After Arthur restored his spiritual and physical energy, he sat cross-legged in the center of his dimensional space, his breathing slowly stabilizing. The air around him vibrated subtly, filled with swirling spiritual energy like a golden mist. Before him, the King Moonlight Vine spirit ring hovered, emitting a cold yet mesmerizing silver aura!
"I have to finish this!" Arthur muttered, steeling his resolve before beginning to absorb the ring.
Instantly, the system space transformed into a vast sunlit meadow! Green grass swayed gently in the breeze, while wildflowers bloomed all around. The sunlight was deliberately crafted to weaken the lingering will of the King Moonlight Vine, which was still resisting fiercely!
"You can't fight your fate!" Arthur murmured, feeling the spirit's resistance gradually wane.
Unbeknownst to Arthur, in a corner of the dimensional space, Master Dwarf quietly retrieved something from the King Moonlight Vine's remains!
A moment later, Arthur opened his eyes—the spirit ring had now fully merged with him.
"Congratulations on absorbing the spirit ring, Arthur!" Jing Liu cheered, jumping excitedly. Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "What ability did you get?"
Arthur exhaled, smiling faintly. "I'll tell you later, once we're back at the academy. We start training tomorrow, so rest for now."
Jing Liu frowned. "Ah, you're always stalling!"
Arthur scanned his surroundings through his dimensional barrier and found nothing unusual. He decided to leave on his own, teleporting from one spot to another. Outside, the dark forest was shrouded under a starry night sky, but the atmosphere was no longer peaceful! Guards from the Spirit Hall stood watch near the exit wall, their numbers increased. Some gripped their weapons warily!
"They must have heard the explosion from my earlier battle," Arthur thought, his heart pounding. "But the strongest among them are probably deeper in the forest. I need to get out now!"
Quickly, Arthur racked his brain. Suddenly, an idea struck! "Ah, maybe this will work!"
He manipulated his spiritual energy, forming a small energy orb, and hurled it in the opposite direction of his escape route!
BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the forest, shattering the night's silence! The guards immediately scrambled toward the source, their shouts chaotic.
"Now!" Arthur teleported from tree to tree, his shadow barely visible in the darkness. In an instant, he had dashed past the exit wall, leaving the Spirit Hunting Forest without a trace!
"Art, isn't it time you told me about your ability?" Jing Liu pressed as they walked along the quiet path to the academy. She had emerged from the dimensional space, walking beside Arthur with an impatient expression!
Arthur sighed dramatically. "Alright, alright. My healing ability is much stronger now!" His face glowed with pride. "And for my first spirit ring, the ability is pretty impressive!"
Jing Liu crossed her arms. "Enough bragging. Get to the point!"
Arthur chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head. "Well... it's a bit... specific. I can only heal allies after hitting an enemy first!"
Jing Liu paused, then stared at him strangely. "Wait—so you can only heal people after attacking an enemy?!"
Arthur laughed awkwardly at her expression. "Yeah, pretty much! But I'm sure my second spirit ring will complement it. Or I can learn to control my energy more finely. And don't forget, I can already heal quickly even without this spirit ring!"
Jing Liu shook her head and sighed. "Fine, fine. Now, let's go heal the dorm members before they complain about their pain all night. After that, we sleep. Tomorrow's the first day of training, and I don't want you dozing off in class!"
Early morning, 4 AM—the air was still chilly, and a thin mist enveloped the academy grounds! Arthur stood in the middle of the training field, arms outstretched.
"Wake up! Everyone, wake up!" he shouted, rousing the still-groggy students.
Jing Liu, eyes half-closed, activated her spirit-gathering brooch. Spiritual energy immediately flowed around them, thickening the ambient energy within a 10-meter radius to three times the usual density!
Meditation training lasted until 5 AM, followed by light exercises. Arthur watched them with a stern gaze.
"Alright, this will be our routine for the next six months," he declared, his voice commanding. "I don't want to hear any complaints. Any objections?"
The members of Dorm 7 remained silent, some still panting and regretting making him their leader.
"Good. Since I'm your boss now, slacking off isn't an option!" Arthur asserted, his eyes scanning each face intently.
The classroom was warm with morning sunlight streaming through the wooden windows. Some students were already seated, while Arthur's group took their places in the back row.
The lesson began with meditation, guided by a gray-robed instructor. The atmosphere was serene, filled only with steady breathing and birdsong outside!
Afterward, the instructor explained the power tiers of Soul Masters up to level 90, while some students took diligent notes.
When the lesson shifted to history, Arthur gazed out the window, his mind drifting to his plans. "Six months... I have to make sure they're all ready."
Meanwhile, Jing Liu beside him had started dozing off, her head nearly dropping before Arthur nudged her gently.
"Don't sleep," he whispered, smiling. "We've only just begun."
Before they knew it, noon had arrived! The part-time students split into two groups: some cleaned the gardens and classrooms, while others tidied empty rooms. But since they were still trainees, their tasks weren't too demanding—the rest was left to the academy's maintenance staff.
"Alright, since our chores are done, we'll resume physical training—led by Jing Liu again!" Arthur announced, pointing at Jing Liu, whose sweet smile looked devilish to the exhausted trainees!
Without warning, they were hit with pressure, and the training commenced on the old school's abandoned field!
"Master, can we talk? There's something I need to tell you!" Master Dwarf said, sounding unusually excited.
"Alright, I'll let Jing Liu know first," Arthur replied.
After informing Jing Liu, Arthur appeared to be meditating—but in reality, he was conversing with Master Dwarf in the system space using his spiritual form.
"So, what did you want to discuss?" Arthur asked curiously.
"I found this in the remains of the King Moonlight Vine and studied it. It seems I can turn it into a spirit tool without reducing my crafting capacity!" Master Dwarf said, holding up what turned out to be a spirit bone!
"That's a spirit bone? A finger bone can be made into a spirit tool too? But spirit bones are incredibly rare! By the way, what ability does it have?" Arthur asked.
"Its ability is to mark someone as friend or foe, letting you lock onto a target and activate its power!" Master Dwarf explained.
"Wait, what if I mark someone as both friend and enemy? Wouldn't that let me use my first spirit ring's ability more flexibly?" Arthur realized.
"Technically, yes—there's no restriction on having both marks on one body!" Master Dwarf confirmed.
"Alright, then I want you to forge it into thin black gloves!" Arthur decided.
"Got it! This'll take about two hours in real time," Master Dwarf replied before heading straight to his spirit tool workshop, leaving Arthur to return to the physical world.
Amid birdsong, under drifting clouds and a gentle breeze, Dorm 7's training session had already lasted an hour—and that was just the warm-up!
Meanwhile, Arthur stood still. He was trying to sense the energy of nature—not the ordinary spiritual energy used by most Soul Masters! He sought to grasp the wild spiritual energy used by spirit beasts.
His curiosity had been piqued after seeing Jing Liu consolidating her first spirit ring, and now he was determined to develop a Sage Mode variant using soul energy!
TO BE CONTINUED...