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Yon Village, Tianxing Spirit Master Academy
It took much longer to absorb the spirit bone than Lin Jin had anticipated.
Even though the spirit bone was a universal one provided by the system, integrating a foreign object into one's own body was no simple task.
The fusion process lasted an entire day and night.
During that time, Lin Jin's room was bathed in radiant, multicolored light—an effect caused by the spirit bone's second ability.
The Light Energy Absorption skill had activated automatically, absorbing sunlight and converting it into pure spirit power.
Outside the room, Dai Mubai had been watching closely, puzzled by what he sensed.
This didn't feel like a typical cultivation breakthrough. What exactly is the Dean doing? he wondered.
Suddenly, within the glow, Lin Jin opened his eyes. A flash of light passed through them, bright and intense.
The spirit bone that had hovered above his head transformed into a brilliant stream of color and fused seamlessly into his body.
As the final traces of light entered him, the radiant glow in the room faded and settled into calm.
"Dean?" came Dai Mubai's tentative voice from outside the door.
Lin Jin took a deep breath, quietly assessing the power flowing through his body.
But soon, disappointment crept into his expression.
So it didn't boost my spirit power after all…
Pushing aside his regret, Lin Jin rose to his feet and opened the door.
Dai Mubai stood there, momentarily stunned. Then his expression lit up with excitement.
"Dean, did you break through?"
"Breakthrough?" Lin Jin chuckled.
"Not quite. But let me show you something better."
With a mysterious smile, Lin Jin stepped into the corridor and looked up toward the sky.
Dai Mubai watched him in confusion, just as Lin Jin took a deep breath and activated his spirit power.
Suddenly, two glowing orbs of light burst from under his clothes, burning through the fabric and leaving fist-sized holes.
Blinding light streamed from his back, rapidly forming into three pairs of wings right before Dai Mubai's eyes.
Six radiant wings unfurled, shimmering with holy light. Feathers of pure light drifted down like snowflakes, filling the corridor and the skies beyond. It was as if a true angel had descended.
Out on the playground, students playing and chatting looked up in astonishment.
One of them pointed and shouted, "An angel! There's an angel in the sky!"
Lin Jin laughed heartily.
"It's not an angel—it's me your Dean!"
The wings beat the air with a gentle hum, lifting him upward.
Like a beam of pure light, Lin Jin soared into the sky.
From his high vantage point, the entire world stretched out before him—the lush mountains in the distance, endless forests like rolling seas, farmlands, cooking smoke, and villages nestled peacefully below.
Even Lin Jin, usually composed, couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with excitement.
Humans are born bound to the ground, yet filled with the dream of flight.
For someone like him, the sky had always been a place of wonder.
How high does the sky go? What lies at the edge of the heavens? Is there a god beyond the clouds?
Such questions stirred an eternal yearning in his heart.
He beat his wings again, golden light trailing behind him, and for a moment, it felt as if the sky truly belonged to him.
Below, the villagers of Yon Village looked up in awe at the glowing figure in the heavens.
Students gathered on the Tianxing Academy playground, cheering and pointing.
"The Dean's in the sky!" they cried.
"The Dean is flying!"
Shen Xin stood motionless on the playground, stunned. Beside her, Peng Fan clenched his fists in silent awe and admiration.
After soaring through the skies for over ten minutes, Lin Jin finally descended. To his surprise, the flight hadn't consumed much spirit power at all.
Not only was the spirit bone highly efficient, but its secondary ability also continuously replenished his energy.
"How was that, Mubai?" Lin Jin retracted his wings and turned to Dai Mubai with a cheerful grin.
Unexpectedly, Dai Mubai didn't look impressed. In fact, his expression was rather grim.
After a moment of hesitation, he looked directly at Lin Jin and asked, "Dean… are you from the Spirit Hall?"
Lin Jin froze in surprise, then shook his head.
"Of course not. Why would you think that?"
Dai Mubai's gaze was sharp, filled with suspicion, though it seemed like he didn't want to believe his own assumption.
"Really? You're not?"
"Absolutely not. Mubai, just say what's on your mind," Lin Jin said, his tone growing serious.
He could sense that something was off.
"…Alright. I'll trust you—for now," Dai Mubai said, taking a deep breath. But the doubt in his eyes had only grown stronger.
"The wings just now—they're from your spirit bone, right?"
"That's right," Lin Jin replied calmly.
It wasn't surprising that Dai Mubai had recognized it.
As the prince of the Star Luo Empire, he'd received elite education since childhood and had likely learned about the rarest spirit bones, including external ones like Lin Jin's.
"So it's true…" Dai Mubai muttered. It was one thing to suspect it, another to hear it confirmed.
A flicker of intense envy passed through his eyes.
An external spirit bone—especially one with wings—was one of the rarest and most coveted treasures among spirit masters.
Even ordinary spirit bones were enough to drive people mad with greed.
Still, Dai Mubai managed to compose himself. His voice was steady again, though tinged with doubt.
"But as far as I know, there's only one spirit bone with angel wings in the entire Spirit Hall. How did you get it?"
At that, Lin Jin finally understood why Dai Mubai had been so suspicious.
He was right. Spirit bones were extremely rare in this world—so rare that many spirit masters had never even seen one.
A spirit bone like Dance of Angels was nearly unheard of outside of the Spirit Hall's top-secret treasure, the Angel Set.
As far as most people were concerned, a spirit bone like this couldn't possibly exist outside of that hall.
Lin Jin let out a low laugh, and his tone carried a cryptic weight.
"Spirit Hall, huh? Mubai, do you know where I'm really from?"
Dai Mubai's eyes narrowed. Then he shook his head.
Lin Jin didn't press further. Instead, he smiled and said, "Mubai, the world is far bigger than you imagine. You may think Spirit Hall is the pinnacle of power, and you may believe what you see is all there is—but I'm telling you now: the world goes far beyond your imagination."
"Let go of your fixed ideas. If Spirit Hall has something, why can't I?"
Dai Mubai was stunned. He stared at Lin Jin, thoughts racing.
What did he mean by that? Was the Dean not even from the Douluo Continent?
As the prince of Star Luo, Dai Mubai had once read a travel journal from the royal library—a mysterious collection of tales told by a fisherman.
In it, the author claimed that across the endless sea lay another vast continent, inhabited by different people.
Could it be… that the Dean came from there?
He thought of Lin Jin's profound sayings and wisdom—so unlike what was taught in Douluo.
A chill ran down his spine. He was starting to believe it.
Even so, he spoke solemnly.
"Dean… even if you have secrets, I must warn you—spirit bones attract unimaginable greed. Especially when the wielder doesn't have the strength to protect them."
Lin Jin's smile faded. He nodded slowly, his expression serious.
"You're right. Thanks for the reminder, Mubai. As they say… 'An innocent man treasures jade, and thus becomes guilty.'"