Chapter 21: The Grand Spirit Master with Twin Millennia Spirit Rings

Jing Shaoyu arrived at the East Sea Spirit Pagoda on his bike, where three familiar faces were waiting for him at the entrance.

"Sorry for being late, everyone," he said, parking his bike and jogging over.

"Hehe, it's fine. We just got here, right, brother?" Xu Xiaoyan said with a smile, playfully poking the boy standing beside her, who had a stoic expression.

Three years had passed, and Xu Xiaoyan had grown even more beautiful. Her long, light-blue hair was tied in two small braids, and her big, dark eyes sparkled with liveliness. She hadn't grown much taller, though, still reaching only Jing Shaoyu's chest. Then again, that was partly because Jing Shaoyu had shot up to over 1.5 meters tall, towering over his peers.

"Right," her brother Xu Xiaoyu, replied with a resigned tone. Now 14, Xu Xiaoyu was a first-year student in East Sea Academy's advanced division and the eldest son of the Xu family. Who would have thought that his once-cute little sister had grown up to be such a handful?

"Xiaoyu, Zixin," Jing Shaoyu greeted Xu Xiaoyu and the other girl, a tall, striking young woman.

"Haha! Now that Ah Yu's here, let's head in," said Ouyang Zixin, laughing. Ouyang Zixin, the granddaughter of Ouyang Jian, would one day be Tang Wulin's secret admirer. Unfortunately, her feelings were one-sided, and it was unlikely she'd be interested in a little brother like Jing Shaoyu, or he would have had no escape!

The four made their way to a familiar control room for the junior Spirit Ascension Platform. The staff, accustomed to their visits, swiftly prepared everything without a word.

Jing Shaoyu lay in the metal pod he'd used many times before, calming his mind and relaxing his body. The procedure was second nature to him, especially since advancing to a Grand Spirit Master, which granted him nearly weekly access to the platform.

To explain further, upon reaching Grand Spirit Master rank, Jing Shaoyu had been permitted by Ji Changming to enter the Spirit Ascension Platform once a week. This meant he could enter four times per month, with one entry sponsored by the academy. As for the other three, Ji Changming explained that the costs would be split between East Sea City's Administrative Department and the Spirit Pagoda as an "investment" in his potential.

He was more than happy to accept.

In the dim forest of the Spirit Ascension Platform, Jing Shaoyu appeared out of thin air, and not far away, Xu Xiaoyan landed gracefully as well.

"Great! Brother Yu!" she called out, delighted, running up to him and holding onto his arm. "I'm so glad I'm not alone this time!"

"Don't worry." Jing Shaoyu gently patted her head, reassuring her. "Summon your spirit. Let's move forward together."

"Mm-hmm!" she nodded eagerly. Her Starwheel Ice Staff appeared in her right hand, and she clung tightly to Jing Shaoyu's sleeve with her left, following him closely.

Jing Shaoyu also summoned his spirit. The Crown of Nature appeared behind him, a jade-like ring with two pure white gemstones embedded within it. A purple cloud-shaped mark appeared on his brow, followed by the appearance of his Origin Wings. Finally, two purple spirit rings hovered behind him, and a jade-colored bird, Ruby, perched on his shoulder.

Over the past three years, Jing Shaoyu's spirit, Ruby, had evolved into a thousand-year, purple-ringed spirit.

Thus, he now possessed two purple spirit rings as a Grand Spirit Master—a rare feat in East Sea City's history, and one of the reasons both Ouyang Jian and Ji Changming held him in such high regard.

"Ruby, scout ahead," he said, giving the little bird on his shoulder a gentle pat.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp~" Ruby spread her wings and flew forward.

Ruby's evolution had given her a more jade-like, translucent quality. Her fiery red feathers now had a golden crest, and her tail feathers were longer, broader, and fluffier, resembling flames.

"Xiaoyan, how's your spirit level now?" Jing Shaoyu asked as they moved forward.

"Hmm, let me think… I think she's at about 750 years? I can't remember exactly." Xu Xiaoyan tilted her head, looking a bit dazed, and gave a silly smile.

"You!" Jing Shaoyu sighed, shaking his head. Frustrated, he pinched her nose lightly. "Could you focus a bit more on training?"

Despite his frequent reminders, she was as lackadaisical about training as she had been in the original timeline. If not for her lack of focus, she'd be far stronger by now, rather than hovering around level 22. It was such a waste of her natural talent.

"Hehe, I will, I will." Xu Xiaoyan seemed to enjoy his attention, even rubbing her head on his shoulder affectionately.

"Your body should be able to handle around 900 years' worth of spirit power now," he said confidently. "Alright, today's goal—let's aim to bring your Snow Spirit up to 800 years!"

"Yay!" Xu Xiaoyan clapped her hands in excitement. "Goal: 800 years!"

The two wove through the dense forest, with Ruby scouting ahead. Whenever she detected a spirit beast nearby, she'd relay the information to Jing Shaoyu, and he'd lead Xu Xiaoyan to confront it.

In this way, they soon defeated dozens of spirit beasts, including some hundred-year-level creatures. Together, the accumulated spirit power surpassed 100 years, all of which Jing Shaoyu directed toward Xu Xiaoyan's Snow Spirit.

After absorbing this, her Snow Spirit's age increased by 50 years, reaching 800 years.

Jing Shaoyu hoped to push it to 900 years, but it was clear Xu Xiaoyan had reached her limit. Her face flushed, and her gaze was unfocused, clearly struggling to adapt to the sudden boost in her spirit ring's power.

"Brother Yu, I…" Xu Xiaoyan stammered, looking at him with a mix of embarrassment and panic.

"It's fine, you should log out," he reassured her, brushing a hand over her hair. "This is a good thing. Don't worry. Once you're out, go straight into meditation."

"Mm-hmm!" Comforted by his words, she quickly calmed down. "Brother Yu, I'll wait for you outside!"

With Xu Xiaoyan logged out, Jing Shaoyu continued alone, feeling a bit more at ease.

When a Gale Hawk swooped down from above, Jing Shaoyu wasted no time. With a quick gesture, sharp, spear-like branches from a nearby thorn bush shot up and skewered the bird, killing it instantly.

As his realm and strength advanced, Jing Shaoyu's control over plants became increasingly precise. In the forest of the Spirit Ascension Platform, every tree, every blade of grass could become his weapon. The thorny branches that had skewered the hawk were just wild thorns at his feet.

After all, plant manipulation was one of the few combat capabilities of his Origin Spirit, so he'd honed it to perfection.

"Chirp~" Ruby flew over and happily absorbed the Gale Hawk's spirit energy, gaining another two years of power.

"Alright, I see you're happy. Let's keep going." Jing Shaoyu smiled at her, and they continued onward.

Meanwhile, in the tower master's office on the top floor of the Spirit Pagoda, the red-haired woman from three years ago had returned. Her eyes were glued to the screen showing Jing Shaoyu, and her alluring lips moved softly as if murmuring to herself.

Her gaze held an unreadable glint.

Outside the office, Ji Changming waited respectfully, though confusion

flickered in his eyes. He truly didn't understand the intentions of the person inside.