Ye Lingling's Growth, Lin Chen's Plans

West side Side Courtyard of the Crown Prince's Residence

Even though Lin Chen had been gone for two years, Ye Lingling still lived in the courtyard that Lin Chen had arranged for her on the west side of the Crown Prince's Residence.

When Lin Chen arrived at the Courtyard Gate was half-open. Inside, there was a circle of crabapple trees, and in the middle of the flower bushes was a pot of Blue Silver Grass with emerald green leaves and golden veins that shimmered in the sunlight.

Ye Lingling was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, holding a book in her hand. The leaves of the Blue Silver Grass gently rested on her wrist, as if they were talking to her.

A nostalgic smile appeared on Lin Chen's face as he slowly pushed open the door and went inside.

Ye Lingling noticed the commotion and raised her head in confusion, but the moment she saw Lin Chen, the book in her hand fell to the table with a "thud".

She didn't rush over like Xiao Wu, nor did she stride forward like Dugu Yan. She hastily closed the book on the table, then smiled, "You're back."

"Yes, I'm back."

Lin Chen walked into the courtyard and sat down opposite her. On the stone table, besides the book, there was a pot of freshly brewed tea, exactly the same scene as two years ago, without any change.

Ye Lingling poured him a cup, her movements unhurried, the tea barely splashing when poured into the cup.

After pouring the tea, Ye Lingling stared into Lin Chen's eyes and asked with a smile, "When did you get back?"

"I just arrived this morning." Lin Chen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said with a smile, "I went to the academy to see Yan Yan and Xiao Wu first, and then came over."

Ye Lingling nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

She was silent for a few moments, then got up and walked to the flowerpot in the center of the yard. She squatted down and gently touched the leaves of the Blue Silver Emperor with her finger. "This Blue Silver Grass you gave me has changed a lot in the past two years."

Lin Chen walked over and squatted down in front of the flowerpot. The Blue Silver Emperor had several times more leaves than it had two years ago. The whole plant was lush and verdant, and the golden veins on the leaves were so clear that they looked as if they were engraved, exuding a rich sense of life.

"It has indeed grown quite a bit." Lin Chen smiled and reached out to touch the leaves of the Blue Silver Emperor.

As a warm sensation traveled up his fingertips, he could feel the Blue Silver Emperor responding to him, its blue leaves gently wrapping around his fingers as if greeting him.

"She's much more active than before," Ye Lingling said with a smile. "This Blue Silver Grass not only saved my mother, but it also cultivates with me; it feels like it's alive."

"It was always alive," Lin Chen smiled, flicking the leaves of the Blue Silver Emperor with his finger. "You seem to be doing quite well."

The Blue Silver Emperor's leaves swayed again, and a faint voice entered Lin Chen's mind. "Thank you."

Lin Chen smiled and nodded. He withdrew his hand from the leaf and turned to look at Ye Lingling.

I hadn't seen her for over two years. She had grown taller and her facial features were softer than in her teenage years, but her quiet temperament remained unchanged.

She was still the same as before, not saying much and not showing much expression, but Lin Chen could sense that the color in the girl's eyes was warmer than before, and her smile was more pronounced.

Looking at Ye Lingling's face, Lin Chen felt a mix of emotions. He shook his head, clearing his mind of distractions, before smiling and asking, "Lingling, what is your Soul Power Level?"

"I'm level 40 now," Ye Lingling nodded and said, "But I haven't absorbed my fourth Soul Ring yet."

Lin Chen nodded and said, "Level 40 does indeed require a suitable Soul Ring. The Nine Heart Begonia is a pure support Martial Soul, so it's best to choose a support-type Soul Beast for the fourth Soul Ring."

"Hmm," Ye Lingling responded, "Yan Yan already took me to the Soul Hunting Forest near Heaven Dou City, but we didn't find any suitable Soul Beasts."

"She suggested I search the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, but it wouldn't be convenient for me to go alone. Luckily, Yan Yan and Xiao Wu both said they would come with me to hunt Soul Beasts."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen immediately felt the urge to help Ye Lingling hunt down Soul Beasts.

He had originally planned to contact the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python of the Star Dou Great Forest through Xiao Wu, and now he had a perfectly legitimate reason to make the trip.

Ye Lingling's fourth Soul Ring, and her contact with Da Ming and Er Ming —these two things can be done at once.

Thinking of this, Lin Chen smiled and said, "Then I'll go with you. I also have something to do in the Star Dou Great Forest."

Ye Lingling glanced at him and asked curiously, "What are you going to do in the Star Dou Great Forest?"

"I have some things to take care of." Lin Chen didn't go into details about the Abyss Plane, only saying that it involved the Spirit Hall's secrets and that it was difficult to explain to Ye Lingling.

Ye Lingling didn't press further, but simply nodded and changed the subject, asking, "So when are we leaving?"

Lin Chen pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Let's set off in a few days. I'll invite Xiao Wu and Yan Yan along. You haven't seen them in a long time, so this is a good opportunity for them to get together."

Ye Lingling nodded and said, "Then I'll leave it to you."

Lin Chen shook his head and said with a smile, "Why are you being so polite with me? We've known each other for so many years, why are you saying such things?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Lingling smiled and said, "Well, then I won't stand on ceremony with you."

After that, Lin Chen sat in Ye Lingling's courtyard for a while longer.

After finishing the pot of tea, Lin Chen chatted with Ye Lingling about what had happened during his two years of cultivation at the Spirit Hall before getting up to take his leave.

As he reached the Courtyard Gate, he glanced back and saw Ye Lingling still sitting on the stone bench, the leaves of the Blue Silver Emperor gently resting on her wrist.

He withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards his courtyard in the Crown Prince's Residence's residence. Although it was called the Crown Prince's Residence, it had long been renamed; it was just that Lin Chen was used to calling it that.

Back at his residence, Lin Chen sat down at the table, pondering his next steps.

The first thing to do, naturally, is to find Xiao Wu to confirm the situation in the Star Dou Great Forest. Da Ming and Er Ming are in the core area of Star Dou Great Forest, so to find them, you have to go through the outer area and the Mixed Zone first.

This was naturally not difficult for Lin Chen, but for Ye Lingling, Xiao Wu, and Dugu Yan, it required planning their route in advance.

As for the second matter, he would take Ye Lingling to the Star Dou Great Forest to find her fourth Soul Ring. It was not easy to find a suitable auxiliary Soul Beast for the Nine Heart Begonia, but the Star Dou Great Forest was so vast that they were bound to find a suitable one.

The third thing was to contact Da Ming and Er Ming through Xiao Wu. Lin Chen also knew that the invasion of the Abyss could not be delayed any longer.

The Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest constitute the largest force on the Douluo Continent. If he can secure their support, his chances of defeating the Abyss will be greatly increased.