Chapter 12: Daily Study Plan, Practical Combat Training
After descending from the mountain, Su Mo went back to wash up and change into clean clothes before heading to the The Pope's Palace with Bibi Dong.
"Greetings, Teacher." The two bowed together to Qian Xunji.
On the Pope throne, Qian Xunji wore a gentle smile and gestured for them to rise.
"Xiao Mo, Dong'er, I have already formulated a study plan for you for the coming year."
"First of all, while cultivation is certainly important, theory is equally indispensable, so you will study theoretical knowledge every morning."
"However, having only theory and power without practical combat skills will not suffice.
Therefore, the afternoons will be dedicated to physical training and sparring, where Soul Masters one rank higher than you will accompany you in practice matches."
Those sparring partners were all people fiercely loyal to Spirit Hall.
Su Mo and Bibi Dong were still young and could not be exposed too early; at the very least, they had to wait until they had a certain level of self-preservation ability.
If not for his busy administrative duties, Qian Xunji would have wanted to teach them personally.
Qian Xunji paused for a moment and continued, "You will inevitably get injured after training, and medicinal baths can not only strengthen your physique but also eliminate hidden injuries caused by training, so your evenings will be spent soaking in medicinal baths, followed by time for meditation and cultivation."
"This is the daily plan I have arranged for you."
"Yes, Teacher." The two replied in unison.
"Books have already been prepared for you in the study behind the main hall. Go now, and if there is anything you do not understand, come and ask me at any time."
"Yes." The two replied together.
Su Mo and Bibi Dong arrived at the study, where two desks were placed side-by-side, with a large stack of books resting on them.
Seeing the thickness of that stack of books, Bibi Dong's little face immediately fell.
"Ah, Su Mo, so many books... when will I ever finish reading them?" She pouted.
"Read slowly; a year is enough time." Su Mo said, walking to the desk to sit down, picking up the top book, and opening it.
Bibi Dong had no choice but to sit down beside him.
Su Mo read very earnestly.
The collection of books in the The Pope's Palace was far beyond comparison to the orphanage library; it recorded every aspect of the Douluo Continent, and the theories were much more systematic and in-depth.
In contrast, Bibi Dong clearly had little interest in reading.
After only fifteen minutes, her eyelids began to droop.
She held on for a while longer, but finally, she couldn't take it anymore; her head tilted, and she fell asleep on the table.
Su Mo looked up and shook his head helplessly.
It was no wonder she was so easily swayed by Yu Xiaogang; if she had only seriously read the collections in Spirit Hall, she would have discovered that the so-called "Ten Core Competencies" were nothing more than patched-together excerpts and summaries.
Take, for example, the Limit Soul Ring theory, where every Soul Ring was precise down to the year, as if thousands of experiments had been conducted.
But where would Yu Xiaogang, a level 29 Great Soul Master, get this data?
The answer was self-evident.
Su Mo withdrew his gaze and continued reading.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but the morning session was drawing to a close.
Su Mo closed his book and turned to look beside him.
Bibi Dong was still asleep, her little face resting on her arms, breathing evenly.
"Wake up." He gently nudged her shoulder.
Bibi Dong slowly woke up, lifting her head in a daze, rubbing her eyes, and then suddenly snapped to alertness.
Oh no, I fell asleep!
She hurriedly looked at Su Mo, shrinking her neck with a guilty conscience: "I... how long did I sleep?"
"Almost an hour."
Bibi Dong: "..."
Just then, Su Mo picked up a few sheets of paper from beside him and placed them in front of her.
"These are some key points; memorize them."
To prevent Bibi Dong from being swindled in the future, Su Mo had really racked his brains.
He had extracted the important knowledge points and organized them into concise and clear key points.
Bibi Dong was stunned for a moment, then took the sheets of paper.
The handwriting on them was neat, and the organization was clear.
Holding those papers, a strange feeling suddenly welled up in her heart.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.
She was a little embarrassed, her little face flushed slightly as she said: "Thank you, Su Mo. I will definitely study hard from now on!"
Then she lowered her head and began to read intently.
...
Afternoon.
After physical training finished, it was time for practical combat sparring.
In an open area, the surroundings had already been cleared; it was quiet and deserted.
Su Mo and Bibi Dong's training areas were far apart, so they would not interfere with each other.
Su Mo's opponent was a man around thirty years old, tall in stature with a steady gaze.
Su Mo stepped forward and raised his right hand; the Asura Demon Sword appeared from his palm, and one yellow and one purple Soul Ring slowly rose from beneath his feet.
"Su Mo, level 25 attack system Great Soul Master, Martial Soul: Asura Demon Sword."
Although the man had been informed of Su Mo's information beforehand, when he saw that purple Soul Ring with his own eyes, a flash of surprise still crossed the depths of his eyes.
He quickly composed himself and also released his Martial Soul; a long blade appeared in his hand.
The blade was narrow and long, with a heavy spine and an edge that gleamed with a chilling light.
Beneath his feet, three Soul Rings of the best configuration slowly rose.
"Zhou Lie, level 35 attack system Soul Elder, Martial Soul: Wind-Slaying Blade."
"Let's begin." Su Mo gripped the hilt of the sword, a flash of fighting Martial Soul crossing his eyes.
Having come to this World for so long, he had never truly fought anyone.
Today was the perfect time to test his own strength.
"Pardon me!"
As soon as Zhou Lie's voice fell, the first Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up.
"First Martial Soul Skill, Gale Step."
His figure instantly turned into an afterimage, his speed soaring as he swept toward Su Mo like a gale.
He did not charge straight ahead, but rather drifted left and right, his trajectory difficult to predict.
Su Mo's pupils constricted slightly.
So fast, and the movement was erratic, making it hard to predict.
Su Mo did not hesitate; the first Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up.
"First Martial Soul Skill, Asura Blood Fiend!"
A faint layer of blood-colored light instantly enveloped Su Mo's body and the Asura Demon Sword.
The attack power of the Asura Demon Sword and his own speed were instantly doubled.
Just at this moment, Zhou Lie had reached close quarters and slashed down with his blade.
Su Mo's footwork shifted rapidly, and he dodged to the side.
Zhou Lie's Wind-Slaying Blade brushed past his lapel, bringing with it a fierce gust of wind.
Missing with the strike, a flash of surprise crossed Zhou Lie's eyes, but he did not pause in the slightest; his footwork changed, he twisted his body to rotate, and the Wind-Slaying Blade swept back horizontally.
Su Mo quickly blocked with the Asura Demon Sword in front of him.
The moment the blade and sword met, he only felt a massive force come from his hands; his feet sank, and he slid backward several steps.
Zhou Lie's pupils constricted; he had used fifty percent of his strength in that strike, combined with the impact of Gale Step, a typical Great Soul Master would not be able to take it at all. He hadn't expected Su Mo to be able to block it.
He didn't think any further; he stepped hard beneath his feet, leaped backward, and opened distance from Su Mo.
"Try taking my Second Spirit Skill." Zhou Lie's second Soul Ring lit up, "Second Spirit Skill, Wind Blade Continuous Slash!"
Zhou Lie gripped the blade with both hands and slashed through the air.
Three cyan blade beams shot out from the Wind-Slaying Blade, flying toward Su Mo in a triangular formation, fast as lightning, sealing off the space for him to dodge left or right.
Su Mo's eyes narrowed; he did not have Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track like Tang San, nor did he have a Teleportation Soul skills. This move was extremely fast and had a wide range; with his current strength, he could not dodge and had to take it head-on.