Chapter 51
Ai Hui looked at his teacher in antic.i.p.ation, waiting for him to continue his explanation. While the old man had a dumbfounded expression, Ai Hui was not satisfied. He knew that his deductions were mostly based on feeling, and feeling was often inaccurate.
Teacher w.a.n.g was no master, but he possessed a strong foundation since he had lectured in the Induction Ground for several decades.
Deeply moved, the old man shook his head slightly. "We were meant to be a team."
The old man knew that finding a disciple like Ai Hui was not an easy matter. There were many teachers in the Induction Ground who were stronger, more qualified, and more senior than him, but how many of them could find such a compatible disciple?
The Induction Ground encouraged teachers to accept multiple disciples, but the majority of the teachers did not.
A disciple was different from a student. A student had to attend the teachers’ cla.s.ses, but a disciple had to continue their legacies and doctrines. Therefore, unless they really favored a student, teachers would not lightly accept someone as a disciple.
Most of the teachers believed that it was better to choose nothing than to select something substandard.
The old man was not someone with a reputation within the Induction Ground, and no one showed interest in his theories, but he still would not carelessly recruit disciples. No matter how uninspiring, his theories represented the years of hard work he had put in after all. If he were to impart his ideals to a student who did not agree, he would not rest in peace.
The old man was more than satisfied and pleased with Ai Hui. Although he was behind other teachers in terms of achievements, his luck in finding a compatible disciple was worth envying.
Ai Hui’s yearning gaze made him even happier. "Let’s talk about the second issue. Elemental energy is very suitable for you, but time is still needed in order to establish a good rapport. In other words, you have to unleash the potential of the elemental energy in your body. Everyone’s elemental energy is different, yet how many moves are there? You’ve just activated your natal residence and intrinsically wield metal attribute, so there are twenty-two moves you can practise. Which ones fit you? You don’t know. A lot of people choose the moves based on interest, feeling, formidability, and appearance. This approach is not beneficial. You’ve just activated your natal residence and stepped foot upon the path of training. The formidability of moves is not something you have to consider yet. What you need to ascertain is how you can lay a solid foundation for this tedious journey."
Ai Hui was enlightened by his words. The language was plain, but the meaning was exceedingly profound.
The old man’s expression became stern and earnest. "Understand your elemental energy and understand your body. The true meaning behind training is
Ai Hui said respectfully, " I will definitely bear your instructions in mind!"
The old man was quite comforted. He carried on, "Now let’s talk about the practical aspect—about how you should train. Tell me first, how do you develop your elemental energy?"
Ai Hui then sincerely shared how he first developed a strand of elemental energy in the Wilderness, how he trained in the Suspending Golden PaG.o.da, how he designed a set of custom-made backless armor, how he thought of using the [Arching Fish Back] to shatter the silvery strands of metal element, how he broke through the natal palace, and so on. He told his teacher everything pertaining to his elemental energy.
The old man was left stupefied once again. After a while, he hesitatingly asked, "You thought of these all by yourself?"
He knew it was a stupid question the moment the words left his mouth. Ai Hui had just talked about his ideas, how they came about, and where he had gotten his inspiration from.
Ai Hui nodded. "Yes, I thought of those."
The old man was completely and utterly convinced that the disciple he had just accepted was a genius! An extraordinary genius!
His eyes brightened and he gazed at Ai Hui as if he was looking at a unique treasure. Ai Hui’s apt.i.tude was low, and in this era where apt.i.tude was deemed paramount, he would definitely not be considered a genius. However, he had matured early and acquired an extreme level of insight toward training. The old teacher had never seen such qualities in anyone else.
He had picked up a gem!
The old man’s gaze made Ai Hui anxious. "Teacher?"
As if he had woken from a dream, the old man regained his senses and praised, "This is beyond my expectations, so I am truly shocked. You have such knowledge and experience despite having no one to guide you. Not bad, not bad at all! I believe you would succeed even without my help. I’m quite lucky, hahaha!"
Slightly embarra.s.sed, Ai Hui did not know what to say.
He had never been commended before. Nothing came easily to him and he had to work hard for everything—training, the Wilderness, catching up with the team, and so on.
After hearing the compliment, he was at a loss, which was a rare occurrence.
Upon seeing Ai Hui’s expression, the old man became happier. He chuckled for quite some time before stopping and becoming serious.
Ai Hui knew then that his teacher had something else to say. He also regained his focus.
The fact that his disciple was a genius truly stirred the old man’s heart. Ai Hui had already proven his worth, and the old man was determined not to lose in this aspect.
His gaze flickered with wisdom and radiance as he began speaking, "Your train of thought is correct and you have a solid foundation. These are good. It is advantageous for you to have an overflowing amount of elemental energy before breaking through the residences. This we can talk about in future. Let’s discuss the current problem you’re facing with your training. Above the concrete methods lie additional methods. You utilize metal elemental energy, so what are its characteristics? Sharp, powerful, and effective in battle are some facts that everyone knows. There is nothing wrong with you adopting the metal elementalist’s path of thinking. What we need to do now is to let you discern which metal elemental energy is the most efficacious for you!"
Ai Hui hastily followed the old man out of the school building.
They came to a shabby garden. Inside, there were heaps of strange tools of all shapes and sizes.
"This garden used to belong to another teacher. He moved out and abandoned this place, so I use it now," the old man said softly. "Out of my personal interest, I have remodeled the items here and they have not yet been used. Plus, I had little else to do aside from teaching cla.s.ses. A lot of things have acc.u.mulated over the past few decades."
Looking at the garden full of strange tools, Ai Hui could not contain his admiration. No matter who, for no matter how small of a matter, it was not at all easy to continue persevering for a few decades. Concentration and dedication required a calm heart that could endure loneliness.
"These things are finally going to be useful!"
The old man looked at his items with a certain ruefulness. He was unsure if it was due to the fact that they were collecting dust for so long or that they were finally going to see the light of day. Or could it be that he was feeling rueful about himself?
The good thing was that it was not too late!
With a face full of wrinkles, the old man stood proudly in the garden before his tools like a king overlooking his kingdom!