The Eighteenth Gift: God-Bestowed Spirit Ring

As soon as the words fell, a figure hurried in through the manor's front gate. It was Yue Yao.

"My lord."

Yue Yao walked up to Li Yuan and bowed slightly. "Your subordinate has found a suitable location. Twenty li east of the city, there is an abandoned old academy covering roughly a hundred mu. The main building, training grounds, and dormitories are all complete. It has merely been deserted for many years with no one to maintain it. With some minor repairs, it would make an excellent place to establish a school."

Li Yuan nodded. "Then only two matters remain now—the official certifications from the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and Spirit Hall."

"My lord is wise."

"The former owner of that old academy went bankrupt due to poor management. The land deed changed hands several times and ended up with a wealthy merchant in the city. Your subordinate has already purchased it. Now all that remains is an official approval document."

Li Yuan's brow lifted slightly. Not bad efficiency.

He turned to Mu Sheng. "Go call Dugu Bo over."

Mu Sheng acknowledged the order and left. A short while later, he led Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan over from the direction of the spiritual fields on the eastern side.

Dugu Bo still had several flecks of dirt on him, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and he was clutching a handful of freshly transplanted herb roots. He looked dusty and disheveled, but full of vigor.

He quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and saluted. "Greetings, my lord, First Offering, Second Offering."

The moment his words fell, Tie Mu froze in place as if struck by lightning.

His eyes went wide as he stared at Dugu Bo's face.

He had seen that face countless times in rumors throughout the soul master world: emerald-green snake pupils, a signature sinister expression. The three words Poison Douluo were enough to make children in the soul master circles cry at night.

Yet at this very moment, this infamous and feared Poison Douluo was standing in front of him, covered in dirt, still holding a few herb roots in his hand, respectfully calling a young man "my lord."

Tie Mu swallowed with difficulty.

Poison Douluo was a Titled Douluo.

Then the "First Offering" and "Second Offering" he had addressed... didn't that mean they were even stronger than a Titled Douluo?

He abruptly turned his head and glanced at the Di Jun standing not far away with his hands behind his back, then at the smiling Long Yuan, and suddenly felt a chill run down the back of his neck.

He had actually fought in front of a group of Titled Douluo just now and lost—but damn it, that loss had been worth it.

Li Yuan slowly spoke. "Dugu Bo, I am preparing to establish a high-level academy. The land has already been found, but we still need dual certification from the Heaven Dou Empire's officials and the Spirit Hall branch. I'll leave this matter to you."

Dugu Bo casually stuffed the herb roots into his sleeve, patted the dirt from his hands, and said with complete confidence, "My lord, rest assured. Give this old man two days. On the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's side, this old man has some friendship with Prince Xue Xing. As for the Spirit Hall branch in Soto City—that red-robed bishop Krofu still has to politely call me senior when he sees me."

He paused. "Only... my lord, what will the academy be called?"

Li Yuan thought for a moment. "Black Dragon Academy."

"Good name!" Dugu Bo grinned, then turned and beckoned to Dugu Yan. "Come on, Yanyan. Grandpa will drop by Heaven Dou Royal Academy and handle your withdrawal procedures too."

Dugu Yan pouted and muttered softly, "I know, Grandpa," but still obediently followed him.

The two of them left through the manor's front gate.

Li Yuan turned back and looked at A Liang and Tie Mu.

From his system space, he took out the copy of Concentration Art. The cover of the thin booklet had an aged, antique sheen. "Before the academy is officially established, you two should cultivate this method first. It can speed up soul power cultivation, and long-term practice can also improve mental resistance."

Tie Mu received it with both hands, flipped through two pages, and his eyes immediately lit up. "Thank you, my lord!"

A Liang took the booklet and casually flipped through it. A fresh blade of grass was in his mouth again as he mumbled indistinctly, "Thanks."

Just then, a clear voice came from the direction of the main building.

"My lord! I absorbed it successfully!"

Shui Bing'er jogged out from inside the doorway, her cheeks still flushed from having just finished cultivating. Her eyes shone brightly, and her legs moved much more smoothly than before.

She stopped in front of Li Yuan, panting lightly, her face full of joy.

Li Yuan glanced at her condition and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad."

He reached out and, in front of everyone, rubbed her head.

Caught completely off guard, Shui Bing'er blushed at once. She subconsciously lowered her head, but did not dodge, merely pressing her lips together softly as the tips of her ears turned pink.

Li Yuan withdrew his hand and introduced them from the side. "This is Tie Mu, a rank forty-one defense-type Soul Ancestor. This is A Liang, a rank twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster. This is Shui Bing'er, a rank forty ice-type control Soul Ancestor. In the future, you may have the chance to fight side by side."

The three nodded to one another in greeting, which counted as becoming acquainted.

Li Yuan waved his hand. "Mu Sheng, take Tie Mu and A Liang to their residences to settle in first."

Mu Sheng answered, then beckoned to the two of them. "Come with me."

Tie Mu and A Liang followed Mu Sheng toward the eastern courtyard. After taking a few steps, Tie Mu could not help secretly glancing back at Li Yuan's figure, then at the Di Jun and Long Yuan, who were conversing quietly not far away.

He tightened his grip around the ten-thousand-year soul bone in his arms and held that copy of Concentration Art, suddenly feeling that the beating he had taken today, and that "dad" he had knelt and called out, was the most worthwhile deal of his entire life.

Li Yuan watched Tie Mu and A Liang walk away, then withdrew his gaze and looked at Shui Bing'er beside him.

"Bing'er, you have now reached rank forty. You only lack one soul ring to formally break through to Soul Ancestor."

Shui Bing'er nodded, anticipation in her eyes.

The threshold of Soul Ancestor was a qualitative leap for any soul master.

Li Yuan flipped his right hand, and a ring glowing all over with a dark golden radiance appeared in his palm.

The light was restrained yet heavy, the soul-power fluctuations within it gentle and vast, utterly different from the soul rings obtained by hunting ordinary soul beasts.

"This is for you."

Shui Bing'er took the halo-shimmering ring. It felt warm and smooth in her hand, and she could sense an utterly pure life force slowly flowing within it.

She looked up, her eyes filled with confusion. "Master, this is..."

"A God-Bestowed Spirit Ring," Li Yuan said calmly. "There's no need to hunt a soul beast. You can absorb it directly. It will automatically match the most suitable soul ring age and soul skill according to your martial soul and physique."

Shui Bing'er's eyes widened.

She had cultivated all the way from Tianshui Academy to this day and had read countless ancient texts, yet she had never heard of such a thing existing in the world—a soul ring that could be absorbed directly without hunting a soul beast.

There was no need to risk her life by going to Sunset Forest to search for a suitable soul beast, and no need to compete with other soul masters for a hunting target. All she had to do was sit down and absorb it.

How could something like this possibly exist?

"Master... this is too precious..."

Li Yuan waved a hand, cutting her off. "You are my woman. Something like this is nothing."

Shui Bing'er clenched the God-Bestowed Spirit Ring in her hand, her fingertips tightening slightly as a thin sheen of tears rose in her eyes.

She looked up, her eyes glistening faintly, her voice carrying a hint of a nasal tone. "From the moment I met you until now, Master, you have given me a soul bone, given me an Immortal Herb, and now you have given me a God-Bestowed Spirit Ring. Bing'er has no way to repay you. In this life, I am willing to serve at your side forever and never betray you."