Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Even When Powerless, There Is Always Something to Do
’The quest didn’t complete after all the major events last night, but it did today after I heard two stories... Looks like the final step was "investigate the mastermind."’
’Liu Yuankui... Rebel Species... reactionaries from the Exotic Realm...’
Now it was all starting to make sense.
What Yang Shen had been involved in wasn’t just the crisis at the Training Camp, but an intricate, long-hidden conspiracy.
Snapping back to his senses, Yang Shen focused his attention on the system.
Through the rewards from the Spirit Plant Inheritance, he had already obtained some Magic.
Although they were magical and fun, most of them were just "farming accessories." They were useful, in a way, but couldn’t be called powerful.
The utter uselessness of the Composting Technique was still fresh in Yang Shen’s mind.
’Hopefully, this one will pack more of a punch.’
Yang Shen silently chose to claim the reward. The next moment, a complex but not overwhelming stream of information flowed into his mind.
[Gathering Spirit Technique].
Yang Shen studied it for a moment and thought to himself, ’As expected, the system’s rewards are all geared toward development. It never just hands you something like ten years of Power or an unparalleled Divine Weapon.’
Whether it was the *Qi Cultivation Guiding Technique*, the *Ancestral Lineage Spiritual Record*, or this new Gathering Spirit Technique, everything revolved around family development!
The core ability of the Gathering Spirit Technique was to infuse one’s own Spiritual Qi into an external object using a special method, turning it into a "Spirit Gathering Eye." This eye could then attract ambient Spiritual Qi, creating a small area with High Spiritual Energy Concentration to aid in Cultivation.
Creating a Spirit Gathering Eye consumed a fair amount of energy, but it was like an "investment." You put in one dollar once, and it pays you back ten cents every day.
The material of the object itself determined the effective duration of the Spirit Gathering Eye. If it was an ordinary stone, it would become ineffective after a month.
If it was a piece of precious Jade, it could last for over ten years.
But if it were a higher-grade item like a Magical Treasure, Demon Pill, or one of the Treasures of Heaven and Earth, it could remain effective for several hundred years. Moreover, it would resonate with the treasure’s own properties, producing even more unique effects.
However, it wouldn’t work on living things.
The information also mentioned that as long as the Gathering Spirit Technique didn’t conflict with the item, a Cultivator could theoretically apply the Spirit Gathering Eye effect to everything they wore. This was a common technique in the Artifact Refining Technique.
High-level Cultivators often had insoles that could accelerate their Cultivation.
Yang Shen stroked his chin, thinking, ’This thing is actually quite useful.’
He planned to start teaching the four little ones Cultivation once he got home.
He’d already tested the waters and realized that without a direct infusion from the system, it wasn’t easy for Cyan Blue Star People to learn Cultivation. What’s more, the four little ones didn’t have great aptitude; two had Dual Spiritual Roots, and the other two had a Single Spiritual Root.
With the Gathering Spirit Technique, not only would he benefit, but the four little ones could also ride his coattails. It might even speed up their learning.
After pondering for a moment, Yang Shen started to tidy up the hospital room. At 3,000 yuan a day, he was afraid they’d charge him extra if he left it a mess.
His aunt had also completed the discharge procedures, and the two of them left together.
As they passed through the first-floor lobby, their attention was drawn by heart-wrenching wails.
A couple in their fifties was at the end of the hallway, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Yaoyao! Mom can’t bear to let you go!"
The woman’s body went limp, and she could no longer stand.
The man supported his wife, his own body trembling as tears streamed down his face.
A few doctors and police officers stood nearby, their heads bowed in silence. Passersby glanced over, likely guessing what had happened... another one of life’s fragmented tragedies.
Tao Ying stopped and murmured, "Is that... your teacher?"
Yang Shen’s face was grim as he nodded.
"I think so. A... very responsible teacher..."
He suddenly wondered if Zhou might not have died if the system had given him healing-type Medical and Immortal Techniques instead of the Spirit Plant Inheritance.
But there are no ’what ifs’ in this world.
Zhou Yao... Although she wasn’t as famous as Liu Yuankui, she was one of the few Innate Realm physical education teachers at Nanliang Middle School. She had a bright future ahead of her, and the school likely went to great lengths to hire her, as evidenced by her being appointed as the person in charge of their group at the Training Camp.
But now, none of that mattered anymore...
The woman suddenly broke free from her husband and lunged headfirst toward the wall, but a nearby police officer quickly stopped her.
Judging by their footsteps and strength, the couple were ordinary people with no Martial Cultivation, yet they had raised such an outstanding daughter.
Yang Shen couldn’t bear to watch. Although he had gone through something similar just two months ago, he still couldn’t remain detached.
His heart ached with sorrow.
"Let’s go... Auntie. There’s nothing we can do..."
’Just like last night, there’s nothing we can do now...’
But his aunt held him back, gently patting the back of her nephew’s hand. "Let’s wait... Just a little while."
Yang Shen didn’t understand why, but he stood with his aunt at the other end of the hallway.
They stood there for a full half-hour. Only when the old couple had stopped crying out and were just sitting on the bench, lost and dejected, did Tao Ying tug on Yang Shen’s sleeve.
Actually, there was something Yang Shen could do.
Yang Shen walked up to the elderly couple, but they didn’t react at all, as if they were already cut off from the world.
Yang Shen took a deep breath and bowed deeply. "Hello, sir, ma’am... I’m a student at Nanliang High School."
The elderly couple’s pupils twitched slightly, but they still didn’t respond.
"Zhou... was an excellent, responsible teacher. She sacrificed herself to protect her students..."
"She... was very brave. Even in the most dangerous moments, she was thinking of us... The lives of nine students were saved because she protected us... Thank you, and thank you, Teacher Zhou."
The old woman’s tears began to flow again... but this time, there was a little more warmth in them.
Looking at Yang Shen, she murmured, "Is that true... child... Is that really true?"
Yang Shen nodded without hesitation.
He hadn’t interacted much with Teacher Zhou; most of their time together had been during the Training Camp.
But the image of Zhou Yao, on the verge of death, still telling him to run... he would probably remember that for the rest of his life.
Tao Ying crouched down and took the old woman’s hand. "Ma’am, please accept my condolences... I’ve also lost a loved one recently, so I know how terrible this feels... But you mustn’t do anything rash."
"This isn’t what Teacher Zhou would have wanted to see either..."
The old woman rubbed her eyes. "You’re right... you’re right..."
Yang Shen left his phone number, imploring them to notify him about the funeral or memorial service. Then, after another deep bow, he left with his aunt.
Behind them, the couple was still numb, exhausted, and grief-stricken... but a faint glimmer of light had finally returned to their eyes.
At the hospital entrance, the warm sunlight fell upon him, and Yang Shen felt as if he had just returned from another world.
Tao Ying said, "You see... even when people feel at their most powerless, there’s always something they can do."
Yang Shen took a deep breath.
He felt an answer beginning to break through the surface.
Ordinary people, Martial Arts Practitioners... and even Cultivators...
Perhaps they shouldn’t be on opposite sides of a long river, isolated and hostile toward one another.
Instead, they are all just people trying to "cross the river."
The ones who gave him the answer were Teacher Zhou’s parents... and Teacher Zhou herself.
Yang Shen tightened the straps of his backpack, picked up his pace, and started on the road home.
’This society isn’t safe... not for me, and not for my family.’
He didn’t want to be the one sitting lost and dejected in that cold hallway someday.
He had already been through it once.
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The Training Camp had come to an abrupt end, but the aftermath wouldn’t be over so quickly.
First of all... Yang Shen didn’t have to—and couldn’t—return to school yet.
Nanliang Middle School wasn’t ready for them to return to campus; the impact would be too great.
This time, the school was in a complete mess. They’d lost three PE teachers in one go: Zhou Yao was murdered, Liu Yuankui had gone rogue, and a third, who was clearly an undercover criminal, had escaped...
The entire teaching system would have to be restructured, not to mention the associated legal issues.
Until everything was sorted out, the school didn’t want Yang Shen to come back right away, fearing they couldn’t control the situation. So, they sent someone to express their sympathies.
They brought 20,000 yuan as a consolation payment. Every word they said dripped with concern, but if you broke it all down, it was just "hush money."
It wasn’t that they wanted him to pretend it never happened—that would be impossible. They just hoped Yang Shen wouldn’t spread too many details in the future and would help the school mitigate the negative impact.
Nanliang High School... despite selling out its students with silky smoothness, having a director who moonlighted as a loan shark, and a PE teacher who was both a part-time pharmaceutical rep and a minor leader in a reactionary organization...
’But if you excluded that last part, pretty much every school is the same damn way. At least when Director Liang sold out his students, he knew to give them a cut.’
In the face of a major event that could affect all of Yanhua society, Nanliang High School’s troubles were just collateral damage. Were they really expecting Director Liang to suppress a world-ending enemy and stand alone against the ages?
As someone who had experienced it firsthand, Yang Shen had no intention of being a loudmouth anyway. He accepted the 20,000 yuan without any qualms and decided to just wait for the school’s notice.
He figured he’d probably just go back in time for the monthly exams.
Oh, right. According to the school, students would be taken for physical check-ups in batches. This wouldn’t just be for Nanliang High School, but for most schools in Jianghuai City, all organized by the government.
Now that the cause and "method of transmission" had been confirmed, the next step was screening. To avoid causing a mass panic, they wouldn’t state the real reason, instead using the excuse of "high school physicals."
This would put immense pressure on the healthcare system, so the process would likely take a very long time.
Just as Chen Beiwang had said, it was going to be a hassle.
Counting the days, he had five days left. Yang Shen planned to study his new things, focus on his Cultivation, and teach the four little ones on the side.
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