Night arrived as expected, and along with it, another figure entered Lin Xiao's dormitory.
"Teacher." Lin Xiao bowed respectfully, then slightly raised his head, intently staring into the eyes of Nightmare Douluo.
He saw no trace of anything unusual in them.
"Mm." Nightmare Douluo wore a smile. "Did you gain anything from accompanying the Sect Leader on this trip?"
"The gains were decent," Lin Xiao replied calmly.
Sometimes, the abilities of evil soul masters were indeed enviable. After the battlefield trip, his soul power level had broken through consecutively, now just reaching level fifty-seven.
With the addition of his soul bone, he had advanced five levels in less than a year. Such a cultivation speed was not inferior to those so-called "monstrous" geniuses.
"Not bad," Nightmare Douluo said.
"Teacher, are there any other tasks for this disciple to undertake recently?" Lin Xiao asked.
Nightmare Douluo nodded with satisfaction. This spirit ascension ceremony was truly useful; he had never seen Lin Xiao so proactive before. "There are none for now, but it won't be long before there's an opportunity for you to act."
"Also, you already know the location of the branch altar in Mingdu. I'm usually there, so you can come find me anytime if you need something. If there's a need for you, I'll leave a message."
"This disciple understands."
Nightmare Douluo grew even more pleased. Though he had taken some risks back then, the results now seemed worthwhile. Not only had Lin Xiao gained five ten-thousand-year soul rings, but his personality had also become more obedient.
Lin Xiao kept his head lowered, yet through another perspective, he could look down at Nightmare Douluo from above.
A figure was constantly moving within the wall. Seeing that Nightmare Douluo showed no signs of noticing, its movements grew bolder, half its head emerging above Nightmare Douluo's head, licking its lips.
Lin Xiao acted as if nothing was happening, standing quietly in place, though he felt much more at ease in his heart.
The abilities of the elders in the Holy Spirit Sect varied greatly. If the person before him was the Fifth Elder, Myriad Soul Douluo, with his Myriad Soul Banner martial soul, Lin Xiao wouldn't dare make such a move, as Myriad Soul Douluo was extremely sensitive to soul auras.
But Nightmare Douluo, standing before him, was more attuned to sensing others' emotions rather than their souls. Lin Xiao seized this opportunity to test the waters slightly. Even if exposed, with the spirit ascension ceremony in play, Nightmare Douluo wouldn't immediately suspect him.
Seeing Nightmare Douluo's reaction, however, Lin Xiao's mind began to churn with many thoughts.
"Alright, you've just returned from the prison. Go rest," Nightmare Douluo said.
"Yes, Teacher." Lin Xiao responded, and only after a long while did he slowly straighten up, his eyes narrowing as he pondered something.
After his trip to the prison, Lin Xiao's life seemed to have calmed down significantly. Apart from studying soul tools and meditating, there were no other trivial matters, much like the other students at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Tool Academy.
The carving knife danced like a butterfly in Lin Xiao's hands, and in just a moment, a brand-new formation took shape.
Lin Jiayi, standing nearby, couldn't even count how many times he had marveled at Lin Xiao's talent. Such mental strength and control over soul power would make any soul mentor envious.
Lin Xiao, however, didn't think of himself as particularly gifted. With his Soul King cultivation, inscribing a level-two soul tool formation was naturally effortless.
It was like an adult studying alongside a group of second-grade children. Even if he had never studied before, he would grasp things much faster than the other kids.
But this also inadvertently made Lin Xiao realize a path suited for himself.
For other soul mentors, their talent in soul master cultivation wasn't particularly high, so to create and use higher-level soul tools, they would even sacrifice future potential by using drugs to boost their soul power levels.
For Lin Xiao, however, whether due to his innate soul power or the uniqueness of his martial soul, he didn't need to worry about insufficient soul power levels.
When his soul power reached a certain level, learning low-level soul tools became effortless.
He could focus most of his energy on cultivation. As long as his soul power level was high enough and his control over soul power became more refined, creating soul tools would naturally be much easier.
The noisy chatter of the students outside interrupted Lin Xiao's thoughts, snapping Lin Jiayi back to reality as well. His soul tool research lab was designed with soundproofing, so for noise to be audible inside, it must be quite chaotic outside.
Glancing out the window, Lin Jiayi chuckled. "I've been so focused on teaching you soul tool crafting these days that I almost forgot the time. Today is the day new students enroll. There should be plenty of new faces. Want to come with me to take a look and rest a bit?"
"Sure," Lin Xiao replied, standing up and stretching. Though crafting soul tools wasn't difficult, sitting at a desk for so long wasn't exactly comfortable.
As soon as they stepped out of the research lab, the sounds from outside flooded in—various excited voices chattering nonstop.
"You were specially admitted to the academy, so you probably don't know the process for enrolling new students," Lin Jiayi said as he walked forward. "It's similar to when you first arrived, but new students must undergo a physical test before it's decided whether they'll be admitted."
Lin Xiao followed behind, knowing full well that the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Tool Academy's physical test was more like an evaluation of a student's overall strength. Combined with their age, it could roughly determine their talent.
"Huh, why's he here?" Lin Jiayi remarked.
Following Lin Jiayi's gaze, Lin Xiao saw a very young man standing outside the testing room, looking no older than twenty, perhaps not even thirty.
"Teacher, who is that?" Lin Xiao asked.
"You probably haven't met him. His name is Xuan Ziwen, and he's considered the youngest teacher at our Sun Moon Imperial Soul Tool Academy," Lin Jiayi said, his eyes showing a hint of admiration as he looked at Xuan Ziwen.
"He's not much older than the students here, even younger than some in Illustrious Virtue Hall. But he's already graduated from Illustrious Virtue Hall and was specially hired by the academy as a teacher."
"However, he's completely devoted to soul tool research. Though he's a teacher, he's never taken on a disciple. I wonder why he's here today—could it be he's found a student he's interested in?"
Xuan Ziwen.
Lin Xiao mentally noted the name. If he recalled correctly, Lin Jiayi had previously mentioned that Xuan Ziwen was researching an all-terrain soul tool. Later, it seemed he was drawn to the Tang Sect's mechanical techniques and joined them.
As Lin Xiao was lost in thought, a figure emerged from the testing room and walked to Xuan Ziwen's side.
Seeing that figure, Lin Xiao paused slightly.
"That kid, is that the student Xuan Ziwen wants to take on?" Lin Jiayi tilted his head, trying to get a clearer look.
The news of the crown prince's assassination attempt had already spread, but Lin Jiayi didn't know Lin Xiao had been at the scene, nor would he recognize Ju Zi, who had just come out of the testing room.
Xuan Ziwen seemed to notice Lin Jiayi's gaze, nodded slightly in their direction, and then left with Ju Zi.