Yu Xiaogang

Tang San stood there blankly, his eyes filled with confusion.

Seeing Tang San's bewilderment, Lin Mo slowly began to explain:

"I inquired about this a long time ago. Entering the Soul Hunting Forest requires a permit issued by Spirit Hall, and the consequences of sneaking in are quite severe."

"I also understand how things work here at the academy. Generally, they only conduct a unified spirit power assessment for students during the final exams at the end of each school year."

"Only those students who pass the test and are confirmed to have reached the bottleneck of their spirit power level are allowed to accompany the academy teachers into the Soul Hunting Forest to obtain a spirit ring."

If it weren't for these restrictions on entering the lower-level Soul Hunting Forests, he would have snuck in to hunt soul beasts the very month after his spirit awakening.

With his innate full spirit power and his body-type spirit stacked with the first stage of Inversion of Three—Qi-flesh Transformation—Lin Mo's combat power had been pushed to an incredibly impressive level.

As long as he didn't run into a century-old soul beast with a bloodline rank like the Titan Giant Ape, Lin Mo was confident he could handle the vast majority of them!

Even if he couldn't kill them, he would have no problem protecting himself.

Hearing this, Wang Sheng, who was standing nearby, nodded vigorously, his face full of agreement:

"Brother Mo is right. Our academy basically only organizes students to go to the Soul Hunting Forest to obtain spirit rings at the end of the school year."

"We only get this one chance a year."

"According to what the academy teachers say, the Soul Hunting Forest is too dangerous. Even with teachers following along to protect us, the risks are still immense. That's why it only happens once a year!"

At this point, Wang Sheng gave a simple, honest smile: "I'm moving up to the sixth grade this year, and my cultivation has already reached level nine. I have to make that breakthrough within the coming year regardless of what it takes; otherwise, it'll be even harder to obtain a spirit ring after I graduate..."

The academy's considerations were extremely conservative.

Even with academy teachers escorting them the entire way, they still couldn't avoid every danger.

Every year, students were injured in the Soul Hunting Forest.

This was why the academy strictly controlled the number of hunting trips, prioritizing safety above all else.

"If I miss this opportunity, I might have to wait a whole year to get my first spirit ring... Please, have a word with Master. I promise I won't hold you back. You've seen my strength." Lin Mo added, his expression exceptionally sincere.

Tang San watched Lin Mo's earnest expression, remained silent for a moment, and then gave a slight nod.

However, he added a caveat: "But whether it can actually happen depends on the Master's opinion."

"Then I'll leave it to you." Lin Mo bowed his head slightly.

A wave of relief washed over him, and the heavy stone that had been weighing on his heart finally settled.

Excellent. As long as Tang San relayed his situation to Yu Xiaogang in full, there was a high probability that Yu Xiaogang would agree.

Yu Xiaogang was known as a master of spirit theory. Although this title was used derisively by most, he was genuinely obsessed with researching all kinds of spirits.

To Yu Xiaogang, his own special spirit—which no one else knew about—was an incredibly rare research sample.

He wouldn't miss such a ready-made example, and it was highly likely he would proactively agree to let him join the trip to the Soul Hunting Forest.

Lin Mo had no intention of joining the academy's collective hunting trip at the end of the year.

The reason was simple.

When academy teachers took dozens of students into the Soul Hunting Forest, the core principle was always to play it safe.

Most of the students were obtaining their first spirit rings, their cultivation was weak, and their combat power was low. The lead teacher's primary task was to ensure the safety of every student.

They would never risk taking others deep into the Soul Hunting Forest just for his sake, nor would they help him obtain a higher-quality century-old spirit ring.

This could be seen in the case of Xiao Chenyu, the son of the city lord.

As the biological son of the Notting City lord, Xiao Chenyu had a superior family background, abundant resources, and a pedigree far beyond any of the work-study students in the academy.

Yet, even with such favorable conditions, his first spirit ring was merely a common ten-year ring.

If even Xiao Chenyu couldn't obtain a century-old spirit ring during the academy's collective trip, then work-study students like them with no background had even less hope of doing so through the year-end operation.

With his thoughts settled, Tang San prepared to head toward the teacher's dormitory, but before he left, his footsteps suddenly faltered.

He hesitated for a moment, then shifted his gaze toward Xiao Wu, who was standing beside Lin Mo. His expression was conflicted, and after weighing his words for a long time, he asked:

"Xiao Wu, are you coming with us? Aren't you also innate full spirit power?"

"I think I'll pass..." Xiao Wu shook her head gently, her long eyelashes drooping, her mood appearing slightly dejected.

"My situation is different from Lin Mo's. I have my own way of obtaining my first spirit ring... You don't need to worry about me."

"Alright then." Having said that, Tang San didn't try to persuade her further. Without another moment of hesitation, he turned and walked quickly toward the teacher's dormitory building.

Only after Tang San's figure had completely vanished from sight did Xiao Wu slowly raise her small hand and gently tug at the corner of Lin Mo's shirt. Her eyes remained downcast, and her mood seemed exceptionally low.

She asked in a soft voice, "Lin Mo, are spirit rings really that important? Is it absolutely necessary to hunt spirit beasts?"

Lin Mo fell silent for a moment. Looking at Xiao Wu's dejected expression, he ignored the small, instinctive gesture she made to stop him and slowly raised his hand, gently ruffling her hair.

His tone was devoid of any perfunctoriness as he comforted her, "Hunting spirit beasts to obtain spirit rings is a trial every spirit master must endure."

"Upon reaching a bottleneck, a spirit master must absorb a spirit ring produced by a spirit beast to break through their cultivation level."

"Since you chose to become a spirit master in the first place, you must learn to accept this fact."

Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Notting Academy faculty dormitory, the cramped room was furnished with simple, austere items.

Yu Xiaogang was sitting at a wooden desk, leafing through his handwritten spirit notes, and Tang San's sudden return took him quite by surprise.

After hearing the purpose of Tang San's visit, the previously indifferent look in Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up instantly, and a surge of intense interest took root in his heart.

Yu Xiaogang stood up and began pacing back and forth in the narrow room, muttering to himself.

"To think there are actually two students with innate full spirit power among this year's freshmen..."

"Lin Mo, who defeated Xiao Wu—a possessor of the Rabbit spirit—in a single move, used a peculiar spirit that isn't even recorded in any archives..."

Tang San sat quietly on a wooden stool to the side, not stepping forward to disturb Yu Xiaogang, who was immersed in his thoughts.

Before long, Yu Xiaogang suddenly stopped pacing and strode over to stand in front of Tang San. With a hint of urgency in his eyes, he asked, "Tell me in detail about the scene where he sparred with Xiao Wu, and describe the changes that occurred to him."