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"Your fusion degree has likely reached the level of an average Spirit Saint. Perhaps you can try cultivating Xiao Zhan's other abilities," Ning Fengzhi advised.
Although he had other business to attend to, he prioritized reminding Su Wen of this point.
Xiao Zhan wasn't secretive about his abilities, so many of his skills were known to the outside world.
His signature ability—the technique of directly mobilizing his spirit and using spirit skills without releasing his spirit or rings—was particularly well-known.
At higher ranks, the benefits of this ability of Xiao Zhan's would gradually become apparent. It wasn't of much use to low-level Spirit Masters, especially since they were generally unable to learn it.
But for Su Wen, this ability was both learnable and useful.
His thousand-year second ring was too conspicuous.
Right now, few people knew Su Wen was a student at Tian Dou Royal Academy.
The Imperial Family was doing a good job of blockading the information. Within the academy, besides the three education committee members, the seven team members, Xiao Zhan, and Qin Ming, the other teachers didn't know much about Su Wen.
As for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, their relationship with Su Wen was now very close. They were more than happy to keep his identity a secret until after they had fully curried favor with him.
However, Su Wen had been fighting in the Great Spirit Arena for too long.
Many eyes were on him.
Currently, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was intercepting the various factions that were trying to investigate his identity through the Great Spirit Arena.
Everyone was now guessing that the 'Fighting Scholar' came from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
But even so, while there was no overt action, the small movements in the dark had never stopped.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was large and powerful, but even they couldn't afford to keep offending so many other clans indefinitely.
After all, those clans were coming to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan in the name of the "advancement of the Spirit Master world," demanding an explanation, and their attitudes were perfectly polite. The public opinion pressure on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was gradually mounting.
Therefore, if Su Wen's thousand-year second ring could fade from the Great Spirit Arena sooner, the pressure on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan would also lessen.
"Alright, Uncle Ning. I will hide my spirit rings as soon as possible."
Su Wen thought back on his months of fighting in the Great Spirit Arena and confirmed that he had never exposed his identity as a student of Tian Dou Royal Academy.
He had never participated in duo queues or seven-person team battles with the other members of the battle team.
"Mm. I approve your request to learn 'Heart Separation Control'. It's a technique that many high-level auxiliary-type Spirit Masters have mastered; it's just that our clan's method is more systematic," Ning Fengzhi said.
"This is the cultivation method for Heart Separation Control. Read through it first. If there are any details you don't understand, you can ask me."
Ning Fengzhi didn't stay for too long.
He explained the details of Heart Separation Control once, then discussed cultivation theory with Su Wen for a while. Two days later, he left the academy.
...
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
"Teacher, it seems Su Wen's theoretical level is even higher than I imagined," Xue Qinghe said.
Ning Fengzhi nodded. "Little Wen's theoretical level is already at the peak of the continent. Moreover, he has already formed his own school of logic. Most importantly, he seems to be a strong advocate for the practical application of theory."
'Xue Qinghe' naturally knew all this. He was just probing to see how deep the relationship between Su Wen and Ning Fengzhi had become.
"Mm. He once told me that 'knowledge is power,' and that a true theorist is one who can apply knowledge to cultivation and solve their own dilemmas."
Memorizing?
Summarizing?
Publishing theories?
Those were all side hustles.
A true theoretical scholar's research topics are targeted. They must have meaning.
'Xue Qinghe' and Ning Fengzhi did not continue to exchange in-depth on this topic.
They both conspicuously avoided a certain other topic.
However, from their eyes, one could see a tiny trace of... disdain.
...
Tian Dou Royal Academy.
Su Wen practiced the techniques of Heart Separation Control.
At this point, even Qin Ming's cultivation guidance was beginning to fall behind Su Wen's pace.
It couldn't be helped. A researcher of theory knows his own situation best.
His reason for staying on the battle team was now mostly to find his own shortcomings through combat.
At the same time, it was also to enjoy the resources provided by the academy.
In truth, the meaning of his presence there was already diminishing.
"Uncle Zhan, I think I've gotten the hang of your 'Spirit Fusion Method'," Su Wen said.
His development of his first spirit skill was, in fact, the very manifestation of him grasping the basics of the Spirit Fusion Method. It was only due to his fusion degree that he couldn't delve deeper.
Now that his fusion degree had met the standard, he was actually already capable of using it.
He just needed a pretext.
After having Xiao Zhan teach him once, Su Wen "practiced" for two days and then "learned" it.
"So fast?" Xiao Zhan was astonished.
He was, in fact, inwardly shocked.
With the talent Su Wen was currently displaying, he could completely inherit all of his skills. Even then, Su Wen could become even stronger, carving out an even broader path for Book Spirit combat masters.
"Good! Since you've mastered the Spirit Fusion Method, I'll teach you another technique." Xiao Zhan didn't plan to let Su Wen rest, teaching him his skills one by one.
"Spirit Ring Fusion?" Su Wen was surprised by the new technique Xiao Zhan was imparting.
"That's right, 'Spirit Ring Fusion'. But it's not the 'Spirit Ring Fusion' you know of." Xiao Zhan nodded, then shook his head, explaining, "The 'Spirit Ring Fusion' you've learned about from data actually requires innate talent. That so-called 'fusion' is an excavation of one's own innate talent."
"My 'Spirit Ring Fusion', however, is a true technique. It can be learned after birth."
"It's just that I mastered the Spirit Fusion Method first, and I haven't exposed my spirit rings in battle since. So, others simply haven't been able to tell that I'm using a 'Spirit Ring Fusion' technique."
Su Wen understood and nodded.
'Spirit Ring Fusion' required innate talent. This was why Su Wen hadn't brought it up when he requested to learn 'Heart Separation Control'.
He just hadn't expected that Xiao Zhan had actually, on his own, developed a learnable, post-birth technique for 'Spirit Ring Fusion'.
"However, my 'Spirit Ring Fusion' is still different," Xiao Zhan reminded Su Wen. "It just shares the same name in terms of its effect, but the actual manifestation is quite different."
Xiao Zhan released his spirit. A book, emitting a scorching, fiery aura and wrapped in reddish-purple flames, appeared.
Seven spirit rings rose from beneath his feet.
Two yellow, two purple, three black—the optimal spirit ring configuration.
"Hm?"
'Spirit Ring Fusion' was supposed to be when, upon releasing multiple spirit skills, the spirit power that would be consumed is channeled into the effect of just one of those skills.
Simply put, it was to enhance explosive power.
If the activation of each spirit skill was a 'water outlet', then 'Spirit Ring Fusion' was borrowing the outlets of other skills to blast one skill out with full force.
This was a talent that was even more convenient and had a much higher explosive ceiling than simply developing a single spirit skill.
However, the 'Spirit Ring Fusion' technique Xiao Zhan was demonstrating now was completely different.
Su Wen watched as Xiao Zhan's seven spirit rings began to converge. They actually began to fit together, forming a single disc divided into seven concentric layers.
They didn't truly merge, but they pieced together.
"My 'Spirit Ring Fusion' can fuse multiple spirit rings and have an explosive effect... but its main purpose is something else entirely!"
(End of this chapter)