Ever since he had learned that Lu Yuan’s spirit power was only “half a level,” Yu Xiaogang hadn’t appeared before him even once.
Lu Yuan was perfectly happy with that arrangement.
Every day, without fail, he cultivated and studied.
Finally, about half a month before the semester was set to begin, Lu Yuan went to see Director Su.
“What?
You’ve already broken through to level ten!”
Upon learning the reason for Lu Yuan’s visit, Su Daqiang was so startled that he shot up from his chair.
He quickly walked over to Lu Yuan’s side, wishing fervently that Lu Yuan were his own disciple—or even his own child.
“It’s only been two and a half months!”
“Lu Yuan, you’re simply a genius—no, you’re a monster.”
“Even the scions of those great families couldn’t match this cultivation speed!”
“Hehe.” Lu Yuan let out a couple of sheepish laughs and flattered Su Daqiang: “This is all thanks to you, Teacher Su.
If it weren’t for that Basic Meditation Method you gave me, I’d probably still be playing in the mud somewhere.”
“Oh, and Teacher Su, now that my spirit power has reached level ten, when are we going to obtain my spirit ring?”
“Let me calm down first.” Sitting back down, Su Daqiang picked up the cup beside him and drained the water in one gulp.
After regaining his composure, he tapped his fingers rhythmically on the desk, producing a series of “tap, tap, tap” sounds.
“You’re right.
Since you’ve reached level ten, we need to find you a proper spirit ring.”
Changing tack, Su Daqiang looked at Lu Yuan again, as if testing him, and asked in a gentle tone: “Regarding your first spirit ring, do you have any ideas?”
After a moment’s thought, Lu Yuan said: “I’ve been reading some books about spirit beasts and spirit masters during this time.”
“For my first spirit ring, I plan to obtain one that enhances my defense.”
“Oh?
Tell me more.” Lu Yuan’s words piqued Su Daqiang’s curiosity.
He shifted to a more comfortable position and said, “Go on.”
“As you know, my martial soul is a beast martial soul, which naturally requires close-quarters combat.
For my first spirit ring, choosing something that boosts defense—like the Ironclad Rhino—”
“its spirit ring can grant me decent defensive capabilities, giving me a means of survival in the early stages.”
“After all, a genius who hasn’t grown up is still just a genius.”
Clap, clap, clap!
After listening to Lu Yuan’s explanation, Su Daqiang was visibly delighted.
His eyes shone with admiration for Lu Yuan, and he didn’t hold back his praise, even applauding unconsciously.
“Excellent.
A genius who hasn’t grown is ultimately just a genius—only by surviving can one become a true powerhouse.”
“Actually, my thoughts align with yours.
Compared to attack-type spirit abilities, defensive ones are more suitable for you right now.”
“After all, the attack power of a first spirit ring isn’t that impressive anyway.”
Tomorrow morning, I’ll take you to obtain your spirit ring.”
“Yes, thank you, Teacher Su.”
“Mm-hmm.
Go pack what you need—like dry rations, beast-repelling powder, and water.”
“Yes!”
After bowing to Su Daqiang, Lu Yuan turned and left.
Looking at the familiar campus, the excitement in Lu Yuan’s heart surged forth once more.
“Two and a half months of hard work haven’t been in vain.
Finally, I can get what I’ve been striving for.”
“After obtaining my first spirit ring, I can use the excuse of visiting home to head to the Sunset Forest near Heaven Dou City for my second spirit ring.”
“By then, my strength will undergo a true transformation!”
With his heart pounding with excitement, Lu Yuan jogged back to the dormitory and quickly packed his belongings.
…
The next morning.
Looking at Lu Yuan, who was carrying a bulging bundle, Su Daqiang asked as a matter of habit: “You’ve got everything, right?”
“All set—food, water, beast-repelling powder—it’s all in my pack.”
“Good.
Let’s go!”
The two of them walked out of the school gate together, boarded a carriage at the entrance, and headed for the entrance of the Hunting Spirit Forest.
Along the way, Su Daqiang carefully explained to Lu Yuan various things to keep in mind while hunting—like how to obtain a hunting order—while Lu Yuan listened attentively, occasionally asking a few questions.
Before long, the driver brought them to a bustling market town.
After paying the fare, Lu Yuan followed closely beside Su Daqiang as they made their way deeper into the town.
Listening to the rough, burly men in armor and carrying blades hawking their services by the roadside—looking for teammates to hunt spirit beasts—one might have mistaken them for vegetable vendors if not for the context.
Noticing that Lu Yuan kept turning his head toward the hunting squads by the roadside, Su Daqiang assumed the boy was worried that he alone couldn’t handle the spirit beasts.
Not wanting to be underestimated by his student, and for the sake of masculine pride, Su Daqiang ruffled Lu Yuan’s hair and said in a relaxed tone:
“Don’t worry.
Though I’m only a four-ring Spirit Ancestor and might not be able to handle ten-thousand-year spirit beasts, dealing with four- or five-thousand-year ones is still a piece of cake.”
Hearing this somewhat inexplicable reassurance, Lu Yuan was briefly baffled.
But feeling the large hand continuously rubbing his head, he realized that Su Daqiang was trying to bolster his courage in this way because he was worried about him.
“Mm-hmm, I believe in you!”
“Good!”
Neither of them said anything more.
Su Daqiang withdrew his right hand, and the two—one tall, one small—continued walking forward into the morning sun.
The farther they went, the quieter the surrounding clamor became.
When they reached the end of the road, Su Daqiang pulled out the hunting order from his pocket and handed it to the soldier guarding the entrance.
After a brief glance, the soldier opened the gate and let them through.
Stepping into the Hunting Spirit Forest, Lu Yuan could immediately sense the difference from the woods on the outskirts of his village.
Su Daqiang pointed at a glowing plant in front of them and quizzed Lu Yuan.
Almost without thinking, Lu Yuan answered: “This is Firefly Grass—a decade-old plant-type spirit beast.
It’s not much more useful than Blue Silver Grass except for providing illumination.”
Before long, Su Daqiang asked another question: “What’s the name of that little creature we scared off up ahead?”
Lu Yuan answered just as quickly: “Burrowing Mouse.
About thirty years of cultivation, but rather timid.
It’s a staple prey for carnivores in the Hunting Spirit Forest.
It has decent burrowing abilities and is quite popular among treasure-hunting spirit masters.”
And so, whenever they passed by a new or unusual plant or animal spirit beast, Su Daqiang would point and have Lu Yuan identify it.
The deeper they ventured, the more profound Su Daqiang’s inner shock became.
He had originally wanted to indulge in the feeling of being a wise teacher, but he hadn’t expected that Lu Yuan’s foundational knowledge was so solid.
Even if Su Daqiang had wanted to find fault, he couldn’t.
Seeing Su Daqiang looking somewhat dejected, Lu Yuan spoke up to break the silence: “Teacher Su, may I ask—what age range of spirit ring are we planning to hunt for?”
Wanting to foster Lu Yuan’s independent thinking, and also to show off a bit in front of him, Su Daqiang unusually didn’t answer directly.
Instead, he smiled and asked back: “What age do you think would be suitable?”
Hearing Su Daqiang’s counter-question, Lu Yuan thought carefully for a moment, then slowly said: “Eight hundred years!”
This number was something Lu Yuan had deliberated over thoroughly.
He could probably absorb a thousand-year spirit ring as well, but that would be too conspicuous and didn’t align with his early strategy of lying low.
An eight-hundred-year ring was just right.
After hearing Lu Yuan’s answer, Su Daqiang suddenly stopped walking, and his brow furrowed slightly.
He was puzzled.
He wondered whether Lu Yuan truly understood the limits of what a spirit master could absorb, or if he was simply trying to show off.
“I don’t believe you don’t understand the limits of spirit ring absorption.” But not wanting to dampen Lu Yuan’s enthusiasm, he still said patiently: “Give me your reasoning.”
“Yes!”
Seeing that Su Daqiang hadn’t gotten angry at his words, Lu Yuan quickly explained: “Regarding what you just said about the limits of spirit ring absorption, I don’t think it can be generalized.”
“There’s a huge difference between what a top-tier beast martial soul spirit master and an ordinary sickle martial soul spirit master can absorb in terms of spirit ring age limits.”
Su Daqiang nodded in agreement.
Seeing that Su Daqiang concurred, Lu Yuan pressed on while the iron was hot: “Take my martial soul, for example.
You may not be fully aware of how much of a boost it gives to my body.”
“I can tell you this—those meat jerky you ate last time were made from a tiger I hunted alone right after I awakened my martial soul.”
“With my current physical constitution, just relying on my raw physical strength, I could even take on a Spirit Elder with a beast martial soul.”
“So I’m really not joking with you.
I believe that an eight-hundred-year spirit beast is not my limit.”
After laying out his true thoughts, Lu Yuan stared intently at Su Daqiang.
He knew Su Daqiang was a responsible and earnest teacher, but he hoped Su Daqiang would support him in this.
Su Daqiang fell into deep thought, and the surrounding sounds seemed to sink into a deathly silence.