Chapter 15 First impressions

Another week had gone by and Chen Jin's second ring had started to get a yellow tinge.

He was currently walking through the streets of Soto, looking at the ground distracted.

Chen Jin had completed his Ring Disguise skill. With another ring also changing and improving he'd had a lot more data, but the skill had a problem that couldn't be removed, not exactly a problem really, it was more of a side effect.

When the ring was disguised it's effects were slightly reduced, the greater the change the greater the reduction.

His first ring, for example was now around eight hundred years, but if he disguised it as a four hundred it would only work about as well as when it was seven hundred.

A hundred years loss for every four. A noticeable reduction.

Fortunately he only needed to uses the technique when he actually showed his rings, something that he actually did not need to do when fighting.

The reduction was not total though, his second ring changed the way his body worked, and as such his extra reserves were just as great, only his regeneration and compression suffered a drop.

He was still happy though, for him and anyone with rings outside the mainstream colours it was a magical skill until they were strong enough to not mind the attention.

He was currently walking back to the hotel, he'd gotten in the habit of walking through the city for a bit everyday or going to the great arena at night. Bai Yin had forced him to after he spent the first week cooped up, leaving only to eat.

She'd barged into his room, a serious expression on her face, and talked all the while about nonsensical things like the sun being good for his skin as she grabbed, dragged and threw him out of the hotel. He'd been too dumbfounded to resist, she never hesitated once.

Bai Yin had said that he was only allowed to come back at least an hour later. He'd thought it best to acquiesce, she looked rather scary.

When he'd came back, a bit more relaxed, he was getting a bit annoyed with the lack of results, she'd just looked at him, nodded and smiled a creepy smile as she said that he better leave his room at least once every two days, he wouldn't like what she would do otherwise.

She'd threatened him like that once before, he hadn't listened then. Now he left his room once per day.

Today he was coming back from the Great Arena, he'd taken to spend an hour or two there every two days, watching the matches.

It was an enlightening few hours for him, the vast amount of different spirits opened his eyes and the fights allowed him to think of what he would do in their place.

Chen Jin's battle experience was currently a big fat zero after all.

He'd also been able to somewhat place his current strength too, he was a 24th level Spirit Grandmaster and after getting battle experience he was certain that he could fight against common Spirit elders, Wave Burst was extremely versatile compared to the common spirit skills. The only problem was that his sustained battle capability was lower than normal. He'd never seen a genius spirit master, but he was certain that he wouldn't be able to beat one at the Spirit Elder level because of that.

Chen Jin reached the Seven Treasures, said hi to the attendant, he'd learned she's called Lu Meigui, and went to his room.

It was already night, but he wasn't going to sleep, he would only go to shrek when his second ring became a deep yellow, he still had quite a while to go.

Another month and a half went by and (finally) his second ring was a deep enough colour that he could go.

The speed at which his rings improved was different, he'd found.

His first was a lot easier to improve, it was slowing, but it was still fast, fast enough that he could feel the difference from a day to the other. It was already purple.

His second was harder, and the progress also slows a lot faster. Its also uncertain, sometimes it improves a bit, sometimes it doesn't and at times it gives a small jump in years.

He'd found it interesting to note, looking back though it was obvious why. They were based on his comprehension and he was always partially one with the world, he was always feeling everything around him and as such he was always slightly improving his first ring.

He actually had to stop and pay attention to what his heart was doing and help it along in order to improve the second.

It showed him that he had to be careful with his next rings, otherwise there was a great chance that they would stay as white for a long long time.

He'd visited Bai Huo the day before, she looked rather surprised. She'd thought it would be longer until he did it.

Today he'd said goodbye to Bai Yin, it was a lot easier, she lived closer and he could see her everyday, the distance isn't long, with Bai Huo it was different, the round trip takes around ten hours, from here out he'd visit either a day every two weeks or a weekend a month, probably a mix of both.

He was now outside Soto, walking to the village where he knew it was located. He was rather nervous, besides knowing that he was going to willingly say one of his secrets for the first time, what if he is actually younger than the original main cast? One year? Four?

That's a lot less time to prepare for the future.

As he continued on in the dirt road, he could see the small village up ahead.

He knew it was torn down. He heard it said it was small.

But this was just too much. The village could only have about 120 to 130 people. At most.

At the entrance there was a falling apart plaque that said Shrek Academy.

It wasn't the best of first impressions.