Looking at Tang San, who was currently in a daze with his beliefs clearly suffering a massive shock, Fu Shiyan knew the timing was ripe.
Under the immersive experience of the life simulation, Tang San's current feelings were almost perfectly synchronized with the "self" in the simulation. This was the absolute best time to instill new concepts into him.
Striking while the iron was hot, he spoke in a guiding tone, asking, "Do you know what the most important advantage of the Blue Silver Grass actually is?"
Hearing Fu Shiyan's question, Tang San barely managed to break free from his chaotic, self-doubting thoughts.
He shook his head, racking his brain to recall Yu Xiaogang's teachings. After a momentary hesitation, he carefully phrased his answer, "Is it... the inclusiveness of the Blue Silver Grass? Because the Blue Silver Grass itself is... low-end, it can develop in multiple directions. Furthermore, its inherent weakness means it won't reject a spirit ring of any attribute?"
He paused for a moment before continuing to add, "Also, the soul power consumption when using Blue Silver Grass is incredibly small, even less than that of food-system martial souls. This determines that one can rely on their own soul power to use it in large quantities. Then there is... Blue Silver Grass is quite common, so it has a much greater element of deception than other martial souls. This is especially true for soul beasts with low intelligence. Even if you summon your martial soul right next to them, they might not notice it..."
Tang San poured out the entire series of "advantages" that Yu Xiaogang had analyzed for him back then, which led him to decide on majoring in Blue Silver Grass.
These theories used to be the cornerstone of his understanding of the Blue Silver Grass.
However, Fu Shiyan responded to the system Tang San laid out with an unconcealed sneer, his tone brimming with disdain, "Everything you just said, that fellow Yu Xiaogang told you, right?"
Tang San nodded slowly, not denying it.
This was indeed the development theory "tailor-made" for him by Yu Xiaogang after taking him as a disciple.
Fu Shiyan's tone suddenly grew heated, as if grievances accumulated over a long time had finally found an outlet. He huffed and scolded, "That fellow! A mere Rank 29 Grand Soul Master, yet he dares to criticize other martial souls! What does he know? He knows jack shit!"
His sharp gaze locked onto Tang San as he delivered a bombshell, "I bet he hasn't even mentioned to you that when absorbing a ten-thousand-year spirit ring, you will encounter a 'Soul Shock'--a basic taboo known to just about any family with a modicum of inheritance in the spirit master world?!"
"Soul Shock?"
Tang San's heart jolted. He had indeed never heard Yu Xiaogang mention this term before.
A chill quietly crept up his spine.
Without giving him time to overthink, Fu Shiyan shifted the conversation and asked, "Let me ask you, did you find the spirit ability I used just now weak?"
Recalling the Blue Silver Wood Dragon that had blotted out the sky just moments ago, as well as how Duke Long and Snake Popo had been thrown into a wretched panic--even harboring sheer terror under the wood dragon's attack--Tang San's mouth twitched involuntarily. He quickly shook his head and said in a reverent tone, "Naturally, it was not weak! Senior's spirit ability possessed earth-shattering power!"
He hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist struggling to defend Yu Xiaogang, as well as the persistence in his own heart, "But... Senior's martial soul shouldn't be a simple Blue Silver Grass, right?"
To his mind, such formidable power must originate from a higher-level martial soul.
Yu Xiaogang had taught him for six years. It wasn't just knowledge; to a certain extent, it had filled the void of his missing familial affection. Deep down, he was unwilling to easily invalidate all of it.
"Not ordinary Blue Silver Grass?"
Hearing this, Fu Shiyan shook his head meaningfully. He looked at Tang San with burning eyes, correcting him word by word, "No, the source of my martial soul is ordinary Blue Silver Grass! Whereas your martial soul is the one that is definitely not ordinary Blue Silver Grass!"
"My martial soul... is not ordinary Blue Silver Grass?"
Tang San was completely bewildered by Fu Shiyan's words. Utterly confused, he said, "This junior does not understand Senior's meaning."
Fu Shiyan stopped playing cryptic and directly dropped the truth that was enough to subvert Tang San's entire worldview. His voice wasn't loud, yet it exploded like thunder in Tang San's ears, "Do you think ordinary Blue Silver Grass is qualified to form a 'Twin Martial Souls' with the number one tool martial soul in the world--the 'Clear Sky Hammer'?!"
Boom!
It was as if a bolt of heavenly thunder had exploded inside his mind!
Tang San shook violently all over, his face instantly turning deathly pale! His eyes widened into perfect circles, filled with the ultimate shock and disbelief!
The Clear Sky Hammer!
This was the greatest secret buried deep in his heart, one that he hadn't even shared with Xiao Wu, who was closest to him!
It was second only to his identity as a transmigrator! Yet right now, it had been spoken aloud so nonchalantly, yet with absolute precision, by a stranger he was meeting for the very first time!
He felt a rush of cold air surge from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head. His limbs grew icy, and his lips trembled as he subconsciously tried to explain or deny it, "Senior... I... You..."
As if reading his every thought, Fu Shiyan cut him off, speaking a step ahead in a calm tone that suggested he knew everything, "Are you trying to ask how I know? Or... are you still trying to deny the matter of the Clear Sky Hammer?"
Fu Shiyan's gaze seemed capable of piercing through his body, looking directly at the hammer slumbering deep within his soul.
"There is no need to deny it, nor any need to panic. Since I can see it, I naturally have my ways. While Twin Martial Souls are rare, they are not entirely untraceable. Especially... when one of those martial souls happens to be the Clear Sky Hammer."
He leaned his body forward slightly, imposing an even heavier pressure on Tang San. His voice was low and full of temptation, "Now, do you still want to insist that your Blue Silver Grass, which can stand side-by-side with the Clear Sky Hammer, is just a... 'trash martial soul' that needs to rely on 'poison' and 'deception' to survive?"
"The path Yu Xiaogang planned for you might make you look a bit special among low-ranked spirit masters, but from the very beginning, that path was destined to never unearth the true potential of your martial soul. That path... was narrow, and it was wrong!"
Fu Shiyan's words were like heavy hammer blows, striking Tang San's psychological defense one after another, leaving the worldview he had built over the past six years teetering on the verge of collapse.
The secret of his Twin Martial Souls had been exposed, the definition of Blue Silver Grass as a "trash martial soul" had been utterly overturned, and his trust in Yu Xiaogang's theories was hanging by a thread...
The massive impact of information and the sense of collapsing beliefs left Tang San standing frozen on the spot, his mind a complete mess.
Looking at Tang San's thunderstruck state--where his mind had practically lost its bearings--Fu Shiyan knew that the final, potent dose of medicine had been administered to the right place.
He stopped being overbearing. Instead, he slowed his tone, carrying a trace of hard-to-detect... pity?
"It seems," he sighed softly, his gaze seemingly piercing through time and space to look upon some hidden past, "that father of yours didn't tell you about your mother."
These words were like yet another heavy blow, leaving Tang San's ears buzzing.
Mother... This was another blurry domain deep inside his heart that he yearned to touch.
His father had always been extremely secretive about it; it was a mystery he hadn't been able to solve since childhood up until now.
Carrying an undeniable certainty, Fu Shiyan's voice slowly delivered the truth that was enough to subvert Tang San's understanding of his own lineage, "Otherwise, how could you possibly think that the offspring born of the 'Emperor of the Blue Silver Grass clan' would inherit a martial soul... that is just a common Blue Silver Grass for anyone to trample upon?"
The Emperor... of the Blue Silver Grass clan?!
Tang San's breathing abruptly seized, and his mind went entirely blank.