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There were no spiritual-attribute spirit beasts within the Spirit Hunting Forest, so to obtain his second spirit ring, Su Wen would have to make a trip to the Star Dou Great Forest.
And once he left, he didn't plan on returning.
After Tang San returned, Su Wen also went to the Dean's office to submit his application for graduation.
"Graduating early?" The bald-headed Dean looked at Su Wen and confirmed again, "Are you certain?"
"Dean, I am very certain." Su Wen's gaze was resolute.
The Dean rubbed his bald head. He didn't try to persuade Su Wen to stay and began processing his graduation paperwork.
"This is a letter of recommendation from Nuoding Primary Spirit Master Academy. If you wish to join an Intermediate Spirit Master Academy, you should find this useful."
Su Wen accepted the letter of recommendation. He knew that, in all likelihood, he wouldn't need it.
Spirit Master academies were excellent, with numerous facilities. If one could stand out, they would be cultivated with full effort in order to achieve good results in the Spirit Master Tournament.
However, Su Wen was currently still very far from all that.
"The Spirit Master Tournament is at least six years away."
In six years, going from level 20 to level 40 was entirely possible, so Su Wen wasn't opposed to participating in the Spirit Master Tournament.
But even if he were to join an Advanced Spirit Master Academy to participate in the tournament, he likely wouldn't need the recommendation letter from Nuoding Primary Spirit Master Academy.
The only thing that truly mattered was strength. As long as one's talent was sufficient, no academy would refuse them.
"Brother Wen, are you really leaving?" Xiao Pang was sad to see him go.
In these past four-plus years, although Su Wen had been focused on his own cultivation, he had also given Xiao Pang a great deal of guidance, allowing Xiao Pang to make significant progress in both his staff techniques and his spirit power cultivation.
For Xiao Pang, who only had half a level of innate spirit power, to reach level 9 in just four and a half years was more than enough to show how important Su Wen's guidance had been.
Before graduating in his sixth year, Xiao Pang had a good chance of obtaining his first spirit ring and becoming a true Spirit Master!
This was countless times better than Old Jack, who also had half a level of innate spirit power.
"Xiao Pang, don't slack off in your cultivation just because you're alone at the academy. The breakthrough from level 9 to level 10 is difficult, but with your current condition, as long as you persevere, you will definitely be able to break through."
"I will work hard on my cultivation!"
Su Wen nodded.
He didn't have Xiao Pang stay at level 10 as he had, accumulating origin spirit power to prepare for the metamorphosis from the first spirit ring.
That wasn't necessary. The spirit space was not something that could be sensed so easily.
Su Wen didn't even mention the requirement of a hundred-year spirit ring to Xiao Pang.
A hundred-year spirit ring... Even if one joined Spirit Hall, they weren't guaranteed to obtain such a ring for their first one.
Su Yuntao, Sisi, and Feng Yuan—the first spirit ring for all three of them was merely a white ten-year spirit ring.
No matter how close it was to a hundred years, it was still a white spirit ring.
...
New Moon Village.
"Grandpa Jack, I'm back."
"Little Wen, have you really decided?"
"Yes."
Old Jack sighed and said, "Alright, alright. You've been very smart since you were little and always know what you're doing. I won't stop you. It's just... you're so young, being out there on your own, you must be careful."
Old Jack wasn't worried about Su Wen's intelligence; he was only worried that Su Wen was too naive and didn't understand the dangers of the world.
"Grandpa Jack, I don't plan on leaving just yet." Su Wen gave a bitter smile. "I'm preparing to cultivate for a while longer. I'll go get my spirit ring once I'm fully ready."
"Oh, right, Grandpa Jack. Didn't you say you broke through? Have you absorbed a spirit ring yet?"
Su Wen's internal cultivation technique had now been developed into a complete circulation pathway for spirit power, capable of preliminarily increasing the speed of spirit power circulation and cultivation.
He had also taught this internal technique to Old Jack.
And Old Jack, after receiving the internal technique, had naturally broken through level 10 after circulating his spirit power using the complete pathway.
"Not yet." Old Jack shook his head.
"To get a spirit ring, you have to hunt a spirit beast. How could I have that kind of ability?"
"Besides, entering the Spirit Hunting Forest requires a writ from Spirit Hall, which needs guarantees from three nobles. Where would I find someone like that to vouch for me?"
"So, after breaking through level 10, I just planned to rely on luck. If I could find a spirit beast in the wild and had a hope of killing it, I would absorb its spirit ring."
"The writ and hunting the spirit beast aren't difficult." Su Wen stated that these were not problems. "Grandpa Jack, your lifelong wish has been to become a Spirit Master. I will definitely help you fulfill that wish."
When it came to hunting spirit beasts, Su Wen now had the strength.
Although he hadn't yet obtained his second spirit ring, Su Wen's overall attributes were definitely no worse than Su Yuntao's group.
Moreover, Su Wen's first spirit ring was over three hundred years old, and its effect was impressive. He could even put up a fight against a hundred-year spirit beast.
If he was more cautious, hunting only ten-year spirit beasts or an easy-to-kill hundred-year spirit beast, there would basically be no accidents.
"Although the spirit beast data in the Nuoding City Spirit Hall branch isn't exceptionally detailed, it's enough to help me identify various spirit beasts in the Spirit Hunting Forest and discern their strength."
To hunt a spirit beast, one must first have an understanding of it. Otherwise, you wouldn't even know how you died.
And Su Wen now possessed this capability.
"Grandpa, get ready. We'll go hunt a spirit beast tomorrow."
Old Jack nodded repeatedly, smiling from ear to ear.
Even though he was about to get his first spirit ring, he was still worried and asked, "Little Wen, are you sure there won't be any danger? You're still young. You can't get into an accident just to hunt a spirit beast for me."
He wasn't a child. Over the years, he had heard of many Spirit Masters who had died at the hands of spirit beasts while trying to obtain a spirit ring.
"Don't worry, Grandpa. I can't say for sure about hundred-year spirit beasts, but I can kill anything under a hundred years with no problem," Su Wen guaranteed, patting his chest.
...
The next day, Su Wen brought Old Jack to the Spirit Hall branch and asked Su Yuntao to help him apply for a writ.
"Little Wen, are you sure you'll be okay on your own?" Su Yuntao couldn't help but ask, worried.
"Don't worry, Brother Tao. I've completely mastered all the spirit beast data from the library. If I encounter a spirit beast I can't beat, I can still get away. I won't overestimate my own abilities and challenge a spirit beast I can't handle."
"Alright. Just stick to the outer perimeter. The efficiency might be low, but at least it will be safe."
"Got it."
Su Wen took the writ and left Spirit Hall with Old Jack.
Watching Su Wen and Old Jack's departing backs, Su Yuntao couldn't help but sigh, "Old Jack is really lucky."
...
Spirit Hunting Forest.
Su Wen and Old Jack slowly walked inside.
A guard saw them, stepped forward, and said, "To enter the Spirit Hunting Forest, please present your writ from Spirit Hall."
Su Wen took out the writ and handed it over.
"You may enter."
"Grandpa, let's go."
Old Jack was no longer young, so Su Wen didn't get careless. Following Su Yuntao's advice, they searched slowly around the outer perimeter of the Spirit Hunting Forest.
"Hm? Grandpa, you might be getting a hundred-year spirit ring," Su Wen said softly, observing a distant, yellow-furred figure.
It was a yellow-furred rat.
(End of this chapter)