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Ding Sanshi and the others didn't wait for Shen Xin to finish absorbing her spirit ring.
After a brief chat, they hurriedly left the Star Dou Forest, leaving behind only a simple treatment for his missing arm.
Without further care, it risked infection and other complications.
Shen Xin sat quietly beside the fallen Netherworld Wolf, the bright yellow spirit ring circling her body slowly, like a halo.
["Progress: 10%"]
Lin Jin glanced at her. A translucent progress bar floated in front of his eyes—Shen Xin's spirit ring absorption was still in its early stages.
He settled down a short distance away from her. But before long, the stench of blood lingering in the air became too much.
Wrinkling his nose, Lin Jin stood up and began gathering the corpses scattered around, burying them one by one.
The Star Dou Forest had its own natural purification system.
Soon, everything that had once lived and perished there would fade into the forest, leaving no trace behind.
The sun rose and the moon fell. In the blink of an eye, a new day dawned.
As a light morning mist spread through the Star Forest, Lin Jin noticed Shen Xin nearing the end of her spirit ring absorption.
["Progress: 99%"]
["Progress: 100%"]
Just as the bar maxed out, the system's voice echoed in Lin Jin's mind before he could even exhale in relief.
["Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the hidden mission – The Baby Eagle Takes Off."]
["Reward acquired: Spirit Skill Sublimation!"]
["Randomly selecting spirit ring... Ding! First spirit ring selected. The first spirit skill has been sublimated."]
"What the hell?!"
Lin Jin was momentarily stunned by the barrage of system notifications. As the voice faded, he immediately pulled up his system panel to check the changes to his first spirit skill.
[First Spirit Skill: The Dignified Dean]
[Effect 1: The dignity of the dean is sacred and inviolable. When holding the ruler, all students, tutors, and those with ill intentions will feel a sense of awe—Active Spirit Skill.]
[Effect 2: Striking students with the ruler increases their chance of achieving epiphany. While in an epiphany state, their training speed increases significantly, with an opportunity to comprehend a self-created spirit skill – Active effect.]
Compared to the original version, the newly sublimated spirit skill now has two clear active effects.
"Striking increases the chance of epiphany?"
Lin Jin rubbed his chin thoughtfully, eyes sparkling with amusement.
'If that's the case, I might just have to drag those brats out every morning for some motivational 'training' until they start having epiphanies...'
He chuckled to himself, the corners of his mouth curling up uncontrollably.
"Dean!"
Shen Xin's voice suddenly called out, snapping Lin Jin back to reality. He turned to look at her, smiling.
"You're done? Great! Quick, tell me what your first spirit skill is."
But Shen Xin didn't look excited. Her pretty brows were slightly furrowed as she stared at Lin Jin with suspicion.
She gave him a once-over, narrowing her eyes.
"Dean… what were you thinking just now? You looked so pervy!"
"Wha—Pervy?!"
Lin Jin instinctively touched the corner of his lips, realizing too late that his grin must have looked rather inappropriate.
His face froze, then shifted into a mix of awkwardness and guilt.
'No way I can tell her I was imagining beating my students until they reached enlightenment.'
He forced a casual laugh, brushing it off.
"Ah, it's nothing! Just had a funny thought. Anyway, let's focus—tell me about your first spirit skill."
After that, Lin Jin looked at her with anticipation. He was genuinely curious about Shen Xin's first spirit skill.
After all, this was the first time he'd taken students to obtain their spirit rings. The journey had been rough and full of challenges—he needed to see whether the results had been worth it.
Shen Xin glanced at Lin Jin suspiciously, but she didn't press the issue. Maybe she was too embarrassed to refuse the hopeful look in his eyes.
A bright yellow spirit ring suddenly rose from beneath her feet. Its gentle glow resembled the morning sun diffused through the foggy forest.
At the same time, a Seven Aperture Flower bloomed rapidly in her palm. It sprouted and blossomed within the blink of an eye.
The pure white petals fluttered softly in the wind, like a graceful dancer twirling midair.
Shen Xin spoke softly, "Flowers bloom for me, and the Darkness walk with me."
As the spirit incantation ended, the pure white flower transformed into a deep, dark blue.
Shen Xin plucked a single petal and handed it to Lin Jin.
He blinked in surprise, then recalled that Seven Aperture Flower belonged to the food-type spirit category.
Taking the petal, he raised an eyebrow with a teasing smile.
"It's not poisonous, right?"
Shen Xin glared at him and stomped her foot.
"Of course not!"
"I'm kidding," Lin Jin chuckled.
"So, what does it do?"
Holding the petal between his fingers, it felt no different from a normal flower—soft and delicate.
A gentle squeeze even produced a bit of moisture.
It looked pretty, sure—but did it do anything?
Shen Xin closed her eyes and focused, then opened them as she explained,
"My first spirit skill absorbs the speed trait of the Netherworld Wolf. After eating it, movement speed is boosted by 20%, and in darkness, this increases by an additional 5%. As my spiritual power level increases, the effects should improve as well."
"Twenty percent speed? That's pretty solid."
Lin Jin nodded, then popped the petal into his mouth. It was soft and smooth, with a faintly sweet but slightly astringent taste as he chewed.
Almost immediately, he felt a subtle shift—something unseen brushing against his awareness, though he couldn't touch or see it.
A glance at the system panel revealed a new status effect:
[Agility Buff: Speed increased by 20%. An additional 5% increase in darkness.]
"Let me try it out."
Lin Jin cracked his knuckles, facing forward with a grin of anticipation.
"Whoosh!"
In the next instant, his body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. He vanished into the thick forest in the blink of an eye.
"Dean?!"
Shen Xin's expression changed immediately. She looked around in alarm.
The fog-filled forest was eerily quiet. Lin Jin had completely disappeared from view.
Her heart raced.
'What if he got lost? What if I ran into those wolves again...?'
Her face paled, and her voice trembled as she called out, barely above a whisper,
"D-Dean… Dean…"
"What's wrong?"
A familiar voice came from behind her.
Startled, Shen Xin turned around—and saw Lin Jin strolling casually out of the mist.
"Your spirit skill is seriously impressive," he said, clearly amazed.
"No wonder food-type spirit masters are so valued. It's basically like a built-in cheat code!"
He grinned as he walked up to her, completely unaware of her panic just moments earlier.