A year later, in one of the rooms of the Spirit Hall's library.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a gentle glow on the boy's face—warm and radiant.
His features were sharp and calm under the light, and there was a trace of puzzlement between his brows as he rubbed his chin, deep in thought over the book before him.
A girl sat quietly to the side, resting her chin on her hand, simply watching the boy think.
Suddenly, a soft laugh escaped her lips—Qian Renxue smiled.
"I've got it!"
Lin Feng clapped his hands, realization dawning across his face.
"What is it, Xiao Feng? Tell me, tell me!"Qian Renxue blinked her eyes, inching closer.
"I was thinking… what if the key lies in the spirit rings? Spirit rings are the cornerstone of spirit energy and techniques—why do they always manifest outside the body on the martial spirit?
Since a martial spirit is part of the body, then logically, the spirit ring should also be able to exist inside.
The meridians serve as channels for spirit energy, just like the spirit rings store and channel it. There has to be a deeper connection.
Maybe… those legendary techniques—ring explosion, ring fusion—they might all be related!"
His eyes sparkled; Lin Feng felt he was on to something important.
By now, he had absorbed his first hundred-year spirit ring, reaching level 11.
Despite his progress, his research into spirit energy routes had hit a wall. Reconstructing the meridians internally and shaping a new path was proving far more complex than expected.
He had rebuilt his foundation using internal cultivation, breaking the natural limit that once capped him at Spirit Elder due to his initial level 1 innate spirit power.
But this wasn't his ultimate goal. Even with the help of the Innate Soul Refining Art, his current growth couldn't match the pace of someone born with full innate power.
Worse yet, his technique wasn't universal. His personal case wasn't enough to build a repeatable method—there was still a long road ahead.
The Innate Soul Pearl played a crucial role in his development, and as of now, there was no known substitute for it across the continent.
"If spirit rings are the essence of soul power and meridians are its riverbed… then combining the two, storing the spirit rings within the body, might allow the power to flow along the most fitting route.
After all, a spirit ring is merely an enhancement to the martial spirit, which itself is part of the body. So… what if we move the spirit ring somewhere else—"
Hearing Lin Feng's muttering, Qian Renxue suddenly panicked.
"Xiao Feng! What are you thinking?! You can't just manifest a spirit ring inside your body! Do you know how terrifying the energy inside a ring is?! Our bodies can't handle that!
Please snap out of it—don't mess with things that could kill you!"
She shook his head so hard it made him dizzy.
"Stop, stop, Xiaoxue! I'm feeling sick—you're too strong!"
"Ah—sorry."
She quickly let go, realizing she had accidentally used her spirit power. As a Spirit Elder, that could definitely hurt Lin Feng.
Rubbing his temple, Lin Feng teased her:"What, worried I might die?"
"Hmph! As if. I just don't want my friend turning out to be some idiot with a death wish."
Qian Renxue averted her gaze.
Lin Feng smiled. Her personality hadn't changed—still the same. He wondered when that might shift.
"Relax. I'm not reckless. A mighty river can surge with power, but it ultimately flows into the sea.
Spirit power is like water. Yes, the energy within a ring is overwhelming—but if I build the proper dams, widen the channels, and guide it through new tributaries…
I can handle it. Don't forget, my martial spirit was practically made for this."
Qian Renxue stared at him, stunned. She remembered his first spirit skill—Breath of Life.
It was a healing-type ability, but unusually powerful—almost rivaling the legendary Nine-Hearted Begonia. Especially in meridian repair, it worked wonders. Unless a vital channel was destroyed, it could heal almost anything—it was only a matter of time.
That meant Lin Feng could recklessly experiment with his meridians, and as long as the damage wasn't fatal, he'd recover with a bit of rest.
And with his martial spirit naturally refining his energy and nurturing his channels… it was as if he was meant to develop a new cultivation method.
Qian Renxue bit her lip. After a year together, she understood—when Lin Feng made up his mind about something, it was nearly impossible to stop him. Especially this—this was his dream.
"…Fine. But can I ask you something? From now on, whenever you experiment with your training, do it during the day… and call me, okay?"
Her voice was soft, almost pleading.
Lin Feng understood immediately. She wanted to arrange help behind the scenes—backup, just in case something went wrong and he got hurt.
His eyes softened.
"Okay. No problem. I promise."
"Mm! I believe in you—you will succeed."
Qian Renxue breathed a quiet sigh of relief and changed the subject.
Just then, a calm voice echoed through the room:
"Hey kid, mind if an old man joins you for a chat?"
Qian Renxue's eyes widened. She instantly pulled away from Lin Feng and nervously looked toward the door.
"G-Grandpa? What are you doing here…?"
Qian Daoliu sighed, feigning irritation:
"Came to meet the little genius you've been going on and on about. What, not happy to see me?"
"Aww, Grandpa~" Qian Renxue ran over and shook his arm.
"Of course I'm happy! It's just… you didn't say you were coming, so I was a little surprised!"
Qian Daoliu's face broke into a warm smile, suddenly gentle.
"Alright, alright. Grandpa was wrong. I should've told you in advance."
Qian Renxue shot Lin Feng a playful wink.
"Lin Feng greets the Grand Priest."
Seeing the boy bow respectfully, Qian Daoliu looked surprised. He glanced at Qian Renxue, who simply shook her head.
Qian Daoliu nodded."Get up. You're sharp—figured out Xiaoxue's identity?"
"I dare not claim credit. Xiaoxue never displayed her martial spirit, yet she carried the aura of holiness and authority—clearly someone from the upper echelon of Spirit Hall.
And she casually obtained a library access token… considering her mannerisms and status, it wasn't hard to guess."
Qian Renxue pouted.
"Stupid Lin Feng, so you knew all along and still pretended with me all this time? Was it fun?"
Lin Feng looked guilty."My fault. But you were hiding your identity too. I couldn't just call you out when you hadn't revealed anything."
"Hmph! Well I'm mad. You figure out how to make it up to me."She turned away with arms crossed.
Qian Daoliu watched the whole exchange with amusement. Was it just him, or was he… a little extra here?