Chapter 92 Teaching Soul Beast Knowledge
Wang Sheng brought Ye Liuyun to a secluded courtyard he rented in Notting City.
Wang Sheng stood in front of the door, first cautiously looking around, then lightly knocking three long knocks and two short knocks, and called out:
"It's me, Brother Wang."
The courtyard gate creaked open, and a head peeked out.
She was a young woman dressed in peasant attire. Although her skin wasn't fair, her features were delicate, and she exuded a hardworking and thrifty charm.
Wang Sheng explained to Ye Liuyun somewhat embarrassedly:
"Don't take offense, Boss Ye. I come into contact with all sorts of people in this line of work, and I'm afraid my enemies might come looking for me. My wife is timid, so we usually have to use secret signals at home."
Ye Liuyun nodded, indicating his understanding.
"Xiaoya, do you remember Boss Ye?" Wang Sheng introduced.
Xiaoya also recognized Ye Liuyun, quickly wiped her hands, and bowed awkwardly yet respectfully:
"Boss Ye, please come in. It's been so long since I've seen you."
They entered the house.
Ye Liuyun walked to the stone table in the courtyard.
"Don't waste time, I'll teach you now. Remember the basics of soul beasts as common sense, and rare soul beasts as status symbols. As long as you can talk a good game, you can definitely impress the dean of Notting Academy."
He still had some confidence in this regard, because Douluo Continent was too backward and knowledge was not actually circulating.
Almost all resources were monopolized by powerful families.
Yu Xiaogang plagiarized a portion of the knowledge reserves of Spirit Hall, and was thus hailed as a master by many.
This demonstrates the scarcity of knowledge.
Just being able to recognize soul beasts is an amazing skill in itself.
To make sure Wang Sheng understood, Ye Liuyun stretched out his hand and activated his soul power.
Several strands of blue silver grass spun and twisted rapidly at his fingertips, transforming in the blink of an eye into a lifelike "Mandala Snake," with even the patterns on its scales clearly visible.
Even though it was just a transformation of Blue Silver Grass, the realistic scale patterns and the flickering tongue still made Wang Sheng and Xiaoya instinctively shrink back.
"Look clearly."
Ye Liuyun's voice was calm and steady, like that of an old professor.
"This is a Mandala Snake."
He pointed to the fine scales woven from the grass leaves:
"First, look at its scales. The scales of the Mandala Snake are far harder than those of other soul beasts. Ordinary iron swords will only slip when they hit them. If you encounter it, never try to attack its torso; that's a pure waste of energy."
Then, the snake-like body formed from blue silver grass began to writhe and slither across the tabletop, moving with incredible speed:
"Secondly, there's the toxicity. Its venom has two parts: one is a neurotoxin that paralyzes you; the other is a strong corrosive agent. So even if you avoid the fangs, you must never let its venom splash into your eyes or wounds."
Ye Liuyun controlled the Blue Silver Grass Serpent to slightly raise its head, assuming a posture ready to launch an attack:
"The third point, and the most basic one, is determining its age. The body of a Mandala Snake increases by one meter every hundred years. If it is a four-hundred-year-old Mandala Snake, its length will be around four meters."
He finally pointed to two small indentations at the snake's head:
"Its only two weaknesses are its eyes and its throat when it opens its mouth. Apart from that, it has almost no blind spots. What you need to teach your students is that when you encounter a Mandala Snake, if you don't have an absolute speed advantage, then stay on the defensive and wait for the fraction of a second after it launches its attack before striking its eyes."
"There are actually many similarities between the same type of soul beast. Whether it is the Mandala Snake or other snakes, they all have similar characteristics or weaknesses. Rare soul beasts are another matter."
Ye Liuyun explained things in a simple and easy-to-understand way. This knowledge was not something he had memorized by rote, but rather something he had personally witnessed when he was a soul beast, seeing how these little creatures hunted and crushing countless "small snakes" of this level with his own hands.
This vivid "three-dimensional teaching" left Wang Sheng speechless.
Wang Sheng listened intently, not daring to blink, for fear of missing a single word.
Even Xiaoya, who was sitting to the side serving tea and water, became engrossed in listening. The knowledge of soul beasts that she originally found difficult to understand suddenly seemed simple and straightforward under Ye Liuyun's "physical demonstration".
"So, this Mandala Snake makes a subtle retraction motion with its tail before launching an attack..."
Xiaoya poured tea for Ye Liuyun while sighing softly.
"Brother Ye explained it very well; even I understood it."
Ye Liuyun nodded slightly, and the Blue Silver Grass in his hand quietly dissipated.
He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and spoke calmly:
"Understanding is only the first step. You need to learn to apply what you've learned to other situations. If you encounter a soul beast you've never seen before, you can also make a rough guess based on your deductions."
Just then, the clear cry of a baby came from the inner room.
"Oh dear, the child is awake."
Xiaoya smiled apologetically and quickly got up and ran into the inner room.
"You guys talk first, I'll go and comfort the child."
Watching his wife's light and carefree figure, Wang Sheng's eyes welled up with tears. He let out a deep breath and said to Ye Liuyun with a sigh:
"Brother Ye, I used to think that as long as I could make money, whether it was black or white, as long as my family could eat, that was fine."
"But ever since my child was born, I've become more and more afraid, afraid that the retribution will fall on my child."
He clenched his fist, his gaze falling on the simple yet clean belongings:
"I want to cherish this beautiful life I have now, and protect my family. I don't want to be unable to hold my head up in front of my children in the future."
Looking at his old friend, who was now a father and husband, Ye Liuyun felt a little less of the loneliness he had felt during his escape.
He reached out and patted Wang Sheng's broad shoulder, his voice unusually gentle:
"It's never too late to improve yourself."
"The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago, the second best time is now."
Everything will be alright.
Wang Sheng nodded heavily. At this moment, there was no trace of the dejection he had shown in the tavern earlier.
He felt like he'd been given a shot of adrenaline, radiating an indomitable spirit and drive.
If you can't study to death, then study like there's no tomorrow.
"Knock knock knock!"
The sudden knocking and rough shouts from outside shattered the tranquility once again.
"Xiao Wang! I told you to go collect protection money from those shops, but I heard you slipped away early today? Do you think you're all grown up now and want to break the gang's rules?"
Wang Sheng's face turned deathly pale instantly, and the "dignity" he had painstakingly built up was shattered by that voice.
He was extremely embarrassed, as if his most shameful secret had been discovered, and he was also afraid that Ye Liuyun would be angry because his peace and quiet had been disturbed.
Ye Liuyun simply took a sip of water and gestured towards the door:
"Go ahead and explain things to them. Tell them you're quitting."
He paused, his tone calm and composed:
"Don't be afraid, I'm here for you."
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[end of the chapter]