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Although the crowd grew more and more enthusiastic, the smile on Lin Jin's face remained faint—if anything, a little helpless.
"Level N."
"Level N."
"Level N."
More than half had already been tested, and not a single one had shown R-level potential.
The martial spirits were getting stranger by the minute.
Shovels. Scissors. Hoes. Ordinary grass. Flowers. Someone even had Dust.
'What is this? Do they think they're the reincarnation of Emperor Huang?'
'That a grain of sand can hold up the sea? That a blade of grass can cut the sun, moon, and stars?'
"Next!"
Lin Jin sighed as he gently asked the little girl with a Blue Silver Grass spirit to step down.
'I'm sorry... Your mother is not the Blue Silver Empress, you're just a regular Blue Silver Grass. No spirit power at all. I can't help you.'
When the next child stepped forward, Lin Jin instinctively used the Eye of Detection.
[Trainee: Peng Fan]
[Age: 6 years]
[Qualification Evaluation: N (Congenital Spirit Level 2 and below)]
[Spirit Power: Level 1]
[Martial Spirit: Iron Rod]
[Special Skills: The Heart of Self-Improvement]
Huh?
Seeing this slightly familiar panel, Lin Jin unconsciously looked up—and met a small, excited face.
"You've made up your mind?"
"Mm-hmm!"
Though Peng Fan appeared calm and composed, Lin Jin could easily catch the flickers of nervousness and excitement on his little face.
After hearing Lin Jin's speech earlier, Peng Fan was fired up. His tiny fists clenched tight.
'I may not have talent or a good martial spirit, but I can do this!'
"Ahem…"
Lin Jin coughed softly into his hand, glancing at the boy.
Peng Fan blinked, then seemed to understand.
He quickly reached for the necklace around his neck, and with a flick, a heavy cloth pouch appeared out of thin air.
"Sir! This is my humble donation to support the Academy. Please, don't refuse!"
Lin Jin had been about to take it, but froze for a second at the words.
Looking at Peng Fan's earnest little face, he couldn't help but sigh.
You're too clever for your own good, little one…
"Thank you."
He accepted the pouch, feeling its weight. There had to be at least a few hundred gold spirit coins in it.
A true noble's son, alright… No wonder we commoners can't compare.
A bittersweet feeling rose in Lin Jin's chest.
There were likely few noble houses left that had fallen to this point.
He looked down at the pouch again, emotions swirling.
"Go wait with the others."
"Okay!"
Peng Fan nodded and trotted off toward the playground, joining over a dozen children around his age who were already gathered.
"Next!"
As time went by, the line behind him slowly shortened.
Some parents waited with hopeful smiles, watching their children pass on to the next stage.
Others walked away quietly, disappointment on their faces.
But even after the last child was tested, Lin Jin still hadn't seen Dai Mubai.
A frown crept onto his face.
Did he not come?
Dai Mubai's presence was crucial to the Academy's future.
Two of their major goals had already been achieved, but the last one—only Dai Mubai could fulfill it.
They needed him to level up the Academy. Without him, progress would stall.
And if the Academy stagnated… so would Lin Jin's path to strength.
The line was slowly winding down, and those at the back could already see the end in sight.
Just as Lin Jin was about to lose hope, a lone figure strolled lazily up to the end of the queue.
"Next!"
Though he spoke automatically, Lin Jin's gaze was locked onto that figure.
Dai Mubai approached at his own pace, and oddly, the system didn't display his stats right away.
"Heaven rewards diligence. A gentleman is always striving for self-improvement."
Dai Mubai spoke softly, then turned to Lin Jin and asked, "I thought you were the one who came up with that."
Lin Jin smiled lightly. "Is what I say really that important?"
Dai Mubai nodded. His eyes suddenly sharpened, locking onto Lin Jin.
"Can you make me stronger?"
"Yes," Lin Jin answered without hesitation.
"And how do you prove that?"
In response, four glowing white spirit rings slowly rose from beneath Lin Jin's feet.
A ruler materialized in his hand, radiating calm but unmistakable power.
Lin Jin stood tall, his voice steady but filled with confidence.
"Because I can create miracles."
Even though those white rings—normally indicating ten-year spirit rings—might seem unimpressive at first glance, the sheer pressure they gave off made Dai Mubai pause.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Lin Jin's power was far from ordinary.
And then, finally, the system's mechanical voice echoed in Lin Jin's mind:
[Ding! Congratulations! SSR-level student discovered.]
[Trainee: Dai Mubai][Age: 12][Qualification: SSR (Innate Spirit Power Level 9+)][Spirit Power: Level 23][Martial Spirit: White Tiger][Evaluation: SSR]
[Special Traits:]
[Heterochromatic Eyes: Increases all damage dealt by 10%.]
[White Tiger Bloodline: As the king of beasts, the White Tiger possesses devastating attack power and can suppress lesser beast spirits. Effectiveness varies depending on the opponent's level.]
[Child of Fate: This individual seems to carry the destiny of the world—bad luck turns to good luck, misfortune into fortune.]
Compared to the others' clumsy, laughable stat sheets, Dai Mubai's profile was dazzling. No—gorgeous.
With three special abilities, he was clearly no ordinary student.
"I'm in?"
Those words, though simple, rang in Lin Jin's ears like the sweetest melody.
Suppressing the rush of excitement surging through him, Lin Jin nodded solemnly.
"Go wait in the back."
He didn't follow right away. Because the moment Dai Mubai accepted, the system chimed again—this time with an announcement that nearly sent Lin Jin's blood pressure through the roof.
[Ding! All conditions met: Junior Spirit Master Academy's first-stage goal complete!]
[Ding!Rewards unlocked- +5 Spirit Power Levels, Permanent Academy Aura: Aura of Self-Strengthening, 5x Adaptive Spirit Rings (usable up to Level 40), 1x Spirit Bone, Exclusive Cultivation Room Mark, Triple Training Speed Buff (Duration: 30 days; Applies to Dean, Tutors, and Trainees)]
The system's voice continued announcing rewards, each one more overwhelming than the last.
Lin Jin could barely contain his emotions.
It's happening... The miracle has begun.