"Thanks to you this time. Those kids are always such trouble," Ye Zhiqiu said as he poured Sasuke a glass of wine.
"It was nothing—just a small matter." Sasuke's gaze drifted to the window. The construction of Canghui Academy was far more organized and well-maintained than Shrek Academy. He felt comfortable leaving Mu Qing here, knowing she would be safe.
That evening, Ye Zhiqiu hosted Sasuke warmly. Over the course of their conversation, Sasuke learned much—details about soul masters, the political landscape of the continent, and the influence of the Spirit Hall.
"Was Canghui Academy also funded by the Spirit Hall?" Sasuke asked.
"Exactly," Ye Zhiqiu replied, taking a slow sip of wine. "Who else would bother coming to such a remote place? I was born in this very village. Now, as a teacher here, I can at least repay the kindness of my fellow villagers."
Back when Canghui Academy was first established, it flourished, producing outstanding graduates and earning the honorary title of Advanced Soul Master Academy.
"But in recent years, the quality of students has declined sharply. Most of the other teachers have left, and I'm the only one left holding this place together. These students might be the last class we ever have." Ye Zhiqiu's tone carried deep regret.
Sasuke glanced at Mu Qing, who was quietly eating with full concentration. The law of the jungle never changes, he thought to himself.
"Brother Sasuke, please stay and be a teacher!" Ye Zhiqiu suddenly grabbed Sasuke's hands, his eyes pleading. "I can't manage this school alone. I don't want to watch it disappear into obscurity."
Since arriving in this strange world, Sasuke had little to occupy him other than finding a way back. Seeing Ye Zhiqiu's sincerity, he said, "I'll stay for a while. Though, I'm not sure I'd make a good teacher."
He wasn't lying—teaching was not in his nature.
There were only ten students at Canghui Academy, including Mu Qing. With Sasuke's arrival, Ye Zhiqiu split them into two classes. Ye Zhiqiu handled the curriculum, while Sasuke's role was mainly to supervise.
"Sasuke-sensei! Let's go into the city tonight!"
"Sasuke-sensei! I made this lunch for you!"
"Sasuke-sensei! Do you have a girlfriend?"
Sasuke found himself surrounded by chattering female students the moment class ended. He sighed helplessly.
"Bai Cha, Ye Ling'er, Ling Yun, Ling Xue…" he recited their names silently, memorizing them one by one. The oldest among them was fifteen; the youngest, like Mu Qing, was thirteen. Sasuke himself was only seventeen.
Days passed, and Sasuke's ocular power gradually recovered. The six magatama markings reappeared in his Rinnegan. He attempted to open a spatial wormhole, but only managed to revisit the barren, lifeless dimensions once traversed by Kaguya. No path home revealed itself.
One afternoon, Ye Zhiqiu called up to him as he sat on the roof in thought."Sasuke, come with me to get spirit rings for the children today!"
Though Sasuke had heard about spirit rings before, he had never taken part in acquiring one. Ye Zhiqiu decided it was time for him to experience it firsthand—a proper step toward becoming a real teacher.
Sasuke leapt down from the roof.
"You seem to like high places," Ye Zhiqiu joked.
"Let's go," Sasuke replied flatly.
"Not at all like a seventeen-year-old," Ye Zhiqiu muttered with a shake of his head.
They were hunting spirit rings for three students—the same ones Sasuke had saved before.
"Ling Yun, Ling Xue, Bai Cha—stay close to Sasuke and me, and don't wander off in the Soul Hunting Forest," Ye Zhiqiu instructed sternly.
This time, they were aiming for a yellow, hundred-year-level spirit ring. With the Sharingan, Sasuke could track the flow of soul power in the forest and accurately gauge the age of a spirit beast.
Ling Yun and Ling Xue were siblings; their martial soul was a string of Buddha beads. Bai Cha's martial soul took the form of a snowflake.
Soon, Ye Zhiqiu spotted their first target—a nine-meter-long three-eyed green snake.
"Ling Yun, Ling Xue, you two go first!" he commanded.
Ling Xue activated her first soul skill, Holy Light. A phantom of her Buddha beads appeared above Ling Yun's head, bathing him in a faint golden glow that boosted his attack and defense by twenty percent.
With her support, Ling Yun unleashed his own first soul skill, Vedo Confinement. His Buddha beads manifested above the snake's head, then dropped, wrapping the serpent in shimmering chains. The snake writhed, but the bindings only grew tighter.
Seeing his chance, Ling Yun drew his sword, dashed forward, and drove the blade into the snake's head, pinning it to the ground.
"Well done, Ling Xue. The spirit ring from this three-eyed green snake will be yours," Ye Zhiqiu said.
Ling Xue stepped forward, finished the creature with a swift motion, and drew its spirit ring to her chest. Sitting cross-legged, she began the absorption process.
While she meditated, Sasuke activated his Sharingan, watching the flow of soul power as it poured from the yellow ring into her meridians. The energy grew heavier and denser, filling every channel in her body. Slowly, the ring's color faded.
When the spirit ring vanished entirely, Ling Xue opened her eyes, the process complete.
Ye Zhiqiu explained quietly, "If a soul master tries to absorb a ring too old for them, their meridians can't handle the surge of power. Their soul power will go berserk, and they'll die."
Sasuke ignored Ling Yun's teasing about his sister's beauty. "What happens if the absorption fails?"
"Incomplete absorption causes severe backlash. You gain no new skill, and you waste that slot for a ring entirely," Ye Zhiqiu replied, puzzled by Sasuke's basic question. He could sense that Sasuke's strength ran deep—so why did he ask things even novices knew?
Ling Xue stood, demonstrating her new ability. Her Buddha beads could now support three people instead of one, though the effect dropped to sixty percent for the second and third. Her new skill, Buddha's Light to Exorcise Demons, increased a target's resilience by fifty percent and halved any negative effects they suffered.
"A remarkable gain," Ye Zhiqiu praised. "Keep working hard, Ling Xue—you'll be a sought-after support master one day."
She blushed, muttering, "Teacher, you always say embarrassing things…"
By the end of the day, all three students had obtained their spirit rings.
"Let's go back and get Ling'er and the others, then head to the restaurant together!" Ling Yun suggested.
"Alright! My treat," Ye Zhiqiu said. "Back to the academy—then dinner!"
Bai Cha noticed Sasuke lingering behind. "Teacher Sasuke, aren't you coming?"
"You all go ahead," Sasuke said, disappearing in an instant. There was something he wanted to test.