Chapter 92: Radiant Souls

Not long after, Fularme and the others met Old Wol in the inner city, or rather, Wol Shidong.

Calling him Old Wol now was no longer appropriate, for since the Immortal Clan’s emergence, he had revealed his true form and reappeared as the clan’s patriarch.

At present, Wol maintained an appearance of roughly thirty to forty years of age.

He had not grown younger because he was already a father and held the important title of Administrator, requiring the dignity that maturity conveyed.

If he kept the youthful, handsome appearance of other Immortals, he would only invite disrespect.

Upon seeing Fularme and his disciples in the Administrator’s Hall, Wol’s face broke into a smile.

“Long time no see, Lord Fularme!”

Wol warmly greeted Fularme and Fllien in turn.

When he reached Dai Meng, his expression darkened and he grunted, “So you finally remembered to come back?”

“...”

Hearing his father’s words, Dai Meng could only look helplessly resigned.

At first, Wol had supported him in continuing his adventures with Lord Fularme.

But as time passed, at some point, Wol suddenly changed his demeanor—each time he saw him, his face was cold, often sneering, his words laced with dissatisfaction.

Dai Meng had no idea what he had done to upset his father.

The last time he returned, he quietly asked his mother in private—only to learn nothing, and instead be pressured into an arranged marriage with a beautiful Immortal girl.

As for the outcome of that match...

Dai Meng shook his head inwardly, preferring girls who were more ordinary.

Sensing the subtle tension between father and son, Fularme smiled and immediately changed the subject, asking about Lin Yu’s current condition.

Wol’s expression shifted again, becoming warm and amiable. “The Lord is currently teaching at the academy. Please wait in the Governor’s Mansion; when today’s morning lessons end, I shall personally inform you.”

“Academy?”

Fularme mused, “The newly built cultivation academy?”

Wol nodded with a smile. “It’s an entirely new system of knowledge—the Lord holds it in the highest regard. So far, aside from the most basic Celestial Circulation, all other courses are taught personally by the Lord!”

“Oh?”

Fularme’s interest stirred. “So besides Lin, the academy has other teachers?”

“Indeed.”

“Who are they?”

“...”

Wol hesitated, his tone uncertain. “They... aren’t human. They’re the Lord’s two Spirit Monkey instructors.”

Fllien froze, frowning. “Demons as teachers?”

“Not demons. Spirit Monkeys.”

Before Wol could speak, Fularme shook his head, glancing at Fllien. “You’ve met Longlongyan and Guangzhi Guangmou. Do you still consider them demons?”

Fllien thought, then replied seriously, “No, of course not.”

Fularme turned to Wol. “These two must be the same.”

“Strictly speaking, they’re not...”

Wol shook his head, then smiled. “If you’re truly curious, go to the academy yourself. Once you see them, you’ll understand what I mean.”

Is that so?

Fularme’s interest surged—he wanted to see them right away.

Yet before loyal Old Wol, Fularme never broke the rules of Spinepeak City, nor would he abuse his connection with Lin Yu to embarrass him.

After exchanging pleasantries with Old Wol, Fularme led his disciple to the Governor’s Mansion.

As for Dai Meng, having returned to Spinepeak City after half a year, he naturally needed to visit his mother first.

Wol summoned a young, handsome Immortal youth, handed him his duties, then vanished in a flash, using his vassal’s authority to instantly teleport into the cultivation academy.

Since returning from the world of “Below One,” Lin Yu had mastered numerous miraculous techniques.

Many of these had been applied to the inner city’s urban planning.

For instance, the three-hundred-meter clock tower beside the Governor’s Mansion was Lin Yu’s designated Zhonggong.

The Qimen formation radiating from it had long since enveloped the entire inner city, transforming it into Lin Yu’s personal domain.

As Lin Yu’s vassal, Wol naturally possessed many permissions within this domain—his instantaneous teleportation was the Eight Gates Transport Technique.

A flash of silver light—and Wol appeared inside the cultivation academy.

At that moment, Lin Yu was teaching students about the human meridian system.

Wol stood respectfully outside the classroom door.

Only when the bell rang did Lin Yu step out, smiling. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Wol was flattered. “No, it’s you who have worked hard!”

He couldn’t help glaring at the children now laughing and playing in the classroom, muttering bitterly, “These brats—how great a honor is it to be taught personally by you? Yet they don’t cherish it. After today, I’ll surely...”

“Enough.”

Lin Yu waved a hand, smiling. “As long as they listen in class and train diligently when needed, that’s enough. Cultivators seek freedom. Suppressing their nature only hinders progress.”

Here, Lin Yu paused, then shifted tone. “As for your purpose—I already know. The Lord has already received Fularme and his disciples. I see they’re curious about the academy; I’ll grant them permission to tour it.”

“Use this chance to lure them to the magic academy for a few lessons. All the magic instructors there are vassals—I simply can’t trust them to teach properly...”

Wol understood at once. “Understood!”

He hesitated, then spoke cautiously. “My Lord, our vassal clan now has many capable talents—even those still traveling outside surpass Dai Meng in strength.”

“Could we perhaps replace him as the front-line protector for Lord Fularme?”

At first glance, this sounded like Wol’s personal bias—but Lin Yu knew well: Wol was not thinking for his son, but for Lin Yu’s own interests.

Lin Yu smiled. “Didn’t you strongly support this arrangement before? Why the change of heart?”

Wol’s expression turned solemn. “Because I didn’t understand the meaning of vassalage then.”

“Spinepeak City now has ninety-seven Immortals. I guarantee their loyalty to you—but their soul strength falls far short of vassal requirements.”

“Of thousands of vassal candidates across this city, only Dai Meng possesses a shining soul.”

“Had I known he had such talent, I would never have let him leave!”

Hearing Wol’s words of regret, Lin Yu’s expression turned peculiar.

Five years ago, when he granted Wol the Vassal Heart, he had crudely categorized vassal souls into five tiers based on their capacity to bear authority.

They were: [Dull Soul], [Shining Soul], [Radiant Soul], [Lustrous Soul], and [Radiant Soul].

Clearly, these names borrowed from a famous earth-based gacha game.

But beyond the names, this system had effectively established standards for vassal selection.

The vast majority of life forms possessed only Dull Souls; the minimum requirement for becoming a vassal was at least a Shining Soul.

Old Wol and his son Dai Meng both fell into this tier, capable of ascending to seventh-rank vassals.

Above them, Radiant Souls corresponded to sixth to fourth rank vassals; Lustrous Souls to third to second rank; only Radiant Souls could become Lin Yu’s first-rank vassals.

But so far, Lin Yu had never encountered such a soul.

Even Fularme, now considered the protagonist of this age, possessed only a Lustrous Soul.

As for the world’s protagonist, Fllien, she currently held only a Radiant Soul.

But Lin Yu estimated her soul rank would rise further—especially after meeting Ximel a thousand years from now, which would trigger a qualitative transformation in her soul.

Let me reiterate: Lin Yu’s soul classification was based on a soul’s capacity to bear authority.

This capacity wasn’t merely soul strength—it included willpower, obsession, and many other complex dimensions, collectively defining what Lin Yu called “Dull” and “Shining.”

For this reason, a soul’s rank was never fixed.

Even a common human’s Dull Soul might one day shine brilliantly!

But sadly, for most ordinary souls, brilliance and radiance came only in fleeting moments—most often just before death...

(End of Chapter)