After meeting up with Ling Feng, who had been waiting at the valley entrance, Ling Feng stared at the never-before-seen white-gold Spirit Ring beneath Lin Kun's feet and the noticeably stronger aura around him. Even with his vast experience, he was stunned for quite a while.
"White-gold Spirit Ring? Level 11 Soul Power?" Ling Feng circled Lin Kun twice, looking at him as though he were a monster. "Kid... what exactly did you absorb?"
Lin Kun scratched his head and trotted out his universal excuse again. "I don't know either. It was a Spirit Ring formed after a strange plant withered away. It felt especially compatible with my Martial Spirit, so I absorbed it... Maybe it was a mutated Spirit Ring?" He deliberately kept things vague, attributing it to the uniqueness of his Martial Spirit and sheer luck.
Ling Feng was skeptical, but the Spirit Ring had already been absorbed and the process could not be recreated. He could only suppress his shock and curiosity, patting Lin Kun on the shoulder. "No matter what, success is what matters! A level 11 Soul Master—you're starting off far ahead of many others. Come on. We shouldn't stay here long. Let's return to Nuoding City as soon as possible!"
The three of them immediately set off, quickly retreating from the Spirit Hunting Forest along the way they had come.
Perhaps his increased strength had boosted his confidence, or perhaps he simply missed home, but Lin Kun felt much lighter on his feet. As he traveled, he silently familiarized himself with his newly gained Soul Power and that peculiar First Spirit Skill: Information Overload.
This Spirit Skill had no offensive power, yet it was extraordinarily strange. It required a prerequisite—he first had to use the Book Spirit to record and analyze enough information, then compress that information and instantly force it into an enemy through eye contact, causing mental interference. The more detailed the information and the more specifically it targeted weaknesses, the better the effect.
This is practically a god-tier sneak attack skill tailor-made for me! Lin Kun secretly rejoiced. Combined with the Insight Skill and the Book Spirit's analytical ability, he could truly "know himself and his enemy, then leave them dazed in one move"!
To test its effects, they encountered an unwary ten-year Nether Cat that tried to ambush them along the way. Lin Kun did not use Mental Thread. Instead, a pale silver glint flashed in his eyes!
Information Overload activated! He instantly packaged the information he had previously recorded about Nether Cats—"afraid of bright light," "simple attack patterns," "waist is a weak point"—and hurled it over through his gaze!
The Nether Cat, just about to pounce, suddenly froze in midair. Its eyes instantly turned blank and confused, as though countless pieces of information had been stuffed into its brain faster than it could process them. With a thud, it fell to the ground, then fled away in a dizzy panic.
"Not bad!" Lin Kun nodded in satisfaction. Although using it on a ten-year soul beast was a little like bullying a child, it proved that the Spirit Skill worked.
Ling Feng saw the entire scene. Though he could not understand what Lin Kun had done, the Nether Cat's bizarre reaction confirmed his suspicions once again: this little work-study student's Martial Spirit and abilities were definitely not ordinary! He secretly decided that once they returned, he would tell his cousin all about Lin Kun and remind the family to pay closer attention to him—of course, with good intentions.
With Ling Feng, an experienced Great Soul Master, leading the way, their return journey went much more smoothly. Several days later, the familiar walls of Nuoding City finally came into view.
All three of them felt as though an age had passed. This spirit hunt had involved attacks and dangerous situations, but they had ultimately both succeeded in obtaining Spirit Rings. Their gains were substantial, though the journey had been perilous.
At the city gate, Ling Feng solemnly said to Lin Kun, "Lin Kun, thank you for this time. If you run into trouble in Nuoding City in the future, come find me at the Liu family in the western part of the city. As for Xiao Chenyu... I'll have my father send word to the City Lord Xiao. Hopefully, that will make him restrain himself."
"Thank you, Brother Ling Feng!" Lin Kun said sincerely. With Ling Feng and his family stepping in, Xiao Chenyu's threat should lessen considerably.
After parting ways with Ling Feng and his sister, Lin Kun carried Little White and walked alone toward the academy. Looking at the bustling crowds around him, he took a deep breath and felt the Soul Power flowing through his body, his heart filled with anticipation and a trace of unease.
His strength had improved, but there would probably be no shortage of trouble either.
When Lin Kun returned to Nuoding Academy, he indeed caused quite a stir.
Level 11 Soul Power! A rare four-hundred-year first Spirit Ring—at least, that was what they claimed publicly! And it was an unprecedented white-gold color!
The news spread through the academy as though it had grown wings. The work-study students took pride in it and flocked over to congratulate him. The ordinary students were envious, jealous, and resentful, making his reputation as the "European Emperor" even louder. Most of the spoiled noble students looked displeased, especially Xiao Chenyu. It was said that after hearing the news, he smashed quite a few things in his room. Yet he seemed to have genuinely received a warning from his family and did not dare come looking for trouble right away.
Xiao Wu curiously circled around Lin Kun, staring repeatedly at his white-gold Spirit Ring. "Wow! A white-gold Spirit Ring! It's so pretty! Lin Kun, your luck is incredible! Hurry and tell me—what kind of soul beast was it? What's your Spirit Skill?"
Tang San stood nearby as well, looking at Lin Kun with a complicated expression. Level 11 Soul Power and a four-hundred-year first Spirit Ring—this had already matched his old record, at least on the surface. Moreover, the strange fluctuations emitted by that white-gold Spirit Ring made even the Mysterious Heaven Skill within him react faintly. This was definitely no ordinary item! Every time Lin Kun appeared, he brought "surprises"—or perhaps shocks.
Lin Kun had long prepared his explanation. He repeated the same story about a "strange plant soul beast withering away and forming a Spirit Ring," and a "support-type mental interference Spirit Skill." Half true and half false, he remained deliberately vague.
Xiao Wu listened in confusion and did not pursue the matter further. Tang San, however, frowned slightly. He clearly did not believe it, but he had no evidence to refute him.
Sure enough, not long after Lin Kun settled down, Grandmaster summoned him.
Inside the office, Grandmaster looked at the white-gold Spirit Ring beneath Lin Kun's feet. His breathing became rapid, and his eyes gleamed with intense excitement and curiosity, as though he had discovered a priceless treasure.
"A white-gold Spirit Ring... It really is a white-gold Spirit Ring! There have been scattered records in ancient texts, but no Soul Master has ever truly possessed one! Quickly, Lin Kun, release your Martial Spirit and let me examine it carefully!"
Helpless, Lin Kun could only summon his Book Spirit. The light crystal on the cover had noticeably grown larger and brighter, and several extremely fine, mysterious silver patterns had appeared on its surface. The whole book no longer looked so ordinary.
Grandmaster cautiously probed it with his Mental Power, only to be repelled once again by a gentle yet resilient force. But instead of being discouraged, he became even more excited. "Good! Good! Your Martial Spirit has been strengthened as well! Lin Kun, you must tell me every detail of this spirit hunt without leaving out a single word! What did that plant look like? What did you feel when you absorbed the Spirit Ring? What exactly is the effect of your Spirit Skill?"
Faced with Grandmaster's barrage of questions, Lin Kun could only grit his teeth and give a more detailed version of the story he had prepared. He focused on describing the withered appearance of the Knowledge Ancient Tree—without mentioning its name—and the sensation of knowledge flooding into him when he absorbed the Spirit Ring. As for the Spirit Skill, he emphasized that it "stuffed messy information into the other party's mind to cause interference."
Grandmaster listened as if intoxicated, constantly taking notes while muttering to himself. "A withered ancient plant... knowledge infusion... mental interference... a white-gold Spirit Ring... This is unbelievable! It completely overturns existing Spirit Ring theory! This proves that soul beasts are not the only source of Spirit Rings! Certain special plants or even objects containing immense energy may also produce Spirit Rings! And they may be special Spirit Rings that are better suited to certain Martial Spirits!"
He suddenly grabbed Lin Kun by the shoulders, his eyes blazing. "Lin Kun! Your Martial Spirit and this experience carry epoch-making significance! Would you be willing to cooperate with me in deeper research? This could have an enormous impact on the entire Soul Master world!"
Seeing Grandmaster nearly fall into a frenzy, Lin Kun inwardly groaned. Cooperate with research? Wouldn't that mean being thoroughly dissected and analyzed along with Little White?
He hurriedly waved his hands. "Grandmaster, you flatter me too much! I was just lucky... As for research, my strength is too low. I'm afraid I won't be of much help... And besides, I feel that my Martial Spirit still needs some time to stabilize..."
Grandmaster seemed to realize that he had lost his composure. He released Lin Kun, took several deep breaths, and barely calmed down. "I was too hasty. You're right. Having just obtained a Spirit Ring, you do need to stabilize yourself. Go back and cultivate properly first. Familiarize yourself with your new Spirit Skill. Once things have stabilized, we can discuss it slowly."
Although he said that, the way he looked at Lin Kun still made it seem as though he were looking at an unparalleled treasure.
Lin Kun fled Grandmaster's office as if escaping for his life, feeling more exhausted than after a fight.
The moment he returned to the entrance of the Seventh Dormitory, another "uninvited guest" was waiting there—Ning Rongrong.
She smiled at Lin Kun, her gaze lingering on his white-gold Spirit Ring. Her tone carried a hint of teasing. "Classmate Lin Kun, every time I see you, you bring me another surprise. A white-gold Spirit Ring... I've truly never heard of one before. It seems my eye for investments really is quite good."
She handed him a small jade box. "This is this month's Spirit Nurturing Pill. It seems Little White's food supply cannot be cut off. Also..." She lowered her voice, a sly glint flashing in her eyes. "My father is quite interested in you too. Whenever you have time, you can come visit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
Here it came again! Lin Kun felt like his head was splitting in two. He had not even dealt with Grandmaster's research invitation, and now the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was extending an olive branch too!
He could only accept the jade box with an awkward smile and answer vaguely, "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Ning, and please thank Sect Master Ning as well. When I become a little stronger, I'll definitely pay a visit..."
After sending Ning Rongrong away, Lin Kun returned to his bed, feeling exhausted in body and mind. The joy brought by his increased strength was quickly washed away by the immense pressure coming from all sides.
He knew that possessing a treasure invited disaster. His special Martial Spirit and white-gold Spirit Ring had already attracted the attention of truly important figures. Nuoding Academy, this small pond, was rapidly becoming too small to hold a special fish like him—whether he wanted to be one or not.
What should he do in the future? Accept recruitment from one side? Or keep finding ways to lie low and survive?
Just as Lin Kun's mind was in turmoil, the system's notification suddenly sounded in his head:
Ding! Detected that the host's Soul Power has reached the Soul Master level and the first Spirit Ring has been obtained. The conditions for a system upgrade have been met. Beginning upgrade... During the upgrade, some functions will be temporarily unavailable. Upon completion, the new modules Destiny Branch and Exchange Optimization will be unlocked. Estimated upgrade time: 72 hours.
A system upgrade? New modules? Lin Kun froze, then felt a flicker of anticipation.
Perhaps after this lousy system upgraded, it could give him some new ideas for breaking out of his predicament?
Amid the attention of various forces and his own desire to grow stronger, Lin Kun entered a brief period of calm before the storm. What he did not know was that a massive storm targeting him—or rather, the secret behind him—was quietly brewing.
Before you continue