Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated.
******
Ye Lan stretched out his right hand, and a blade of grass with delicate blue veins emerged from his palm.
The Blue Silver Grass had a slender stem adorned with a few slightly larger blue leaves.
Looking at this frail blade of grass, Ye Lan thought to himself, There's no way I can use this to fight in its current form. Only by attaching soul rings and enhancing it will Blue Silver Grass become viable for combat.
Putting away the martial soul, he took out the Spirit Hall's universal meditation manual that Su Yuntao had gifted him. Sitting cross-legged, Ye Lan calmed his thoughts and focused, sensing the faint soul energy floating in the air. He guided the glowing specks of energy into his body.
Ye Lan noticed that the color he attracted most was green—tiny, star-like motes of green soul energy steadily gathered into his body.
He could feel these star points gradually transforming into soul power, which began to circulate through his meridians before eventually flowing into his dantian…
The next morning, Ye Lan sensed the soul power stored in his dantian. There was only a faint amount. Based on his calculations, if he continued cultivating normally with level 3 innate soul power, it would take at least 13 months to reach the next level.
So this is what it means to have level 3 innate soul power? It's painfully slow!
It was no match for the cultivation rate of those with full innate soul power.
According to the original novel, someone with full innate soul power could reach the next level in about four and a half months, as long as they didn't slack off.
Compared to that, Ye Lan's cultivation speed was three times slower. And this was thanks to his years of early physical training and proper nutrition. If his body had been weaker, it might've taken him over a year and a half to level up.
Suppressing his frustration, Ye Lan remained patient and focused on steady cultivation. Only by reaching level 10 could he obtain a soul ring. When that time came, he could use his "Soul Skill Selection" reward to turn the tide.
One month later.
Ye Lan rode to Nuoding City on an ox cart transporting fruits and vegetables. After half a day's journey, he arrived.
Though Nuoding City was a small border town of the Heaven Dou Empire, it neighbored the Star Luo Empire and had developed into a relatively wealthy commercial hub thanks to its geographical position. Its walls were tall and thick—perhaps also serving a military function.
After being questioned by the city guards, Ye Lan smoothly entered Nuoding City. He bid farewell to the villagers from Harvest Village and, guided by the directions Su Yuntao had once provided, made his way to the western part of the city.
Before long, the imposing gate of Nuoding Academy came into view and drew Ye Lan's attention.
The enormous gate stretched over twenty meters wide and over ten meters high, crafted from valuable black iron.
As expected of a soul master academy—even the gate is grand and awe-inspiring.
Ye Lan gathered his focus, retrieved the necessary documents from his bag, and approached the academy entrance, handing the Spirit Hall token to a young man stationed there.
"Uncle, here's the Spirit Hall command token and a letter from Grand Soul Master Su Yuntao. I'm this year's work-study student—Ye Lan."
The young man eyed the boy suspiciously. Though plainly dressed, the dark blue-haired youth looked tidy and well-kept.
Taking the letter and reading the contents, the man's expression changed instantly.
"So you're Grandmaster Su Yuntao's nephew! Come in, come in! The academy could really use talents like you!"
Ye Lan smirked inwardly. As expected, there's no shortage of bootlickers in this world.
He already knew the personality of this particular gatekeeper—troublesome, arrogant, and rude.
In the original story, this same man gave Tang San and the others a hard time, even provoking Tang San to the point where he almost assassinated him with a hidden sleeve dart. If not for Yu Xiaogang's intervention, that gatekeeper would've died on the spot.
So, Ye Lan had preemptively used Su Yuntao's name to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Taking the identification slip handed back by the gatekeeper, Ye Lan confidently stepped through the gates of Nuoding Academy. The campus was lined with tall trees, their leaves lush and vibrant. The pathways beneath his feet were paved with smooth white marble, neatly arranged with artistic precision.
As he walked, Ye Lan noticed a middle-aged man lying under a tree. The man had cropped hair, a slightly bushy beard, and an average build. His demeanor was one of gloom and frustration, as if weighed down by years of disappointment.
Ye Lan guessed this must be the "Grandmaster" Yu Xiaogang.
However, Ye Lan didn't approach. He had no intention of rushing forward to become Yu Xiaogang's disciple.
He simply glanced at him and continued on his way.
But unexpectedly, the man called out, interrupting Ye Lan's steps.
"Hey! I saw you speaking with the gatekeeper, and you don't look like a returning student. Are you one of this year's new admissions?"
The middle-aged man beckoned him over.
Ye Lan had no choice but to turn toward the middle-aged man. After giving him a quick once-over, he replied, "My name's not hey—it's Ye Lan. I'm this year's work-study student. Are you a teacher here?" He then casually handed over his Spirit Hall credentials.
The middle-aged man took the document, glanced through it, and replied hoarsely, "I've long forgotten my real name. But everyone calls me Grandmaster. You can call me that too."
Ye Lan thought to himself, As expected, it's Yu Xiaogang.
Still, he found the title Grandmaster rather ironic.
After all, who calls themselves a grandmaster? And what kind of grandmaster bases everything on such shallow theory?
Compared to the theoretical giants from his past life—those who touched upon the very fabric of reality, like Newton or Einstein—Ye Lan felt that only such individuals truly deserved the title of "master."
Nonetheless, Ye Lan kept his thoughts to himself. He suppressed the odd feeling in his heart and asked calmly, "Grandmaster, is there something you need?"
After reading through the Spirit Hall certificate, Yu Xiaogang said with some surprise, "Blue Silver Grass can awaken with level 3 innate soul power? As far as I know, those who awaken soul power with Blue Silver Grass are extremely rare. Even in those cases, the innate power usually doesn't exceed level 1!"
Hearing his confident tone, Ye Lan chose not to argue. He simply said, "I don't know. When I awakened, the test showed innate level 3."
Although Ye Lan understood the reason behind it, he had no intention of explaining it to Yu Xiaogang.
He didn't want to invite unnecessary trouble. His knowledge ultimately stemmed from confidential sources tied to his past life, and since he and Yu Xiaogang were practically strangers, brushing it off was the safest choice.
Yu Xiaogang lowered his head in thought.
Innate level 3 with Blue Silver Grass?
Perhaps one of the parents had exceptionally high talent and forcibly elevated the base level of the child's martial soul. Still… it's Blue Silver Grass. Even with innate level 3, it's a waste martial soul. Even with my guidance, it won't amount to anything.
If Ye Lan had known what Yu Xiaogang was thinking, he would've just chuckled. Blue Silver Grass wasn't limited to those common roadside weeds. There existed the Blue Silver King—and even the Blue Silver Emperor.
As for why he had awakened with innate level 3, it was closely tied to Ye Lan's consistent physical training and ample nutrition.
After all, martial soul strength and innate soul power weren't absolutely linked. The same martial soul could yield different levels of innate power.
Ye Lan speculated that innate soul power was more connected to natural aptitude. Otherwise, how could someone like Oscar be born with full innate soul power, yet possess something as mundane as a sausage-type martial soul?
Since Ye Lan couldn't determine his natural talent, he focused on what he could control: training his body and ensuring proper nutrition to help his innate potential develop fully.
That, too, explained why noble families on Douluo Continent had a much higher rate of awakening innate soul power—nothing mysterious about it; they simply had better food and living conditions.
(End of Chapter)