"What, Teacher? You can't force students like this..." Nan Xuan thought Keyes was going to force him to hunt another soul beast and hurriedly protested.
Before he could finish, Keyes interrupted him.
"What are you thinking? Spirit Hall has a branch near Skywater City. We can just have them send over an Ice Silkworm. When they return to the main hall to deliver their message, they can bring it along. It'll save you the trip. So, what were you about to say?" Keyes looked at Nan Xuan with a half-smile, his gaze sweeping him from head to toe.
"Teacher, I didn't say anything. I was just wondering whether it would trouble them too much. After all, they're in a hurry to come back and deliver messages." Nan Xuan quickly changed his tune. That look in Keyes's eyes gave him the chills.
"Haha, it's fine. They specialize in delivering messages, and their martial souls and soul skills are related to that profession. You don't need to worry. Just wait two days. All right, hurry back. Class is about to start." After explaining, Keyes sent Nan Xuan back. He still had things to do.
After thanking him, Nan Xuan returned to the classroom and sat beside Bibi Dong again.
The moment Nan Xuan sat down, he heard Chen Gao shouting and gesturing from across the room.
The rough meaning was probably: "What did you go do after class? How dare you sit next to Bibi Dong? Can't you feel that the aura around her is a little scary?"
Nan Xuan spread his hands, indicating that it was nothing. As for the soul ring, they could talk about it later.
Nan Xuan looked at Bibi Dong beside him. She was 120 centimeters tall, with dark pink hair and a purple dress that drew plenty of attention.
"Could you stop staring at me?" Bibi Dong turned to look at Nan Xuan. She found this boy rather strange. Why did he keep staring at her?
"Oh, it's like this, classmate. I wanted to ask about your current Soul Power Level. The teacher just chose you as class monitor, so I wanted to know the gap between us. I want to catch up to you." Nan Xuan felt somewhat awkward after being caught staring at a girl, but fortunately, his skin was thick. With a casual excuse, he smoothly changed the subject.
At the Martial Soul Primary Soul Master Academy, Bibi Dong went to the cafeteria with Nan Xuan and his roommates. She had originally planned to go by herself, but she realized that she did not know where the cafeteria was, so she had no choice.
Besides, Nan Xuan said he wanted to thank her for telling him her Soul Power Level, saying that it had given him motivation to improve.
She did not really understand that, but having someone take her to the cafeteria was the best outcome. Hehe.
"Bibi Dong, what do you want to eat? I'll get it for you. There are a lot of people over there, and I'm worried there won't be any seats later, so I'll have to trouble you to find us a place." Nan Xuan looked at the cute girl behind him and said with a smile.
"Ah, all right." Bibi Dong had originally wanted to refuse, but she was also afraid that there would be no seats, so she could only agree.
"Hehe, you can't escape the palm of my hand." Nan Xuan watched Bibi Dong leave, find a spot in a corner, and sit down. Then he headed toward Chen Gao and the others.
"Nan Xuan, you're seriously my big brother. You even dared to get close to her. That's incredible." Chen Gao looked at Nan Xuan as he approached, glanced around, and spoke.
"We're all people. What's there to be afraid of? Besides, she's our class monitor. She doesn't even have a single friend around her. How could I not show her some concern?" Nan Xuan said calmly.
"That actually makes sense." Yang Fei offered his opinion from the side.
Yang Tian: "+1"
Chen Gao felt that there was nothing wrong with that logic, so he stopped dwelling on it and asked about the soul ring instead.
"So, you applied for a soul ring today? And it's a hundred-year one? The key is that you don't even need to hunt it yourself—they'll deliver it right to your door?" Chen Gao suspected that Nan Xuan was also some rich second-generation heir, merely keeping a low profile to experience ordinary life.
"Don't overthink it. The soul beast I asked for is an Ice Silkworm. They can handle that thing easily. Why would I need to go?" Nan Xuan rolled his eyes at him.
"What? An Ice Silkworm? Big Brother, isn't that..." Chen Gao was suddenly speechless.
"All right, I have my own plans. You all should work hard at cultivation. In the future, your big brother will carry you to greatness. I'm leaving. We can't keep a girl waiting too long."
Nan Xuan left with two bowls of rice and several side dishes. He did not want to explain himself again. If he had to explain, it could wait until they returned to the dormitory. They still had to eat.
"Hey, do you think Nan Xuan was serious just now?" Chen Gao looked at the Yang Fei brothers, feeling that it was all rather unrealistic.
"If you ask me, hurry up and eat first. His talent is right there for everyone to see, and he even knows how to flirt with girls. Do you really think he's stupid?" Yang Fei carried his tray toward an empty seat, not wanting to bother with this fool at all.
"Then Yang Tian, what do you think?" Chen Gao asked unwillingly.
"Oh, I forgot. +1."
"..."
Nan Xuan had already begun eating lunch with Bibi Dong. Of course, they were merely eating together, each having their own meal.
Bibi Dong brushed back the hair by her ear and thought, Why does it feel like everything has been arranged ever since I met him? I keep doing whatever he says, and I can't even refuse. Could he be someone the teacher arranged to look after me?
Nan Xuan could never have imagined that what he had done for Bibi Dong would make her overthink so much.
"Bibi Dong, you're a Level 13 Soul Master now. Could you cultivate with me in the future? I want to surpass you as soon as possible."
Nan Xuan did not even believe his own words. He was certain she would refuse.
Bibi Dong was also considering the matter. Could this person have been assigned by the teacher to keep an eye on me at the academy? Is the teacher worried that I'll get distracted and play around? If I refuse him and the teacher finds out, won't that make the teacher lose face? Maybe I should agree for now.
Bibi Dong raised her head, looking delighted as she said with a smile, "Sure, but you can't interfere with my cultivation."
Hehe, this way the teacher won't lose face, and he won't have to keep sending someone to watch me. Bibi Dong, who was secretly bursting with happiness, displayed the full power of her brilliant mind.
"Hm? You agreed?" Nan Xuan rubbed his ears, afraid that he had misheard.
"Yes, Nan Xuan. I agree to your request." Bibi Dong puffed out her cheeks, looking somewhat unhappy.
Why does this person the teacher sent seem a little stupid? His hearing is bad, and he doesn't even listen carefully when others speak. Hmph, what an impolite guy.
Forget it. The stupider he is, the easier things will be for me. He won't bother me every day. Great.
By the time Nan Xuan noticed Bibi Dong's expression, she had already switched back to her aloof demeanor.
At the same time, both of them praised themselves inwardly: I have to say, my acting is pretty good. Things will be much easier from now on. Hahaha.
Each wore a smile as the quiet lunchtime passed.
Over the next few days, Nan Xuan cultivated together with Bibi Dong.
One afternoon.
"Teacher, did you call me here because my soul ring has arrived?"
As soon as class ended, Keyes summoned Nan Xuan to his office.
"Nan Xuan, you're here. Come, sit down. This is your soul ring." Seeing Nan Xuan arrive, Keyes took a small cage from a box behind him.
Nan Xuan took the cage and examined it. It was indeed an Ice Silkworm, because he could already feel a trace of chill.
Seeing the look in Nan Xuan's eyes, Keyes knew that he could not wait to absorb the soul ring. He said, "Since there's no problem, let's go absorb it in a quiet room beside the office. I can stand guard for you as well."
"Mm, all right. Thank you, Teacher."
Nan Xuan entered the quiet room and sat cross-legged in its center. Looking at the Ice Silkworm inside the cage, he casually opened it and shook the creature out. Then he slapped it onto the ground. The faint chill did not affect him at all. As a yellow ring of light floated out, he summoned his martial soul.
"Relax. Focus your mind. Use your martial soul to sense the soul ring, then begin absorbing it," Keyes reminded him from the side.
Nan Xuan nodded and placed the soul ring over his martial soul.
Instantly, Nan Xuan felt his mind jolt as dizziness swept through his brain.
Watching from the side, Keyes was nervous to the extreme. This was a genius. If something happened to him under his watch, the consequences would be...
Suddenly, Nan Xuan's martial soul emitted a burst of black light, and he felt all the negative sensations from before disappear.
"Heh, it seems this Ice Silkworm isn't so simple, especially since it specializes in mental attributes. Without my martial soul's trait, I might really have failed." Nan Xuan steadied his breathing and fully accepted the power from the soul ring.
About half an hour later.
Nan Xuan jumped up excitedly. After sensing the existence of his soul ring and learning his soul skill, he was so happy that he nearly took off flying.
Seeing Nan Xuan's excitement, Keyes walked over and asked, "Nan Xuan, what is your First Soul Skill?"
Hearing him, Nan Xuan quickly turned and bowed to Keyes in thanks before saying, "Teacher, my soul skill is called Network Interconnection."
"Its specific effect is that it uses me as the center, then relies on mental power to connect to other people's minds and extract their information."
"Nan Xuan, your soul skill doesn't seem very practical." Upon hearing of such a soul skill, Keyes felt that this first soul ring might have been wasted. Extracting information could not withstand attacks, assist teammates, or kill enemies.
Of course, he could not say that outright, so he merely said that its practical effect was not obvious. In truth, he was beginning to regret not stopping Nan Xuan from absorbing this soul ring.
Seeing the regret on Keyes's face, Nan Xuan smiled. "Teacher, don't worry. I understand my own martial soul best. This soul skill is extremely useful to me."
Keyes took those words as Nan Xuan comforting himself, or perhaps trying to comfort him. Still, he decided to ask carefully about the soul skill's traits. "Then tell me its restrictions and activation conditions."
"Yes, Teacher."
Upon hearing Keyes's question, Nan Xuan's mind raced as he explained, "For every ten levels my Soul Power increases, this soul skill's range increases by fifteen percent. As for the activation condition, the target's mental power cannot exceed that of the caster by two major realms."
According to the Douluo series Nan Xuan had read in his previous life, mental power on Douluo Continent was divided from low to high into eight major levels: Spirit Origin Realm, Spirit Connection Realm, Spirit Sea Realm, Spirit Abyss Realm, Spirit Domain Realm, and the legendary God Origin Realm, God King Realm, and Creation Realm. Everyone was born with mental cultivation at the Spirit Origin Realm.
However, he was the only one who knew this. At this point in Douluo Continent's history, there was no accurate classification for mental power levels at all.
After being strengthened by the mental attribute of the Ice Silkworm soul ring, Nan Xuan's mental power had reached the Spirit Connection Realm. Combined with the Spirit Amplification trait of his martial soul, it had now reached the Spirit Sea Realm.
Therefore, no one in the current Douluo Continent could stop him from using his soul skill—not even Qian Daoliu. The other man was merely a divine attendant, and his mental power was only close to the God Origin Realm. Unfortunately, he had not reached it. Of course, Nan Xuan could not deliberately test him. What if the other party had some hidden trump card? That would be the end of him.
However, he would definitely keep all that hidden. He could not tell anyone around him. After all, what he would do in the future meant he could not reveal too much, at least not before he had sufficient strength.
"Even if there are no obstacles to activating the soul skill, its effect... sigh." Keyes could not understand why Nan Xuan was so happy and at ease. Was he simply carefree, or did he not care at all?
"All right, I won't interfere anymore. Go study your soul skill properly. If you have any questions, you can come ask me." After saying that, Keyes left. He still needed to record Nan Xuan's First Soul Skill and store it in Spirit Hall's library.
Seeing that it was already time to rest outside, Nan Xuan realized the afternoon classes had ended. They had nothing like evening self-study, so he simply returned to the dormitory.
When he reached the dormitory entrance, he felt as though he had forgotten something, leaving him slightly uneasy. But he did not think much of it. He was already at the dormitory door—why would he not go in?
"Achoo."
Far below the cultivation room building, Bibi Dong sneezed.
"Hmph, why hasn't that guy come yet? Don't tell me he got tired of supervising me and quit? Could it be that the teacher didn't pay him enough?"
Before you continue