Blue Silver Grass Strategy (Douluo Dalu Fiction)

In the corner of the courtyard at Ling Yi's house in Shanhai Village, Ling Yi loosened the opening of the bundle wrapped in a bamboo mat and evenly spread the seeds of "Blue Silver Grass" into the long wooden trough.

Beside him, Zhang Lei used a reddish-yellow gourd ladle to scoop water from the bucket by his feet, pouring it slowly into the trough.

Upon hearing Ling Yi's inquiry, Zhang Lei kept his hands busy but paused to think before replying, "Not bad, I suppose."

"I've already managed to harness the soul power within me and guide it according to the pathway described in the 'Basic Meditation Method.'"

At this point, Zhang Lei hesitated, grip tightening on the ladle as he jestingly complained, "Whoever authored that 'Basic Meditation Method' certainly didn't have simplicity in mind. I could recognize all the characters, but stringing them together was a real mental workout!"

"This meditation method is a lot more complex than the 'Hoe Swing Method' you taught me, Ah Yi."

For years, Zhang Lei had spent more time with Ling Yi than anyone else, even more than Ling Xiaoshan and Zhang Xiaoyu, Ling Yi's own parents.

As such, his manner of speaking, understanding of the world, and way of doing things were heavily influenced by Ling Yi.

Evidently, the bewildering descriptions in the 'Basic Meditation Method' that confused many six-year-old spirit apprentices weren't an obstacle for this village boy, only requiring him to ponder it for a while.

"Clang—"

With a noise neither too loud nor too quiet, Zhang Lei tossed the ladle into an emptied bucket, shook his arm, and then stretched out his right hand. With a flash of grey light, a hoe as tall as himself manifested in Zhang Lei's grasp.

“Bang——”

Zhang Lei flipped his spirit weapon, the "Hoe," upside down, letting it stand on the ground. He formed a half-circle with his right hand’s tiger’s mouth, his palm pressing against the long handle, fingers splayed open, gesturing towards Ling Yi.

“A-Yi, look here~” Zhang Lei lifted his left hand, pointing his index finger to the middle finger of his right hand. "I can pretty much control my soul power from here now, drawing in those green and yellow specks from outside... Hmm~ but those white, black, and red specks are scarce and uncooperative..."

After this casual remark, Zhang Lei continued his actions, tracing a line from the tip of his middle finger down the palm, along to the wrist, forearm, elbow... sweeping upwards until he reached the side of the depression in front of his elbow, tapping it as he spoke, "Up to here, I feel the soul power becomes less obedient, dragging those foreign green and yellow specks; although they still go upwards, they move at their own pace, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, occasionally tangling like fish in water—"

Listening to Zhang Lei's words, watching his fidgeting fingers, Ling Yi, holding a rolled-up straw mat, moved increasingly slowly.

His usually serene and handsome face was now shadowed with a slight furrow of his brows, adding a trace of somberness.

Meanwhile, as Zhang Lei spoke enthusiastically with his chattering little mouth, he noticed the look on Ling Yi’s face and his voice grew quieter. Finally, somewhat concerned, he softly asked, “A-Yi, what’s wrong? Has something happened?”

“Phew——”

Ling Yi breathed out a long sigh, striving to bind his stirred emotions within the depths of his heart. His expression returned to calmness, and his voice remained as composed as ever, “It's nothing, Lei…but listening to you discuss your cultivation progress with the "Basic Meditation Technique," I have some new insights...”

“Enough about me~” Ling Yi, changing the subject, “Don’t worry about me~~ Tell me more, in detail, about some of your experiences during meditation cultivation—"

“Oh~”

Seeing Ling Yi speak with such genuine clarity, and with no apparent error in his demeanor, nine-year-old Zhang Lei didn't overthink it. He nodded enthusiastically and continued to share with Ling Yi his experiences from training, recounting each detail meticulously.

In no time, Zhang Lei had shared everything he could remember and focus on.

After all, he had only just begun practicing the "Basic Meditation Technique" a few days ago, only scratching the surface. Naturally, what he could describe was limited.

Ling Yi nodded after listening to Zhang Lei, advising, "Lei, as I've mentioned before, it's important to practice in moderation. If you feel mentally drained or if there's discomfort along the pathways where your soul power flows, you should stop. Don't rush the process and risk hurting yourself..."

"We're still so young. Take it slowly, there's no need to hurry. Progress should be steady—"

Could Zhang Dahe articulate such profound principles? No, but Ling Yi can!

Could Zhang Dahe come up with so many ways to prosper? No, but Ling Yi can!

Could Zhang Dahe devise an effective hoe-swinging technique from observing the villagers work the fields to toughen the body? Certainly not! But Ling Yi can!

Moreover,

When Zhang Lei was declared to have no innate soul power, Zhang Dahe could only accept this quietly, advising Zhang Lei not to be upset. However, Ling Yi could inspire Zhang Lei to stay optimistic, suggesting that there might be dormant soul power within him, undetectable as of now. With strengthened health, perhaps the soul power could increase to a perceptible degree...

“Eating well, sleeping soundly, and exercising diligently to hone one's body is always beneficial,” Ling Yi advised at the time.

In the end, as Ling Yi had predicted, Zhang Lei did possess innate soul power, though extremely limited. Just as the crystal ball began to react, a physiological response occurred, but the test time expired abruptly, leaving him unaware due to his heightened emotions in that moment.

Now, comparing his half-level soul power with Zhang Lei’s, Ling Yi observed that Zhang Lei's soul power had reached the second level!

Over three years, from ages six to nine, Zhang Lei went from having almost no innate soul power to developing second-level soul power. This came from arduous physical training and occasional hypnotherapy sessions with Ling Yi, which allowed his body to self-regulate and train instinctively.

Of course, the nutritional standards of the Ling and Zhang families also improved, with the addition of nourishing foods like ginseng chicken soup playing a significant role.

After arranging to venture into the old woods with Zhang Lei the next day, Ling Yi escorted him to the courtyard entrance before returning to his room.

He flung himself heavily onto the bed, neglecting to take off his shoes, letting his feet dangle over the edge as he lay there quietly staring at the beams of the ceiling.

For a long time.

Finally, Ling Yi exhaled two words through his teeth: “Damn it!”

It was a rare burst of profanity, his first since discovering that he had no special abilities or advantages upon his mysterious arrival.

It was because Ling Yi realized that arrogance and negligence had led him into a cognitive trap.

It turns out, in the "Basic Meditation Technique," there’s a phrase 'outer side of the fingertip,' which Ling Yi subconsciously interpreted as the end of the pinky finger, on the outer edge of the hand.

This was because the line through which his soul power flowed when summoning his martial soul just happened to coincide with the route along the pinky. This only strengthened Ling Yi's unwavering belief in his deduction and understanding.

Over the years since crossing over, Ling Yi, although not intentionally aiming to showcase himself, has always succeeded whenever he set his mind to something.

Be it the Ling family's poultry farming, the Zhang family's fishpond, reclaiming fields in Shanhai Village...

Even if these weren't particularly remarkable feats, Ling Yi couldn't help but feel a faint sense of pride swelling within him.

He never expected to make such a novice mistake, and thinking about it now leaves him somewhat embarrassed.

It's like committing the same error as those two illiterates from "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," Mei Chaofeng and the other.

They misunderstood the "Nine Yin Manual's" "Unyielding Divine Grasp," misinterpreting 'five fingers release energy, nothing is unbreakable, shatter the enemy's head, like piercing rotten soil' to mean penetrating the enemy's skull with five fingers, and thought this method was necessary in practice, inadvertently turning an advanced martial art into the sinister "Nine Yin White Bone Claw."

Ling Yi had previously mocked them, considering them pupils of Huang Yaoshi, one of the rare scholarly geniuses in Jin Yong's novels, thinking surely they could at least manage some reading comprehension, right?

Who would have thought that upon arriving in a world like Douluo Continent, where cultural literacy is exceedingly low, he would make the same blunder as those two fools? If those novel-reading friends from his past life knew, wouldn't they laugh at him for a whole year?

Fortunately, he came here alone, so no one else knows about this embarrassing history. Otherwise, he'd have to find a way to gag them—by Ling Master's secret reflection.

In the dimly lit room, Ling Yi sat cross-legged, his mind swirling with thoughts of the previous night's revelations.

He had spent hours pondering over the intricacies of the new meditation technique he had inadvertently stumbled upon.

His initial interpretation seemed brilliant, aligning harmoniously with his understanding until a sudden insight shattered his assumptions.

“Just like in 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes',” he mused, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

“Misinterpretations can lead to fascinating yet misguided paths.”

Ling Yi shook his head, remembering how his overconfidence had nearly steered him off course.

Across the hall, Aunt Qing quietly observed him from the doorway.

Her calm presence a constant reminder of the wisdom he sought to emulate.

“Ling Yi,” she called softly, hesitant to disturb his thoughts, “Are you ready to face today’s challenges with a clear heart?”

Ling Yi opened his eyes and nodded, determination settling into his gaze.

“Yes, Aunt Qing.

Today, I’ll welcome each challenge as a chance to refine my understanding.”

With her gentle nod, Aunt Qing left him to his reflections, and Ling Yi resumed his meditation, eager to break beyond the barrier of his previous misconceptions.

(End of Chapter)