"Hello, Director Lin," the visitor said. It was none other than Ju Zi.
Lin Jiayi glanced at Ju Zi and sighed helplessly. "When I heard that Xuan Ziwen had taken on a student, I thought he'd finally come around and was serious about mentoring. Turns out, he just took you on to run errands for him."
"No, that's not true. Teacher Xuan has taught me a lot," Ju Zi said, defending her mentor.
"You don't need to cover for him. I know him—he probably hasn't taught you much and just left you to figure things out on your own. What kind of teacher does that?"
This was Xuan Ziwen's first time taking on a student, and Lin Jiayi, naturally, had paid some attention. He was somewhat dissatisfied with Xuan Ziwen's hands-off teaching style.
"Forget it. What does Teacher Xuan need this time?" Despite his complaints, as the director, Lin Jiayi still had to fulfill Xuan Ziwen's requests.
"Here's the list Teacher Xuan asked me to bring."
Lin Jiayi quickly scanned the list and then glanced back at Lin Xiao. "You stay here and keep testing. I'll go arrange for Teacher Xuan's materials."
"Yes, Teacher," Lin Xiao replied.
Lin Jiayi nodded, then turned to Ju Zi. "If you want to stay, you can observe. Your Teacher Xuan is too busy, so if you have any questions, you can ask Lin Xiao."
With that, Lin Jiayi pushed open the door and left.
Lin Xiao turned his attention back to the self-propelled soul cannon on the ground, picking it up and shaking his head slightly. The most intricate part of the entire soul tool was actually the rechargeable soul tool component. The other parts weren't particularly sophisticated. Barring any surprises, it would likely have to wait until later to fully realize its intended function.
"Senior Lin, what are these?"
Lin Xiao paused slightly. This wasn't the first time Ju Zi had run errands for Xuan Ziwen, but for some reason, hearing her address him as "Senior" always felt a bit strange to him.
Turning around, he saw Ju Zi staring at him with wide eyes.
Whether it was an act she put on at the academy or whether life at the academy had genuinely changed her—or perhaps a bit of both—compared to the Ju Zi he had known before, the person in front of him was noticeably more lively.
"These…" Lin Xiao followed her gaze to a pile of metal fragments on the table. "They're failed experiments from before."
"They look like metal, but I've never seen anything like them," Ju Zi said.
Of course she hadn't seen them. Not even Lin Jiayi had seen Lin Xiao's "failed experiments."
For most soul engineers, the purer the materials used in soul tools, the better. But Lin Xiao's failed experiments were made from a mix of several metals.
Since he had the idea, he naturally wanted to try creating something akin to an alloy in this world. Unfortunately, the process was far more difficult than he had anticipated.
Which metals to use, in what proportions, and how to combine them—these required not only a deep understanding of various metals but also extensive trial and error. It wasn't something Lin Xiao could accomplish alone in a short time.
Fortunately, even if the experiments failed, the metals weren't wasted. He fed them all to his left arm bone. Over the past year, while the progress wasn't dramatic, he could feel some changes compared to a year ago.
After her question, Ju Zi's curiosity faded. She turned her attention to the other items on the table, occasionally glancing at Lin Xiao as he tinkered with the soul tool in his hands.
"What's up? If you have a question, just ask," Lin Xiao said.
Though he wasn't looking at her, he could sense Ju Zi's gaze.
"No, it's nothing," Ju Zi said, quickly averting her eyes.
In truth, Lin Xiao wasn't the only one who felt a bit out of place. For Ju Zi, seeing Lin Xiao at the academy, it was hard to reconcile the person in front of her with the Lin Xiao she had known before.
"If there's nothing, let's head out. It's getting late. Want to grab something at the cafeteria together?"
"I… I'd rather not get too close to others," Ju Zi replied.
Lin Xiao paused mid-step but didn't say anything more. He walked toward the door.
"I…"
Ju Zi opened her mouth to speak, but the image of her mother, tormented by illness and longing, flashed in her mind. In the end, she said nothing and, after a long moment, silently left.
Lin Xiao let out a soft sigh, pushing thoughts of Ju Zi aside. Now that the self-propelled soul cannon had taken shape, it was time to move on to the next matter.
Over the past year, he hadn't just improved in soul tool creation—his soul power cultivation hadn't lagged either. Now, he had reached the bottleneck at level 60, and it was time to hunt for his sixth soul ring.
Back when he was preparing for the Spirit Ascension Ceremony in the Star Dou Forest, Nightmare Douluo had identified a Soul Summoning Tree that matched his attributes. However, after undergoing the Spirit Ascension Ceremony and consuming two types of medicinal herbs, his physical strength and the soul ring limit he could withstand had far surpassed what they were before. That Soul Summoning Tree was no longer suitable.
"You're saying you want to take a leave to hunt for your sixth soul ring?"
It was late, and the light from an illumination soul tool glowed in Lin Jiayi's soul tool research lab. His voice echoed from within.
"Yes, Teacher," Lin Xiao said, standing in front of Lin Jiayi.
"You saw last time that the academy can help students acquire soul rings if the opportunity arises. Would you like to wait a bit longer?"
"No need, Teacher. My martial soul is rather special, so it's not convenient to go with other students."
Lin Xiao didn't elaborate, and Lin Jiayi gave him a concerned look. "You're going alone?"
"No… I'll have some elders accompanying me."
"That's good, then," Lin Jiayi said, nodding. "You're still a soul master, after all, and soul rings are no small matter. Going alone to hunt for a soul ring allows you to take your time searching. I'll approve a long leave for you—no need to rush."
He didn't know the details of Lin Xiao's background, but since Mirror Hongchen had specially recruited him into the academy, he had no reason to doubt him.
"Thank you, Teacher. I'll head out tonight, then."
"Alright, go ahead."
After bidding farewell to Lin Jiayi, Lin Xiao returned to his dorm, packed lightly, and headed out of the academy.
However, when he arrived at the Holy Spirit Sect's branch altar and deftly activated the mechanism, he found no trace of Nightmare Douluo underground. Not only was he absent, but the other elders were gone as well. The only person there was a seven-ring Saint Spirit in charge.
"Lord Emissary," the Saint Spirit greeted.
"Where are the other elders?" Lin Xiao asked.
"Lord, the elders have all returned to headquarters."
Returned to headquarters?
Lin Xiao carefully searched his memories, both from his previous life and his experiences in the Holy Spirit Sect, but he couldn't recall anything significant happening recently.
It wasn't a major occasion for the Holy Spirit Sect, and from what he could remember, there hadn't been any major events requiring all the elders to return to headquarters at this time.
"Did the elders mention what it was about?"
"I don't know, but I overheard one of the elders mention it was… a joyous occasion."