It wasn't until the old man's figure had completely disappeared that Lin Xiuran withdrew his gaze and looked at the object in his hand.
The elder hadn't given him a physical item directly; instead, it was stored in a Storage Ring.
Even just sensing the ring with his soul power, Lin Xiuran realized the interior space was exceptionally large. A ring of this level would cost at least tens of millions of Federation Coins, making it extremely valuable.
This alone was already a rare treasure, but after probing the contents, Lin Xiuran's eyes widened in surprise.
Inside was a wrist guard, a defensive Soul Guidance Tool. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and the power contained within was substantial.
Compared to offensive Soul Guidance Tools, defensive ones were rarer and more valuable. Lin Xiuran had never used one before, but he could already sense that the power contained in this tool—if used for defense—would make it very difficult for even a typical four-ring soul master to break through in a short time.
Besides this defensive Soul Guidance Tool, there was also a check for ten million Federation Coins. Of course, compared to the first two items, this was the least valuable.
Lin Xiuran looked at these items, then suddenly lifted his head toward the direction the clan elder had departed. For some reason, his heart tightened.
These items were more than enough to solve the problems he was currently facing. No longer worrying about money, he could continue acquiring spirit souls and attempt another absorption, testing whether his spirit rings could be restored.
Thinking this, Lin Xiuran heard the class bell ring and quickly ran toward the classroom.
However, before entering, he was stopped by Ye Yingluo at the door.
"Teacher Ye."
Ye Yingluo nodded, scrutinizing Lin Xiuran for a moment, then said, "You've been acting differently lately. Has something happened?"
In her impression, although Lin Xiuran's martial soul quality wasn't high, he had always been diligent, and his soul power growth was among the fastest in the class. He had never been absent-minded in class, but recently, it had happened frequently, causing concern.
Ye Yingluo cared deeply about Lin Xiuran. She had heard about his complex family situation. Although his financial situation was poor, he had always been sensible. Naturally, she paid extra attention to him.
Lin Xiuran glanced at her and didn't dwell on it, simply explaining the situation with his spirit rings.
After hearing him, Ye Yingluo's brows knitted tightly. Spirit rings disappearing—that had never happened before.
Even in her many years of teaching, she had never heard of such a thing.
"Go attend class first. I'll make some inquiries," Ye Yingluo instructed, then hurried off.
Seeing her busy herself for his sake, Lin Xiuran felt touched. Someone cared about him—this feeling was far better than that from his own family.
Before the class was even over, Ye Yingluo had already returned, and she immediately called Lin Xiuran out of the classroom.
She wasn't alone. Behind her stood a man over 1.9 meters tall, lean but well-proportioned, with long legs clad in white pants. He appeared somewhat thin, but his eyes were sharp, his nose high, lips thin yet well-shaped, giving him a striking presence. Long sky-blue hair flowed down to his waist, swaying slightly in the wind.
His eyes were dark green, a striking contrast with his blue hair, giving him a rare and unusual aura. At the moment, he stood expressionless behind Ye Yingluo, gaze icy and sharp.
Ye Yingluo had gone directly to Director Long Hengxu to explain the situation.
The director had been unaware of this issue and ultimately instructed her to seek out Wu Zhangkong.
Wu Zhangkong, though young, was a top graduate of Shrek Academy, from the inner school, and a Soul Saint. His mastery of soul knowledge far exceeded theirs.
Although generally cold, Wu Zhangkong didn't ignore such a situation and immediately came with Ye Yingluo to investigate.
Ye Yingluo brought Lin Xiuran before Wu Zhangkong and said, "This is my student, Lin Xiuran. He's the one with the problem."
"Lin Xiuran?" Wu Zhangkong repeated the name instinctively. A slight change flickered in his usually cold gaze.
"Is there a problem, Teacher Wu?" Ye Yingluo asked in confusion.
Wu Zhangkong shook his head. Placing one hand on Lin Xiuran's shoulder, a blue glow appeared around it.
Lin Xiuran felt a sudden chill spread from his shoulder through his entire body. It was refreshing, but had no tangible effect.
Wu Zhangkong frowned, leaving his hand on Lin Xiuran's shoulder for some time before removing it.
After examining him, Wu Zhangkong fell into thought, saying nothing for a while. Naturally, neither Ye Yingluo nor Lin Xiuran interrupted him, and silence fell.
"After absorbing the spirit soul, did your body experience any changes?" Wu Zhangkong asked, expressionless, though his eyes betrayed thought.
"I did feel improvements in my soul power and mental power," Lin Xiuran answered truthfully, withholding nothing.
Wu Zhangkong considered this for a moment, then looked at Ye Yingluo. "His body may not be compatible with the spirit soul."
"Incompatible?!"
Both Lin Xiuran and Ye Yingluo were shocked. In their understanding, it was normal for a soul master to absorb spirit souls—it was essential. They had never heard of a soul master unable to do so.
Wu Zhangkong explained, "Originally, soul masters obtained spirit rings by killing spirit beasts. This primitive method carried risks due to the lingering resentment of the dead spirit beast. But it also granted the soul master both the ring and a certain soul power boost. Artificial spirit souls are simpler and safer, but naturally provide less soul power. His current situation may be that the artificial spirit soul is insufficient to form a spirit ring. While he absorbs it, his body does not accept it fully, so a ring doesn't form."
Ye Yingluo considered this explanation, then said in a low voice, "So artificial spirit souls won't work."
Wu Zhangkong nodded lightly. "Yes. But it's not impossible. Perhaps trying with spirit beasts could work."
(End of Chapter)