Martial Soul Mysteries and the Rose Connection

Night fell on the Seventh Dormitory once more.

After the day's classroom questioning and Martial Soul experiments, Lin Kun found it difficult to calm his mind. He sat cross-legged on his bed, but instead of meditating immediately, he sank his entire consciousness into his sea of consciousness, carefully observing the floating, ancient "Unknown Book" Martial Soul.

The tiny crystal on the cover was still dim, but Lin Kun could feel that it seemed to have brightened by a sliver compared to when it was first awakened. Was it because his Spirit Power had increased to level 2? Or was it because frequently using the [Insight Skill] and the passive senses of his Martial Soul during the day had given it some form of "training"?

He tried to inject his Spirit Power into the book not with brute force, but by concentrating his mental power and gently "touching" the crystal.

The moment his mental power contacted the crystal—

A faint hum, perceptible only to him, sounded. The crystal suddenly lit up with a weak white light. Although still dim, it was more noticeable than any previous time! At the same time, the book's cover seemed to become slightly clearer, with some extremely faint, unidentifiable strange patterns subtly appearing on it.

A stream of information naturally flowed into Lin Kun's mind. It wasn't a cold system prompt, but a vague mental transmission originating from the Martial Soul itself.

[Record... Analyze... Feedback...]

The information was fragmented, but Lin Kun understood instantly!

One of the core abilities of his Book Martial Soul was actually [Record] and [Analyze]!

It could record information about other Spirit Masters, Spirit Beasts, and even items that Lin Kun obtained through [Insight Skill] or his own observation and contact! As the recorded information increased and the host's Spirit Power and mental power grew stronger, it would gradually [Analyze] this information, thereby feeding the host deeper intelligence, and even potentially deducing and simulating the opponent's weaknesses, Spirit Skill effects, evolution paths, and so on!

The brightness of the crystal on the cover seemed to be related to the progress and depth of [Analyze]. The more complex the target of analysis, the more time and mental power it required.

During the day, he had frequently observed his classmates, and the Book Martial Soul had automatically recorded a large amount of fragmented information, leading to those vague feedbacks. When he concentrated his mind to communicate with the crystal, it was equivalent to actively promoting the [Analyze] process!

"This Martial Soul... it's too overpowered!" Lin Kun was overjoyed.

This was practically a growth-type super database and analysis engine! Although it could only analyze basic information like "War Tiger = Strength" and "Rabbit = Agility" now, what about the future? What if it could analyze the circulation route of Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill? Analyze the essence of Xiao Wu's Soft Skill? Analyze the weaknesses of Spirit Beasts or even the optimal combinations for Spirit Rings?

More importantly, this ability perfectly complemented the [Insight Skill]! The combination of the two would be the foundation of his future survival!

He suppressed his excitement and began to consciously guide his Martial Soul. He recalled the Martial Souls of every classmate he had seen during the day and reviewed the information obtained through [Insight Skill] in his mind. Indeed, the Book Martial Soul vibrated slightly, the crystal flickered, and the information seemed to be recorded and archived more clearly.

When he recalled Tang San and Xiao Wu, the crystal's flickering intensified, and the analysis speed slowed down significantly. The feedback information still consisted of a large number of question marks and vague fragments, clearly indicating that with his current strength, he was far from being able to analyze these two "protagonists."

"No rush, take it slow." Lin Kun calmed his mindset. With a direction, there was hope.

In the following days, Lin Kun's life was regular and fulfilling. During classes, he paid more attention to observing the Martial Souls, words, and actions of every teacher and classmate, silently using [Insight Skill] and his Book Martial Soul to record. After school, he completed his work-study job, and at night, he fully focused on meditation and cultivation, his Spirit Power steadily increasing from level 2.

His relationship with Tang San and Xiao Wu remained subtle.

Tang San seemed to have increased his observation of Lin Kun, but Lin Kun acted impeccably normal, even overly low-key and diligent, preventing Tang San from finding any leverage. Tang San could only bury his doubts in his heart.

Xiao Wu, however, seemed to have gradually emerged from the awkwardness of the "first kiss incident" and returned to her lively and active nature. She remained closest to Tang San, often pulling him to spar and play, but towards Lin Kun, she was no longer simply annoyed. Sometimes she would curiously observe this quiet, diligent fellow dorm mate who occasionally asked strange questions in class, and would even pull him into the Seventh Dormitory's group games. Lin Kun carefully maintained his distance, neither alienating himself nor getting overly close, to avoid further irritating Tang San's sensitive nerves.

Can't find the book by its name? Try searching for the author, maybe the name has changed!

This day, the work-study job was to clean the garden behind the teaching building. The area Lin Kun was responsible for had a patch of lush rose bushes.

The sunlight was just right, and a gentle breeze brought waves of rich floral fragrance. Lin Kun was busy sweeping fallen leaves when suddenly, a cheerful figure came bounding over. It was Xiao Wu. The hair tie for her braids seemed to have loosened today, leaving her hair a bit messy.

"Hey, Lin Kun!" Xiao Wu ran up to him, hands behind her back, her big eyes blinking as she looked at him.

"Sister Xiao Wu, is something wrong?" Lin Kun stopped his work, maintaining politeness. Most of the children in the Seventh Dormitory now called her Sister Xiao Wu, and Lin Kun had followed suit.

"Look, those roses over there, the most beautiful ones, I can't reach them." Xiao Wu pointed to the depths of the flower bed, where several particularly vibrant red roses were blooming. "Could you pick them for me?"

Her tone carried a hint of natural cuteness and slight spoiledness, as if she had forgotten the unpleasantness from before.

Lin Kun was taken aback and instinctively wanted to refuse. Picking flowers for a girl? This seemed a bit ambiguous, especially with Xiao Wu. He glanced sideways at Tang San, who was wiping a pillar not far away, and it seemed he glanced over.

But refusing directly seemed inappropriate.

[Ding! Triggered random quest: Xiao Wu's Roses.] [Quest requirement: Pick three of the most beautiful roses for Xiao Wu.] [Quest reward: 10 Plot Breakdown Points, slight increase in Xiao Wu's favorability.] [Failure penalty: None.]

The system's prompt sounded at the opportune moment. The reward wasn't much, and there was no penalty, but the "slight increase in Xiao Wu's favorability" made Lin Kun's heart stir. Perhaps this was a small opportunity to ease the relationship and lower Tang San's guard? Just act like a normal classmate.

"Okay." Lin Kun nodded, put down his broom, carefully avoided the thorns, and reached into the flower bushes. He carefully selected three of the most fully bloomed, most vibrant red roses and picked them.

He turned around and handed the roses to Xiao Wu, "Here you go."

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, falling on the young man's slender yet earnest face, and also on the vibrant, dew-kissed roses in his hand.

Xiao Wu looked at him, suddenly blinked, took the flowers, brought them to her nose to smell, and a brilliant smile bloomed on her face, "They smell so good! Thank you, Lin Kun!"

The smile at that moment was pure and bright, without any impurities.

[Ding! Random quest [Xiao Wu's Roses] completed, reward of 10 Plot Breakdown Points and a slight increase in Xiao Wu's favorability.]

Lin Kun smiled, "You're welcome." Then he picked up his broom and continued working, acting as if he had just completed a very ordinary little task.

Xiao Wu, holding the flowers, happily ran off to show off to other girls.

Not far away, Tang San withdrew his gaze and continued wiping the pillar. His expression remained unchanged, but the hand holding the rag tightened slightly. He couldn't quite articulate the subtle awkwardness that flashed through his mind at that moment, only feeling that the roses were a bit too dazzlingly red. But he quickly suppressed his emotions and focused on his work.

Lin Kun secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The quest was complete, the points were obtained, and he couldn't tell if the favorability had increased, but at least he hadn't caused any trouble.

However, he didn't know that some seeds, once planted, would quietly take root and sprout without him realizing it.

For example, the subtle, indescribable feeling a girl experienced when receiving her first bouquet (even if it was just three flowers) from someone of the opposite sex. Even if she herself might not have realized it yet.

For example, the almost imperceptible fluctuation of emotion, known as "possessiveness," in an observant and proud young boy when he saw the "sister" who used to only revolve around him showing such a brilliant smile to another person of the opposite sex whom he had previously harbored doubts about.

The threads of fate, amidst the sunlight, floral fragrance, and seemingly ordinary interactions, continued to quietly intertwine and deviate.