By the time Su Yan and Xiao Wu finally returned to the dorm, the skies were already dark, and the academy had fallen quiet. They had to sneak in, careful not to wake the others.
For a second, Su Yan thought he caught the faintest shift from Tang San's bed—then everything went perfectly still, as if it had never happened.
Su Yan slipped onto his bed and let out a slow breath. Thinking back over the day, he couldn't help feeling pleased. Nihilister was settled, for the most part. He had his first Soul Ring. He even had a monthly income now—enough to keep himself properly fed. And… spending time with Xiao Wu had been surprisingly enjoyable. Even as a transmigrator, experiencing childhood again felt strangely comfortable.
But as the warmth of that thought faded, his mind drifted to more serious things.
Starting tomorrow, I must train harder.
Despite his cheat, nothing had come easily. Gatekeeper didn't hand him answers—he had to experiment, to test and fail, again and again. At this point, could it really be called a cheat if he had to work so hard…?
Su Yan sighed as he suddenly remembered his Soul Ring.
In all the chaos of Nihilister's summoning and getting her into the city, he'd neglected something important—his first Soul Skill. He could have sworn Spirit Masters understood their Soul Ring's ability the moment it formed. Yet when he searched for that instinctive certainty, there was nothing. Only a faint sense that Gatekeeper could do more… without the slightest clue how to make it happen.
Maybe he'd need to ask Teacher Lin tomorrow.
The next morning, after breakfast, Su Yan went straight to Teacher Lin's home.
"Teacher Lin, I've come again."
He called out as he knocked on the gate.
A moment later, it opened, and Teacher Lin stood there, looking as composed as ever—though the faint tiredness in her eyes hadn't completely faded.
"Su Yan. You're early," she said. "I knew you were coming back today, but not this soon."
"Come. We'll talk inside."
Su Yan stepped in at her invitation.
"I came early because I have questions about my Soul Skill," he said.
"But I'll ask in a moment. Let me generate more metal for Nihilister first. Speaking of which… how is she?"
"She was fine. She finally gave me my room back. She was a little irritable, but she went for a walk to get some air and seemed in a much better mood after that."
Teacher Lin answered simply.
"That is good, and considering there have been no reports of widespread destruction, she is keeping her temper at least."
Su Yan said with a bit of relief as he began manifesting some more "metal".
After he depleted a good chunk of his Spirit Power, he stood up and looked at the small pile of Rapture parts, slightly bigger than yesterday's.
It seemed that mentally attaching conditions to the things he wanted to manifest made it easier or harder.
Conditions that increased an object's value meant more Spirit Power and a lower success rate, but vice versa, any conditions that decreased the object's value or usability increased the chance of it manifesting successfully.
He'd have to keep this in mind going forward, though the extra Soul Ring seemed to have also improved his ability somewhat.
He stepped back outside and saw Teacher Lin sitting on a chair by a table, drinking a cup of tea.
Su Yan joined her. Teacher Lin picked up an extra cup and poured him some.
"Now, you said you needed to ask me something about your Soul Skill?"
Teacher Lin asked, a small smile on her face.
"Yes," Su Yan said. "When Spirit Masters get a Soul Ring… do they usually understand their Soul Skill right away? Or do they have to figure it out through practice?"
He hesitated, then added, "I can tell something changed when I got the ring, but I don't understand how to activate it. I don't even know where to begin."
Teacher Lin gave a knowing smile before answering.
"Most people think it's as simple as a trigger," Teacher Lin said. "Pull it, and something happens. Soul Skills are more like techniques—Spirit Power circulation, timing, intent, compatibility. If you're missing any piece, you'll feel the skill but get nothing." She pointed at his chest. "So we start with the basics: breathe, circulate your Spirit Power, summon your Martial Soul, then feed power into it in steady increments until it reacts."
Hearing her instructions, Su Yan summoned his Martial Soul, closed his eyes, and concentrated. He slowed his breathing and focused on the faint sensation he'd felt ever since obtaining his first Soul Ring.
Then—like flicking a switch—he forced a large burst of Spirit Power toward it.
…Nothing.
At some point, Teacher Lin had moved behind him.
"I said steady increments," she remarked. "That burst of Spirit Power suggests you weren't listening."
Su Yan's ears warmed. "Sorry."
"Again," Teacher Lin said. "Slowly. Trickle your Spirit Power toward that sensation. Once you feel it 'catch'—once you understand the path it wants—then you can push more through."
She paused, as if choosing the simplest way to put it. "To make it easier to visualise: think of the Soul Skill like a picture carved in wood. Each line is a groove. Your Spirit Power is ink. If you feed it steadily, it will naturally follow the grooves and fill the pattern until the skill forms."
Her voice sharpened slightly. "But if you push it in too fast, the ink spills everywhere—and the skill fails."
Su Yan tried again, following Teacher Lin's explanation exactly. He closed his eyes and visualised it the way she had instructed—steady, controlled.
Spirit Power flowed toward the nebulous sensation. This time he felt it: like a groove slowly filling. And once it felt full, he pushed a little harder.
His yellow Soul Ring rose and flared.
A semi-transparent blue shield panel snapped into existence in front of him.
Su Yan sucked in a breath, then looked at Teacher Lin with a beaming smile, excitement bright in his eyes. "I did it!"
Teacher Lin returned the smile. "Good. I'm proud of you."
"Now that you've succeeded, you'll need to familiarise yourself with activating it," she continued. "Give it a name as well. Many Spirit Masters do. A name acts as a mnemonic—it helps your mind find the circulation pattern faster."
Teacher Lin stepped in front of the shield and rapped her knuckles against it a few times.
"Su Yan, did you feel any Spirit Power drain from that?"
Su Yan thought for a moment, then asked, "Can you hit it a bit harder?"
Teacher Lin balled up a fist and struck. With a crisp snap, cracks spiderwebbed from the point of impact across the shield.
"Anything?" she asked.
Su Yan's face scrunched. "No ongoing drain… but I feel like I can push more Spirit Power into it."
His first ring glowed gently, and the cracks began to mend.
Teacher Lin's eyes narrowed as she leaned closer to the shield. "Very interesting."
Su Yan looked at her. "What is it, Teacher Lin?"
Teacher Lin's gaze returned to him as she began to explain. "Soul Skills can be thought of in two broad types," Teacher Lin said. "Some are burst skills—you release them, and they run their course. Others must be maintained."
She lifted a finger. "Take my second Soul Skill, Ribbon Snare. It uses ribbons like Verdant Bind, but it doesn't end once it catches. I have to keep feeding it Spirit Power. In exchange, I can reinforce it and actively manipulate it to keep an opponent under control."
She lowered her hand. "Verdant Bind is different. Once I release it, it binds on its own. But it becomes 'fixed'—I can't shape it or guide it after the fact. Its toughness depends on how much Spirit Power I put into it at the moment of activation, up to the limit my current cultivation allows. That limit rises as I grow stronger—and with better Soul Rings."
"In the case of your Soul Skill, however, it seems to have elements of both," Teacher Lin said. "It doesn't require constant Spirit Power just to exist… but you still maintain a connection to it." Her eyes flicked to the shield. "Su Yan, try. See if you can do anything else with it."
Su Yan closed his eyes again and reached for that faint sensation. It was there—like a thread he could tug on. He raised his hand and channelled more Spirit Power. The connection to the shield strengthened.
When he opened his eyes, he moved his hand. The shield followed.
Su Yan's eyes lit up. He swept his hand side to side, the shield tracking with it, cutting through the air with soft whooshing sounds.
He regretted it almost immediately. Each movement tugged at his reserves—small drains stacking up, faster than he expected.
Teacher Lin, watching from the side, let a wry smile tug at her lips when she saw the discomfort on his face.
"Stop that," she said. "Manipulating any Soul Skill takes Spirit Power."
Breathing a little harder now, Su Yan steadied himself. Nearing his limit, he tried one more thing. He pushed the last bit of Spirit Power into that "thread" again—and his first ring flared.
The shield's colour shifted, the blue fading into a yellow-gold sheen.
Su Yan's eyes widened. He had a suspicion what that meant… but he didn't have enough Spirit Power left to test it properly.
"Teacher Lin," he said quickly, "could you strike it again? Same as before."
Teacher Lin gave the shield a curious look, then balled up her fist and struck.
Cracks spread from the impact point—but they were far less severe than before.
With a thoughtful hum, Teacher Lin hit it again, harder. This time the shield shattered, dissolving into small motes of light.
She looked back at him. "Su Yan. What was that? It was much stronger than before."
Su Yan explained, "I think I can shift the shield's alignment—toward different elements. That yellow-gold version felt… denser. Better against physical force. The blue one should perform better against water-aligned attacks. I think there are more 'colours,' but I don't currently have the Spirit Power to test that yet."
Teacher Lin gave a bright smile as she looked at Su Yan.
"That is quite a Soul Skill you have there, Su Yan. As your teacher, I'm proud."
She glanced up at the sky, then back at him.
"Now that we've tested everything, we should hurry, or you'll be late for the start of classes."
"You run along first," she added. "I'll just let Nihilister know I'm heading out, then I'll follow."
Su Yan hesitated for a moment. Then he reached into his pocket, pulled out a small handful of soul coins, and held them out to her.
"Could you give these to Nihilister? That way, if she goes out, she can actually buy things."
Teacher Lin accepted them without comment.
Su Yan bowed. "Thank you for everything, Teacher Lin. I'll see you later."
He left quickly, feeling her gaze on his back.
From the narrow slit of a window, a single red eye watched him go.