A year and a half later, a level 44 Soul Ancestor!
A year and a half later.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy, training ground.
Lin Chen stood in the center of the grounds, facing Qin Ming.
Qin Ming folded his arms as six Soul Rings rose beneath his feet: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black. He released the full force of a Six-Ring Soul Emperor's presence, making the flowers and grass around the training ground sway without a breath of wind.
Lin Chen was already clad in the Ultimate Armor, with four Soul Rings—purple, purple, black, black—rotating beneath his feet.
He pushed off and shot toward Qin Ming like a silver streak. His second Soul Skill, Void Instant Slash, activated, and he vanished in an instant.
Without looking back, Qin Ming simply turned sideways to block and casually struck with his palm at the spot where Lin Chen appeared.
Lin Chen reacted swiftly, bringing the Ultimate Zero Sword across to block, but the palm strike still sent him stumbling back seven or eight steps.
"Stop." Qin Ming withdrew his hand and shook his head with a smile. "You've improved a lot, but you're still a little short. You didn't bring out your full strength."
Lin Chen dismissed his Martial Soul, caught his breath, and waved a hand helplessly. "A Soul Emperor fighting a Soul Ancestor. You've really got some nerve."
Qin Ming smiled but didn't reply.
This was one of Lin Chen's regular training sessions over the past year and a half.
Bai Baoshan and Qin Ming had arranged practical combat lessons for him once a week. His opponents had initially been several Soul King instructors, but Qin Ming, a Soul Emperor, had later taken their place.
Since Qin Ming was a Soul Emperor, it was only natural that Lin Chen couldn't beat him, but each time he managed to hold out a little longer.
With a year and a half gone by, Lin Chen was now seven years and six months old, and his Soul Power Level had reached the peak of level forty-four.
Even in the entire history of Douluo Continent, those monstrous numbers had no equal.
Even more jaw-dropping was his Soul Ring Configuration: purple, purple, black, black. His fourth Soul Ring was thirty-five thousand years old, older than an ordinary Soul Master's Sixth Soul Ring.
The Soul Ring had come from a Soul Beast deep in the Star Dou Great Forest. Dugu Bo had personally taken him to hunt it.
The Soul Beast had been enormous and resembled a rhinoceros, its entire body covered in armor condensed from the power of light.
The light armor not only provided astonishing defense, but could also absorb enemy attacks and reflect them back as blades of light, combining offense and defense.
Its powerful bloodline made its strength comparable to that of a Soul Douluo.
The moment Lin Chen had seen the Soul Beast, he had set his sights on it. A thirty-five-thousand-year Soul Beast with both light and space attributes was a perfect match for his Martial Soul.
The hunt had taken a full day. Because the Soul Beast's defenses were so astonishing, Dugu Bo could only rely on poison to slowly bring it down.
Absorbing the Soul Ring had been just as dangerous. The soul impact of a thirty-five-thousand-year ring had far surpassed that of any ring before it.
Moreover, Zero had made no move this time, so Lin Chen had been forced to withstand the Mental Shock head-on with his own mental power.
Fortunately, the Ice and Fire Golden Body and the Clearheart Illusion Spirit Flower had reinforced Lin Chen's mental power, bringing it firmly to the Soul Emperor level. Otherwise, he might not have survived the Soul Ring's backlash.
After absorbing the Soul Ring, Lin Chen had obtained a Soul Skill called Voidlight Reversal Shield, which reflected 120% of the damage received from the front. It was a powerful Soul Skill that suited the Ultimate Holy Shield perfectly.
Fortunately, Dugu Bo's poison couldn't be reflected when Lin Chen hunted the Soul Ring. If Snake Lance Douluo had gone instead, he might not have managed to hunt the Soul Beast.
During the past year and a half, Lin Chen had mostly stayed in Heaven Dou City, occasionally going to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to cultivate for a while.
With the aid of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue and various spirit herbs, his physique had grown much stronger than before.
The medicinal bath formulas Dugu Bo had prepared for him were extremely effective. Every time he finished soaking, he felt as if his sinews and bones had been tempered anew.
Dugu Bo hadn't been idle over the past year and a half either. After condensing his Soul Core, he had cultivated much faster than before.
With the Snake Spirit Jade Blood Vine Lin Chen had given him, his Soul Power had risen another two levels. He was now a level ninety-four Titled Douluo, and his combat strength had improved enormously compared to a year ago.
Now, he could even fight a level ninety-five Titled Douluo and retreat unscathed.
The Crown Prince's Residence, study
"Sister Xue? I heard you wanted to see me."
Lin Chen called out as he pushed open the door. Qian Renxue was sitting behind her desk, leafing through a scroll.
She looked up at Lin Chen and gave him a gentle smile. "Your recent training has been going well, hasn't it? I specifically arranged for Qin Ming to beat you up."
"I was wondering why I'd been getting beaten so badly lately." Lin Chen sat down opposite her and casually popped a piece of preserved fruit into his mouth. "So you arranged it, Sister Xue..."
Qian Renxue smiled and shook her head, without arguing.
Her presence was far stronger now than it had been a year and a half ago.
The Nine Heavens Divine Feather Flower had evolved her Martial Soul from a Six-Winged Angel into a Nine-Winged Angel. Her Soul Power Level had also jumped several levels during that time, reaching level fifty and officially making her a Soul King.
Although that level was still far from enough to stand against a Titled Douluo, for someone not yet twenty, her speed could already be described as terrifying.
As Lin Chen ate, he casually asked, "How has Ye Lingling been lately?"
"Quite well." Qian Renxue put down the scroll in her hands. "Her mother has fully recovered and can walk on her own now."
"Ye Lingling has officially joined the Crown Prince's Residence as well, and I've brought all the Nine Heart Begonia Family's connections under my control."
Lin Chen looked up in mild surprise. "It's only been a year, and you've already taken in the Nine Heart Begonia Family, one of the top sects among the Earth Three Sects?"
Qian Renxue smiled and shook her head. "The Nine Heart Begonia Family isn't as strong as you say. There weren't many people left in the family to begin with."
"Aside from Ye Lingling and her mother, there were very few people in the remaining branch families—fewer than forty altogether."
"After Ye Lingling joined the Crown Prince's Residence, those branch families were unwilling at first, but under the authority of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, they ultimately joined the Crown Prince's Residence."
Qian Renxue spoke in an even tone. "To put it plainly, the Nine Heart Begonia Family is just an empty shell among the Earth Three Sects. It's only the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul itself that has value."
Lin Chen nodded. "I'll go see her in a little while, then."
"Go on." Qian Renxue picked up her teacup. "Give Ye Lingling my regards while you're there."
Lin Chen nodded. He stood and walked to the door, then paused and glanced back at Qian Renxue.
Sensing his gaze, Qian Renxue looked up. "What is it?"
"Nothing." Lin Chen waved a hand, pulled open the door, and walked out.
He had simply thought of something: a year and a half ago, he and Qian Renxue had only been "a master and disciple using each other."
Now he could push open the study door without being announced, casually help himself to her preserved fruit, and even make offhand complaints about her. He couldn't say when that change had happened.
Lin Chen walked out of the Crown Prince's Residence and headed along the street toward Ye Lingling's home.
After Ye Lingling and her mother had moved into the Crown Prince's Residence, they had settled in a secluded courtyard on the western side of the estate.
The courtyard wasn't large, but it was quiet. Ye Lingling had planted a ring of begonias there, leaving a space in the middle especially for the Blue Silver Emperor's flowerpot.