Another Kind of Genius

Cang Huaban and Bing Dadao breathed in amazement.

"Xiao Shen," Cang Huaban said quickly. "Activate your spirit."

Ru Shenqi released her spirit. Her irises, thanks to the decade millennium year spirit ring, now were completely transparent. But they were also lucent and glowed brightly. The black spirit ring glowed around her feet. Her vision suddenly focused, and she felt dizzy for a moment. The adults stared at her, shocked beyond belief.

"Do you have a spirit ability?" Bing Dadao asked.

She nodded.

"Show us."

Her spirit ring glowed even brighter as she said, "First spirit skill, Clear Crystal Scatter."

Her eyes flashed and seemed to swirl. Bing Dadao and Cang Huaban felt dizzy and stumbled, but since their rank gap was too different, they were barely affected by her spirit skill. When they had recovered, Bing Dadao nodded in satisfaction.

"Since it's a decade millennium year spirit ring, the intensity of your Clear Crystal Scatter will be able to effectively affect spirit masters of rank fifty and below. As a new spirit master, that is quite a feat."

He pulled out the blue crystal from his bag and held it out to her. "Let's test your spirit power."

Ru Shenqi nodded and rested her hand on top of the cool stone. Blue light shined semi-brightly, radiating from the crystal. Cang Huaban and Bing Dadao's eyebrows shot up, baffled.

"Rank fifteen spirit power?!"

"Headmaster, Teacher Cang, would it be due to the decade millennium year spirit ring?" Ru Shenqi asked.

"It must be. I've never seen a spirit master jump so many ranks from just absorbing a spirit ring," Bing Dadao mused.

"Xiao Shen, are you sure you're not one of the Shrek Devils?" Cang Huaban joked.

"Who are they?" Ru Shenqi asked.

"There's seven geniuses among geniuses. They're known as the Shrek Seven Devils. Ten years ago, they shocked Douluo Continent with their strength at such young ages. Just a year ago, they went against Spirit Empire, which was known as Spirit Hall back then, and even defeated their Supreme Pontiff, Bibi Dong. Truly, they are a fearsome and perfect team."

"Could I be like them in the future?"

"Sha guniang¹傻姑娘 - literally translated to "Silly Girl", you already are. I don't know of anyone else who got a decade millennium year spirit ring as their first. Not even the infamous Shrek Seven Devils did."

"We mustn't linger any longer," Bing Dadao said. "Now that Xiao Shen has her first spirit ring, we should leave Icebound Forest and return to Vast Sea City."

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Once they were back in Vast Sea City, Cang Huaban accompanied Ru Shenqi to the Spirit Hall to register while Bing Dadao returned to the Primary Academy. In the Spirit Hall, Ru Shenqi asked for the Giant Lynx, Qing Qiangda. A Spirit Elder raced to get him; and soon, the Spirit Ancestor appeared. When he saw Ru Shenqi, a small smile spread across his lips.

"Xiao Shen, what a pleasant surprise. Are you here to register as a Spirit Master?"

She nodded. "Teacher Cang from Vast Sea City Primary Academy accompanied me here."

Qing Qiangda turned towards Cang Huaban. "Greetings, Teacher."

She nodded, "Spirit Ancestor."

"Xiao Shen, come with me. Don't worry, Teacher Cang will be right here waiting for you."

Ru Shenqi nodded and followed Qing Qiangda into the testing room. He walked over and stood beside a large crystal ball mounted on a pedestal. On the ground in front of the pedestal was a tile mosaic of the complete Spirit Empire insignia. From the ceiling hung a giant chandelier that was mainly for decoration. Light filtered in through the magnificent stain-glass window on the far wall. Depicted was a former Supreme Pontiff, Qian Xunji.

"Firstly, show me your spirit ring."

She exerted her spirit power and activated her spirit. When the black spirit ring appeared around her feet, Qing Qiangda stumbled backwards in shock.

"A decade millennium year spirit ring?! How is this possible?!"

"Teacher Cang and Headmaster Bing can attest that I absorbed the spirit ring of a decade millennium Mammoth Snowy Owl."

Qing Qiangda asked, "A Mammoth Snowy Owl? You wouldn't be interesting in joining Spirit Empire, would you?"

She shook her head. "I'm happy at Vast Sea City Primary Academy."

"Pity, I should have had you join when I first awakened your spirit. Oh well, let's test your spirit power."

She placed her hand on the large crystal, and he got a second round of surprise.

"Fifteenth rank spirit power?!"

"Because of the spirit ring, Spirit Ancestor."

He nodded, understanding. "Amazing, amazing. You are truly a prodigy, Xiao Shen."

"Thank you, Spirit Ancestor."

"Good child. Now, we'll go to registration. There, you'll be given a special Spirit Empire badge which will document your spirit master progression. You'll also register for the spirit master monthly stipend, which for a Spirit Master like you, will be one gold coin."

Ru Shenqi's eyes widened. "Really? One gold coin?!"

That was more than she had pickpocketed in a month.

He nodded. "Once you become a Spirit Grandmaster, the stipend will be ten gold coins."

Her eyes bugged. Quickly, she asked, "Can we go register now?"

Qing Qiangda chuckled and nodded. "Follow me."

He led her outside the testing room. Cang Huaban followed them over to a different section of the building. Once Ru Shenqi had registered, she was given a metal badge. Inscribed on it was her name, her martial spirit, and her date and beneath all that, the advancement to Spirit Master level information.

Name: Ru Shenqi, Gender: Female, Douluo Calendar Year 2652, Registered at Vast Sea City Lord Spirit Hall, Spirit: Clear Crystal Eyes

Fifteenth Ranked Spirit Master, Registration Time: Douluo Calendar Year 2652, Registered at Vast Sea City Lord Spirit Hall

Qing Qiangda explained, "Each time you advance to a new level, come register at a Spirit Hall location so we can mark your progress. This badge will be with you throughout your life. Do not lose it."

Ru Shenqi nodded and turned the badge over. On it was the long sword, representing the lowest Spirit Empire badge. "Why doesn't it look like the picture on the floor in the other room?"

"Unless you officially join Spirit Empire, all other spirit masters will only ever have the long sword on their badge."

"Oh. Okay."

Once her registration was complete, Cang Huaban escorted her back to Vast Sea City Primary Academy. There, since she now had the spirit master stipend, she was moved from Dorm 9 to Dorm 3.

Cang Huaban said, "You'll be staying here now, since you no longer have to be a working student. If you need anything, Xiao Shen, just come find me or Headmaster Bing. Also, remember... don't reveal your spirit or spirit ring to just anybody."

"Yes, Teacher Cang."

Cang Huaban turned and left. Ru Shenqi, with all of her worldly possessions cradled in her arms, entered Dorm 3. Immediately, four heads turned. Embarrassed, Ru Shenqi found an empty bed and set her things down. Then, she turned towards the others, her lemon colored eyes giving them a fright.

"Hi, I'm Ru Shenqi."

The other girls shared a look between each other before hmphing and ignoring her. Her shoulders sagged, and she started to unpack. Once everything except her langgan had been unpacked, she sat on her bed in the lotus position, closed her eyes, and began to meditate. She felt her spirit power rise and fall, almost as if in sync with her breathing.

When the bell rang for supper, Ru Shenqi ended her meditation session. A smile spread across her lips.

I just made rank sixteen. If this continue at this progress, I'll be a Spirit Grandmaster in no time.

She hopped off the bed and followed the girls to the dining hall. There, she met the other students for the first time.

"Look, a new kid!"

"Hey, new kid, how come we didn't see you the past few days?"

"Oh, leave her alone. Look how overwhelmed she looks."

The kid who stood up for her turned and smiled. Apparently, her eyes didn't bother him. Or at least, if they did, he didn't show it.

He held out his hand to her and introduced himself, "I'm Li Zhonghe²李忠和 - given name meaning "Devoted and Kind", martial spirit: Devil Eyed Shark, rank nine Spirit Scholar."

She gingerly took his hand and let him shake it. "Ru Shenqi, rank sixteen Spirit Master."

The other kids looked at her in shock. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"Mei mei, how old are you?" Li Zhonghe asked.

"I'm six, He-ge, my spirit was just awakened a few days ago. And you can call me Xiao Shen."

"Amazing. Can we see your spirit ring?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, He-ge, but Teacher Cang instructed me not to tell anyone my spirit nor show my ring."

"Only six and already a Spirit Master on the way to becoming a Spirit Grandmaster. Xiao Shen, I, as your senior, must catch up with you soon. I'm already eight and only a rank nine Spirit Scholar."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, He-ge. When my spirit was awakened, I had innate full spirit power, so I was able to go with Headmaster Bing and Teacher Cang to hunt a suitable spirit beast immediately. That's why I haven't been around the past few days."

A glimmer of admiration shone in Li Zhonghe's eyes. "I envy you, Xiao Shen."

She blushed and looked down.

"Come, there's a place here beside me."

Ru Shenqi sat down next to Li Zhonghe and eyed the food on the table. "There's so much food!"

He chuckled. "It's always like this. Don't you have meals like this at home?"

She looked down sadly. "No, I- I don't have a home. My parents are gone. I live on my own."

One of the girls near them, who actually also lived in Dorm 3, asked, "Then, why are you here? Should you be in the other canteen for working students?"

"I get a stipend of one gold coin a month from Spirit Empire because I'm a Spirit Master. It's enough to cover my tuition and fees here," Ru Shenqi explained. "So I have every right to be in this dining hall."

Li Zhonghe eyed the other girl. "Ai Yonggan³艾勇敢 - given name meaning "Bold", that's enough. Xiao Shen's status as a rank sixteen Spirit Master should prove to you that she can be here."

Ai Yonggan scoffed but didn't say another word. The rest of the meal went by pleasantly, and after exiting the dining hall, Ru Shenqi started to make her way back to Dorm 3. But on her way there, she was stopped by Ai Yonggan and the other two girls from Dorm 3.

"You don't belong, working girl," she said. "Go back to Dorm 9."

"You really think you can bully me? I'm a rank sixteen Spirit Master."

"You may have fooled Li Zhonghe, but you can't fool me. You're just putting on airs. Since you won't reveal your spirit or spirit ring, you can only be lying."

Ru Shenqi's hands clenched. She already hated the fair skinned brunette in front of her.

Someday, I'll show you and everyone else that I won't be bullied.

"Believe what you want. I'm going to bed."

She moved to go around them, but one of the other girls blocked her. "You'll only go back to Dorm 9. We don't want you anywhere near Dorm 3."

"Too bad, I live in Dorm 3."

When she was blockaded by all three girls again, Ru Shenqi had had it. She was just about to activate her martial spirit when a deep voice rang out.

"You are all roommates in Dorm 3. I don't want to hear of anyone excluding anyone. Do I make myself clear?"

The other three girls quickly bowed. "Headmaster Bing."

"Xiao Shen, are they giving you much trouble?"

"They don't want me to live with them, Headmaster Bing. Frankly, I don't want to live with them either."

"Hmm," Bing Dadao pondered. Finally he decided, "If you want, Xiao Shen, you can return to Dorm 9. It'll be all yours since we have no working students this year."

"That works. Thank you, Headmaster Bing."

He nodded and gave a warning glare to the other girls. "I don't want to hear of you making trouble again. Xiao Shen is already a Spirit Master, and as such should be treated with the respect afforded to one."

He motioned for Ru Shenqi to follow him, and she obeyed. They headed to Dorm 3 where she grabbed her belongings and repacked them. He escorted her over to Dorm 9 and gave her a key.

"Only you have a key to this room. That way, no one else can disturb you."

"Thank you, Headmaster Bing. Ru Shenqi appreciates it."

Satisfied, he turned and left. She immediately locked the door and began to unpack. Settled in, she sat on her bed and meditated once again.

<><><>

The next day, she went to her first official class. Li Zhonghe had been kind enough to save her a seat, so she sat next to him while Cang Huaban lectured about spirit master systems.

"There are control systems, auxiliary systems, power attack systems, agility attack systems, and close attack systems. Each spirit master tries to get spirit rings that help them in whatever system they are or choose to be. Today, I want each of you to think about your own martial spirits and guess which system you would be."

Since her martial spirit was so rare and tricky, Ru Shenqi struggled. She didn't know in which direction to develop. Her first spirit skill was an offensive skill, which mostly attributed to battle systems. But there were so many other possibilities.

When the class was over, she walked up to Cang Huaban. "Teacher Cang?"

"Yes, Xiao Shen?"

"Which system should I be?"

Knowing her martial spirit, Cang Huaban thought about it. Even she couldn't come up with a definitive answer immediately.

"Let me think about it, Xiao Shen. I'll talk it over with Headmaster Bing and see what he thinks."

"Okay, thank you, Teacher Cang."

Ru Shenqi left and headed to the dining hall for lunch. After lunch, she had a strength building class. It was quite uneventful, and luckily, she didn't have to deal with her martial spirit. From the strength building class, she went to spirit class.

In the class, she listened and watched as the teacher had other students use their martial spirits against wooden dummies. The teacher was making every kid in the class try. When it came to her turn, she bowed her head.

"I'm sorry, Teacher Jiu, but my martial spirit won't have any affect on the dummy."

"What's your spirit, child?" Jiu Wending⁴九稳定 - given name meaning "Stable" asked.

"Oh... nothing special really. I just can't affect the dummy, is all."

Ai Yonggan snarked, "You're a rank sixteen Spirit Master. All of us can do something to the dummy, so why can't you?"

Surprise splashed across Jiu Wending's when she heard the little six year old girl before her was a sixteenth ranked Spirit Master.

Li Zhonghe interjected, "Can you really not, Xiao Shen?"

She nodded solemnly, but then a voice said, "It seems it's impossible to withstand any longer. Release your spirit, but don't show your spirit ring."

Upon hearing Cang Huaban's words, Ru Shenqi said, "Clear Crystal Eyes."

Her eyes flashed and turned transparent, shiningly lucent. Jiu Wending stared, amazed.

"A Body Spirit? How rare! And no wonder. Your eyes help you; they won't affect a dummy at all."

Li Zhonghe, Ai Yonggan, and the other children were at a loss for words. No teacher had really gone in-depth about types of martial spirits yet, so they were confused about her Body Spirit.

Suddenly, something registered in Jiu Wending's mind. "Wait... Huaban, you said don't reveal the spirit ring. Why shouldn't Xiao Shen show it?"

Cang Huaban turned to the other kids. "You're dismissed. Head to the dining hall for supper."

Unable to protest, the children filed out of the room. After making sure they really had gone and weren't going to eavesdrop, Cang Huaban looked at Ru Shenqi.

"Xiao Shen, show Teacher Jiu your spirit ring."

"Yes, Teacher Cang."

She released some spirit power, and her decade millennium year spirit ring appeared. It circled her feet, glowing black. Jiu Wending couldn't believe it.

"D- decade millennium spirit ring?! As a first spirit ring?!"

"Yes. As you know, spirit rings are truth. They cannot be a lie. Headmaster Bing and I witnessed it ourselves. Xiao Shen's first spirit ring is a miracle. That's why Headmaster Bing and I decided that the other students should not know about her true strength."

"Wending understands." She turned to face Ru Shenqi. "From now on, you don't have to come to this class. I'll tailor a special course for you."

Ru Shenqi bowed and said, "Thank you, Teacher Jiu."

And from that day forward, her school week was just like this. Breakfast, theory class, lunch, strength training, personal training. On the weekends, when the kids had time off, she would meditate to increase her spirit power.

Within seven months, after this intense schedule, Ru Shenqi had broke through to the twentieth rank.