After a while, Lin Jin, who had been chasing the wolves, returned with a dying Spirit Wolf slung over his shoulder.
When he arrived at the tree where they had been resting earlier, he helped Shen Xin down.
It was then that Ding Sanshi and the others noticed that someone else was with Lin Jin.
The doubts in Ding Sanshi's heart were finally cleared.
Understanding why they had run into Lin Jin in the Star Dou Forest brought him some relief.
But... how could someone from a newly established academy break through the level 10 bottleneck so quickly?
The thought left him puzzled—it seemed almost unbelievable.
"Dean, are you all right?"
Shen Xin asked, clearly worried. She anxiously examined Lin Jin's coat, running her hands over it as if searching for injuries.
"Stop—don't touch me!"
Lin Jin stepped back, flustered and annoyed, quickly pushing Shen Xin away.
She might look decent, but she was still a young girl—he couldn't let her take advantage of him.
Shen Xin stumbled back a few steps. Once she regained her footing, she glared at Lin Jin with indignation.
'I was just worried about you.'
"Here. Finish it."
Unmoved, Lin Jin pulled an ordinary dagger from his spirit guide and handed it to Shen Xin.
She snorted in response, took the dagger, and turned to face the dying Spirit Wolf.
But as she met its fierce, gleaming eyes, she hesitated.
The beast seemed poised to leap up and bite at any moment.
"Don't be afraid," Lin Jin said, assuming she was scared.
To his surprise, Shen Xin asked, "Dean, do you have to kill a spirit beast to get a spirit ring?"
Lin Jin blinked in surprise, but her meaning dawned on him.
He sighed and said solemnly, "Then let me share something with you today."
"Natural selection. Survival of the fittest."
"Long ago, humans were once the prey of spirit beasts. Now the tables have turned. But maybe—one day—we'll be the ones enslaved by an even stronger life form."
Shen Xin slowly nodded, absorbing his words.
Just then, a quiet voice cut through the air.
"What a grand idea—natural selection, survival of the fittest. Dean Lin may be young, but those words are... unsettling."
Lin Jin turned to see Ding Sanshi.
The sight of his empty left sleeve caused Lin Jin's pupils to contract, but he remained composed and replied, "I can't claim such insight as my own."
"These are truths passed down to me by those who came before. Your arm…"
"It's fine," Ding Sanshi said calmly.
"From the moment I became a spirit master, I knew this could happen someday."
After a pause, he added with a hint of admiration, "You said those were the words of predecessors. I consider myself a scholar, but I've never heard such a perspective. My knowledge still has its limits."
"Director Ding is too modest," Lin Jin said with a smile, his impression of the man quietly shifting.
With an apologetic look, Ding Sanshi said, "A great favor needs no thanks, but still—allow me to apologize for how I treated you a few days ago. Once we return, I'll pay you a proper visit to show my gratitude."
"Haha, Director Ding, you're being too serious. It was just a small favor," Lin Jin said with a casual smile, waving his hand in mock modesty.
But inside, he was practically beaming.
If he's planning to send a thank-you gift, that's perfectly polite.
Just don't go overboard—one or two thousand gold spirit coins would do nicely…
Ding Sanshi turned his gaze toward Shen Xin and the fallen Spirit Wolf, curiosity flashing in his eyes. What is the martial spirit of this child?
Shen Xin looked up at Lin Jin for permission. He gave a nod.
"Go ahead, let Director Ding have a look."
When absorbing a spirit ring, the martial spirit naturally appears. I just wanted to let you know that there was no need to hide it.
"Seven Aperture Flower?" Ding Sanshi's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Oh?" Lin Jin raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
He hadn't expected Ding Sanshi to recognize it so quickly.
This guy has some insight—far sharper than that spirit master the Spirit Hall sent to awaken spirits back in Yon Village.
Maybe he does read a lot.
"Yes, it's the Seven Aperture Flower," Lin Jin confirmed.
"But since it's a plant-type martial spirit, why did you have her absorb the spirit ring of a Spirit Wolf?"
Although Ding Sanshi was asking out of curiosity, his tone carried an unconscious edge of disapproval—a habit he had developed from years of being an academic director.
Lin Jin didn't take offense. He smiled and asked, "Director Ding, are you familiar with Yu Xiaogang?"
Ding Sanshi frowned thoughtfully for a moment.
"You mean the elder whose theories were considered too extreme and were ultimately expelled from Spirit Hall?"
"That's the one," Lin Jin replied.
"But in my opinion, the master's theories are far from crazy. They make perfect sense."
"One of his most famous ideas is the Mimicry Theory, part of his Ten Core Competencies. It proposes that the relationship between a spirit master's martial spirit and their spirit ring isn't strictly bound by type. A beast-type spirit can absorb a plant-type ring—and vice versa."
"But…" Ding Sanshi began.
"No buts," Lin Jin cut him off with a grin.
"I've studied the master's theories in depth—and even conducted several experiments myself."
He wasn't about to waste time arguing when the results spoke for themselves.
"Go ahead," Lin Jin said to Shen Xin, then added thoughtfully, "And remember what I told you earlier."
Shen Xin nodded, her expression resolute. She gripped the dagger, took a breath, then drove it into the Spirit Wolf's throat.
Blood spilled from the wound as the beast gave a final twitch and stilled.
Moments later, a soft, golden-yellow light emerged from the corpse—the spirit ring of the Spirit Wolf.
Its cultivation was 386 years, not far from the 400-year limit of a first spirit ring.
For a typical spirit master, absorbing a ring this powerful would be incredibly dangerous.
But Shen Xin wasn't typical.
Her spirit power had already reached level 10 for a long time. As long as she remained calm and focused, the risk would be significantly reduced.
[Ding! The student has begun absorbing the spirit ring. Base success rate: 86%, Success rate with protection: 97%]
Lin Jin blinked in surprise, then smiled with satisfaction.
'System, you are the best. With a 97% success rate, if she still fails, I will find a rope and hang her myself.'
Shen Xin sat down in meditation, focusing her energy as the spirit ring began to merge with her.
Time passed slowly.
During the absorption process, another instructor from Blackstone Junior Spirit Master Academy arrived with a few more students.
Upon meeting Lin Jin and understanding the situation, they were naturally full of gratitude.
One student in particular, who had believed he was doomed, looked at Lin Jin with teary-eyed reverence.
His thanks were so profuse, Lin Jin didn't know whether to laugh or cry.