First Spirit Skill Shows Its Power

After meeting Ling Feng, who was guarding the valley entrance, Ling Feng was stunned for a moment, despite his vast experience, upon seeing the unprecedented golden-white Spirit Ring under Lin Kun's feet and the significantly stronger aura emanating from him.

"Golden-white Spirit Ring? Level 11 Spirit Power?" Ling Feng circled Lin Kun twice, his eyes like he was looking at a monster. "Kid... what exactly did you absorb?"

Lin Kun scratched his head and used his usual excuse: "I don't know either. It's a Spirit Ring formed after a strange plant withered. It felt particularly compatible with my Martial Soul, so I absorbed it... maybe it's a mutated Spirit Ring?" He deliberately spoke vaguely, attributing the reason to his special Martial Soul and luck.

Ling Feng was skeptical, but the Spirit Ring had already been absorbed, and the process couldn't be redone. He could only suppress his shock and curiosity, patting Lin Kun's shoulder. "Regardless, success is what matters! A Level 11 Spirit Master, your start is much stronger than many others. Let's go, this place is not safe for long. We need to return to Nuoding City as soon as possible!"

The three immediately set off, quickly retreating from the Spirit Hunting Forest along the path they came.

Perhaps it was the confidence brought by the increase in strength, or perhaps it was the eagerness to return home, but Lin Kun felt his steps were much lighter. As he hurried along, he silently familiarized himself with the newly added Spirit Power and the peculiar First Spirit Skill: Information Overload.

This Spirit Skill had no offensive power but was extremely bizarre. It required a prerequisite: enough information must first be recorded and analyzed using the Book Spirit, then compressed, and instantly infused into the enemy through sight, causing mental interference. The more detailed and targeted the information, the better the effect.

"This is simply a perfect skill for ambushing people!" Lin Kun rejoiced inwardly. Combined with the Insight Skill and the analysis of the Book Spirit, he could completely achieve "know yourself and your enemy, and defeat them with one move"!

To test its effectiveness, when they encountered a presumptuous ten-year Nether Cat attempting a sneak attack, Lin Kun didn't use his Mental Thread. Instead, a faint silver light flashed in his eyes!

Information Overload activated! The previously recorded information about the Nether Cat, such as "fear of strong light," "simple attack pattern," and "weakness in the waist," was instantly packaged and hurled at it through his gaze!

The Nether Cat, which was about to pounce, froze abruptly in mid-air. Its eyes instantly became blank and chaotic, as if its brain was flooded with countless pieces of information it couldn't process. It fell to the ground with a thud and ran away disoriented.

"The effect is good!" Lin Kun nodded with satisfaction. Although it was somewhat like bullying a child to have such a significant effect on a ten-year Spirit Beast, it proved the effectiveness of the Spirit Skill.

Ling Feng witnessed this scene. Although he didn't understand what Lin Kun had done, the Nether Cat's strange reaction made him confirm again that this student worker's Martial Soul and abilities were definitely not simple! He secretly decided to inform his cousin about Lin Kun's situation in detail upon their return and remind his family to pay more attention (benevolently, of course).

With the experienced Grandmaster Ling Feng leading the way, the return journey was much smoother. A few days later, the familiar city walls of Nuoding City finally appeared before them.

All three felt as if they had gone through a lifetime. This Spirit Hunting trip, which involved an ambush, danger, and finally the successful acquisition of Spirit Rings by both, was fruitful but also extremely perilous.

At the city gate, Ling Feng said solemnly to Lin Kun, "Lin Kun, thank you for this time. If you encounter any trouble in Nuoding City in the future, you can come to the Liu family in the west of the city to find me. As for Xiao Chenyu... I will have my father speak to City Lord Xiao, hopefully, it will make him restrain himself."

"Thank you, Brother Ling Feng!" Lin Kun said sincerely. With Ling Feng and his family behind him, Xiao Chenyu's threat should be significantly reduced.

After parting ways with the Ling siblings, Lin Kun, holding Little White, walked alone on the road back to the academy. Looking at the bustling crowds around him, he took a deep breath, feeling the Spirit Power flowing within him, his heart filled with anticipation and a hint of unease.

His strength had improved, but trouble would likely not be far behind.

Lin Kun's return to Nuoding Academy indeed caused quite a stir.

Level 11 Spirit Power! The first Spirit Ring was a rare four-hundred-year variant (as claimed externally)! And it was the unprecedented golden-white color!

This news spread throughout the academy like wildfire. The student workers felt honored and rushed to congratulate him. Ordinary students were filled with envy and jealousy, and the moniker "European Emperor" became even more renowned. Most of the spoiled young masters looked displeased, especially Xiao Chenyu. It was said that after hearing the news, he was so angry that he smashed many things in his room. However, he seemed to have truly received a warning from his family and didn't dare to cause trouble immediately.

Xiao Wu curiously circled Lin Kun, staring at his golden-white Spirit Ring repeatedly. "Wow! A golden-white Spirit Ring! It's so beautiful! Lin Kun, you're too lucky! Hurry up and tell me, what Spirit Beast was it? And what's the Spirit Skill?"

Tang San also stood nearby, looking at Lin Kun with a complex expression. Level 11 Spirit Power, a four-hundred-year first Spirit Ring, this had already matched his own record (publicly). Moreover, the strange fluctuation emanating from the golden-white Spirit Ring made the Mysterious Heaven Skill within him react slightly, indicating it was no ordinary item! This Lin Kun, every time he appeared, brought "surprises" (or rather, shocks).

Lin Kun had already prepared his explanation, sticking to the same story of "formed after a strange plant withered" and "the Spirit Skill is a support-type mental interference," half-truthful and vague.

Xiao Wu listened, confused, and didn't probe further. Tang San, however, frowned, clearly not believing it, but he had no evidence to refute it.

As expected, shortly after settling down, the Grandmaster's summons arrived.

In the office, the Grandmaster's breathing quickened as he looked at the platinum-white Spirit Ring under Lin Kun's feet, his eyes flashing with extreme excitement and curiosity, as if he were looking at a rare treasure.

"Platinum Spirit Ring... it's truly a Platinum Spirit Ring! Ancient texts have had scattered records, but no Spirit Master has ever possessed one! Quickly! Lin Kun, release your Martial Soul, let me examine it carefully!"

Lin Kun reluctantly summoned his Book Spirit. At this moment, the light crystal on the cover of the book Martial Soul had clearly grown larger and brighter, with some extremely fine and profound silver patterns on its surface, making it look much less ordinary overall.

The Grandmaster cautiously probed with his mental power, but was still blocked by a gentle yet tenacious force. However, he was not discouraged; instead, he became even more excited. "Good! Good! The Martial Soul has also been strengthened! Lin Kun, you must tell me the detailed process of this Spirit Hunting without missing a single word! What did that plant look like? What did you feel when absorbing the Spirit Ring? What were the specific effects of the Spirit Skill?"

Facing the Grandmaster's rapid-fire questions, Lin Kun had no choice but to brace himself and elaborate on his prepared explanation, focusing on describing the withered appearance of the ancient knowledge tree (without naming it) and the feeling of knowledge pouring in when absorbing the Spirit Ring. For the Spirit Skill, he emphasized that it was "to cause interference by stuffing some messy information into the opponent."

The Grandmaster listened rapturously, constantly taking notes, muttering to himself, "Withered ancient plant... knowledge infusion... mental interference... Platinum Spirit Ring... this is incredible! This completely subverts the existing theory of Spirit Rings! This proves that the source of Spirit Rings is not limited to Spirit Beasts! Certain special plants or even items containing immense energy can also generate Spirit Rings! And they might be special Spirit Rings that are more compatible with certain Martial Souls!"

He suddenly grabbed Lin Kun's shoulders, his eyes burning. "Lin Kun! Your Martial Soul and this experience have epoch-making significance! Are you willing to cooperate with me for more in-depth research? This could have a huge impact on the entire Spirit Master world!"

Lin Kun looked at the Grandmaster, who was almost in a state of frenzy, and felt a pang of despair. Cooperate with research? That would be like dissecting and analyzing himself and Little White!

He quickly waved his hands. "Grandmaster, you flatter me! I was just lucky... as for research, my strength is too low, I'm afraid I can't help much... Besides, besides, I feel my Martial Soul needs to stabilize a bit..."

The Grandmaster seemed to realize his outburst, let go, took a deep breath, and managed to calm down. "I was too hasty. You're right, having just acquired a Spirit Ring, it does need stabilization. How about this, you go back and cultivate properly, familiarize yourself with the new Spirit Skill. We can discuss it slowly once you've stabilized."

Even so, his gaze at Lin Kun remained as if he were looking at an unparalleled treasure.

Lin Kun fled the Grandmaster's office as if escaping, feeling more exhausted than after a fight.

Just as he reached the entrance of the Seventh Dormitory, another "uninvited guest" was waiting there – Ning Rongrong.

She smiled at Lin Kun, her gaze lingering on his platinum-white Spirit Ring, and said with a hint of teasing, "Classmate Lin Kun, every time I see you, you bring me new surprises. A platinum Spirit Ring... truly unheard of. It seems my investment vision was indeed good."

She handed over a small jade box. "This is this month's Spirit Nurturing Pill. It seems Little White's rations can't be interrupted. Also..." she lowered her voice, a hint of slyness flashing in her eyes, "My father is also very interested in you. When you have time, you can visit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Here we go again! Lin Kun felt a headache coming on. The Grandmaster's research invitation wasn't settled yet, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's olive branch had been extended!

He could only force a dry laugh and accept the jade box, vaguely saying, "Thank you, Classmate Ning, and Sect Master Ning, for your favor. I will definitely visit when my strength improves..."

After sending Ning Rongrong away, Lin Kun returned to his bunk, feeling mentally and physically exhausted. The joy brought by the improvement in his strength was quickly overshadowed by the immense pressure from various factions.

He knew that possessing a treasure brought trouble. His special Martial Soul and platinum Spirit Ring had already attracted the attention of truly important figures. Nuoding Academy, this small pond, was no longer big enough to contain this (forced) special fish.

How should he proceed in the future? Should he accept the recruitment of one side? Or continue to find ways to lie low?

Just as Lin Kun was feeling troubled, a system prompt suddenly sounded in his mind:

[Ding! Host's Spirit Power detected to have reached Spirit Master level, first Spirit Ring acquisition complete.] [System upgrade conditions met, commencing upgrade...] [During the upgrade, some functions will be temporarily unavailable. Upon completion, new modules [Destiny Branch] and [Exchange Optimization] will be unlocked.] [Estimated upgrade time: 72 hours.]

System upgrade? New modules? Lin Kun was stunned, then a flicker of anticipation arose.

Perhaps after this broken system upgraded, it could bring him some new ideas to break the deadlock?

Amidst the attention of various factions and his own desire to become stronger, Lin Kun entered a brief period of calm before the storm. Little did he know, a huge storm targeting him, or rather, the mystery behind him, was quietly brewing.