"First, you need to release your Spiritual Power. But don’t just spread it out over a large area. You need to concentrate it, focusing all of it into the energy source, like this..."

Shen Ning’Er demonstrated as she spoke.

Clearly, Shen Ning’Er’s "teaching style" was completely different from that mooching principal, Li Qingping. She didn’t beat around the bush; she was direct and decisive.

Gao Neng listened with equal intensity.

At this moment, there truly wasn’t a single distracting thought in his mind. His gaze was completely fixed on the iron energy source in Shen Ning’Er’s hand as he sensed the changes within.

"You need to completely merge your Spiritual Power with the energy source, continuously permeating it. The key difference here is that after you’ve permeated it, you must maintain a constant link to your Spiritual Power. Don’t break it. If your control wavers, the drain will be enormous, and you’ll run out of Spiritual Power very quickly... Give it a try!"

"Okay." Gao Neng began to try.

He first tried to release his Spiritual Power, then focused it into a single point. After that, he began to infuse it into the iron energy source, little by little...

...

「Eastern Capital Military Academy.」

In the principal’s office.

Song Tianyun was getting restless. He paced back and forth in his office, unable to sit still. Shen Ning’Er had been in Gao Neng’s dorm room for over an hour.

’Over an hour...’

’The whole school is watching!’

’How am I supposed to explain this?’

’There’s no way to explain it!’

"Kids these days are just too wild. Over an hour, and they’re still not done?" Song Tianyun looked out the window. The sky was growing dark, and a drizzle started to fall.

’Ah, it’s raining...’

’Is this lovers whispering of their longing, or fish weeping in the water?’

Pah!

’Song Tianyun had no idea where that thought came from. Had he been infected by the passion of youth? Was he turning into some kind of artsy, sentimental fool?’

...

Time passed quickly.

「Three hours later, the sky had grown dark.」

But things were far from quiet at the Eastern Capital Military Academy. From the first-year freshmen to the second, third, and fourth-year upperclassmen, there was only one topic of conversation in the dorms.

Shen Ning’Er had been in Gao Neng’s dorm room for three hours.

Three whole hours.

And she hadn’t come out once.

"Argh... Why is this happening?! What’s so great about that Gao Neng fellow anyway?"

"He’s handsome!"

"His strength isn’t bad either, right? Besides being handsome. He took down two Tier Two Late Stage opponents while he was only at Tier One Early Stage. Plus, he broke the Fourth Human Limit. How can we possibly compare to his potential?"

"This cruel world..."

The students sighed, filled with sorrow and indignation. But all they could do was despair.

Gao Neng’s current strength wasn’t that impressive, but his potential was truly immense. At least, ordinary academy students like them were no match for him.

...

Back in the dorm room.

Right now, Gao Neng’s state of mind was actually very peaceful. He had successfully established a connection between his Spiritual Power and the energy source, and he could even feel the elemental fluctuations within it.

’This feeling is so familiar.’

’It’s just like when I stood in the magnetic pile. I had such a clear perception of everything around me. So this is what a Spiritual Power connection feels like, huh?’

"You actually did it? That was quick!" Shen Ning’Er had, without realizing it, moved quite close to Gao Neng. Their bodies were almost touching.

However, Shen Ning’Er clearly didn’t pay it any mind.

Having grown up in a military compound, she was different from the sheltered young ladies of the great clans. At least when it came to the matter of propriety between men and women, she wasn’t particularly sensitive.

Besides, Gao Neng’s current state was very calm.

Shen Ning’Er could sense that Gao Neng had no distracting thoughts. And since he didn’t, there was no reason for her to have any reservations either.

The two of them drew close.

Shen Ning’Er taught earnestly.

And Gao Neng learned diligently.

As they continued their back-and-forth, both seemed to forget about the passage of time.

"Your Spiritual Power is still a bit too weak. Although you’ve successfully established a connection with the energy source, it will be difficult to maintain this level of control in a real battle," Shen Ning’Er said with a frown.

"Why would it be difficult in a battle?"

"It’s simple. During a fight, there are all sorts of energy fluctuations that will affect your Spiritual Power. It’s like you’re holding an animal on a leash, but the leash is too thin. A strong gust of wind could snap it. To get control again, you’d have to reattach the leash, but do you think your opponent will give you the time to do that?"

"So what happens if the connection between the Spiritual Power and the energy source is severed?"

"The manifested energy will collapse."

"Is there any way to solve that?"

"The only way is to strengthen your Spiritual Power and make the ’leash’ thicker. But increasing one’s Spiritual Power isn’t something that can be done quickly, so it’s very difficult to solve in the short term."

"..." Gao Neng didn’t ask any further.

’Because he actually already had an answer.’

’For most people, increasing Spiritual Power was a gradual process. But he wasn’t most people. He had his goofy system.’ 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

’And, if all goes according to plan...’

’If he successfully gets Shen Ning’Er to stay the night, he’ll get a Middle-Level Treasure Chest.’

’There’s a chance to get a Soul Tempering Pill from a Middle-Level Treasure Chest. That stuff increases Spiritual Power. If I get one, won’t I have a chance to make my ’leash’ thicker?’

"Keep practicing."

"Okay. You mentioned ’essence, energy, and spirit’ before. What exactly does the ’spirit’ part mean?" Gao Neng nodded, continuing to commune with the energy source using his Spiritual Power as he asked.

"Spirit, or ’Shen,’ is actually simple to explain. You can think of it as its essence or soul. There’s a saying: ’capturing the form, but not the spirit.’ That’s what it means."

"Then how do I imbue the manifested energy with that essence?"

"Practice, of course."

"Are there any practice methods?"

"There are actually many ways to practice. Calligraphy, painting, sculpting—they all work. I usually practice with sculpting, though, because it’s the most analogous," Shen Ning’Er replied.

"Sculpting?" Gao Neng pondered.

"Right. For example, if you wanted to successfully sculpt a fierce tiger, what should it have besides its physical form?" Shen Ning’Er prodded gently.

"Presence?" Gao Neng answered tentatively.

"Exactly. A tiger has presence. It’s called a ’fierce tiger’ because its presence is so powerful. For example, a tiger descending a mountain is releasing its full presence because it’s about to hunt. It has the air of a king. Within its territory, it is the most powerful being!"

"The most powerful being? So it looks down on everything?"

"’Looking down on everything’ isn’t quite right. A tiger is a true king. It’s not just about disdain; it’s that the entire mountain is its domain. It controls everything. Think about yourself at the freshman orientation assembly. When you sensed your opponents were weaker, what did you feel? Was it disdain? No. You didn’t look down on them, you simply viewed them from a position of superior strength!"

"I think I’m starting to get it. So, for energy manifestation, first I need to use Spiritual Power to connect with the energy source and gain control. Then, I infuse power into it to give it its might. And finally, I have to give it a ’spirit’ or essence. So if I manifest a tiger, it should have a king’s presence, and if I manifest a snake, it should have a hunter’s posture?"

"Yes, that’s the gist of it. You can manage the first two steps, more or less. But whether or not you can accomplish the third step will depend on your talent in this area," Shen Ning’Er said, nodding seriously.

"I want to try."

"Alright. Then manifest a fierce tiger for me right now."

"Can I manifest a ’mutt’ first? Honestly, I’m a little more familiar with mutts than I am with tigers," Gao Neng replied after a moment’s thought.

"Suit yourself." Shen Ning’Er didn’t press the issue.

’Actually, Gao Neng really wanted to say he should try manifesting a rat. He was pretty familiar with them, too. But he was afraid that if he actually said it, Shen Ning’Er would flip out.’

’Still, manifesting a rat would be a pretty good trick.’

’I’ll have to practice it more when I have time. Who knows when it might come in handy?’

Gao Neng didn’t dwell on it. He began his attempt to manifest a mutt. First, he pictured the dog’s appearance in his mind, and then he set to work.

’First, control the energy source with my hands...’

’Then, infuse it with Spiritual Power and energy, letting them merge into the source and establish a link with my own Spiritual Power.’

Gao Neng completed the first two steps without much trouble.

But when it came to the third step, imbuing it with ’spirit’...

He hit a snag.

"Imagine you’re sculpting a mutt. You need to move!" Shen Ning’Er called out immediately, noticing his stiff movements.

’Sculpt a mutt?’ Gao Neng thought back.

’He remembered the first time he saw Shen Ning’Er. She had sculpted a dragon, and her movements had been like a dance.’

’That’s right, I need to move!’

As the image formed in his mind, Gao Neng grabbed the liquid-like iron energy with both hands and began to pull and shape it, his body spinning continuously.

’The mutt’s head...’

’The mutt’s body...’

’The mutt’s four legs, and its tail...’

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

Gao Neng’s movements grew faster and faster. The iron energy in his hands shifted constantly, its liquid form gradually taking the shape of a mutt.

Shen Ning’Er’s gaze was locked onto the iron energy in Gao Neng’s hands, her eyes shining brightly. She could faintly sense a change within it.

’It’s getting closer!’

"A mutt has a keen sense of smell. It’s loyal, but it’s also ferocious!" Shen Ning’Er spoke again, unconsciously drawing closer to Gao Neng.

Gao Neng, however, was completely absorbed.

"Manifest, mutt!" Gao Neng’s eyes flashed. He tossed the iron energy into the air, and a figure dropped from mid-air to the ground.

It was a mutt with its tail perked high.

Its head was drooping.

Its gleaming black eyes stared unblinkingly at Gao Neng and Shen Ning’Er. Its front paws were flat on the ground, while its rear was raised high in the air.

"He succeeded?! On his very first try... he actually succeeded?" Shen Ning’Er stared at the mutt on the floor, the astonishment on her face plain to see.

Gao Neng was equally surprised.

’Success on the first try? This is beyond a pleasant surprise. How could I succeed on the first try? This doesn’t make any sense. There’s no way I’m that much of a genius, right?’

’No!’

’Something’s wrong!’