The Twelve Trials Starting from Zero

The latter walked over, carefully examined Su Qi, and tried hard to search his memory for a familiar image, but to no avail.

"To be precise, it should be that I know you, but you don't know me."

Over the past year, while letting Dao Liandao and Dao He learn Japanese, Su Qi also took some time to learn Japanese himself. So now, even without the passive skill of Universal Knowledge, he can communicate with Asakura Yoh without any obstacles.

He waved his hand, indicating that the Taoist driver could leave first, and then introduced himself: "My name is Daocheng, the guy behind me who looks like he might chop someone up at any moment is Daolian, and the other guy who looks listless and like a walking corpse is Daohe."

Upon hearing this, Dao Lian snorted coldly, expressing his dissatisfaction, but took no action. Over the past year, he had been tormented by Su Qi countless times, and had long since realized that rash attacks would only bring humiliation upon himself, so he simply noted the score and avoided making any futile efforts.

Daohe simply pretended not to hear. Having been harassed by Su Qi too many times, he was basically immune to the former's verbal provocations, and besides... the bag on his back was too heavy, so he was too lazy to speak.

Yoh Asakura glanced at the three of them and asked with some curiosity, "Judging from your names, are you from the Ming Dynasty?"

Su Qi nodded and smiled, "The current head of the Ming Dynasty Daoist family has brought two bottles of soy sauce and has come to pay a visit to the current head of the Asakura family. He has important matters to discuss. Mr. Asakura, could you introduce us?"

"Taoism, is it that family of spiritual mediums from the Ming Dynasty? I think I've heard my grandfather mention it."

"Yes."

"Wow, that's amazing. He looks about the same age as me, yet he's already the head of a Taoist family? But being the head of a family must be exhausting, right? Just thinking about it is incredibly troublesome."

"Ye, as long as you don't change this worthless mindset, you will never be able to shoulder the great responsibility of being the head of the Asakura family."

Suddenly, the gate of the house opened, and a short, old-fashioned man with wooden clogs, wearing a simple kimono, and a bald head with only a ring of white hair remaining on the back of his head appeared before everyone.

Behind him followed a short-haired girl, about eight or nine years old, also dressed in a kimono, with a respectful expression.

"Grandpa? Yuxu? Why are you out here?"

The visitors were none other than Asakura Yomei, the current head of the Asakura family, and Tamamura Tamao, a girl who was training at the Asakura family.

"I have a shikigami placed at the entrance, so of course I know when a customer comes in."

After speaking, Asakura Yeming turned to Su Qi and said, "Although I already knew from the invitation I received a few days ago, it is truly beyond my expectations that the current head of the Taoist family is so young."

"It's just that I was lucky enough to be favored by my elders."

He shook his head. "The Taoist family is an even more ancient family of spiritual mediums than the Asakura family. How could becoming the head of the family be a matter of luck? Compared to them, my grandson is utterly worthless and a disgrace."

Despite being belittled by his grandfather in front of others, Yoh Asakura didn't care at all. He just scratched his face and said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, Grandpa, but since I still can't compare after trying my best, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Give me even more resentment, you idiot!" Asakura Yeming suddenly jumped up and smacked him, looking at him with exasperation. "If you keep going like this, how can I trust you to take over the Asakura family in the future?"

"Well, things will work themselves out. There'll always be a way when the time comes."

"Well, I hope so."

He sighed wearily and turned to look at Su Qi and the other two. "I apologize for being rude in front of our guests. I heard you all have important matters to discuss. Please come inside and talk in detail."

……

A moment later, in a spacious Japanese-style room with tatami mats, the three Taoists sat facing Asakura Yomei.

The paper door on the right was wide open, letting in bright sunlight. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the small pond and sparse vegetation in the courtyard. Every now and then, water would be added and splashed onto the bluestone, producing a crisp, clear sound.

"May I ask what brings you gentlemen here?"

After dismissing Asakura Yo and Tamao, who had brought tea, and exchanging a few pleasantries, Asakura Yo, who was sitting upright, got down to business.

"Yo Asakura".

Dao Lian and Dao He sat on either side of him, while Su Qi faced Asakura Ye Ming directly and said bluntly, "At this stage, I believe that our Daoist school and the Asakura family share a common goal."

"Yao Asakura?"

The latter frowned, his eyes flickering, and probed, "That is the name of our Asakura family's first ancestor, but he has been dead for a thousand years. Why did the Taoist patriarch suddenly mention that person?"

"He's still alive. Doesn't the head of the Asakura family know that best?"

Asakura Yomei's expression changed slightly. "Where did you all hear such an absurd story?"

"Head of the Asakura family, there's no need to test us any further. Our Taoist sect has its own intelligence channels and already knows that the great Onmyoji Asakura Hao from a thousand years ago has been reincarnated a second time in the body of your grandson Asakura Hao. He is currently stirring up trouble all over the world, gathering powerful shamans, and preparing to challenge for the throne of Shaman King."

How did you know?!

He finally couldn't help but show his surprise. The fact that Ye Wang had been reincarnated as Asakura Yoshi should be a secret; the Asakura family had never revealed it. How could the Daoist sect of the Ming Dynasty have heard of it?

"That's not important. What's important is how the Asakura family head plans to deal with it. That person has committed evil everywhere and is also the ancestor of the Asakura family. Surely the Asakura family won't just ignore him?"

"Of course." As the head of the family and with rich experience, Asakura Yeming quickly calmed down and said firmly, "Five hundred years ago, Ye Wang was reincarnated once. That time, it was our Asakura family that sent people to drive him back to the underworld. It will be the same this time."

"So, who is the Asakura family planning to send this time? Yoh Asakura?"

“Uh…” He paused for a moment, then said, “Although Ye is not mature enough now, he is Ye Wang’s other half and has the potential to rival Ye Wang. He is the best candidate to fight against Ye Wang.”

As Asakura Yoh said, Asakura Yoh possesses the same potential as Hao, but potential is just potential, and it still needs to be transformed into strength through arduous and lengthy training.

Initially, the Asakura family also regarded Yoh Asakura as their hope to defeat Hao, and strictly required him to train as a shaman from birth. However, the power of a shaman comes from the mind, and the forced training did not yield satisfactory results.

So later, they could only let Asakura Yoh be left to his own devices. But because of his overly leisurely and carefree personality, although he never neglected his daily training, he couldn't train himself to death like a Taoist. So at this moment, his strength was still a bit weaker than that of Dao Lian, who hadn't completed his super spirit body a year ago.

Moreover, even if they were of equal talent, Yoh has been cultivating for a thousand years. Even if Yoh Asakura went all out, it would be almost impossible for him to surpass, let alone catch up with, let alone surpass.

Considering all these factors, Asakura Yomei's words lacked confidence.

“The head of the Asakura family should know that potential is not the same as strength.” Su Qi pointed out the flaw directly and said somewhat bluntly, “If the Asakura family really places all their hopes on Asakura Yoh… I’m sorry, I don’t want to be too rude, but please prepare an atomic bomb for him.”

He wasn't entirely joking. In the original story, Ye Wang once withstood a laser weapon mounted on a satellite. To eliminate him with technological weapons, perhaps only an atomic bomb would be possible.

However, in the original work, the X-LAWS organization also mentioned that they had prepared atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs, and neutron bombs, but they did not use them because they were ineffective against the Soul Fire. Therefore, even if faced with an atomic bomb, Ye Wang might still have a chance to survive.

But in Su Qi's view, atomic bombs are not so easy to obtain, and their destructive power is not limited to high temperatures. Whether Ye Wang can withstand them is still unknown.

However, this is all contingent on hitting the target. Ye Wang's super spirit body, like his white tiger, can fly and is highly maneuverable. Not to mention his super-strong premonition as the strongest psychic, he could easily escape the nuclear explosion's epicenter before it even happens. Therefore, using an atomic bomb against Ye Wang is not a very reliable strategy.

Chapter Twenty-Four: We Have Special Intelligence Gathering Techniques

"Sigh..." Asakura Yeming sighed, "It was indeed my mistake not to be able to tap into Ye's potential."

Su Qi pressed on, "Please forgive my bluntness, but if you let your grandson fight against Ye Wang in his current state, it would be no different from killing him."

Ye Ming fell silent. Twelve years ago, he had personally experienced Ye Wang's immense and despair-inducing magical power. Objectively speaking, sending the current Asakura Ye to fight him would indeed be a death sentence.

"So the Asakura family needs allies, doesn't it?"

Ye Ming glanced at Su Qi. "The reason you said those things just now was to steer the conversation here, wasn't it?"

"I don't deny it, but isn't what I said the truth?"

"Let's put that issue aside for now. I want to know why the Taoists suddenly came to us and want to cooperate with us to deal with Ye Wang."

"Of course, it's to become the Shaman King!" Su Qi said seriously. "According to our divination, the biggest obstacle for a Taoist to become the Shaman King is Hao Asakura. We then sent people to collect information about him, which proved that his strength is indeed formidable."

"What if the Asakura family also wants to seize the throne of Shaman King?"

"Removing the biggest obstacle first, and then competing fairly, will benefit both of us."

How do you want to cooperate?

"It's very simple. First, we'll combine the strength of both families to increase our power, then participate in the Shaman War and intercept and kill King Ye together during the war." He said frankly, "To be honest, the reason we came to visit is precisely because of the 'Super Divination Manual' preserved by the Asakura family."

"A divination has yielded a definitive answer!" Ye Ming exclaimed in surprise, "You even know about this?"

Su Qi revealed a Mona Lisa-like mysterious smile, "Because our Taoists have special intelligence gathering techniques."

"As expected of a family of psychics with a history of over two thousand years, but unfortunately, I cannot agree to this."

"why?"

"Because the 'Super Divination Manual' seals away the shikigami of King Ye, Maekiri and Goki. If we want to use it, we must first get past them, but... we really have no confidence in dealing with King Ye's shikigami."

"Then let me give it a try?"

"you?"

"Although I am still young, I am quite confident in my own abilities."

Ye Ming sized up Su Qi, then shook his head. "I have no doubt about your strength to become the head of the Daoist school, but that is Ye Wang's shikigami. If something goes wrong, the entire Asakura family could be destroyed. So please forgive me for not being able to take the risk."

"How about this?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Qi completely released the restrictions on his own magical power.

boom!

The sky collapsed and the earth cracked, the sea surged and the ocean flowed. In Ye Ming's perception, the whole world seemed to tremble. Then, endless witch power exploded from the person in front of him, as if a sea eye had suddenly appeared in the room, leading directly to the sea. Tidal waves of witch power surged out, churning and surging, instantly filling the entire room.

Pressure... darkness... suffocation...

Normally, magical power cannot directly interfere with reality, but at this moment, because the concentration of magical power around him is too high, it even distorts his perception, giving him the illusion that he is being suppressed at the bottom of the deep sea and is about to drown.

Fortunately, the magical power came and went quickly. In just a few seconds, the magical power that seemed to be about to destroy the entire house flowed back and was absorbed back into the other party's body without showing any trace.

"call……"

Ye Ming let out a long breath, his tense body slowly relaxing. He then felt the cold sweat seeping down his back, and his gaze towards Su Qi held a hint of fear. "Is that your witchcraft? It is so powerful that it inspires awe."

In a world where power belongs to oneself, the circle of psychics also respects the strong and prioritizes the accomplished. If he previously considered himself to be on equal footing with Su Qiping, or even superior due to his seniority and experience, now the tables have turned completely, and he addresses the teenager Su Qiping with respect without any hesitation.

Su Qi didn't care much about how he was addressed, so he followed the rules of the circle and said, "You've also experienced Ye Wang's witchcraft, haven't you? How does it compare to mine?"

Ye Ming pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "In my perception, in terms of magical power, although you far surpass countless spiritualists, there is still a considerable gap between you and King Ye."

"No way? Is that Ye Wang really that strong?"

Dao He, who had been standing in the background the whole time, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. Having been tortured countless times himself, he considered Su Qi an enemy who inspired despair. If someone was stronger than him, it was unimaginable what kind of monster they would be.

"Hmph, making a fuss over nothing." Dao Lian said coldly, "There are always people stronger than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding. It's not surprising that someone is stronger than Ye Wang. I will take them as my targets, and one day I will surpass them!"

Ye Ming insisted on his opinion, saying, "There may be some discrepancies in memory, but it is generally correct because the difference is quite obvious."

"Is that so? It seems I still need to work harder." Having already prepared himself, Su Qi didn't take it to heart and instead asked, "Then what about the first and second ghosts? As the shikigami of King Ye from over a thousand years ago, do you think I have any chance of defeating them?"

"I suppose... you'll be the one to win."

"So, do you have any other doubts about 'The Super Divination Strategies'?"

Ye Ming pondered for a moment, then asked, "I wonder what we can gain by giving up the 'Super Divination Strategies'?"

Even though Su Qiwu was incredibly powerful and might be able to overwhelm the Asakura family and seize the "Super Divination Strategies," they didn't do so. Perhaps they had some concerns, or perhaps they simply didn't want to... In that case, as the head of the family, he would naturally try his best to secure benefits for the Asakura family whenever he had the chance.

Unless absolutely necessary, Su Qi did not want to forcibly take other people's things, and he did not forget that there was a "moral values" item in the level completion evaluation, so he reached out and took the ancient jade book made of gold thread and jade plates that Dao He handed over, and gently pushed it in front of Ye Ming.

"This is our Taoist's supreme secret technique, the Five Thunder Orthodox Method, which can be exchanged for reading with the 'Super Divination Manual.' In addition, I can also help train Asakura Yoh and let him read our Taoist canon. What do you think?"

Ye Ming pondered for a moment and felt that the other party was quite sincere, but still said, "The alliance between the two families is a matter of great importance. I dare not make a decision lightly on my own. How about you stay at the Asakura family's house for a few days, and I will inform you of the answer after I have discussed it with others?"