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"Ding Sanshi?"
Lin Jin lowered his head, muttering the name to himself. Then, a slight smirk appeared on his lips.
It sounded like the name of a classic villain.
Pushing through the crowd, Ding Sanshi led four followers toward the entrance of Tianxing Spirit Master Academy.
His eyes locked onto Lin Jin, standing less than five meters away.
Lin Jin intrigued, returned his gaze, though his attention was more on the system panel floating beside them than on Ding Sanshi.
[Name: Ding Sanshi]
[Martial Spirit: Iron Sword]
[Spirit Power: Level 42]
[Threat Level: N]
"Pathetically weak," Lin Jin muttered under his breath.
Although Ding Sanshi's spirit power was technically one level higher than his, the system had rated his threat level as only an N—the lowest rank.
If not for protocol, Lin Jin suspected the system wouldn't have bothered with a rating at all.
As for Ding Sanshi's entourage? They were even more unimpressive.
Despite all being spirit masters, the strongest among them barely reached level 18.
Weaklings.
While Lin Jin was silently mocking them, the system chimed in:
[Ding! New Task Released.]
[Mission: Secure the Academy!]
[Mission Description: Tianxing Academy is newly established and vulnerable. To protect the academy and demonstrate your strength, repel the intruders.]
[Reward: Spirit Power will increase by one level.]
Lin Jin's eyes lit up with excitement.
Looking back at Ding Sanshi, he asked coolly, "What did you just say?"
Ding Sanshi sneered.
"Trash will always be trash. There's no future for someone like them. Have you ever seen a Titled Douluo that started as a waste spirit? Which Titled Douluo only had half a level or a single level of innate spirit power?"
Parents outside the academy glared at Ding Sanshi, many of them grinding their teeth in anger, their eyes filled with contempt.
But Ding Sanshi ignored their hostility with his arms crossed and an indifferent stance.
He stood confidently, believing every word he spoke.
In his eyes, lacking talent meant no chance of becoming a spirit master.
Lin Jin began to laugh softly. His body surged with spirit power, and in an instant, four spirit rings appeared at his feet.
White. White. White. White.
Four glowing spirit rings, as pristine as jade.
While they appeared beautiful, their pure white color was unmistakable to anyone knowledgeable.
The onlookers, with some level of insight, exchanged uneasy glances.
Even Dai Mubai, hidden in the crowd, looked perplexed.
The only one unfazed was Peng Fan, also concealed in the crowd.
He already knew Lin Jin's strength and glared daggers at Ding Sanshi, shouting in his mind,
'Beat that guy!'
Ding Sanshi chuckled, nearly laughing out loud.
Are those all ten-year spirit rings?
Any spirit master would know that a ten-year spirit ring was the weakest possible! It wasn't even acceptable as a first spirit ring for most.
The first spirit ring had to be at least a hundred years old in any prestigious family or clan.
Even for academy-trained spirit masters, it was common to see their first spirit ring as a ten-year one, but by the time they reached the fourth, they'd have century-old rings.
But all four of Lin Jin's rings were only ten-year rings? Ding Sanshi had never heard of something so absurd.
Yet... this guy seemed at least in his early twenties.
How could he have such high spirit power?
Suspicion flashed across Ding Sanshi's eyes.
Lin Jin remained calm, his expression unchanged. He smiled at the gathered crowd and spoke in a booming voice, "To some people, ten-year spirit rings might seem laughable, right?"
Holding a ruler-like weapon, Lin Jin chuckled bitterly.
Yet, an ethereal, vast aura radiated from him, swirling powerfully and drawing everyone's attention.
"I wasn't naturally gifted. My innate spirit power was only at level two, and my martial spirit wasn't strong either."
Lin Jin spoke calmly, smiling as he looked ahead. The crowd listened intently, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Ding Sanshi didn't interrupt—he was curious to see what Lin Jin had to say.
Lin Jin continued, "Back then, like many of you here, I couldn't even get into a junior spirit master academy. But I wasn't willing to accept that. I'm the kind of person who won't give up if there's even a sliver of hope. So, I started training on my own, day and night."
The crowd listened in silence, captivated by his words.
"Spirit power cultivation is monotonous and tedious. It tests your patience and perseverance," Lin Jin said.
"But for over ten years, I trained relentlessly, never stopping, despite my measly two levels of innate spirit power. And now, I've broken through—I'm a Spirit Sect!"
His words sent a ripple of surprise through the crowd, but Lin Jin remained calm.
"I didn't have any resources to support me. No family backing, no help hunting spirit rings—I had to rely entirely on myself."
"I still remember how I got my first spirit ring. I went alone to the outskirts of a spirit beast forest and set a trap for a ten-year spirit beast. At the time, I had no idea about the relationship between martial spirits and spirit rings."
"When I absorbed that first spirit ring, it was excruciating. Spirit power surged through my body, tearing me apart from the inside. I would have died at any moment."
He paused, allowing the weight of his words to sink in.
"But I gritted my teeth and pushed through the pain. I earned my first spirit ring. Unfortunately, my first spirit skill was weak and almost useless. That's when I realized there was a lot I didn't understand about martial spirits and spirit rings."
Lin Jin shrugged, his smile never faltering.
"But regardless, I had become a spirit master."
He looked around at the crowd, their eyes fixed on him.
"So, I went to Spirit Hall to register and started receiving the spirit master subsidy—one gold spirit coin every month."
Someone in the crowd gasped, "There's a subsidy for becoming a spirit master?"
A wave of murmurs spread through the onlookers.
Although many knew the prestige that came with being a spirit master, few ordinary people were aware of the specifics.
Lin Jin smiled, nodding.
"Yes. Once you're recognized as a spirit master, you get one gold spirit coin every month. If you become a Spirit Master, you receive ten gold spirit coins monthly."
The crowd was in awe.
"Ten gold spirit coins?" someone whispered, astonished.
"That's right," Lin Jin confirmed.
"That gold spirit coin initially helped me cover my living expenses. I even had extra time to read and learn at the Spirit Hall library. The failure of my first spirit skill taught me how important knowledge is."
"So, from that point on, besides cultivating spirit power, I made it a daily task to study."
"Day after day, I continued this routine and eventually became a Spirit Sect. But I know there are many out there just like me. I want to show them through my own experience that, no matter how bleak it seems, as long as there's a glimmer of hope, never give up!"
"I've come here today with that dream, using my hard-earned savings to make it a reality."
His words moved many in the crowd, their eyes reflecting newfound determination.
Some silently resolved to help their children become spirit masters, their hearts stirred by Lin Jin's story.
Lin Jin, however, felt a pang of guilt. He had stirred the crowd with this motivational speech—his version of "spirit chicken soup."
But deep down, he knew he had exaggerated. Still, even with just half a level of spirit power, it was theoretically possible to become a spirit master.
Even Ding Sanshi seemed drawn in by the tale, but soon snapped out of it.
He frowned and asked, "But why are your last three spirit rings still ten-year rings?"
Lin Jin smiled. "It's all part of testing a theory."
"Whose theory?" Ding Sanshi scoffed.
"Yu Xiaogang. You can call him 'Master.' Though you've probably never heard of him."
Ding Sanshi indeed had no idea who this 'Master' was, but it didn't stop him from challenging Lin Jin. He sneered, saying, "A spirit master's strength is paramount. How can you prove your strength when all four of your spirit rings are only ten years old?"
"You're welcome to try me and find out," Lin Jin replied with a grin.