The Twelve Trials Starting from Zero

"Alright, then we'll be staying here for a few days."

Su Qi readily agreed. Anyway, the Asakura family couldn't escape, and as long as the person in charge didn't lose their mind, they probably wouldn't refuse such a win-win option, or at least not outwardly.

"By the way, does Yoh Asakura know about Hao?"

The more combat power to deal with Ye Wang, the better. The original protagonist's power should not be wasted, so he asked this question at the end of the conversation.

Ye Ming shook his head. "That would be too much of a burden for Ye, who is still a child, so we haven't let him know yet."

"That's a truly kind thing to do."

Compared to the Asakura family's humanistic approach, the Daoist school, which forcibly places hatred and responsibility on Dao Lian, serves as the best negative example. One is idealistic, the other realistic; it's hard to say who is absolutely right or wrong, but Su Qi, a guy who is more rational than emotional, is more realistic.

So he said, "However, being kind to the beginning is being cruel to the end. Have you considered what would happen if not telling him the truth left him unprepared and he failed at the crucial moment?"

This is similar to how parents educate their children. If they are strict with their children when they are young, it will be easier for them when they enter society. If they play games and slack off when they are young, they will be hard-working and lazy when they enter society. It is a choice between hardship first and sweetness later or sweetness first and hardship later.

“You’re right.” Ye Ming said thoughtfully. “I’ve been reflecting on this myself lately. Ye is not a child anymore; perhaps it’s time to tell him the truth.”

The conversation ended there for the time being. Afterwards, Su Qi put away the "Five Thunder Orthodox Method" and was led to the guest room by Yu Xu. Ye Ming sat alone on the edge of the Japanese-style room outside, looking at the courtyard and thinking for a long time before getting up and leaving to make a phone call to Aomori Prefecture.

"Old man, what's up with this sudden call?"

A moment later, a hoarse, aged voice rang out from the other side. It was his wife, Kino Asakura.

"That's right, people from the Taoist sect came to visit today..."

Ye Ming recounted his previous discussion with Su Qi in great detail, and then asked, "Munai, what do you think?"

"Hmph, you're the head of the Asakura family, what do you think of yourself?"

"The Taoists seem very sincere, and indeed, as they say, Ye is far from being a match for Ye Wang. If things continue like this, the situation will become very bad. So having such a strong ally is the best thing, but..."

"Are you worried they have ulterior motives? Do you think that after defeating Ye Wang, Ye won't be a match for that kid named Dao Cheng?"

"Yes."

A shaman who doesn't want to become the Shaman King isn't a good shaman. Besides eliminating Yo and fulfilling the Asakura family's mission, he naturally hopes that the Asakura family can produce a Shaman King.

"Are you an idiot?" the other person sneered mercilessly. "You can't even grasp the present, yet you covet the future. You haven't forgotten that Ye is half of Ye Wang, have you? Ye Wang will definitely reclaim his body, so whether it's a mission or reality, there is no future without eliminating Ye Wang and the Asakura family."

"As for Shaman King, a thousand years have passed, and two Shaman Kings have come and gone. The Asakura family is still doing just fine, isn't it? Besides, don't boost others' morale while diminishing your own. Even if they have ulterior motives, do you think the Asakura family has stood strong for a thousand years because of luck?"

Ye Ming was taken aback, then gave a wry smile. "You're right, I'm getting senile. Eliminating Ye Wang is the most important thing for our Asakura family."

"If you're making a mistake, don't blame it on your age. My mind is still sharp."

"Yes, yes, anyway, just to be on the safe side, you should bring Anna back as soon as possible. Hopefully, there won't be any problems with unsealing the 'Super Divination Manual'."

"understood."

The echo was still lingering when the phone was slammed down.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Shall we have a go?

The next day, early morning.

Yoh Asakura got up early as usual, just as he was about to start his morning training, when he suddenly heard a strange clanging sound coming from the direction of the front yard.

"What's going on so early in the morning?"

He yawned, shook his head, and slowly walked along the long corridor inside the house. He saw Su Qi, Dao Lian, and Dao He fighting fiercely in the spacious front courtyard.

However, although the battle was intense, the outcome was a one-sided rout.

Using the most basic Tiger Devouring Form of his Super Spirit Body, Su Qi fought against two opponents single-handedly, leaving Dao Lian and Dao He utterly helpless. Each of his strikes easily shattered their Super Spirit Bodies, each strike so effortless and natural, yet so exquisitely precise, that the scene was somewhat comical, resembling an adult dealing with two toddlers playing around.

Conversely, Dao Lian and Dao He faced constant danger and were in a sorry state, as if they were dancing on the edge of a knife, and could be cut in two at any moment by that incomparably sharp longsword... The thrilling moments made Asakura Yoh, who was watching from the sidelines, feel his heart pounding and his spine chilled.

boom! !

Suddenly, Dao Lian was cleaved away by Su Qi's blade. She flew backward like a cannonball, rolling wildly on the ground before crashing into a pillar outside the corridor with a thud, finally coming to a stop, covered in dust.

"Cough cough..."

A fleeting look of pain crossed Dao Lian's brow. He immediately stood up, leaning on his guandao, and was about to go back when a voice rang out behind him, "Hey, hey, need any help? What are you doing? Why are you killing each other?"

He stopped and turned around, only to see Asakura Yori looking at him with a look of surprise and doubt.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Dao Lian said expressionlessly, "What do you mean by killing each other? We are cultivating."

"Cultivation!?" Yoh Asakura's eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape, and he said in disbelief, "You call this cultivation? But from my perspective, you almost got killed."

"You don't need to worry. You are close to death but you won't really die. Everything is under Daocheng's control."

"You deliberately did something so dangerous?"

"Of course, how else can one increase their magical power?"

"But if he makes even one mistake, you might all be killed! Is that really okay?"

"Hmph, someone as lazy as you, who spends his days in leisure, wouldn't understand, would he?" Dao Lian's eyes flashed with disgust as he coldly said, "To gain power, one must naturally pay the price and bear the risks. For us Daoists, stopping means death, while someone like you, who has been protected since childhood and lived in a greenhouse, certainly doesn't need to consider these things."

He disliked Yoh Asakura. Whether it was Yoh's lazy face, his carefree attitude towards life, or his relaxed and harmonious family atmosphere, he found them all repulsive.

Dao Ren and Asakura Yoh are actually very similar. Both are direct descendants of shaman families and both bear the enormous responsibilities imposed by their families. However, the former has been subjected to the strictest standards since birth, undergoing arduous training without a moment's rest. He has no childhood fun and receives very little care from his family. His father coldly treats him as a tool.

In comparison, Yoh Asakura was far too "lucky". Although he was also trained from a young age, he was personally guided by his grandfather. While the training methods were not exactly easy or enjoyable, they were vastly different from the Spartan-style training methods of Taoism. His family also felt guilty towards him because of the responsibilities he carried, and were very gentle with him.

Although he was ostracized by his peers from a young age because of his psychic abilities and had all sorts of troubles, compared to Dao Lian, who didn't even have a "childhood" and couldn't even go to school, those things could almost be considered happy troubles.

Therefore, Dao Lian dislikes Asakura Yoh. Because they share a similar background, yet Yoh easily enjoys a "happy" life that Dao Lian can only dream of. However, while he dislikes Yoh, he isn't jealous, because in his view, that easy lifestyle has turned Yoh into a useless person, and he absolutely disapproves of that kind of complacent way of life.

"Someone who lives in a greenhouse?"

Yoh Asakura's expression froze. In his view, his life, which had been filled with hard training every day and rejected by others as an outsider, was hardly worthy of the word "greenhouse." However, he was neither provoked nor did he refute it.

"Sorry." He apologized in return, with a wry smile, "It seems that life is really tough over there. Compared to that, someone like me probably really lives in a greenhouse."

He rarely gets angry about his own affairs and possesses a forgiving nature that allows him to understand anyone—that's Yoh Asakura's personality.

Dao Lian frowned slightly. "You, don't you get angry when people talk to you like that?"

Looking at Dao Lian, who was covered in dust and whose exposed arms were covered with large and small scars, Asakura Yo shook his head. "You must have had your reasons for saying those things, right? And looking at the scars on your body, you seem to have the right to say those things to me."

Are you an idiot?

“It’s about understanding.” He smiled, a smile as gentle and bright as the morning sun in winter. “As long as everyone can understand each other, there will naturally be no more disputes. Dao Lian, don’t you think so?”

This guy...

Dao Lian's heart stirred slightly, and she was about to speak when another voice sounded behind her, "That's right, but it's almost impossible for everyone to understand each other."

Asakura Yoh looked in the direction of the voice and saw that Su Qi and Dao He had walked over at some point, and the words just spoken were from him.

“I understand…” Asakura sighed softly. “It is indeed a very difficult thing, but you said it was ‘almost’. If someone does it, maybe one day the world can really be changed like that, while if you give up, there is no hope at all… That’s what I think.”

"But it's easy to convince yourself, but difficult to convince others. How do you convince others to accept your point of view?"

"Uh, well... things will work themselves out, right? There'll always be a way, won't there?"

Dao Lian snorted lightly, "You're just a daydreamer who can't change anything."

“Power,” Su Qize said. “If you want to persuade others, whether through appeasement or ruthlessness, sufficient power is an essential foundation. So, Asakura-san, why don’t you try training with us?”

"Uh, no need to be so polite with me, just call me Ye."

"Alright." Su Qi smiled slightly and raised the long sword in his hand. "Then, Ye, how about a go?"

Glancing at Dao Lian and Dao He's disheveled state, Asakura Yoh's heart tightened, and he subconsciously pushed his palm away in refusal, saying, "No, no, no, that's unnecessary. A weakling like me might really die if I train with you. On the contrary, is it really necessary for you to risk your lives to train? I think it's better to cherish life and live a more relaxed life."

Before he could finish speaking, a figure suddenly rushed over.

"You spineless, stupid grandson!"

Amidst the shouts and curses, Asakura Yomei leaped into the air and delivered a flying kick to Asakura Yomei's waist.

The next moment, the latter cried out and fell to the ground, while the former twisted his waist with a snap, crying out in pain and rubbing his back frantically.

"Grandpa, why did you suddenly kick me?" Yoh Asakura stood up with a helpless expression.

"How dare you say that?" Ye Ming stood up, one hand on his waist and the other on his cane, and said irritably, "If you weren't so useless, would I have twisted my back? They were clearly trying to be kind and wanted to guide you in your cultivation, so why did you back down?"

"People might die. Grandpa, do you want your grandson to die?"

"You're overthinking it. With Dao Cheng's intervention, this kind of cultivation, though it may seem dangerous, is actually quite safe."

Ignoring the naive Asakura Yoh, Asakura Yoh was a seasoned veteran who could see at a glance that Su Qin was in complete control of the battlefield and could handle it with ease. As long as he didn't want to kill Asakura Yoh, Asakura Yoh would be in no danger.

Now is the time for the two families to form an alliance. The other party will certainly not harm his grandson, so he should seize the opportunity to receive guidance from such a powerful spiritualist.

"Is that right?"

"That's it! In short, this is a rare opportunity. If it's convenient for the guests these next few days, you can practice with them and try to correct your lazy habits."

"Sigh, there's nothing I can do. It's Grandpa's order..."

Asakura Yoh sighed and turned to Su Qi, saying, "I'm sorry, it seems I'm going to cause you trouble."

"It's alright, it's just one more person to guide... no, one more mentor."

"Wait a minute, did I just hear some ominous words?"

"No, that's just your imagination." Su Qi smiled kindly. "Dao Lian, Dao He, you two take Ye to warm up first. I still have some things to discuss with the Asakura family head."

"Okay, come over right away!"

"Understood. Little brother, welcome to join us in Daohe's hellish training. Let's go together."

Snap, snap, two hands grabbed Asakura Yoh's shoulders, one on the left and one on the right.

His face fell. "Wait, I don't have any weapons or spirits yet. Let me prepare..."

Before she could finish speaking, she was forcibly dragged away by the two men amidst cries of alarm.

Seeing Asakura Yoh being dragged away with a long face, Su Qi asked, "Head of the Asakura family, what are your thoughts on the matter we discussed yesterday?"

Ye Ming leaned on his short cane, looking in that direction as well, and said calmly, "We'll unseal the 'Super Divination Secrets' once everyone is here tomorrow."

"I'm confident we'll have a pleasant collaboration," Su Qi said with a smile. "Besides, it seems Ye is unaware of Ye Wang's situation."

"You seem to care a lot about Ye."

"Because Ye can become an important fighting force against Ye Wang, and is also Ye Wang's other half, we should let him obtain enough power to protect himself as soon as possible, so that Ye Wang will not take it away. But in my opinion, given Ye's personality, it seems that without enough pressure, he will not be able to show his potential."

"Alas, to be honest, we are also very troubled by this. That child is too devoid of desire."