A hint of anger flashed in the White-haired elder's eyes. As he finished his threatening remark, his gaze suddenly froze, landing on the tall figure not far away.
Kong Xuan and Kong Ling stood behind Kong Deming. The powerful aura of a Spirit Saint from the opposite side was blocked by Kong Deming, not affecting the two of them at all.
The White-haired elder trembled, quickly reining in his spirit power, and jogged a few steps forward to bow respectfully: "Your Excellency Silvermoon, I didn't expect to meet you here!"
Evidently, this White-haired elder recognized Kong Deming's identity.
The middle-aged beautiful woman behind him, upon hearing this, instantly changed her expression and quickly pulled the little girl forward to bow: "Greetings, Your Excellency Silvermoon."
Although she had never seen Kong Deming, she had heard of the formidable reputation of Silvermoon Douluo.
Kong Deming nodded slightly and said in a calm tone, "Are you from Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy?"
Seeing that Kong Deming didn't seem angry, the White-haired elder also breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied, "Yes, I am Li Yan, the director of instruction at the academy. This is Liu Qing, an academy teacher. This time, we brought our student Shui Ling to obtain a spirit ring."
Saying this, Li Yan pointed to the beautiful woman and the little girl behind him, introducing them.
At the same time, he also sized up the two children behind Kong Deming, guessing that they too were here to obtain a spirit ring.
If they wanted the Spirit Shadow Spider, then they would have no chance to compete.
Li Yan's change in expression was noticed by Kong Deming, who asked, "Is this Spirit Shadow Spider the Spirit Beast you intend to hunt?"
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Li Yan glanced at the Spirit Shadow Spider on the ground, feeling that this one was probably not meant for them and they would likely have to search for another.
Kong Deming looked at Shui Ling behind him, finding this little girl somewhat interesting.
Li Yan and Liu Qing, the two teachers from the academy, were both extremely cautious in front of him, yet this little girl seemed not afraid of him at all, her expression calm, even daring to look him directly in the eye.
He wondered if it was ignorance breeding fearlessness, or if she was precocious like his grandson?
Kong Deming thought about these things and asked, "This spirit ring is already close to a thousand years old. Are you sure that little girl can absorb it? Don't sacrifice the little girl's life just to pursue a higher spirit ring age."
Unexpectedly, Kong Deming would say such a thing. After a moment of stunned, Li Yan suddenly felt that there might be a chance in this matter.
He quickly added, "Speaking of which, we also have to thank Your Excellency Silvermoon. If it weren't for the order issued by the Hall of Worship two years ago to provide free Spirit awakening for commoner Spirit Masters, we might never have discovered a genius like Shui Ling!"
"Your Excellency, as teachers, we would naturally not disregard the lives of our students."
"We have also conducted tests, and the conclusion is that with her physical constitution, absorbing a spirit ring under a thousand years old will absolutely not be a problem."
Behind Kong Deming, Kong Xuan and Kong Ling, the siblings, were also curiously looking at the little girl opposite them.
She looked to be about their age, and now she was about to absorb this nearly thousand-year-old spirit ring, which clearly meant she was already level twenty!
Looking at it this way, this Shui Ling was indeed a genius.
Kong Deming smiled, waved his hand, and the Spirit Shadow Spider on the ground was lifted by a force, slowly landing beside Shui Ling.
"We don't need this Spirit Beast!" He looked at Li Yan: "Since she is a student of Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy, then this spirit ring is for you."
Li Yan was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly expressed his gratitude.
Shui Ling's calm gaze also turned to Kong Deming, and she said, "Thank you, Your Excellency!"
"Shui Ling, quickly absorb the spirit ring."
Li Yan quickly instructed, fearing that any delay might lead to complications.
Such a suitable Spirit Shadow Spider was not easy to find.
Shui Ling nodded, then sat cross-legged and began to absorb the spirit ring.
Kong Deming had no intention of leaving, but stood in place observing Shui Ling's progress in absorbing the spirit ring.
Kong Xuan approached Kong Deming and asked in a low voice, "Grandpa seems very interested in her?"
"To cultivate to level twenty at such a young age, and to absorb a nearly thousand-year-old spirit ring for her second spirit ring—this is a genius no weaker than Ling'er."
Listening to Kong Deming's words, Kong Xuan's gaze also turned to Shui Ling, who was absorbing the spirit ring opposite them.
"I heard you're holding a Soul Master Class competition next semester. This child should be your opponent."
"Hmph!" Kong Ling snorted: "We will definitely take first place!"
Regarding her grandfather's comparison of her to Shui Ling, a competitive Spirit also rose in Kong Ling's heart.
Time passed by minute by minute. Shui Ling's process of absorbing the spirit ring was very smooth, and she didn't even show any signs of pain.
Kong Xuan felt that with her physical constitution, she might even be able to absorb a thousand-year spirit ring for her second spirit ring.
About ten minutes later, Shui Ling opened her eyes, and the spirit ring absorption was complete!
Li Yan and Liu Qing, the two teachers, showed joy on their faces, and then thanked Kong Deming again.
Kong Deming smiled and said, "This little girl is indeed a genius. My grandson and granddaughter are also students of the Soul Master Class. In the future, they will likely have plenty of contact."
The gazes of the few people opposite focused on Kong Xuan and Kong Ling, clearly having guessed that they were also here to obtain their second spirit ring.
Li Yan, however, had never heard that Kong Deming, this legendary Soul Engineer, had any descendants. He wondered where these grandson and granddaughter came from.
But he only thought about it in his mind and dared not ask.
"They are all young geniuses; more interaction is good."
Li Yan smiled, then said, "Your Excellency, our mission for this trip has been accomplished, so we are preparing to return to the academy."
"Hmm!"
Kong Deming smiled and nodded, watching Li Yan and the three disappear into the forest.
Before they left, Kong Xuan keenly noticed Shui Ling's gaze lingering on him for a moment longer.
Although it was very subtle, Kong Xuan still felt the fighting intent deep in her eyes.
Kong Xuan chuckled to himself, never expecting that this genius girl he encountered was as "warlike" as Xu Tianyi!
Kong Deming withdrew his gaze and looked in another direction: "Let's go, our destination is almost reached!"
After walking for another half an hour, passing through the dense jungle, the view suddenly opened up.
A secluded valley embraced by mountains came into view. Mist swirled in the valley, and sunlight filtered through the thin fog, casting colorful halos on the damp rocks and flowers.
At the bottom of the valley, a clear spring flowed quietly, its water crystal clear.
Kong Xuan's powerful eyesight could even see strange light points flickering at the bottom of the spring, as if stars had fallen.
"Wow! It's so beautiful here!"
Kong Ling let out an exclamation, evidently awestruck by the beautiful scenery, which was unlike anything they had seen before.
Kong Deming smiled and said, "This is Star Radiance Valley in the Jingyang Mountain Range, a place where the spirit power of heaven and earth gathers. The Sun-Shining Fox we are looking for is right here."
The Blazing Sun Cage, the second Spirit Ability Kong Deming prepared for Kong Ling, originated from this Sun-Shining Fox Spirit Beast.
"Let's go, I've already sensed the location of that thousand-year Sun-Shining Fox!"
Kong Deming expertly followed a small path, heading towards the bottom of the valley.