Evening had fallen over the quiet village, and the warm glow of firelight danced through the windows of Old Jack's cottage. Inside, the smell of roast chicken and goose filled the air, rich and savory. Old Jack, with sleeves rolled up and cleaver in hand, was preparing a hearty feast in honor of his three new guests.
With his son and daughter-in-law busy running a small business in Nuoding City, the old man usually lived alone. But now, with three lively kids under his roof, the house felt full of life again—and he couldn't be happier.
Qi Lin didn't just sit around waiting for dinner either. Instead, he eagerly joined in, offering help in the kitchen. Cooking was a bit of a hobby for him, particularly when it came to fancy knife skills. He found great joy in making flashy, precise cuts, slicing vegetables like a master chef, earning wide-eyed admiration from Old Jack.
"Good lad, good lad! You've got hands like a spirit chef!" the old man laughed heartily, watching Qi Lin at work with undisguised amazement.
Dinner passed in a joyful blur. Bellies full and spirits high, Old Jack then prepared three fresh rooms for his young guests, even replacing the bedding with brand-new blankets.
As night settled in, Qi Lin lay on his bed, gazing blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Then, without warning, the door creaked open.
A small head poked in—unsurprisingly, it was Xiao Wu. The cheeky hundred-thousand-year-old rogue rabbit.
"What're you doing here? Can't sleep in your own bed?" Qi Lin shot her a glance.
"Hehe, I couldn't sleep," Xiao Wu giggled, hopping into his bed as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She crossed her legs and lowered her voice into a conspiratorial whisper.
"Brother Qi Lin, don't you think Little San was acting kind of weird today?"
Qi Lin rolled his eyes. "Well, duh. His dad's gone missing—of course he's worried."
"But..." Xiao Wu tilted her head, fingers tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I was watching his face. Something about it didn't feel right..."
Qi Lin flicked her smooth forehead lightly. "Don't read too much into it. You're not exactly smart, but now you wanna be a detective?"
He wasn't too concerned with Tang San's troubles. After all, he knew Tang Hao had always been secretly watching over his son during this period. The man might be a drunken mess most of the time, but there was no way he'd let Tang San get into real danger.
Unless… could Tang Hao have really disappeared?
Qi Lin's mind wandered to his strange encounter on the streets of Nuoding City—the moment he'd seen Bibi Dong. There was no doubt she had come looking for Tang Hao.
But Tang San was still perfectly fine.
Which probably meant… the Grandmaster had stepped in to protect him.
Xiao Wu soon lost interest in Tang San's mystery and switched topics.
"Hey, Brother Qi Lin, didn't you hit level twenty ages ago? Why haven't you gone to get your second spirit ring yet?"
Qi Lin didn't even hesitate. "It's a hasse."
"I'll take a trip to the Soul Beast Forest when we go home, pick something up on the way. Not in a hurry."
Xiao Wu huffed. "You're even lazier than me when it comes to cultivation. Don't you dare call me lazy ever again!"
In truth, Qi Lin's spiritual sea had been filled with complaints lately—mostly from Skydream Iceworm.
Qi Lin's monstrous training speed was enough to leave Skydream Iceworm dumbfounded. But the problem was his complete lack of motivation.
Most spirit masters trained like their lives depended on it, clinging to every hour as if it were gold.
But Qi Lin? He could sleep through an opportunity to become a god.
Skydream Iceworm had taken to calling him "Little Ancestor" just to coax him into going for a second ring.
Qi Lin only laughed in response.
"Skydream bro, chill. My spirit power's still building up just fine, even without a second ring. Not like it's going to disappear or something."
"As for the ring itself?" He smirked. "Who knows? Maybe it'll just form on its own someday."
Skydream Iceworm was speechless. What do you think you are—a shapeshifting spirit beast?
Qi Lin waved off Xiao Wu half-heartedly. "Alright, alright. Let's just say neither of us is better, okay?"
Xiao Wu raised her chin. "Fine. At least you admit it."
"Now go back to bed already."
"Hmph. I won't!"
---
That night, Qi Lin sank into a deep, surreal dream.
He found himself in a realm of clouds and mist, with towering celestial mountains and rivers of golden light. Auspicious purple clouds drifted overhead, and a vast golden lotus floated in the distance, blooming petal by petal in radiant splendor.
With every petal that unfurled, he felt the world tremble. Strange voices whispered in his ears—ancient, unintelligible.
When the twelfth petal opened fully, a golden beam shot straight into his forehead.
In that instant, Qi Lin felt his consciousness sucked away, pulled through space and time itself in a dizzying, swirling torrent.
The next moment—
He shot up in bed, gasping for breath. His pajamas were soaked in cold sweat, and his heart was pounding wildly.
But his eyes—his eyes sparkled with clarity and elation.
"Brother Qi Lin?" came Xiao Wu's sleepy voice. "Is it morning already?"
"Not yet. Go back to sleep."
He pressed a hand gently on her forehead.
Thud. She fell backward into her pillow with a quiet snore, already deep in slumber.
Qi Lin, however, couldn't go back to sleep.
That dream… it had felt too real.
The more he tried to recall the details, the more they faded, like a memory behind a fogged mirror. Yet one thing was clear:
His second spirit ring had... formed on its own?
He couldn't tell the ring's exact age, only that it was a brilliant golden hue. And the soul skill? A passive soul skill and an active soul skill.
The passive ability—Divine Sanctuary.
The effect was absurd:
If an attack struck him with no ill intent, its damage would be reduced by 30%.
If the attacker held hostility, damage dropped by 70%, and half of it would bounce back.
But if the attacker wished to kill him? The damage was reduced by 99%—and all of it was reflected.
"…Isn't this a bit too OP?"
He scratched his head, muttering to himself, "Won't I get banned from reality with this?"
Well… whatever.
As he prepared to lie back down, his ears twitched. A faint creak echoed through the night—the soft click of a door closing.
Someone had gone outside.
He narrowed his eyes. Judging by the direction of the sound…
Tang San?
What was he up to in the middle of the night?
Qi Lin was tempted to follow. But after a moment of thought, he rolled his eyes.
"Doesn't matter. Tang Hao's watching him anyway. What's the worst that could happen?"
He yawned.
"Forget it. Sleep comes first."