Chapter 11 – Spiritual Power Cultivation
Canghui Academy sits in Fasnuo City, the capital of Fasinuo Province, toward the north of the province and blessed with four distinct seasons.
The journey was long, so everyone traveled by carriage.
At Zhao Liuyun's request, Shi Nian agreed to detour through Nuoding City for a short rest.
Zhao Liuyun went home; aside from a thick layer of dust, there was no sign any Thief had broken in.
After a quick clean-up, he paid a visit to his mentor, Bai Hong.
The old man was hale and hearty, overjoyed to see his disciple return, and clapped repeatedly in excitement upon hearing Zhao Liuyun had become a Spirit Grandmaster.
In just over three years, the disciple had grown far beyond anything Bai Hong had imagined.
Next, Zhao Liuyun visited Su Yuntao before returning to Nuoding Academy.
His main purpose was to see Tang San and Xiao Wu.
Not to flaunt his new rank, but simply to play the part of a good friend.
Having read every book in Nuoding Academy's Library, Zhao Liuyunknew the surrounding geography like the back of his hand.
He knew Tang Hao had hidden Ah Yin within a radius of three hundred li of Saint Spirit Village.
From two obvious landmarks—a great waterfall and a secluded pool—combined with the river's course, he had already deduced the exact spot.
That was the benefit of joining Canghui Academy.
Both Fasnuo City and Nuoding City lie within Fasinuo Province!
It made it easier to infer Tang Hao's location through Tang San and choose the right moment to steal the bone.
Zhao Liuyun didn't linger at Nuoding Academy; after brief pleasantries he left with the group… Two days later, Fasnuo City.
As the provincial capital, Fasnuo City gathers the province's finest resources.
Two Advanced Spirit Master Academies stand here; the population is dense, and it is dozens of times more prosperous than Star Dou Soul Hunting Town.
Yet Zhao Liuyun felt nothing for the bustle.
He simply circulated the crude body-training method he had developed.
Thanks to his muscles' flexibility and elasticity, Adjustments during practice caused no harm.
After enrolling and asking Shi Nian about his teaching plan, Zhao Liuyun headed straight for the Ye family's local estate.
Apparently Ye Wenxi had paved the way in advance; his status as a prospective guest elder proved useful.
He only needed to show up for a daily Medicinal Bath; the Ye family prepared everything.
Back at the academy, Zhao Liuyun continued the study routine he had used at Nuoding.
Each morning he devoted a sliver of attention to class while focusing most of it on his books.
The behavior was obvious, but since Shi Nian prized him as a genius, the teachers all pretended not to notice.
Borrowing books from the academy Library went smoothly as well.
An Advanced Spirit Master Academy's Library held far more volumes, their contents deeper and more profound.
In a single morning Zhao Liuyun gained 60 points of general experience!
Afternoons were reserved for Shi Nian's private lessons.
Zhao Liuyun found him in a quiet, elegant bamboo grove.
"Teacher, I'm here." Zhao Liuyun bowed, respectful.
"No need for ceremony, my disciple." Shi Nian, usually cold as frost, now showed rare warmth, his brows relaxing.
"I am a level-72 control system Spirit Saint; my Spirit is called 'Broken Dream', a purely Mental System Spirit that has form but no substance."
It belonged to the same category as the Dream Demon Zhao Liuyunhad met.
"When it comes to the cultivation of mental force," Shi Nian declared, pride unmistakable, "no one under heaven surpasses me."
Light flashed in Zhao Liuyun's eyes: "Please guide me, Teacher."
Shi Nian asked, "Do you know the foundation of us Mental System Spirit Masters?"
"mental force," Zhao Liuyun answered without hesitation.
Shi Nian nodded. "Then do you know how mental force is trained?"
Purple Demon Eye.
He muttered inwardly, then ventured aloud,
"Could it be to exhaust one's mental force and let it recover naturally?"
"That's the clumsiest method."
Zhao Liuyun froze—did Douluo Continent possess other mental forcearts?
"A better way: the Mental Prison." Shi Nian's grin split wide, and an oceanic pressure of mental force crashed down, enveloping Zhao Liuyun completely.
"So stifling!"
Zhao Liuyun grunted; the world dimmed, his brain suddenly heavy.
Not truly dark—just a sensation.
Shi Nian's mental force wrapped his whole body, locking Zhao Liuyun's own inside, unable to leak out.
Like a frog that knows the sky is vast yet is trapped at the bottom of a well—indignant but unable to escape.
The suffocating pressure of the Mental Prison was almost unbearable.
Shi Nian spoke slowly:
"Injuries to mental force recover slowly; the slightest misstep can harm the soul's origin. Thus, improvement cannot come through direct mental oppression."
Methods like weighted runs used for body training are absolutely useless.
Any wound that directly harms the Spirit can reach the Sea of Consciousness and shake the soul's foundation.
"Mental System Spirit Masters excel at fine control, so I shape my mental force into a prison to trap yours inside your body."
"The cage brings a sense of oppression, yet the Spirit instinctively longs for freedom."
"Conflict between the two can unlock potential. Your task is to try breaking my lock with your own mental force!"
Zhao Liuyun gathered his will and gently struck the barrier.
One touch told him brute force was impossible.
The mental force of a Spirit Saint—or higher—was far too dense for a mere Spirit Grandmaster to shake.
To break through, he had to condense!
Quickly seeing the key, he compressed his mental force to the limit, forming it into a sharp drill that stabbed at Shi Nian's Mental Prison.
Of course… no breakthrough.
After several tries there was still no chance of piercing the blockade.
Instead, Zhao Liuyun consumed a great deal of his own mental force.
Yet this oppression-driven potential-unlocking process made consumption the necessary path of cultivation.
Just as he prepared to continue, Shi Nian withdrew his mental force.
"Mental cultivation taxes the mind most; save it for the end," he said evenly, brooking no argument.
"Focus now—I'll teach you a method of using mental force."
Zhao Liuyun's expression turned grave; he nodded solemnly.
Judging by this Mental Prison alone, Shi Nian—as a pure Mental System Spirit Master—really had something, making the upcoming lesson on mental force usage even more enticing.
Shi Nian smiled proudly: "One of the techniques I researched: Presence Diminishment."
Zhao Liuyun's eyes lit up.
This was truly valuable!
No wonder Shi Nian could hunt geniuses without being noticed, and why he could silently cast Spirit Abilities that sent Tang San into illusions.
Presence Diminishment in battle naturally shifts an opponent's attention toward frontline defense Spirit Masters, keeping control system Spirit Masters safe.
In daily movement it grants stealth, attracting no notice.
If paired with his class [Thief] and his second Spirit Ability's true-illusion shapeshifting…
Wouldn't that perfect stealth, infiltration, and pilfering?
"Please teach me, Teacher." A blazing light filled Zhao Liuyun's eyes; for the first time he called Shi Nian "Teacher" with genuine respect.
Shi Nian smiled. "Presence Diminishment stems from my third Spirit Ability; it's a usage of mental force that can be learned."
As he finished, spirit power circulated and his third spirit ring quietly lit.
In an instant his figure seemed veiled by a thin mist, as though merging with the air, his aura nearly void.
"Use your mental force to sense carefully and try to mimic its rhythm."
All souls share one origin; every being has a Spirit.
In essence, every mental Spirit Ability is simply a different application of mental force and can theoretically be mastered without hindrance.
Yet the difficulty… Zhao Liuyun feared no hardship; he answered, gathered his focus, and immersed his entire mind in those faint mental fluctuations.
Problematic ad?Report it hereCh. 59 / 6689.4%Ch. 59 / 6689.4%ContentsAbout this book