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Su Wen's lips twitched.
He hadn't given much thought to how he should be addressed. The title "Palace Master" was something he had simply made up on the spot, derived from the name of the Academy itself. Now that he heard someone actually calling him that, it felt incredibly awkward.
"Uh... let's hold off on calling me Palace Master for now," Su Wen said, coughing slightly to hide his embarrassment. "I still need to properly map out the hierarchy and titles for the Academy's staff and students."
Lin Dong blinked, not quite understanding the hesitation, but he remained quiet.
Su Wen took the opportunity to give him a proper introduction to the current state of the Academy.
"The Academy has just been founded. In terms of officially recruited students, you are only the second. Aside from you and the boy who came before you, Ye Luochen, the Academy is currently only staffed by a few of my friends and elders who are here to oversee its operations."
Lin Dong was speechless.
No wonder the outside world knew nothing of this place; it was practically brand new. However, after witnessing the miraculous capabilities of the Record of Ten Thousand Laws, Lin Dong knew the Academy would not disappoint. A treasure like that—even if it only provided four soul skills—was something Lin Dong had experienced firsthand. He knew exactly how terrifyingly powerful it was.
It was essentially a "cheat." He had never even heard of such a thing existing in the world of Spirit Masters.
"Before long, this Academy will become a formidable power known throughout the entire continent," Su Wen said, adopting an expression of profound expectation. "As the second student ever recruited, you will have to shoulder a heavy responsibility."
"Yes!" Lin Dong replied, his voice brimming with excitement. He hadn't expected to be held in such high regard.
"Good. Now that you've joined, it's time for you to sample the Academy's resources." With a wave of his hand, Su Wen led Lin Dong toward the Hall of the Book Mountain and the Sea of Learning.
"This is...?" Lin Dong gasped, his breath hitching in his throat.
As they stepped into the hall, the scene before them shifted and flipped. It felt as though they had been transported to the foot of a towering mountain peak—but this mountain was not made of rock and earth. Instead, it was constructed entirely from piles of various books, scrolls, and records.
So, this was the literal meaning of "Book Mountain."
"From the base of this mountain to the halfway point, everything here represents the knowledge you must master," Su Wen explained. "Only after passing the examinations will you be considered qualified. Once you graduate from student status, you will be eligible to hold a formal position within the Academy."
Lin Dong's jaw dropped. As far as the eye could see, there were books. Just how long would it take to learn all of this? Years? Decades?
Su Wen flicked his wrist. A book flew toward Lin Dong, dissolving into a stream of light that merged directly into his mind. After a moment of processing the influx of information, Lin Dong opened his eyes, his shock deepening.
"The materials here were compiled by me personally. Many of the great powers in the outside world do not possess this level of detail. It contains the fundamentals of self-created soul skills, as well as my personal insights into the elements. Any foundational knowledge you could possibly need can be found here. However, remember that these are just foundations—they are meant to build your cognitive framework. If you want knowledge that is truly advanced and specific to your path, you will have to find it yourself above the mountainside."
Su Wen paused, looking at his new student. "Now that you've seen the Book Mountain and the Sea of Learning, we should discuss your cultivation."
Lin Dong hesitated, cutting Su Wen off slightly as he asked, "Master Wen... about the Record of Ten Thousand Laws..."
Master Wen?
Su Wen blinked, surprised by the new form of address. He didn't dislike it; in fact, a knowing, half-smile played across his lips as he looked at Lin Dong.
"Looking for the next part of the Record already?"
Lin Dong looked sheepish but nodded. To be honest, the feeling of learning self-created soul skills under the guidance of the Record of Ten Thousand Laws was simply too addictive.
Another child infected by the 'cheat' system, Su Wen thought to himself with a quiet sigh of amusement.
"I have mastered countless soul skills," Su Wen said aloud, "but I will only use the Record of Ten Thousand Laws to teach the most basic ones. For any subsequent self-created skills, you must find your own way and explore the path yourself."
The Academy provided more than enough research material. If a student couldn't succeed with all that help, they might as well stick to the traditional, boring path of a standard Spirit Master. Lin Dong nodded, though he looked a bit disappointed.
"Let's get back to your Martial Soul issues," Su Wen continued. "A thousand-year ring as your first soul ring sounds exaggerated to most. In reality, as long as you surpass the standard limit of 423 years, the qualitative change brought by breaking that limit is enough to begin evolving your Martial Soul's aptitude. Six or seven hundred years is usually a solid starting point."
This was the path Su Wen had taken. His own first ring had only been around three hundred years old, but because he possessed Source Spirit Power, his absorption efficiency was equivalent to someone absorbing a six or seven-hundred-year ring. Through that initial transformation, he had successfully upgraded his 'Book' Martial Soul, which had originally possessed only Rank 1 Innate Spirit Power quality.
By following that up with a thousand-year second ring and continuing the trend, he had eventually forged his current top-tier 'Heavenly Book' Martial Soul.
"However," Su Wen warned, "if you go that route, you will constantly have to endure the gap caused by your Martial Soul's inherent weakness until you reach the four-ring stage. This means your cultivation speed and the raw power your soul skills provide will be inferior to those Spirit Masters who were born with elite Martial Souls."
Lin Dong was not Su Wen. He didn't have Su Wen's immense mental strength, nor did he have the talent to sense the Martial Soul Space or utilize Source Spirit Power. If he followed Su Wen's path exactly, the results would be vastly different. Compared to the other student, Ye Luochen, the gap in their early-stage progress would only grow wider.
"Master Wen... what must I do to successfully absorb a thousand-year ring as my first?" Lin Dong asked after a long silence, his resolve hardening. He knew that if Su Wen was suggesting it, there must be a way.
Su Wen smiled, pleased with the boy's choice.
"I possess the Spirit Ascension Method. Learning it can reduce the burden of a thousand-year ring by about a hundred and fifty years. If you master it to a high level, you can mitigate two to three hundred years of pressure.
I also have a Body Tempering Method that can refine a Spirit Master's entire physique, drastically increasing your endurance.
Furthermore, I have a Visualization Method to temper the will through internal focus.
The Academy also houses the Star Hall, where we can draw down the power of the stars to assist in your body tempering.
Is all of that... enough?"
Su Wen slowly listed the support he could provide. Lin Dong lowered his head, processing everything. Methods to improve physical quality, methods to strengthen the will, and even a method to specifically reduce the impact of a soul ring... Su Wen had provided a perfect solution for all three major obstacles to over-limit absorption.
In fact, the material Su Wen had just retrieved for Lin Dong back at the Book Mountain was a manual specifically detailing the theories behind absorbing rings beyond one's level.
"Master Wen, Lin Dong is willing to try!"
"Good."
Su Wen led Lin Dong to one of the peaks of the Three Illusion Mountains: The Inspection Department.
At the summit, a grand hall stood imposingly. Around the main building of the Inspection Department, massive stones were arranged in a specific formation, drawing down faint, shimmering starlight from the heavens. This wasn't the only peak with such an arrangement; the other two mountains each had their own grand arrays for channeling starlight.
"Your task is to cultivate. Within two years, you must reach Rank 10 and absorb a thousand-year soul ring. Can you do it?"
Even though Lin Dong's initial spirit power was lower than Su Wen's had been, his conditions were far superior. Back then, it had taken Su Wen less than a year and a half to reach Rank 10, plus another year to accumulate Source Spirit Power, making it two and a half years to truly become a Spirit Master.
Asking Lin Dong to do it in two years was a heavy task, but it wasn't an impossible one.
"This is your Internal Art, this is your External Art, and here are the Spirit Ascension and Body Tempering methods. Since you were able to master those four soul skills so quickly and develop your own 'Fire Spear' style, you should be able to learn these four techniques just as fast," Su Wen said.
Having finally settled Lin Dong's affairs, Su Wen left the Inspection Peak and headed toward the Law Enforcement Peak.
Outside the Hall of Law Enforcement, a small figure sat cross-legged in meditation.
With the assistance of Sword Douluo Chen Xin, Ye Luochen had obtained a first soul ring that was nearly six hundred years old. His spirit power had instantly jumped to Rank 12. After half a year of diligent cultivation and several breakthroughs, he had already reached Rank 15.
(End of Chapter)