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"Enter Tian Dou Royal Academy?" Salas frowned, staring at Su Wen as his gaze flickered.
He, who knew the real truth, could analyze the benefits of Su Wen going to Tian Dou Royal Academy from a strategic, "big picture" perspective.
But Su Wen didn't know that.
What was he going to Tian Dou Royal Academy for?
"Why do you want to go to Tian Dou Royal Academy? The cultivation provided by my Spirit Hall would not be inferior to theirs."
Other advanced academies might be one thing, but Tian Dou Royal Academy was a nest of nobles. To put it bluntly, it's just a place for them to get a veneer of prestige. Their performance in the Spirit Master Tournament has always been utterly dreadful.
Of course, being an academy for noble scions, its facilities were indeed the best, but the resources provided as rewards wouldn't be very plentiful, as many nobles brought their own resources to begin with.
In short, given Su Wen's current situation, wanting to enter Tian Dou Royal Academy made no sense, assuming he had no other underlying reasons.
"Lord Hall Master, the continent's highest-ranked Spirit Master with a Book-type Spirit, Xiao Zhan, is an instructor at Tian Dou Royal Academy." Su Wen had prepared this answer long ago.
"The 'Fire Demon' Xiao Zhan?" Salas's brow relaxed, only to furrow once more. "You still intend to walk the path of a combat Spirit Master?"
"Yes." Su Wen did not shy away from it, stating firmly, "In this world, the strong are respected. Strength is the only true foundation."
Strength is the foundation of absolutely everything.
Without strength, it doesn't matter how many theories you master; it's all just empty talk.
No one will take you seriously.
"Well said!" Salas's expression showed a flash of admiration, but it was fleeting. He then stared at Su Wen and asked again, "Are you truly certain? Do you realize what a talent you have for theoretical research?"
An eleven-year-old boy who proposed the 'meridian theory,' put forward the concept of absorbing spirit rings beyond the usual limit, and then went and verified it all by himself.
In both his confidence and his way of thinking, he was perfectly suited to follow the path of a theorist.
"Do you know of 'Grandmaster'?" Salas asked.
Su Wen nodded.
He certainly knew of him. Back at the primary academy, he had even tried to become his disciple, but he had been rejected.
"Good. Don't let him influence you." Salas organized his phrasing. "Grandmaster has a decent reputation among the common Spirit Masters, but Spirit Masters at the Spirit Ancestor rank and above generally sneer at him."
That was the current reality.
Salas assumed Su Wen had been influenced by Grandmaster's reputation and was worried that those who focused on theory would be looked down upon.
"The status of true theorists is not low in the eyes of high-level Spirit Masters. That 'Grandmaster' is a complete opportunist.
His published 'Ten Core Competencies of Spirits' was mostly him being generous with other people's research. It wasn't knowledge he summarized himself, and the theories he proposed didn't solve any of the real, difficult problems in Spirit Master development.
His so-called 'Grandmaster' title came from him simply organizing existing research, compiling it into his 'Ten Core Competencies,' and then publishing it to all Spirit Masters under the name of Spirit Hall.
High-level Spirit Masters have no use for his work. Any Spirit Master who can cultivate to the Spirit King rank or higher, even if they figured things out on their own, could summarize that same set of principles with the help of a few friends.
Those theories of his are utterly useless to them, so naturally, none of them are going to admire him.
A true theorist, however, can always provide benefits to high-level Spirit Masters in some way. Take your theory on absorbing spirit rings beyond the limit. Even if high-level Spirit Masters can no longer use it for themselves, they can use your theory to prepare their descendants."
Su Wen blinked, feeling like he was just an observer enjoying the drama. He could clearly sense that Salas really seemed to look down on Grandmaster.
He was very obviously 'stepping on' him...
Listening to Salas rant about Grandmaster was, for some reason, quite satisfying.
"Lord Hall Master, please rest assured. Everything I have achieved so far has come from my understanding of knowledge. Knowledge is power. On my path to pursue strength, my method is to first research theory and then convert that theory into power."
Su Wen quickly made it clear that he would not waste his talent for theoretical research simply for the sake of pursuing strength.
He wanted to pursue strength, but his path to strength was researching theory and converting that knowledge into personal power.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Salas's expression softened considerably.
To be truthful, this theory of Su Wen's was beneficial to the vast majority of experts at the Spirit Saint level and above within Spirit Hall.
After all, who didn't have descendants?
And whose descendant was guaranteed to have peerless talent?
Equipping their children with the optimal spirit ring configuration within the standard limits was already the most they could do. But under those limits, no matter how "optimal" the configuration, it was difficult to create a significant gap.
Some who doted on their children even felt that the growth environment they provided for the next generation wasn't good enough.
Now that this new path had appeared, there would absolutely be a group of powerful experts, who lacked neither money nor resources, ready to pour those resources into their children. A thousand-year second ring might be a stretch, but they could definitely use their resources to "smash" out a nine-hundred-year one.
Salas was inwardly pleased with Su Wen's request to enter Tian Dou Royal Academy.
This meant Su Wen would effectively be transferred under his command, becoming one of his direct subordinates. Now, having also received Su Wen's promise not to abandon his theoretical research, Salas was satisfied from the bottom of his heart.
As for whether Su Wen could truly stay in Tian Dou City, gain the Supreme Pontiff's consent, and join the Tian Dou Royal Academy... Salas, who knew many of the 'big secrets', could say—no problem!
The Tian Dou Royal Academy was the Crown Prince's faction. Letting Su Wen join it, where the Crown Prince would then try to win him over, would logically add a major asset to the Crown Prince's side...
It would all fall into place naturally.
"Lucky kid," Salas thought. "I just wonder how shocked he'll be when he finally learns the truth behind all this."
"I will report your request to the Supreme Pontiff truthfully. The specific arrangements will still depend on Her Majesty the Supreme Pontiff's decision."
"Thank you, Lord Hall Master."
"The 'Fire Demon' Xiao Zhan's attainments in the cultivation of combat-type Book Spirits are indeed the highest. He is, in fact, also a member of my Tian Dou City Spirit Holy Temple and is very close with Bai Yuan, who is part of the Holy Temple's scholar faction.
Bai Yuan is also a theorist, and his spirit is a Book Spirit as well. He simply walks the 'functional' path, using his spirit to assist in his theoretical research. In a moment, I can introduce you to him."
"Thank you, Lord Hall Master."
"Mm."
Salas introduced Su Wen to Bai Yuan and the library's senior deacon, leaving Su Wen to converse with them. He himself had already begun to arrange the Holy Temple's affairs, preparing to travel personally to Spirit City to report Su Wen's situation.
"This kid... it's not just about absorbing a ring beyond his limit." Recalling his observation of Su Wen's spirit, Salas was certain. "The spirit rings his spirit absorbed are most likely also an extremely good match for his spirit."
Of that, there was no doubt.
Someone who researches theory would naturally be an expert at matching spirits with spirit rings.
If one had to point out anything unusual, there was something... For example, Su Wen's cultivation speed, and the "coincidence" noted in his file of him being stuck at the breakthrough level, right before needing a spirit ring, for a considerable period of time... twice.
"We'll see how Her Majesty the Supreme Pontiff decides to handle this."
(End of this chapter)