Chapter 35: Departure, and the Grandmaster Who Never Gives Up

Thanks to the books his father left behind, Lin Ye wasn't entirely ignorant of the world of Soul Masters. He knew about some of the secrets within it, such as the existence of the Spirit Hunting Forest.

The forest was a place where both of the continent's great empires kept spirit beasts for hunting. Many spirit beasts resided there.

Most of the beasts were under a thousand years old, but that made it the perfect place for people advancing to the ranks of Soul Master or Grandmaster.

Because of this, nearly everyone who reached level ten or twenty in their soul power chose to visit the Spirit Hunting Forest to kill a spirit beast and advance to the next rank.

However, there were conditions for entering the Spirit Hunting Forest.

To enter, one needed a permit issued by the Spirit Hall.

But these hunting permits weren't easy to come by. One had to first go to the Spirit Hall and prove they had reached the peak of their current level, then they also needed the backing of at least three nobles!

Getting tested at the Spirit Hall wasn't a problem for Lin Ye. What was troublesome was securing the support of three nobles—something that seemed almost absurd.

Of course, Lin Ye believed that if he asked the academy for help, he might still be able to gain entry to the Spirit Hunting Forest. But how long that would take was anyone's guess.

So now, with the Grandmaster offering a way to enter the forest directly, Lin Ye had no reason to refuse.

…

The next morning, just before dawn.

Lin Ye and Tang San woke up and left Dorm Seven.

The previous night, Lin Ye had informed everyone in the dorm about their upcoming trip to hunt spirit rings.

As the leader of Dorm Seven, and after thoroughly crushing the arrogance of the day students yesterday, Lin Ye had already established his authority.

So when Lin Ye mentioned his plans, several students from Dorm Seven immediately volunteered to cover the work-study duties for the day.

Because Xiao Wu shared the same work area with Lin Ye, she also got out of the chore.

Even though the garden on the south side of the field was quite large, with ten or so students from Dorm Seven working together, it didn't take long to clean it up.

After leaving Dorm Seven, Lin Ye and Tang San made their way to the exit of the dormitory building.

The Grandmaster had been waiting for them for some time.

"Now that everyone's here, let's get moving."

Seeing both Lin Ye and Tang San arrive, the Grandmaster turned and headed toward the academy gate.

Along the way, Tang San asked a lot of questions about the Spirit Hunting Forest, and the Grandmaster answered each one in detail.

Lin Ye, while already familiar with some aspects of the forest from his father's books, only knew the basics.

The Grandmaster's thorough explanations were eye-opening, and Lin Ye gained a lot from listening quietly.

After leaving the academy, the Grandmaster led them toward the center of Notting City.

Since it was their first time going out, Lin Ye and Tang San, not knowing much, simply followed along without asking too many questions.

They soon arrived at the city's bustling commercial district.

Although the day was just beginning, the shops were already open for business.

The Grandmaster moved through the streets, entering several stores. He bought dried food, water pouches, and some realgar powder, presumably to ward off snakes and insects.

Before leaving, he even made a stop at the vegetable market and bought a small cart of white radishes.

This left Lin Ye feeling puzzled.

White radishes? What are those for?

Despite his curiosity, Lin Ye wasn't one to pry. Tang San also kept quiet.

"Everything's ready. Let's go hire a carriage!"

The Grandmaster instructed Lin Ye and Tang San to hold onto the radishes while he went off to find a carriage. They waited for him at the edge of a quiet alley outside the market.

Before long, a carriage approached from a distance, coming to a stop in front of them.

"Get in."

The Grandmaster emerged from the carriage and had Lin Ye and Tang San stow the radishes and climb aboard. After a moment, the Grandmaster followed them into the carriage.

However, as the Grandmaster stepped inside, Lin Ye noticed something odd.

The radishes... they're gone? Did he put them on the roof? Or what?

Lin Ye was confused but said nothing.

"Driver, we're ready. Let's head out."

With that, the Grandmaster spoke to the driver outside, and the carriage began moving swiftly toward the outskirts of Notting City.

Clip, clop, clip, clop...

The sound of hooves echoed in the air as Lin Ye pulled aside the carriage curtain, watching the scenery outside as it flew by.

Feeling the gentle sway of the carriage, Lin Ye couldn't help but feel a bit strange. It was, after all, his first time riding in a carriage.

The carriage rolled out of Notting City, heading northeast toward the Spirit Hunting Forest, which lay four hundred miles away.

Even after they left the city, Lin Ye continued peeking out the window, watching the passing landscape.

Although there wasn't much to see—just endless stretches of forest—everything felt fresh and exciting to Lin Ye, who was traveling far from home for the first time.

"Xiao San, this is for you."

Suddenly, a calm voice broke the silence inside the carriage.

Lin Ye turned to see the Grandmaster handing a belt to Tang San.

The belt was black, with dark silver stripes running across its surface. Twenty-four thumb-sized white jade stones were embedded in it, making it look quite exquisite.

"Teacher, this is…"

Tang San accepted the belt, his expression slightly puzzled.

"This is a gift from me to you," the Grandmaster said with a faint smile.

"Don't underestimate it. This is no ordinary belt—it's a spirit tool."

"A spirit tool?"

Lin Ye's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.

He had read about spirit tools in his father's books.

They were special items made specifically for Soul Masters, driven by soul power, and incredibly valuable. Each one had unique abilities.

"A spirit tool?"

Tang San was also surprised, though he didn't fully understand what it meant, he could tell it was something special.

"This belt is a rare storage-type spirit tool. Each of the twenty-four jade stones can store up to one cubic meter of items. Simply channel your soul power into it, and you'll be able to store or retrieve anything."

The Grandmaster explained with a smile.

"Teacher, this is too valuable!"

Tang San, overwhelmed, quickly tried to refuse.

"Take it, Xiao San. This belt might be precious, but it's no longer of much use to me. The bracelet I'm wearing is also a storage-type spirit tool."

"Don't worry about me running out. Aside from these two storage tools, I have another one as well."

"And in the future, if I'm lucky enough to take on another disciple, I'll gift that one to them."

The Grandmaster gently pushed the belt back into Tang San's hands, his words carrying a deeper meaning.

Hearing this, Tang San couldn't help but glance at Lin Ye.

However, Lin Ye remained calm.

Although the storage spirit tool was indeed valuable, Lin Ye wasn't tempted.

After all, he also had his own storage-type spirit tool: the jade pendant left by his parents!

After unlocking just the first seal, the jade pendant contained over a hundred cubic meters of storage space, almost the size of a small house.

Compared to the Grandmaster's precious belt, Lin Ye's jade pendant was in a different league altogether.

"How can he not be tempted at all?"

Inside the carriage, the Grandmaster, noticing Lin Ye's complete lack of interest, couldn't help but feel a bit shaken.

That's impossible!

A storage-type spirit tool was practically a legendary item. How could a boy his age not be tempted?

The Grandmaster, of course, had no idea that his so-called precious storage belt had a capacity of less than fifty cubic meters.

Meanwhile, Lin Ye's jade pendant, after unlocking just one seal, already boasted a storage space of over a hundred cubic meters.

The difference between the two was like that of a sparrow boasting about how high it could fly in front of an eagle, urging the eagle to learn from it. It was utterly laughable.

How could Lin Ye possibly be tempted by that?

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