"SSR? Tch... This guy!"
Lin Jin was a little taken aback. Su Yun might've been a bit arrogant and wild, but no one could deny his raw talent.
An SSR rating in combat capability? That meant Su Yun was a natural-born fighter.
Among spirit masters of the same level, hardly anyone could match his abilities. Even challenging opponents a tier above him wasn't out of the question.
"Wh-What's with the dean?"
Su Yun was unnerved by the way Lin Jin was staring at him.
He pretended not to notice the intense gaze, but after a while, it became too much. Lin Jin still hadn't looked away.
Unable to endure it any longer, Su Yun turned his head and asked, "What's going on?"
"Oh, nothing."
Lin Jin raised an eyebrow, then finally turned away.
Su Yun was left bewildered by the dean's vague response, but he couldn't quite figure out what was off. Feeling a bit defeated, he quietly stepped aside.
After the recruitment for the battle instructor ended, a few spirit masters greeted Lin Jin before leaving.
Next up was the recruitment for theory instructors—this phase focused purely on knowledge.
In terms of theory, not many spirit masters were truly well-versed. Most had only learned superficial knowledge at Spirit masters College and promptly forgot it after graduation.
After all, in this world, strength was still king.
Theoretical research remained niche, underdeveloped, and frankly not respected. Most of the people pursuing it weren't exactly prodigies.
Take the Master, for instance—had his martial spirit not mutated and if he'd been more gifted, he probably wouldn't have gone into theory at all.
He might've even become the head of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan by now.
But perhaps it was precisely because he lacked natural talent that he made such lasting contributions and earned the eternal title of "Master."
Only four or five candidates remained after the rest had left.
Most of them were older, with Shen Yang being the only younger one.
Wait.
Lin Jin's gaze shifted to a figure off to the side—someone who had remained silent the whole time.
There was hesitation on the man's face, as if he'd been waiting for the right moment. But fear held him back.
"Do you have something to say?"
Startled, the man looked up and found Lin Jin's curious eyes fixed on him. His right hand clenched unconsciously, sweat starting to form on his palm.
"I..."
He finally mustered up his courage, took a deep breath, and said nervously,
"I know a lot about theory and cultural studies. My spirit power may not be strong, but... please give me a chance. I don't even mind a lower salary!"
Huh?
Lin Jin frowned slightly, then relaxed.
Right. This was about theory and cultural instruction. Spirit power wasn't the priority here. He had been too focused on strength and overlooked that.
It's easy to seek the tallest among the short, and forget that height isn't even needed for this role.
With a thoughtful look, Lin Jin nodded.
"I'll give you a chance. Just don't let me down."
The man's face lit up with joy.
"Really?!"
Lin Jin smiled. "Of course. I don't joke about these things."
Lin Jin retrieved a stack of prepared examination papers from his spirit guide and handed them out individually.
He spoke clearly, "I've listed ten questions here. You'll have the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn. When time's up, I'll grade them—and the one with the highest score gets the position."
"Zhuang!"
At his call, a guard stationed at the academy came running into the teaching building. Without delay, he brought out several sets of desks and chairs, arranging them neatly on the training field.
Lin Jin then lit a stick of incense using a fire striker and planted it upright in the ground. Wisps of white smoke curled upward in the breeze.
Su Yun chuckled and gave Shen Yang a pat on the shoulder.
"Do your best—don't come back in last place!"
Shen Yang smirked, confidence flickering in his eyes. He lowered his voice and replied, "Aside from that one guy earlier—I can't quite figure him out—the rest barely know the basics."
"I may not have studied deeply, but against these guys? Easy win."
Su Yun grinned. "Just don't trip over yourself and lose to the underdog."
While the test was underway, Hu Yannian suddenly appeared beside Lin Jin and spoke respectfully, "Dean, would you mind letting me take a look at the test paper?"
Lin Jin was momentarily surprised, then handed him a spare copy.
"Of course. Take a look, Director Hu. These are questions I put together myself. If anything stands out, feel free to offer your feedback."
Hu Yannian blinked, then laughed and shook his head.
"The dean really is full of surprises."
Although Hu Yannian wasn't a specialist, his understanding of theory and culture was far beyond that of most spirit masters—easily ranking in the top ten percent.
As he read through the paper, a glint of admiration appeared in his eyes. After a moment, he looked up and asked, "Dean… you really wrote all of these yourself?"
Lin Jin raised an eyebrow. "What, is there something wrong with them?"
Hu Yannian let out a low sigh.
"I didn't expect this. The dean not only excels in cultivation but also has such deep knowledge of theoretical and cultural studies."
"These questions cover a broad range—from spirit beast characteristics to spirit ring applications and even the 'Top Ten Core Competitiveness' model."
Lin Jin coughed awkwardly and rubbed his nose.
In truth, the test was made up of ten questions he had pulled from the Encyclopedia of Spirits and Beasts and the Martial Spirit Compendium, mixed with insights he remembered from his previous life's original works.
But still…
He turned to Hu Yannian and asked casually, "You know the Master well?"
Hu Yannian shook his head.
"Only by reputation. In theory and research, the Master is a figure that can't be ignored. Though, to be fair, some of his ideas… are a bit unconventional."
"No proof" thought Lin Jin.
He fell into a brief trance before shaking his head. As expected, few truly understood the Master's level of genius.
Out on the field, the candidates were struggling.
A few were visibly on the verge of tears, haunted by memories of grueling exams at Spirit master College.
Some muttered bitterly, "What kind of questions are these?"
"How do you determine the age of a Datura Snake?"
Seriously? Datura Snakes were so rare that most people had never even seen one!
"Discuss the development potential of Blue Silver Grass.?"
"What?! That's a joke, right? Who researches weeds?
"What is the highest level of innate spirit power?"
Finally, an easy one—innate full spirit power is level 10.
But wait… the earlier questions were so difficult. This can't be that simple. Is it a trick question?
"List the Ten Core Competitiveness Factors of a Spirit Master."
Core what now?
One of the candidates threw his arms up in frustration and stood up.
"These questions are insane!"
He had racked his brain, only to find himself completely stumped.