"Based on the theories above and prior reasoning, the Tongtian Bamboo is part of the plan for Lu Xiaoshuang," Ying Yanyang stated.
Tongtian Bamboo, a plant-type spirit beast, had never been seen on the continent with a lifespan exceeding a hundred years. This was not due to scarcity, as Tongtian Bamboo could be found in almost any spirit beast forest. However, high-year Tongtian Bamboo was extremely rare, almost non-existent, because of its peculiar characteristics.
As a bamboo spirit beast, the Tongtian Bamboo's age was determined by the number of its segments, with one segment representing one year and ten segments representing ten years. Furthermore, each segment of the Tongtian Bamboo was a full meter long! This extraordinary length was the origin of its name, "Tongtian," meaning "reaching the sky," as its height would be immense if it had the same number of segments as ordinary bamboo.
However, the growth pattern of the Tongtian Bamboo's segments was drastically different from that of regular bamboo. While regular bamboo segments formed during later growth to resist wind and snow, the Tongtian Bamboo's segments were congenital. Its growth method involved breaking through existing segments, forming new branches, and then condensing new segments for the next growth cycle.
This growth method, in itself, was not problematic. The peculiar issue was that once the Tongtian Bamboo's segments formed, they became fixed and extremely hard, rendering them nearly impossible to break even with a blade. These hard segments seemed to deliberately impede its own growth. As the Tongtian Bamboo stalk continued to grow, with segments blocking the way, the bamboo would often burst and die. Very few managed to break through segments to increase their age, and any human intervention would cause the Tongtian Bamboo to wither and rot.
This unique growth method resulted in the Tongtian Bamboo's body being incredibly sturdy and tough, especially the segments at the ends, which were exaggeratedly hard.
"With the characteristic of extremely hard ends and based on what Teacher said, if I'm not mistaken, Lu Xiaoshuang's fourth spirit ring likely comes from the Tongtian Bamboo. This would allow him to compensate for the weaknesses in his thick armor's front and rear, transforming him into a truly impenetrable defense, even stronger than that!"
Upon considering this, Wang Zhong's mouth involuntarily twitched. "Unbelievable, too unbelievable. Perfect defense… who would believe such a thing if they heard it?"
"Of course, Lu Xiaoshuang might have the same thought as you, considering the Tongtian Bamboo's low age, and choose the thousand-year-old Jiao Tie Chuan Shan Beast instead," Ying Yanyang said casually, his tone indifferent, clearly not believing Lu Xiaoshuang would opt for the second choice. Even if the thick armor had the ability to split, the extreme weight would make flexible use difficult, yielding minimal gains. It was far better to abandon flexibility entirely and focus on absolute, immobile defense. Offense, after all, could be left to teammates.
"As for Lu Xiaoshuang's fifth spirit ring choice, I'll test you on this," Ying Yanyang said, lightly tapping Wang Zhong's forehead. "This way, you'll understand it more deeply."
"Teacher, please ask," Wang Zhong said, bracing himself. Ying Yanyang rarely tested students, but when he did, and a student couldn't answer, the consequences were dire. At least Xie Yue and Yan had been bedridden for three full days after failing to answer.
"In the first year, there's one person who can easily defeat Lu Xiaoshuang. I'd say she can completely crush him. Who do you think it is?"
Wang Zhong blinked repeatedly at the question. He could confidently say he was the strongest in the first year, and he didn't have much confidence against Lu Xiaoshuang. How could someone in the same year completely crush him? Was this some cruel joke? But seeing Ying Yanyang's unwavering gaze, Wang Zhong knew it wasn't.
"In the first year, to be able to crush senior Lu Xiaoshuang, it definitely isn't about spirit power or spirit rings. The only possibility is the martial soul, or perhaps a martial soul counter," Wang Zhong mused, his arms crossed, a frown on his face. "A nemesis to turtle-type spirit beasts? Does such a thing exist? Perhaps it's not the martial soul, but the ability."
"Thick Armor Turtle, Stone Rock Rhinoceros, Giant Armor Turtle, and finally the Tongtian Bamboo. The first four spirit skills all focus on defense. To counter, it must be offense, right?" Wang Zhong muttered. "No, no, it's not offense, it's the *method* of offense!!!! There's an attack method that Lu Xiaoshuang absolutely cannot resist, and he can only remedy this weakness when he obtains his fifth spirit ring!!"
"Mental attacks! It's Nana!" Wang Zhong blurted out suddenly.
Ying Yanyang's expression remained unchanged. Wang Zhong's deduction was within his expectations; he would have been surprised if he hadn't figured it out.
"Indeed, it's Hu Liena."
"Lu Xiaoshuang's first four spirit skills all emphasize physical defense. Only with his fifth spirit ring will this aspect be completed, achieving true all-around defense," Ying Yanyang continued. "Moreover, the fifth spirit skill serves as a bridge, being as important as the seventh spirit skill and the martial soul true body throughout a spirit master's career. As long as this spirit skill offers decent resistance to mental attacks, there will be no need to focus further on this aspect. However, before that, this vulnerability can only be covered by teammates. Therefore, Hu Liena's ability is a natural counter to Lu Xiaoshuang!"
Ying Yanyang explained casually, then stood up and stretched. "Alright, that's all for today regarding Lu Xiaoshuang's martial soul and spirit rings. I've said what needs to be said; the rest is up to you. I'll inform you once the application for the simulated environment is approved."
"Also, take this." A purple crystal card flew from Ying Yanyang's hand and stopped steadily in front of Wang Zhong.
Wang Zhong's face lit up with extreme joy upon seeing the card. "Wow! Teacher, you're giving it to me so soon! I thought I'd have to wait until next month."
This purple crystal card represented the one million gold spirit coins allocated for successfully winning the overdue battle. The card colors ranged from white, yellow, purple, black, to red, indicating their value: white for ten thousand, yellow for one hundred thousand, purple for one million, black for ten million, and red for one hundred million. These cards could be used at the Spirit Hall Academy or any branch of the Spirit Hall to withdraw gold spirit coins. It was only the sixth, and Wang Zhong had already received a yellow crystal card on the first, which he hadn't even used much. He hadn't expected the reward to be delivered so quickly. This meant that in just this month, he had a net worth of 1.1 million gold spirit coins, making him incredibly wealthy.