Night fell over the Seventh Dormitory once again.
After the questions in class and the Martial Soul experiment during the day, Lin Kun found it difficult to calm his mind. He sat cross-legged on his bed, but instead of immediately entering meditation, he sank all his focus into his sea of consciousness and carefully observed the ancient, "unknown book" Book Spirit floating there.
The tiny light crystal on the cover remained dim, but Lin Kun could sense that it seemed slightly brighter than when it had first awakened. Was it because his Soul Power had risen to level 2? Or because his frequent use of the Insight Skill and the Book Spirit's passive sensing during the day had given it some kind of "training"?
He tried no longer to forcefully pour Soul Power into the book. Instead, he concentrated his Mental Power and gently "touched" the light crystal.
The instant his Mental Power came into contact with the crystal—
A faint hum, perceptible only to him, sounded. The light crystal suddenly lit up with a weak white glow. Though still dim, it was clearer than ever before! At the same time, the book's cover seemed to become a little more distinct, with extremely faint, unrecognizable strange patterns vaguely emerging upon it.
A stream of information naturally flooded into Lin Kun's mind. It was not the system's cold prompt, but a blurry transmission of intent originating from the Martial Soul itself.
Record... analyze... feedback...
The information was fragmented, but Lin Kun understood in an instant!
One of the core abilities of his Book Spirit was actually recording and analysis!
It could record information about other Soul Masters, Soul Beasts, and even objects that Lin Kun encountered through the Insight Skill or his own observations! As the recorded information increased and the host's Soul Power and Mental Power grew stronger, it would gradually analyze that information, feeding back deeper intelligence to the host. It might even deduce and simulate an opponent's weaknesses, the effects of soul skills, evolutionary paths, and more!
The brightness of the light crystal on the cover seemed to be related to the progress and depth of analysis. The more complex the target being analyzed, the more time and Mental Power it required.
During the day, he had frequently observed his classmates, and the Book Spirit had automatically recorded a large amount of scattered information. That was why it had given him those vague feedbacks. When he focused his mind to communicate with the light crystal, it was equivalent to actively accelerating the analysis process!
This Martial Soul... is absolutely insane! Lin Kun rejoiced inwardly.
It was practically a growing super database and analysis engine! Right now, it could only analyze the most basic information, like "war tiger = strength" or "rabbit = agility," but what about the future? What if it could analyze Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill circulation route? Analyze the essence of Xiao Wu's Soft Skill? Analyze Soul Beasts' weaknesses, or even the optimal combinations of Spirit Rings?
More importantly, this ability was a perfect match for the Insight Skill! Together, they would become the foundation of his future survival!
He forcibly suppressed his excitement and began consciously guiding his Martial Soul. He recalled every classmate's Martial Soul that he had seen during the day, reviewing the information obtained through the Insight Skill in his mind. Sure enough, the Book Spirit trembled slightly, the light crystal flickered, and that information seemed to be recorded and filed away more clearly.
When he recalled Tang San and Xiao Wu, the crystal flickered much more intensely, while the analysis speed noticeably slowed. The feedback remained full of question marks and vague fragments. Clearly, with his current strength, he was still far from capable of analyzing these two "protagonists."
No rush. Take it slowly. Lin Kun steadied his mindset. With a direction, there was hope.
Over the following days, Lin Kun's life became regular and fulfilling. During the day, he attended class and observed every teacher and student's Martial Soul, words, and actions more intently, silently recording them with the Insight Skill and Book Spirit. After school, he finished his work-study duties. At night, he focused entirely on meditation and cultivation, steadily improving his Soul Power from level 2.
His relationship with Tang San and Xiao Wu remained delicate.
Tang San seemed to have increased his observation of him, but Lin Kun behaved perfectly normally. He was even overly low-key and diligent, leaving Tang San unable to find any evidence against him for the time being. Tang San could only bury his doubts in his heart.
Xiao Wu, meanwhile, seemed to have gradually recovered from the embarrassment of the "first kiss incident" and returned to her lively, energetic nature. She was still closest to Tang San, often dragging him into sparring matches and playful scuffles. But toward Lin Kun, she was no longer simply angry. Sometimes, she curiously studied this quiet, hardworking dormmate who occasionally asked strange questions in class. She even pulled him into the Seventh Dormitory's group games. Lin Kun carefully maintained his distance, neither alienating her nor getting too close, lest he provoke Tang San's sensitive nerves again.
Can't find the book by searching its title? Try searching the author instead—it may simply have been renamed!
That day, the work-study students' task was to clean the garden behind the teaching building. Lin Kun was responsible for an area containing a lush patch of rose bushes.
The sunlight was just right, and the breeze carried waves of rich floral fragrance. Lin Kun was sweeping fallen leaves with his head lowered when a cheerful figure came skipping over. It was Xiao Wu. The ribbon tying her braid seemed to have loosened that day, leaving her hair a little fluffy.
"Hey, Lin Kun!" Xiao Wu ran up before him, hands behind her back, her large eyes blinking at him.
"Sister Xiao Wu, what is it?" Lin Kun stopped what he was doing and remained polite. Most of the Seventh Dormitory's children called her Sister Xiao Wu now, and Lin Kun followed suit.
"Look, those roses over there—the prettiest ones are too far in for me to reach." Xiao Wu pointed toward several especially vibrant red roses deep within the bushes. "Can you pick them for me?"
Her tone carried a natural, innocent coquettishness, as though she had already forgotten their earlier unpleasantness.
Lin Kun froze for a moment and instinctively wanted to refuse. Picking flowers for a girl? That seemed a little ambiguous, especially when that girl was Xiao Wu. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Tang San wiping the corridor pillars not far away. Tang San seemed to glance in their direction.
But refusing outright did not seem appropriate either.
Ding! Random mission triggered: Xiao Wu's Roses. Mission requirement: Pick the three most beautiful roses for Xiao Wu. Mission reward: 10 Plot Breakdown Points, slight increase in Xiao Wu's favorability. Failure penalty: None.
The system prompt sounded at just the right time. The reward was not much, and there was no penalty, but the "slight increase in favorability" made Lin Kun's heart stir. Perhaps this was a small opportunity to ease their relationship and lower Tang San's guard? He only needed to act like an ordinary classmate.
"Okay." Lin Kun nodded, set down his broom, carefully avoided the thorns, and leaned into the rose bushes. He meticulously selected three red roses in fullest bloom and with the purest color, then snapped them off.
He turned and handed the roses to Xiao Wu. "Here."
Sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, falling upon the boy's lean but earnest face, as well as the vivid, dew-covered roses in his hand.
Xiao Wu looked at him, suddenly blinked, accepted the flowers, and brought them to her nose for a sniff. A radiant smile blossomed across her face. "They smell so good! Thank you, Lin Kun!"
That smile in that moment was pure and bright, without a trace of impurity.
Ding! Random mission Xiao Wu's Roses completed. Reward: 10 Plot Breakdown Points. Xiao Wu's favorability has increased slightly.
Lin Kun smiled. "You're welcome." Then he picked up his broom and continued working, acting as if he had merely completed an utterly ordinary task.
Holding the flowers, Xiao Wu happily ran off to show them off to the other girls.
Not far away, Tang San withdrew his gaze and continued wiping the corridor pillar, his expression unchanged. Only the hand holding the rag tightened slightly. He could not explain the faint, awkward feeling that had flashed through his heart in that instant. He only felt that the roses looked somewhat glaringly red. But he quickly suppressed his emotions and focused on his work.
Lin Kun secretly let out a breath. The mission was complete, the points were his, and he could not tell whether favorability had increased, but at least he had not caused any more trouble.
Yet he did not know that once certain seeds were planted, they would quietly take root and sprout without anyone noticing.
For example, the subtle, indescribable feeling a girl experienced when receiving the first bouquet of flowers in her life—though it was only three flowers—from a boy. Even if she might not yet realize it herself.
For example, the faint ripple of an emotion called "possessiveness" in the heart of a perceptive and prideful boy, when he saw the "little sister" who had once only revolved around him give such a radiant smile to another boy he had always suspected.
The threads of fate continued to quietly intertwine and shift amid the sunlight, floral fragrance, and seemingly ordinary interactions.
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