"She."
Lin Jin pointed to Shen Xin, who stood quietly beside him.
The young man glanced at her in surprise, then smiled.
"Little girl, you've got good talent."
With that, he placed the crystal ball on the stand. It was about the size of a volleyball—clear as glass, shimmering faintly, its material unknown.
Handling it with great care, the young man chuckled.
"This thing's expensive. Each one costs a hundred gold coins—nearly half a year's salary for me."
"Half a year's salary?" Lin Jin raised an eyebrow.
"Yep."
The young man sighed, assuming Lin Jin was shocked by the crystal's price.
But what truly stunned Lin Jin was the man's salary.
This guy just sits here all day, and he's pulling in more than ten gold coins a month?!
The damned Spirit Hall really is loaded.
"Alright, little girl," the Spirit master said, turning back to Shen Xin.
"Place your hand on the crystal ball and channel your Spirit power into it."
Shen Xin nodded. She followed his instructions, placing her hand gently on the crystal's surface and beginning to inject her Spirit power.
Slowly, the crystal ball began to glow, light spreading across half its surface.
"Level 15? What's going on with this thing?" the young man muttered, puzzled.
He picked up the crystal ball, turning it this way and that.
"Yes," Lin Jin answered.
"Her Spirit power is at level 15 now."
Originally, Shen Xin had been at level 10.
But after absorbing the Spirit ring, the boost it provided pushed her to level 15.
"Level 15, huh? Then why are we even testing?" the Spirit master grumbled under his breath.
Still, he didn't complain further. Instead, he turned to a nearby tool rack.
"What's the little girl's name? And her martial spirit?"
"Shen Xin. Seven Aperture Flowers martial spirit," she replied after glancing at Lin Jin, who gave a small nod.
"Oh? We're from the same clan, then! I'm Shen Yang."
He grinned at her, then got to work. Lin Jin stepped closer to observe and saw that Shen Yang was engraving information onto a small metal nameplate.
"This will be your certificate," Shen Yang explained.
"From now on, you'll receive a monthly subsidy in gold Spirit coins from the Spirit Hall. But each time you collect it, your Spirit power will be checked. There's a special material in the nameplate that lets us detect your power level—so don't even think about forging it."
He smirked. "People who try to forge anything in Spirit Hall… don't end well."
"Here you go."
Shen Yang handed the newly engraved nameplate to Shen Xin and clapped his hands.
Then he grabbed one of the thick identification cards on the desk, signed it, and passed it to her.
"Take this to the front desk when you're ready to collect your subsidy."
"You're not in charge of that?" Lin Jin asked, amused.
Shen Yang shrugged. "They don't want us getting our hands on too much money. There's a separate team for registration and distribution. Makes it harder to tamper with things if the power is split."
At that moment, steady footsteps echoed through the corridor.
An old man in a long robe appeared at the doorway, glanced inside, then furrowed his brows and left silently, his expression unreadable.
Lin Jin raised an eyebrow. "What's with the bishop?"
Shen Yang sighed. "Came to check if I was slacking off. If it weren't for you being here, I'd probably be getting scolded by that old man. He's had it out for me ever since I beat up his arrogant son last year."
He leaned back in his chair, stretching a bit.
"If not for that incident, I'd probably be working in the Punishment Order by now."
"But honestly, I've made peace with it. At least here, I don't have to fight and kill all day. That guy may be a third-rank White Bishop, but he can't really do anything to me."
Lin Jin's eyes gleamed with a spark of thought. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Still, that doesn't sound like a healthy work environment. He might not be able to harm you, but constant trouble can wear you down. Ever thought about... changing workplaces?"
Shen Yang, now slouched back in his chair, blinked and looked over at him suspiciously.
"Wait... are you trying to poach someone from Spirit Hall?"
Lin Jin cleared his throat.
"Cough. I might be. Mostly because I think you're talented, and frankly, you're being wasted here."
Shen Yang raised an eyebrow in amused disbelief. He gave Lin Jin a thumbs-up.
"I'll give it to you—that's bold. I've never seen anyone actually try to recruit someone out from under the Spirit Hall's nose."
Then he looked Lin Jin up and down, his gaze filled with curiosity.
"You don't even look older than me. Mind if I ask where you're from?"
Lin Jin smiled. "Lin Jin, Dean of Tianxing Spirit Teacher Academy."
He gestured toward Shen Xin. "She's one of my students."
"Tianxing Spirit Teacher Academy?"
Shen Yang repeated, frowning slightly. He tried to recall.
Was there a Spirit teacher academy in Blackstone City by that name?
It sounded vaguely familiar.
Lin Jin added helpfully, "It's newly established. Located in Yon Village."
"Yon Village? Oh! Right—I remember now. A few days ago, I heard that Ding Sanshi, the teaching director at Blackstone Junior Spirit Teacher Academy, went to some new academy in Yon Village and got beaten up. So that was your school."
Understanding dawned on Shen Yang's face, followed by surprise. He looked sharply at Lin Jin.
"Wait... are you a Spirit Sect?"
Lin Jin just grinned. "Problem with that?"
Shen Yang stared at him, stunned. This guy looks barely in his twenties... and he's already a Spirit Sect?
He prided himself on his own talents, but even he had to admit—this was impressive. After a moment, he composed himself.
"So if I were to join your academy... what kind of treatment could I expect?"
Lin Jin was pleased by the question.
The hardest part—piquing his interest—was done.
He answered honestly, "We're new, so we're not wealthy. Your salary wouldn't match what you earn at Spirit Hall. But the academy has great potential. And if it grows, you'd be a founding member—a senior figure. What you gain in the long run could far surpass your current situation."
Being a senior member of a developing Spirit teacher academy... It sounded appealing.
Better than being a nameless cog in Spirit Hall. Shen Yang was clearly tempted—but he didn't answer immediately.
Starting an academy from scratch... it's not easy. He didn't know much about running an institution, but even he understood how risky it could be.
He fell silent, lost in thought.
Lin Jin didn't press further. He knew it would take more than words to convince someone to take such a leap.
"If you're ever interested," he said, standing up, "the gates of Tianxing Spirit Teacher Academy are always open."
With that, Lin Jin left, taking Shen Xin with him—and leaving Shen Yang alone with his thoughts.