It had been two months since Lin Xuan opened up his Sea of Spirit. Originally, he had planned to immediately apply for someone to escort him to acquire his third spirit ring, but after Ning Qin told him that it was possible to continue cultivating even without a new ring, he no longer felt rushed. During this period, three of his classmates—Tuo Dun, Lin Fan, and Qing Qing—also broke through to the Spirit Elder realm, achieving this through repeated real combat to stimulate their potential. This teaching method was undeniably effective.
"That's the end of today's combat practice. Lin Xuan, you four, pack up. Tomorrow, Elder Ning Qin and Elder Xingbu Ji will take you to the Star Dou Forest to get your third spirit ring. Be respectful to your senior schoolmates who will be coming along. The rest of the class will be taught by other instructors."
At the end of class, Ning Qin stopped the four of them and announced. Lin Xuan clenched his fists in excitement—he could finally obtain his third spirit ring. He'd been suppressed by Xuan Ye in recent weeks; getting this ring would be a game-changer.
He didn't go to the cafeteria. It had been five days since he last checked on Xingbu Ji. Lin Xuan didn't expect that she was still on the Douluo Continent. By now, he had thought she would have gone back once things settled down. Instead, she had stayed on as an elder, although all she did was stay holed up in her room doing nothing.
"Elder, it's time to eat—please open the door."
Lin Xuan arrived at Xingbu Ji's residence and saw a maid anxiously knocking at the door while holding a tray of food. Lin Xuan covered his face in exasperation. Every time he visited, he saw this same scene.
"Ah, leave the food with me. Go ahead with your tasks."
Lin Xuan walked over, took the food with a smile, and the maid left relieved. Lin Xuan was the only one in the entire Spirit Hall who had a spare key to Xingbu Ji's room.
As he opened the door, a strong scent of mint rushed into his nose. It was so overwhelming that Lin Xuan had to cover his nose. Though the room was full of the fresh scent, it was also a complete mess, just like Ning Qin's place. There was hardly any room to step. Xingbu Ji had stayed up all night again and was now sleeping like a pig.
"Hey, hey, wake up already. You're so lazy."
Lin Xuan looked at her sprawled out on the floor like a corpse and complained with disgust. She was lying face down with her leg having just knocked over an air freshener, spilling concentrated mint oil all over the place. Her white stockings were now stained green.
"Ugh, this is a disaster. Why do you even wear white stockings if you're such a shut-in? Sleeping on this filthy floor just turns them into black ones."
Lin Xuan sighed and began picking up the stockings from the floor and tossing them into a bucket. One was missing. As he cleaned up the room full of scattered clothes, he noticed that the outfit Xingbu Ji was wearing was one he had ordered through his "golden finger" (a cheat item system). After he helped her buy clothes last time, they had exchanged contact information. Since then, he'd gotten many things through her channel.
"Hey! Are you dead or what?"
Lin Xuan patted her cheek, but all he got was a sleepy grunt. Still no movement. With no other choice, he pulled open the curtains. The sudden burst of sunlight made Xingbu Ji spring up like a startled cat.
"You bastard! My eyes! You dare let a bat get hit by sunlight?!"
She scrambled to draw the curtains shut again and punched Lin Xuan in the chest. Even though she didn't hit very hard, the blow still sent Lin Xuan flying into the wall, leaving another familiar dent. This wasn't the first time he'd been slammed there during wake-up calls.
"You crazy woman! I was trying to help you clean, and you still hit me!"
Lin Xuan grumbled as he climbed out of the hole in the wall. Xingbu Ji just snorted angrily, then pulled the blanket over herself and went back to sleep. Helpless, Lin Xuan sat down and started playing video games instead—he also ate the food meant for her.
"Seriously, another all-nighter? What era is this game from? The graphics are so rough."
He muttered while playing Metal Slug. Electricity for the console was supplied in a lump sum by lightning-type soul masters. After a while, Lin Xuan quit the game and returned to cultivating. His opponents in the Soul Master Tournament were all stronger than he was—he only had a year and a half left to prepare.
Thus, while one slept and the other trained, they spent the entire night in silence. The next morning, Lin Xuan came out of his cultivation, and Xingbu Ji finally woke up—she had been asleep for an entire day.
"So sleepy… huh? Why are you still in my room? Don't you have class today?"
She rubbed her eyes and asked groggily. Lin Xuan's face twitched. No one had told her she was supposed to lead a team to the Star Dou Forest?
"Get up already. You and Teacher Ning Qin are supposed to lead the team this morning to collect spirit rings!"
His voice pierced her soul like a blade. Xingbu Ji shivered. The mere thought of the Star Dou Forest environment filled her with dread.
"No way! I'm not going! Not even if I die! Lin Xuan, just tell them I'm sick, okay?"
She instantly lay on the floor, throwing a tantrum like a child. Lin Xuan was stunned—he hesitated when she pouted at him. His cheeks flushed for a second, but then he realized something was wrong.
"You damn fox! You tried to charm a kid?!"
Inside his Sea of Spirit, Lin Xuan noticed something strange—his spiritual water had suddenly turned pink. That's when he realized Xingbu Ji had used her Charm skill on him. A Soul Sage charming a Spirit Elder could go unnoticed.
"Arah~ You found out? Oops, my bad."
Xingbu Ji smirked devilishly. Just now, she had keenly snapped a mental photo of Lin Xuan blushing—and he hadn't even realized it.
"Get moving! If you don't, I'll tell Xiao Qi to take away your game console!"
"Noooooo!"
After thirty minutes of chaos, Xingbu Ji finally gave in. She showered, put on her black elder's robe, and left with Lin Xuan toward the school gate. Along the way, she looked like she was going to die. If Lin Xuan hadn't been dragging her along, she probably would've run back home.
"Ah, finally."
At the gate, Ning Qin sighed impatiently. He had been about to go call them himself.
"Teacher, is this the Brother Lin my father told me about?"
A chubby teen next to Ning Qin asked with a smile. He weighed about 180 pounds and looked like a small mountain. This was Qian Mo Shang—the Pope's son.
"Brother Qian, is this the kid you were so curious about?"
Another burly youth beside Qian Mo Shang said. He was Xu Yibai, heir of the Xuanming Sect, one of the four lower sects, and its future patriarch. Standing next to him was Lan Luoluo. These three were the elite sixth-year representatives.
"Sorry, I'm late."
Lin Xuan ran over, panting. He had rushed all the way here, dragging along the dead weight that was Xingbu Ji. She had no choice but to tag along; after all, her mission was to protect Lin Xuan.
"Brother Lin Xuan, I'm Qian Mo Shang. Let's get to know each other—I'm also one of the competition participants."
Qian Mo Shang eagerly walked up and grabbed Lin Xuan's hand with his greasy palms. Though Lin Xuan frowned slightly, he didn't pull back—it was basic manners, after all.
"Gross."
Lan Luoluo, standing nearby, scowled at Qian Mo Shang. Her disgust wasn't just because of his weight, but also his arrogance. The team lineup hadn't even been finalized, and he was already acting like he was a sure pick.
"Alright, alright. Teacher Xingbu Ji, let's get going."
Ning Qin quickly intervened before the tension escalated further. These people all had powerful backers. Tuo Dun, Lin Fan, and Qing Qing were so intimidated that they dared not even speak. Only with Lin Xuan beside them could they relax.
"Wait! Elder Ning Qin, I've been ordered by the Pope to escort you directly to the Star Dou Forest."
Just as they were about to leave, another elder appeared, also dressed in a black robe like Xingbu Ji's—but with a distinctive red stripe. This marked him as a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse.
"Elder Mo? You didn't have to come—we're not in a rush."
Ning Qin frowned slightly. The Pope was spoiling the younger generation a bit too much. He had hoped to use the travel time to ask the students what kind of spirit beasts they wanted for their rings. With Elder Mo around, they'd arrive in just half a day.
"It's fine, it's fine. If I don't move around, these old bones will rust. I'm honored that the Pope still remembers me."
Elder Mo waved his hand dismissively and gave Ning Qin a meaningful glance. Ning Qin paused, not quite understanding, but he figured the Pope had arranged it deliberately.
"Everyone, step back a bit. I'm going to release my Martial Soul's true form."
Elder Mo gave them a kind smile. Lin Xuan and the others quickly moved back. Then Elder Mo summoned his Martial Soul—huge silver wings burst from his back. Surrounding him were two yellow, two purple, and four black spirit rings—eight in total. His seventh ring lit up, and he transformed into a 20-meter-tall, 1-meter-wide giant silver eagle.
"Screeech!"
The Silver Eagle let out a piercing cry and flapped its massive wings. Ning Qin and Xingbu Ji led everyone onto its back. Once all were aboard, Elder Mo took to the skies. People in the city below looked up in amazement—many mistook it for a flying spirit beast.
"Wow, so steady!"
Lin Fan and Qing Qing looked down in awe. On the eagle's back, they felt no turbulence or resistance. Tuo Dun and Lin Xuan were more composed, though still clearly intrigued.
"Sit down. I'm going to sleep on your lap."
Xingbu Ji walked up to Lin Xuan and made her demand. Lin Xuan's hair stood on end immediately—everyone's gaze had shifted to him, and even Elder Mo turned his massive eagle head to stare.
(End of Chapter)