"Teacher, what are you planning to teach me?"
"I have methods here for strengthening your constitution and prolonging your life. After learning them, your Physique will be greatly enhanced, far surpassing ordinary people."
"After learning it, will I be able to defeat those people from Shrek?"
"That would be quite difficult."
"No, I won't learn it."
"Then I shall teach you how to raise Spirit Beasts and Cultivate medicinal herbs. After learning these, you can raise Spirit Beasts to protect yourself and grow herbs to make a living."
"Raising Spirit Beasts takes too long, and growing medicinal herbs doesn't give you combat power, so you won't become a strong person or be able to defeat the people from Shrek Academy. No, I won't learn it."
"Why are you so insistent on competing with the people from Shrek?"
"They tried to snatch the Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent from Grandma in the Star Dou Great Forest and bullied both me and Grandma. I want to be stronger than all of them and bring honor to Grandma."
"Then I shall teach you the secret art of Necromancy and the power of the netherworld instrument thousand cry."
"Teacher, what kind of Spirit Ability is this?"
The next morning after returning to Peach Garden Academy, Su Ran began imparting knowledge to Meng Yiran in the classroom.
The academy in the morning had regained its usual vibrant energy. Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong were both back on track.
After absorbing her third spirit ring, Zhu Zhuqing had a faint feeling of being able to communicate with the First Yama Hall. She should be able to awaken the power of the First Yama Hall soon.
Ning Rongrong's second layer of the Golden Bell was nearing completion, and she was beginning to condense the third layer. However, cultivation after the third layer of the Golden Bell was much more difficult, involving refining blood and forging bones, which was more painful than physical training, no less than bone-deep agony.
Meanwhile, Meng Yiran was looking blankly at Su Ran, who was seated at the front of the classroom.
Necromancy, netherworld instrument thousand cry?
What is this?
Although she didn't understand, it sounded very impressive, didn't it?
"Necromancy, when cultivated to great success, can transform your Spirit snake staff into a Necromantic Demonic Serpent Staff. The yin-cold energy of the snake staff will evolve into death energy. Coupled with absorbing a Ghost Barrier Great Serpent—this Ghost Barrier Great Serpent also has another name, the Ghost Summoning Great Serpent—your third Spirit Beast is very likely to awaken a summoning type Spirit Ability."
"And the netherworld instrument thousand cry is a cultivation method for hellish netherworld Hidden Weapons. It includes the cultivation of the Earth Nether Hand, hellish netherworld Hidden Weapons, and so on. Upon great success, you can kill invisibly, wiping out thousands of people in an instant with a flick of your fingers."
Su Ran said calmly. Even he couldn't help but marvel at Meng Yiran's good fortune. The two unique skills he found for her were no lower in grade than the Ten Yama Halls he taught Zhu Zhuqing.
As soon as Meng Yiran heard the words Hidden Weapons, her eyes immediately lit up:
"Teacher! I think this sounds interesting!"
"But, Teacher, what is a summoning system? I've only heard of control system, agility-attack system, support system, and defense system. I've never heard of a summoning system. Is it powerful?"
Meng Yiran came back to her senses, realizing that Teacher Su Ran had mentioned a Spirit Master's system she had never heard of, leaving her a bit bewildered.
"Grandpa and Grandma told me to Cultivate in the direction of the agility-attack system and the attack system, so my first Spirit Ability, Snake Blade, is an attack Spirit Ability, and my second Spirit Ability, Snake Body, is a skill for agility and movement. These two combined allow me to perform attacks that only an agility-attack system Spirit Master can achieve."
"Therefore, this is also your limitation."
"What limitation?"
Su Ran walked out of the classroom, plucked a peach branch from a peach tree in front of the classroom, and calmly beckoned to Meng Yiran:
"Meng Yiran, come, use your Spirit Ability to attack me with all your might. I will suppress my spirit power to level 30 and stand still here, not using any Spirit Ability, only using this peach branch to block your attacks."
"Teacher… isn't that a bit much?"
Meng Yiran was also a bit confused about Su Ran's intentions.
"It's fine. I have an immortal-grade peach blossom body-protecting aura. Even if I suppress my spirit power, you won't be able to harm me. Just let loose."
"Alright, Teacher, be careful."
"I'm going to take off your mask, Teacher!"
"Teacher, this is my Way of the Snake."
"Alright, then let me taste your Way of the Snake."
"What is this Su Ran kid up to again? So early in the morning, this old man wants to see what he can teach."
Dragon Duke and Snake Woman were also attracted by the commotion at this time.
Su Ran stood there calmly, and two yellow hundred-year spirit rings shimmered on Meng Yiran's snake staff Spirit.
"Second Spirit Ability, Snake Body."
Meng Yiran's body was like a graceful Snake Woman, boneless, allowing her to escape many Binding and restraining Spirit Abilities. She could also accelerate herself, flexibly rushing towards Su Ran.
She had heard Rongrong say earlier that she absolutely must not take off the teacher's mask, but she refused to listen. She just had to see what the teacher looked like.
"Explaining your intentions to your opponent beforehand is not the mark of a qualified agility-attack system Spirit Master. What an agility-attack system Spirit Master pursues is surprise."
Su Ran held the peach branch and skillfully blocked Meng Yiran's body joints, making it impossible for her to touch him in the slightest.
"Hmph!"
Seeing that she couldn't touch Su Ran's body at all, Meng Yiran slid, attempting to seize the moment Su Ran swung the peach branch, raised her snake staff, and a two-foot-long blue venomous blade shot out.
First Spirit Ability, Snake Blade!
But to Meng Yiran's surprise, Su Ran merely calmly raised his right hand, extending that ordinary peach branch from his sleeve, and parried her snake staff.
The snake blade spat out by the snake staff brushed past Su Ran, unable to hit him at all.
Meng Yiran tried several more times, from left to right, from front to back, without exception. That peach branch, with just a light touch, could dismantle all of her offensives prepared for the [Snake Blade].
Meng Yiran was very frustrated: "Teacher, your reaction speed is too fast. It's impossible for me to hit you."
"It's not that I'm too fast, but that you're too slow."
Su Ran said, shaking his head.
"Am I slow? My Snake Body has a lubricating and accelerating effect, how can it be slow?"
"If you were a Beast Spirit, the speed granted by your Snake Body would indeed not be slow, but unfortunately, you are a Tool Spirit, and specifically a staff-type Spirit."
"Although the snake staff isn't a clumsy Spirit, because it's too long, exceeding half the body's length, it's easily discovered when used for a sneak attack, and it's difficult to vary attack methods."
Su Ran tapped Meng Yiran's forehead twice with the peach branch, then continued:
"So, every time you finally get close to an opponent, you're immediately detected and can only engage head-on. An agility-attack system Spirit Master doesn't have an advantage in head-on combat. The opponent only needs to slightly deflect your snake staff, and your Snake Blade won't be able to hit the target at all."
Meng Yiran thought for a moment, and it seemed to be true.
A few days ago, when hunting for spirit rings in the Star Dou Great Forest, it was because the Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent was too agile, making it difficult for her grandma's Spirit Ability to hit it, which was why the Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent escaped.
"So, Teacher, you think I shouldn't follow the path of an agility-attack system or attack system, but instead become the summoning system Spirit Master you mentioned?"
"Yes, I once told Wang Sheng something, and today I can give you the same words."
Su Ran led Meng Yiran back to the classroom and wrote eight large characters on the blackboard:
"Tailor to the Spirit, Unity of Person and Spirit."
Meng Yiran's eyes widened when she saw these eight characters.
Dragon Duke and Snake Woman, who had secretly come to peek, worried about their granddaughter, heard Su Ran's words, and saw these eight characters. They exchanged glances, greatly astonished.
These eight characters, though brief, contained profound wisdom, not something an ordinary person could summarize.
"No matter how good a Spirit is, it fears cultivation errors and choosing the wrong system. Only by following the appropriate path based on the Spirit's characteristics, achieving the unity of Spirit and Spirit Master, can one unleash their strongest power."
"According to my research, staff-type Spirits have two suitable cultivation directions."
"One is a mage, which you can also understand as a control system Spirit Master, consuming the opponent from a distance, controlling the opponent's movements, preventing them from getting close, playing to your strengths and avoiding weaknesses."
"Second, is the summoning system. A summoning system Spirit Master uses your snake staff as a vessel to establish a contract through the power of the spirit ring, summoning Spirit Beasts to fight. This way, you no longer need to clumsily attack with your snake staff; instead, you can control Spirit Beasts to fight for you."
"Combined with the study of the netherworld instrument thousand cry's hellish netherworld instruments, you can multitask, mastering netherworld Hell Hidden Weapons. In the future, you can even fight alongside the Spirit Beasts you summon, achieving the effect of two, or even three or four Spirit Masters, with just one person."
Upon hearing this, Meng Yiran's mind buzzed. She couldn't fully comprehend Su Ran's words at once, but it didn't prevent her from understanding that the path Teacher Su Ran was laying out for her was very powerful.
The girl's slender body, like a water snake, trembled slightly as she nodded excitedly:
"Teacher, then I'll learn this!"
Dragon Duke and Snake Woman, who were eavesdropping outside the classroom, exchanged glances, their faces showing some emotion. The Spirit Master knowledge Su Ran spoke of was too advanced for them:
"Summoning system Spirit Master?"
"It seems I am truly old. The Spirit Master's world of the future belongs to this young friend Su."