Chapter 11: Spirit Ring Dilema

Although he had long suspected it, Hu Jiu was still greatly disappointed when he actually saw the food in the cafeteria.

While there was some meat, overall, it was hard to describe.

"Xiao Jiu, come and give me some of your carrots again. Your Carrot is so much tastier; the cafeteria food is really hard to eat!" Xiao Wu waved her little hand, not knowing how many times she had asked Hu Jiu for food.

Because the cafeteria food was nearly inedible, Xiao Wu relied entirely on Hu Jiu's carrots to fill her up during this meal.

"Save some for later; my Soul Power is almost gone from you eating so much," Hu Jiu said, half helpless and half happy.

He found that he seemed to have underestimated Xiao Wu's appetite. With his level of Soul Power, he simply couldn't fill up this little rabbit, Xiao Wu, who loved to eat carrots.

"Really? I haven't eaten that much! By the way, Xiao Jiu, what level is your Soul Power now?" Xiao Wu asked shyly, knowing that she had eaten a lot of Hu Jiu's carrots.

It wasn't her fault; after all, Hu Jiu's carrots were just so delicious!

The people around, including Wang Sheng, were also curious about Xiao Wu's question. Just a moment ago, Hu Jiu had defeated Wang Sheng, the strongest among their group. As an Auxiliary Spirit Master, it was impressive to be able to beat someone like Wang Sheng, a Fighting Spirit Master!

"Probably just level nine!" Hu Jiu replied casually while eating the unappetizing food.

Yes, after three months of idle improvement, his Soul Power had risen to level nine. In addition, his Soul Power Meditation Method and Five Senses Enhancement Technique had both reached level four, while the Disorder Splitting Winds Hammer Technique had even improved to level five, making for quite a bountiful harvest!

The level four Soul Power Meditation Method had improved his training efficiency by thirty percent. Don't underestimate this thirty percent; with a level four Soul Power Meditation Method, his training talent was already comparable to those Spirit Masters with innate Soul Power levels of five or six.

Moreover, let's not forget that his AFK Panel allows him to train idly for twenty-four hours. How many normal people can train all day?

With this training speed, even an innate full Soul Power Spirit Master would probably not be able to keep up with him.

"Impressive!" Wang Sheng exclaimed as he looked at Hu Jiu, who only had level nine Soul Power.

Wang Sheng was not just giving false praise; he genuinely thought it was impressive. After all, Hu Jiu had defeated him, an eleventh-level Fighting Spirit Master, despite being only at level nine. If he were to obtain a Spirit Ring and become a Spirit Master, he would be even more formidable!

"Haha, not at all. By the way, I have a question. How did you obtain your Spirit Ring at level ten?" Hu Jiu asked Wang Sheng. Among this group of working students, Wang Sheng was the only one with the highest level, currently at eleven, while the others were all below level ten.

By the way, what level is Xiao Wu now? I'll ask her later.

"All of our Spirit Rings were obtained with the help of Academy teachers in the Spirit Hunting Forest. However, the Academy's spirit hunting activities usually occur once a year, and the last one just passed not long ago. At your training speed, it probably won't take you long to reach level ten. By then, you might have to wait for over half a year to become a Spirit Master," Wang Sheng explained to him. In Wang Sheng's eyes, Hu Jiu's innate Soul Power level must be high, and level nine innate Soul Power is truly a talent.

After all, they were all children from ordinary families; how could they have been exposed to the Soul Power Meditation Method for training in advance?

"I see; that really is a problem," Hu Jiu said, frowning. He hadn't expected such a hassle waiting for him so soon after starting school.

Although in the original work, the Grandmaster mentioned a theory about the ten core competencies, stating that when reaching the peak of a major realm, one could continue to train without hunting for a Spirit Ring and then show the results after obtaining it.

This is just ridiculous!

Although this theory has some validity at times, let's not forget that level increases, especially after obtaining a Spirit Ring, result in dozens or even hundreds of times enhancement in both Soul Power and physical quality.

How can the training speed of a Spirit Scholar compare to that of a Spirit Master?

Can a lower-level Spirit Master cultivate more Soul Power in a day than a higher-level one with the same talent?

Isn't this nonsense?

In Hu Jiu's view, the sooner one obtains a Spirit Ring, the better. It's best to go get it right after breaking through, as soon as the realm stabilizes.

Time waits for no one! Tang San became a god at the age of twenty-five.

According to Hu Jiu's own estimation, he would definitely break through to level ten within a month. If he couldn't obtain a Spirit Ring by then, he would be wasting a whole year of training time.

What should I do?

Hu Jiu hadn't come up with a proper solution to this problem by the time he returned to the dormitory.

"Forget it, I can just ask Xiao San for help then." With no good ideas, Hu Jiu decided not to think about it any longer.

Most importantly, how could he focus on anything else when he saw Xiao Wu sitting by the bed, swinging her little feet?

Isn't it better to appreciate our adorable little white rabbit?

Not long after they returned to the dormitory, a male teacher in his thirties came in.

"Who is the new working student? Step forward."

Upon hearing this, Hu Jiu and Xiao Wu stood up simultaneously.

"My name is Mo Hen, but you can call me Teacher Mo. Hu Jiu, Xiao Wu, you are the first-year working students, and you will be responsible for cleaning the garden on the south side of the playground. You will earn ten copper spirit coins each day. Remember, you must clean it every day, especially the clutter; it must be cleared away. Otherwise, your wages will be deducted. If you are negligent, the Academy has the right to expel you. Do you understand?"

Hu Jiu and Xiao Wu both nodded to indicate that they understood.

Mo Hen said, "Tomorrow is the opening ceremony. Classes will officially start the day after tomorrow. First-year students will have class in Room One on the first floor of the teaching building. You just need to be on time for class starting the day after tomorrow. From that day on, you can carry on with your regular work. I will conduct random checks. Alright, you can rest for now. Wang Sheng, you're the oldest here; please explain the rules to them."

"Understood," Wang Sheng replied.

After the teacher left, Wang Sheng said to them, "Actually, there isn't much work at school. As long as you clean on time, it's fine. Let me tell you about classes. Generally speaking, the Academy has two classes every morning—one for cultural knowledge and one for Martial Spirit knowledge. In the afternoon, you'll practice on your own. Most of us working students schedule our work time in the afternoon so that it doesn't interfere with our studies."

These working students were all children from poor families, and they cherished the opportunity to learn more than the wealthy kids did.

"Hmm, thanks for the reminder," Hu Jiu said with a smile, realizing that this would be his life at the Academy from now on.

"You're welcome," Wang Sheng waved his hand and turned to read and study.

This left Hu Jiu and Xiao Wu staring at each other.

"By the way, Xiao Wu, what level is your Soul Power? I feel like you're really quick!" Unable to find a topic, Hu Jiu casually brought this up.

"Hehe, let me introduce myself again. My Martial Spirit is the Soft Bone Rabbit, and I'm an eleventh-level Agility Attack Fighting Spirit Master."

"Impressive!" Hu Jiu gave a thumbs-up in praise. Indeed, this little rabbit was already at level eleven, higher than Tang San's level.