The Soul Ring hunt in Cold Mist Valley ended smoothly for Shui Bing'er.
This had been an experience meant for them, but everything changed the moment they met Lin Ming.
With Teacher Shen there, there had been no fighting and no danger from start to finish.
"Ice Crystal Wings lets me fly. More importantly, it improves my ability to sense ice and control my Soul Power."
Shui Bing'er opened her eyes. A flicker of delight crossed her ice-blue gaze, and before anyone could ask, she began explaining her Soul Skill.
"That's an excellent Soul Skill. With this level of control, you can try using your Soul Power to condense ice into a shield, or shape it into ice spikes. If you make good use of these self-created techniques, they'll be no worse than Soul Skills."
Teacher Shen nodded and gently laid out a plan for developing her Soul Skill.
The others gathered around, all curious to see.
Lin Ming watched quietly from the side.
He thought back to the days he'd spent hunting the Lightning Leopard.
Alone in the forest, he'd been constantly on edge, carefully planning every move.
He'd even had to take long detours just to find clean water.
Then he looked at Shui Bing'er, surrounded by her teacher and friends.
The Soul Beast had been left with no choice but to obediently offer up its Soul Ring.
That was the difference having connections made.
Lin Ming sighed.
At least he'd successfully obtained his First Soul Ring, the hardest one.
Then he couldn't help thinking of Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang had also said he would help him hunt a Soul Ring, but his plan had been to send six-year-old Tang San into danger with Hidden Weapons.
Teacher Shen could easily hunt Soul Beasts that were hundreds of years old, yet Yu Xiaogang couldn't even handle a four-hundred-year-old Mandala Snake and had to rely on Tang San to save the day.
If Tang San hadn't been a transmigrator, and hadn't had all those things from the Tang Sect,
there would probably be grass growing three meters tall over his grave by now.
Teacher Shen carefully explained how to develop a Soul Skill, while Yu Xiaogang only cared about testing his theories.
One was truly teaching his student. The other was merely treating his student as a tool.
Lin Ming shook his head.
Everyone had their own path.
"Lin Ming."
A cool voice interrupted his thoughts.
Lin Ming looked up and saw Shui Bing'er walking toward him.
She walked steadily, each step seeming precisely measured, her hands neatly folded in front of her.
"Senior Bing'er."
Lin Ming stood up.
Shui Bing'er stopped in front of him, her water-blue eyes fixed on him intently.
"Thank you."
Lin Ming blinked.
"For what?"
"For what you said earlier, about choosing Soul Skills and the techniques for creating your own."
Shui Bing'er's voice was calm, but her gaze was earnest.
"So, thank you."
She paused, then added the last part.
Lin Ming hadn't expected her to be so polite. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond, so he simply nodded.
"You're welcome."
"It takes four days by carriage to get from here to Skywater City."
Shui Bing'er kept her little face tense, though her fingers trembled faintly.
"The Academy is on break right now. The dorms are mostly empty, and the training grounds are hardly being used."
Her ice-blue eyes met Lin Ming's as she asked,
"Would you like to visit?"
As soon as she finished, Shui Yue'er's amused voice came from the side.
"Oho, our team captain Bing'er is inviting someone to the Academy? That's a first!"
Xue Wu came over too, smiling as she nodded.
"That really is rare. I remember the last time someone wanted to tour the Academy, Bing'er gave them a stern look and said, 'The Academy is a restricted area. No entry without an invitation.'"
The tips of Shui Bing'er's ears turned slightly red, but she kept her face tense and answered with complete seriousness.
"Lin Ming is different."
Qiu Ruoshui leaned over from the side, grinning.
"How is he different, Bing'er?"
Shui Bing'er took a deep breath, trying to regain the upper hand.
"Lin Ming offered valuable tactical advice. That falls under academic exchange."
"Ooh~" Shui Yue'er drew out the sound and sidled up to her with a grin.
"Academic exchange~"
She stretched out the four words, soft and slow, then stared at Shui Bing'er's face and asked,
"Then why is your face red, Bing'er?"
"It's not red!"
"Your ears are bright red."
"Sister Yue'er!"
Shui Bing'er tried to keep a serious expression, but her cheeks were already getting warm.
At last, she couldn't hold it together anymore. She turned away and stopped paying attention to the grinning Shui Yue'er.
Watching the girls tease Shui Bing'er back and forth, Lin Ming suddenly found it rather amusing.
He cleared his throat.
"Thank you for the invitation, Senior Bing'er, but there isn't much of the break left at Nuoding Academy. It'll take me six or seven days to get back, so I won't have time."
Shui Bing'er blinked. A few seconds later, she gave a quiet "Oh," nodded, and said nothing more.
Teacher Shen had watched it all. A trace of relief flickered in her eyes.
The girl was usually far too mature for her age, always keeping herself wound as tight as a string. It was rare to see her act like a nine-year-old.
"Lin Ming."
Teacher Shen came over and took a pale blue badge from her robe.
The badge was shaped like a snowflake, and its material looked neither like jade nor anything else.
She placed it gently in Lin Ming's palm, the gesture light but solemn.
"When you reach level twenty,"
Teacher Shen said warmly,
"if you need help, you can bring this to Skywater Academy and look for me."
She paused and met Lin Ming's eyes, her voice gentle but firm.
"When the time comes, I'll personally take you to hunt for your Second Soul Ring and find one that suits you."
Lin Ming closed his fingers around the badge. Its chill couldn't dispel the warmth in Teacher Shen's words.
Helping someone when they were down meant more than piling on when they were already doing well.
Those words had never rung truer.
He took a deep breath, raised his head, and met Teacher Shen's gaze.
"Thank you, Teacher Shen. I'll remember."
Teacher Shen nodded and said no more.
It was time to part.
They reached a fork in the road. Teacher Shen led the other students toward the carriage first.
Before leaving, Shui Yue'er glanced back at Lin Ming and winked.
"Little Brother Lin Ming, remember to keep in touch! If Bing'er bullies you, write to me and I'll tickle her until she begs for mercy."
"Sister Yue'er!"
Shui Bing'er was flustered again.
"Fine, fine, I'll stop."
Shui Yue'er laughed as Xue Wu pulled her away.
Lin Ming carefully tucked the badge into his robe, close to his heart.
Little Lei Yi perched on his shoulder. Tiny arcs of electricity flickered as she quietly watched the blue-haired girl before them.
Shui Bing'er didn't hurry off. She stood in front of Lin Ming, seeming to think something over.
A few seconds later, she spoke.
"You're seven?"
Lin Ming nodded. "Yeah."
"I'm nine."
Shui Bing'er said it as seriously as if she were stating a simple fact.
"So I'm two years older than you."
Lin Ming blinked, then smiled.
"So?"
"So I'm the older sister."
Shui Bing'er said it as if it were only natural. Her ears began to redden again, but this time she didn't look away. She met Lin Ming's eyes directly.
"An older sister should look after her younger brother."
Looking into her ice-blue eyes, Lin Ming didn't laugh. He nodded.
"All right, Sister Bing'er."
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