dazzling than the glow at level one, illuminating an area of about one meter.
Su Yuntao exclaimed in astonishment, “Level four Soul Power!” He then remembered Russell—just this morning, his Soul Power had been at level one, and now, after just one afternoon, it had reached level four!
“It really is a Martial Soul Mutation!” Otherwise, there was no explanation for the sudden change in Martial Soul form and Innate Soul Power.
A flicker of envy passed through Su Yuntao’s eyes.
Martial Soul evolution and beneficial Martial Soul mutations were opportunities every Soul Master dreamed of.
“Child, you are truly lucky to have encountered such a rare Martial Soul Mutation.
Work hard in your cultivation, and you might become a powerful Soul Ancestor in the future.” “Hehe, I still have to thank you, sir, for helping me awaken my Martial Soul.” Russell scratched his head, seeming a bit embarrassed.
Su Yuntao, however, felt a sense of closeness upon hearing this and smiled slightly.
“Give me your Martial Soul certificate; I’ll update it for you.” “Thank you, sir.” Russell said happily, as this was precisely his goal in coming to the Spirit Hall.
He quickly took out his Martial Soul certificate and handed it to Su Yuntao.
Su Yuntao waved his hand with a smile.
“No need to thank me; it’s my duty to oversee Martial Soul awakenings.
By the way, you don’t have to keep calling me ‘sir.’ Just call me big brother.” He quickly wrote out a new Martial Soul certificate and gave it to Russell.
Russell readily accepted the new certificate.
On it, his Martial Soul was listed as “Mutated Blue Silver Grass,” and his Innate Soul Power was changed to level four.
“Thank you, big brother.” Then, hesitantly, he added, “Um…
Brother Su, could you teach me how to cultivate?” “Uh…” Su Yuntao’s lips parted slightly; he wasn’t really a teacher.
“Ahem, I’ll be traveling to nearby villages soon to awaken Martial Souls for the villagers, so I won’t have time to teach you cultivation.” “I see.” Russell’s face fell with disappointment, and he lowered his head slightly.
Seeing this, Su Yuntao couldn’t help but feel sympathetic.
“However, I can give you the Spirit Hall’s basic Meditation Method.
Follow the diagrams to learn it, and you should be able to master the Meditation Method within two weeks.
That would give you over a month head start in meditation compared to others.” Though for a useless Martial Soul like Blue Silver Grass, it probably wouldn’t make much difference.
This was also the reason Su Yuntao had not invited Russell to join the Spirit Hall.
Given the reputation of the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, joining the Spirit Hall would not guarantee proper nurturing.
Instead, he would likely be pointed at and gossiped about by his peers.
At most, due to its mutated nature, it might hold some research value.
“Thank you, Brother Su!” Russell’s eyes flickered with genuine surprise and delight.
“Heh, no need to thank me.” Su Yuntao found a basic Meditation Method and handed it to Russell.
“This Meditation Method is quite fundamental and not particularly valuable.
In the future, if you can join an advanced academy, you’ll have the chance to learn more advanced methods.
If that doesn’t work out, you can always come to me, and I’ll recommend you to join the Spirit Hall.” Su Yuntao had a favorable impression of Russell and didn’t hesitate to offer detailed guidance.
Russell expressed his gratitude sincerely.
As for Su Yuntao’s lukewarm attitude when he awakened with innate first-level Soul Power earlier, Russell understood it was only natural.
If you yourself lacked potential, you couldn’t blame others for treating you coldly.
With Russell deliberately trying to please him, the two conversed pleasantly.
Russell seized the opportunity to ask for many pointers on cultivation and meditation, gaining a basic understanding of training.
As night fell and the air grew slightly cooler, Russell left the Spirit Hall branch and returned home.
The flickering candlelight illuminated the stone house.
Russell sat cross-legged on the bed and attempted the Meditation Method.
“Focus the mind on the dantian, circulate Soul Power through the limbs and torso, nourishing the Martial Soul…
What a crude Meditation Method.” Russell knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help but complain inwardly.
“Basic Meditation Method indeed.
It doesn’t involve the concept of meridians at all.
It’s purely brute force—when Soul Power flows through the limbs and torso, more than half of it doesn’t enter the meridians.
It’s simply wasteful.” Russell didn’t understand meridians, but he knew that Soul Power flowing directly through the body couldn’t fully participate in cultivation.
He stopped meditating.
The difficulty of the Meditation Method was surprisingly low; he mastered it in less than fifteen minutes.
However, the cultivation speed was equally and unimaginably slow.
“At this rate, it would take about four years to reach level ten.
Too slow!” Sharpening the axe wouldn’t delay the chopping of wood.
Russell pondered whether he could improve the Meditation Method.
“My own knowledge is insufficient, but perhaps the synthesizer can help.” “But knowledge…
how do I synthesize it?” After some thought, Russell decided to write it down.
Once decided, he acted.
He jumped off the bed and rummaged through the house, turning everything upside down, only to find no paper or pen.
He then remembered that in this era, nobles were the rulers.
Few commoner families could read, let alone write.
Looking out the window, under the night sky, the moonlight was clear, and the stars shone brightly.
“The shops are all closed.
I’ll try again tomorrow.” The night passed without incident.
At dawn, Russell woke naturally, ate some dried rations, retrieved the hidden Copper Soul Coins from a crack in the wall, and went to the street to buy paper and a pen.
Returning home, he sat at the table, deep in thought.
He wrote down on paper the ancient texts and classics from his past life memories, the names of meridians and acupoints, Taoist theories of yin and yang, and his ideas for improving the Meditation Method.
“The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name.
Nameless, it is the origin of heaven and earth; named, it is the mother of all things…” He began grandly, using two lines from the Tao Te Ching to add a touch of prestige.
“Three Yang Meridians of the Hand, Three Yin Meridians of the Hand, Three Yang Meridians of the Foot, Three Yin Meridians of the Foot, Conception Vessel, Governing Vessel…” “Jingming point, Zanzhu point, Sibai point, Taiyang point, Baihui point, Hegu point…
Are there other acupoints?
Right, the Yongquan point located on the sole of the foot!” He filled in the twelve regular meridians, the eight extraordinary meridians, and some well-known acupoints.
Russell paused, hesitating as he stopped writing: “There are a few extra acupoints in the head area.
Could that cause problems?” “Never mind.” He continued jotting down his inspirations.
Whether there were issues or not would be left for the synthesizer to evaluate and judge.
“Yin and yang oppose and constrain each other, maintaining a dynamic balance.
They are interdependent, wax and wane in equilibrium, and transform into one another…” The theory of yin and yang might help make the synthesized Meditation Method more balanced.
Finally, he added a previous idea of his: “Soul Power serves as nourishment, the meridians as roots, and the physical body as soil—all nurturing the Martial Soul.”