Within a few days, Ding Sanshi's two thousand gold coins were delivered to the Academy.
Although this made the Academy's finances more abundant, Lin Jin quickly realized they were of little actual use.
It wasn't that gold Spirit coins were meaningless to him—far from it—but Tianxing Academy already had everything necessary for basic living.
If one wanted to purchase special equipment for cultivation or invest in medicinal baths, however, those coins were barely a drop in the bucket.
Still, the Academy was gradually getting on the right track, and everyone was putting in real effort.
Dai Mubai, in particular, was training diligently in the cultivation room, and his progress was swift.
Lin Jin also made time to train each day. Despite juggling Academy affairs alongside his cultivation, his progress was anything but slow.
Thanks to a threefold increase in cultivation speed, even at his current level, his improvement was visible to the naked eye.
[Spirit Power Cultivation: Level 47 (13%)]
Sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, Lin Jin slowly opened them and glanced at the progress bar.
"An average of 4% a day. With 22 days left on the training speed pack, that means I should reach level 48 before it runs out."
"Under normal circumstances, though, progress is barely over 1% a day. It would take nearly three months to break through a single level."
He frowned slightly. "So, breaking through to Spirit King before the assessment meeting… is a bit uncertain."
Although most deans of junior Spirit teacher Academies were only at the Spirit Sect level, Lin Jin was wary of any dangerous competitors from the so-called "pheasant schools" joining the promotion this year.
Among the three tutor duels, he needed to win the toughest one.
As for the others…
Lin Jin furrowed his brows. Where can I find some talented tutors to recruit…?
Knock, knock!
There was a knock at the office door.
Lin Jin shifted from his meditation posture to a sitting position.
"Come in."
The door creaked open, and one of the Academy's guards entered, looking anxious.
Calling them 'guards' was generous—they were just a few strong village peasants hired for security.
Still, they were honest and dependable. Lin Jin liked working with them.
"What's going on? Why the panic?" Lin Jin asked, frowning.
The guard, out of breath and visibly nervous, spoke quickly:
"Dean, there's a group of people outside. They claim to be from Blackstone City—and one of them is a Viscount!
In this feudal society, the gap between nobility and commoners was vast and hard to cross.
Unless one was a Spirit master, people were bound to live with strict social hierarchies.
"A Viscount?" Lin Jin raised an eyebrow. Could it be Peng Fan's father?
He stood up and walked over to the window. Sure enough, he spotted a group of people gathered outside the Academy gate, led by a richly dressed middle-aged man.
"So it is him…" Lin Jin muttered, then turned and made his way downstairs toward the Academy entrance.
-----
At the gate of Tianxing Academy
Peng Ming's expression was grim. His eyes scanned the small Academy grounds, taking in every detail.
While the place was clean, it was tiny—far smaller than his courtyard.
Is this a Spirit Master Academy? He wondered, doubt creeping in.
Ever since his son Peng Fan had undergone martial spirit awakening, the boy had been withdrawn and distracted.
Though Peng Ming had worried about his son's state, talent wasn't something that could be forced. All he could do was offer reassurance… even if he was losing confidence.
Unexpectedly, just a few days later, Peng Fan ran away from home.
Peng Ming had mobilized all his resources to search for him, but after days of searching, he came up empty-handed.
Just when worry began to overwhelm him, a family guard rushed in with a letter in hand.
"You little brat, I swear I'll tan your hide! Even if you wanted to attend the Blackstone Spirit Division Junior Academy, how could you just run off to some place like this without a word?
Peng Ming's face was twisted with fury as he cursed internally, but beneath his anger, a wave of relief washed over him.
Peng Fan's mother had passed away early.
If anything ever happened to the boy, Peng Ming didn't know how he could face her in the afterlife.
Peng Ming stood with a dark expression, glaring at the entrance.
"And where is your dean? When is he coming?" he demanded coldly, his voice laced with anger as he turned to the nervous guard at the gate.
The guard swallowed hard, glancing toward the office building.
A moment later, his eyes lit up.
"H-He's coming! The Dean is coming!"
Peng Ming turned sharply, just in time to see Lin Jin walking calmly toward the gate with a relaxed smile.
As soon as he saw Lin Jin's youthful face, Peng Ming's opinion of the Academy sank even lower.
So young? What kind of joke is this place? But at the same time, something about the young man's face tugged at his memory. He was sure he had seen him somewhere before.
"A Viscount has arrived, and no one even opens the gate?" Peng Ming snapped.
"Open it already and let me in!"
The guard flinched and rushed to swing the iron gate open.
Lin Jin approached, smiling with an effortless grace.
"I'm Lin Jin, Dean of Tianxing Spirit Teacher Academy. What might I do for the esteemed Viscount?"
"Lin Jin?" Peng Ming's eyes narrowed.
"So it is you."
"Oh?" Lin Jin raised a brow.
"It's an honor to be recognized."
"Humph."
Peng Ming let out a cold snort. "My son is here. Bring him out—now."
"Peng Fan is in the middle of training," Lin Jin replied with the same polite tone, though his eyes glinted with subtle amusement.
"Is there something urgent the Viscount needs from him?"
"What do you mean, urgent? I've come to take him back, of course!" Peng Ming barked.
Anger flashed in his eyes. This brat's trying to play dumb!
Lin Jin gave a regretful look, though the smile never entirely left his face. Spreading his hands, he said, "I'm sorry, Viscount. Since Peng Fan has officially enrolled and paid tuition, it's my duty to protect his right to study here. I can't allow him to be taken away without his consent."
Peng Ming's expression darkened further. So he dares to speak like this—he must be confident Peng Fan won't leave with me.
He didn't know what kind of tricks Lin Jin had pulled, but he couldn't allow his son to waste away in such a place.
Peng Fan had no future here!
"What if I insist on taking him?" Peng Ming said coldly.
At his words, several of the men behind him stepped forward, releasing waves of Spirit power as they glared at Lin Jin.
Four Spirit Great Masters and two Spirit Masters.
Lin Jin chuckled lightly and stepped forward.
"I don't enjoy using force… but I'm not afraid of it either."
With that, he released a wave of Spirit pressure, matching theirs head-on without the slightest sign of strain.