"We really don't know what kind of soul ring Keke needs… we'll just have to slowly look through them."
Paimon let out a sigh. Why was it so hard for Keke to get stronger? She needed soul rings and everything…
If only getting stronger could happen instantly, like it did for her—it would be so much easier…
Too bad the traveler had said Keke couldn't learn that kind of method.
"Paimon, I'm fine with just picking one at random~"
Yu Keke didn't want her brother and Paimon to worry so much on her behalf.
There were so many soul beasts here—surely any soul ring would do.
"No way. Soul rings are extremely important for you. We need to be careful with this."
Aether gently patted Yu Keke's head, encouraging her.
Since Keke wanted to grow stronger, then she should become the strongest—or at the very least, a top-tier powerhouse in this world.
"Exactly! Choosing soul rings is absolutely vital for soul masters. This young man is completely right."
Nearby, Instructor Wang, who had been quietly observing, overheard their discussion about soul ring absorption.
Guided by her professional duty as an educator, she stepped forward and confirmed Aether's statement.
"When soul masters choose soul rings, the first priority is to select the highest-year ring their body can withstand."
"Second, they should choose a ring that complements their own attributes. That way, they can maximize their potential and strength."
After finishing her explanation, Instructor Wang walked over, her gaze shifting among the three before finally landing on Yu Keke behind Aether.
"I'm guessing it's this young lady who'll be absorbing a soul ring?"
She wasn't making a baseless guess.
Neither Aether nor Paimon exuded any soul power at all—they seemed just like ordinary civilians.
But behind Aether, Yu Keke occasionally leaked traces of soul power—likely due to her lack of formal training and limited understanding of soul power.
That told Instructor Wang all she needed to know: Keke's grasp and control over soul power were still quite weak.
"Mm-hmm! You're amazing, big sis—you saw right away that Keke's the one who's going to absorb the soul ring!"
Paimon clenched her little fists in amazement.
"Hehe~ This girl can't even control her soul power. Anyone with a slightly higher level of soul force could've seen that. It's not really anything impressive."
But even as she spoke modestly, Instructor Wang couldn't help but smile happily at being called "big sis" by Paimon—her charming mature-woman aura lighting up with joy.
"But the problem is… we don't know what kind of soul ring she should absorb…"
Paimon's tone shifted again, back to her usual fretting.
"Hmm… The girl's Spirit is a beast-type, isn't it?"
Instructor Wang eyed Keke's animal-like ears and had already more or less figured it out.
"Yes, Keke's Spirit is a little fox—it can change her body shape and everything," Paimon nodded.
"A mutated beast Spirit? I've read a little about those."
As a mentor at Tianshui Academy, she had at least some knowledge stored away about rare Spirits.
"Eh? Really? That's great! Keke, we can ask this big sister to help you figure out what kind of soul ring would suit you!"
Paimon's eyes lit up. This woman, who reminded her of Jean with her… ample wisdom, seemed to know a lot about Spirits.
She could definitely help with Keke's soul ring selection.
"Well… I've only read about body Spirits in books. I can't guarantee those records are entirely accurate."
Instructor Wang gave a soft smile and shook her head.
She was happy to help Keke pick a ring, but whether she could find the perfect match was another story.
After all, there were very few records of body-type Spirits.
Most who awakened such Spirits had a hard time cultivating them due to their complexity. Many spent their lives achieving only limited success.
So there was very little useful precedent to draw from.
"Hmm~ Anyway, we're just waiting on my student to finish absorbing her soul ring. Little one, if you're willing, go ahead and activate your Spirit—I'll take a look and see what kind of element suits it best."
She glanced over at Shui Yue'er, who was still focused on absorbing her ring, guarded by Teacher Xu. With nothing pressing to do, she was happy to lend her help.
"Okay… Thank you."
Keke looked over at Aether. After he gave a nod, she stepped forward and gave Instructor Wang a respectful bow before activating her Spirit.
The moment she did, her fox ears elongated slightly and shimmered with mystical charm.
From underneath her dress, three fluffy tails emerged from behind, jostling each other as they poked out.
"..."
Keke had grown used to the ears on her head, but the three swaying tails behind her still made her feel deeply embarrassed.
As her Spirit fully activated, her face turned crimson, and she instinctively reached behind her with both hands, trying to hide the tails.
"A fox body Spirit… Soul power level: twenty-three. This looks like a high-potential agility-type Spirit."
Instructor Wang examined her carefully, voicing her thoughts, though her tone held a hint of confusion.
Frowning slightly, she continued:
"With such potential in a fox-based body Spirit… forcing her into a control-type path would be a waste. It doesn't make full use of the Spirit's natural physical enhancements. Maybe… an agility-assault path would suit her better."
Aether stood silently beside them. Ever since he started traveling with Paimon, she'd taken on most of the speaking roles in social situations.
As the camera—ahem—as the traveler, all he had to do was observe, think, and act. Talking? That was Paimon's job as the mouthpiece of the gods.
Anyway, even though he said nothing, he was still evaluating Instructor Wang's proposal in his mind.
He didn't know much about Spirits, but he could tell the analysis was sound.
After all, Keke had received elemental enhancements before, and even undergone time reversal.
Her body and potential had likely evolved even further.
Considering all that, the agility-assault path would indeed make her stronger than trying to force her into a control-type role.
Besides, in Aether's opinion, body Spirits were all about strength. Why overthink it?
If you met an enemy, just hit them. If they didn't fall the first time, hit them again.
As long as you had enough strength, all that flashy stuff was meaningless.
"Keke, what do you think?"
Paimon, still not fully understanding all the logic, turned to Keke.
"I—I'll do whatever Brother says!"
Keke wasn't much different from Paimon. Her head was just as full of fog.
"This mentor's advice sounds very solid. Let's go with the agility-assault path."
Aether finally made the decision for her.
"Great. In that case, for your second soul ring, a Gale Leopard would be a fine choice."
Now that Aether had spoken, Instructor Wang didn't hold back, readily recommending what she considered an ideal soul beast.
"An adult Gale Leopard can grow to nearly a thousand-year-level soul beast. The only question is whether her body can handle a few hundred years' worth of soul ring."
"B-but… I haven't even gotten my first soul ring yet…"
Keke retracted her Spirit and returned to normal, speaking up timidly.
"Huh? What… what do you mean?"
Her words didn't just shock Instructor Wang—even Shui Bing'er off to the side looked stunned.
A soul master already at level twenty-three hadn't absorbed a single soul ring yet?
"I still need to get my first ring before I can do anything."
Had she not made herself clear earlier?
Keke tilted her head, confused.
When she activated her Spirit just now, the changes to her body had drawn all the attention. No one had even checked if she already had soul rings.
Now that they realized she had none… this wasn't just an outstanding talent anymore.
This was a fallen prodigy. A hidden gem still buried in dust.
_
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