Seven Kill Sword Art, Level 18

Inside the school bus, all kinds of smells mingled together, accompanied by the sickly-sweet stench of rotting zombies drifting in through the windows, making people want to vomit.

Sunlight filtered through the grime-covered windows, casting mottled shadows across the floor that swayed slightly with the bus's jolting motion.

With so many people on the bus, it quickly became noisy.

Komuro Takashi, who had insisted on letting Shido Koichi and the others aboard, now had a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead, as if he had vaguely realized he had done something incredibly stupid.

Meanwhile, Lin Yao, seated beside Busujima Saeko, turned a deaf ear to Shido Koichi's group's performance. Instead, he found it rather entertaining.

Among those who had originally opposed letting Shido Koichi and the others onto the bus, Miyamoto Rei had been the most adamant.

Still, what she hated most was Shido Koichi himself.

As for the others, they remained silent.

But sometimes, silence was simply taken as agreement.

When a small team had yet to secure an advantage, mixing in so many people was bound to cause trouble. Letting them make a fuss was fine; it would teach Komuro Takashi and the others a lesson.

Thinking this, Lin Yao lowered his eyes and stared at his hands.

Bloodstains remained across his knuckles, left behind from gripping the Changhong Sword through the long slaughter.

Leaning against his seat, Lin Yao could clearly hear his slightly labored breathing, each inhale accompanied by the subtle rise and fall of his chest.

The extended fighting had drained much of his stamina. His body was hungry and urgently needed energy replenishment to deal with any battle that might erupt at any moment.

He gently clenched his hand and felt Blood Qi Power circulating within it, easing the faint stinging pain as he silently reviewed the battle from earlier.

Yet the sensation of strength at his fingertips was clearer than before.

Lin Yao slowly raised his gaze, his eyes bright.

Although both his stamina and the surging blood qi within him had declined, his overall strength had undeniably taken a step forward.

After fighting all the way here, his understanding of combat had deepened. At the same time, he realized it was not as complicated as he had imagined. The simpler, the better.

If he faced his former self now, he would draw his sword, focus his mind, and strike with everything he had. Within three moves, he would surely find an opening and cut him down with the smallest possible cost.

Even so, Lin Yao felt only a faint flicker of joy at his increased strength.

Then he thought of the countless zombies and modern firearms capable of devastating the human body, and a sense of helplessness quietly crept into his heart.

His current strength was still insufficient. Far, far from enough.

His current techniques and sword speed were still far too distant from true transcendence. His overall strength could not withstand a single whistling bullet.

How frustrating.

"When will I be able to Connect All Realms with my other selves again?"

"Even without any big shots, my self in the Douluo World happened to activate the Star Cluster Connection during his martial soul awakening. Both his physical strength and mental power should have improved.

Without any surprises, his Innate Soul Power should reach a decent level. He should be able to reach the bottleneck and obtain a Soul Ring soon.

That will be another increase in strength. If we connect again, I'll have a better chance of dealing with what comes next, right?"

Lin Yao sat at the back of the swaying school bus and sighed inwardly.

He closed his eyes and focused on the slowly rotating star cluster in his mind.

Specks of starlight, like Fire Flies gradually gathering together, seemed to be accumulating some sort of power, yet there was still no movement.

How much longer would he have to wait?

His current strength was too weak. If he encountered modified bio-weapons such as Lickers, Nemeses, or Tyrants, or an organized group armed with guns, Lin Yao would have no ability to resist.

That feeling of being a lamb awaiting slaughter filled Lin Yao with unease.

"Ah?!"

Just as Lin Yao was planning for the future with a slight furrow in his brow, a startled cry suddenly came from the front of the bus.

When he opened his eyes and looked over, Lin Yao found that what happened next was not much different from his memories.

Komuro Takashi, still clinging to that "saintly compassion" from the peaceful era, was bitten by the very people he had kindly saved.

After getting onto the bus, Shido Koichi first swept his gaze calmly over everyone inside, lingering briefly on each face before finally settling on Komuro Takashi, the easiest target to break through.

Then he gave Blondie beside him a meaningful look.

Blondie immediately understood. He craned his neck and was the first to pick a fight with Komuro Takashi, cursing as he spoke before eventually throwing a punch outright.

However, unlike in the original story, where Busujima Saeko had mostly followed passively and silently gotten off the bus with everyone else, Lin Yao had no patience to listen to Shido Koichi's group's nonsense.

Just as Blondie's fist was about to land on Komuro Takashi's face, Lin Yao rose to his feet almost instantly, moving so fast that he left behind only an afterimage.

A cold flash appeared. With a sharp swish, the sword light was clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

"Ah—!"

A shrill scream suddenly rang through the bus.

"Blondie was the one fighting. Why was I the one who got cut? That guy who had stayed silent ever since getting on the bus is actually a lunatic."

Shido Koichi clutched his empty right arm, his face turning pale as paper in an instant. Cold sweat ran down from his temples, and only one thought remained in his mind.

Blood gushed from the severed arm, splattering onto the dust-covered floor and pooling into a small, glaring patch of red. The thick smell of blood instantly overwhelmed every other odor in the bus.

Those who had been joining in the commotion fell silent at once, as though someone had gripped their throats. Their eyes widened as they stared at Lin Yao in terror, their feet unconsciously retreating.

As for Blondie, who had witnessed the scene, he no longer cared about grappling with Komuro Takashi. He stared at Lin Yao with a face full of fear.

Lin Yao sheathed his sword in one fluid motion. He glanced at those people, then looked at Shido Koichi, who had curled up in pain on the floor before finally passing out. A trace of amusement flickered in his eyes.

If he had not wanted to see whether this crippled beast in human clothing could still stir up people's primal desires and build a half-baked cult like he had in the original timeline, that strike would not have taken his arm. It would have slit his throat.

Lin Yao then took a rag and wiped down the Changhong Sword in his hand. Raising his eyes toward the terrified group, he said in a low voice, "Get off."

Seeing Shido Koichi's painfully twisted face before he lost consciousness, then the bloodstains on Lin Yao that had yet to dry, those people were already scared out of their wits.

At his words, they scrambled to drag the unconscious Shido Koichi away and shoved one another in their rush to get off the bus.

On Lin Yao's side, this decisive action did not create a rift among his companions. Instead, it brought more recognition and reassurance into many of their eyes.

Miyamoto Rei in particular was not frightened by the bloody scene. Instead, she felt an intense sense of satisfaction.

As for Busujima Saeko, seeing Lin Yao act so decisively against humans who had yet to turn into zombies caused a brilliant glimmer to flash through her violet eyes.

Komuro Takashi, meanwhile, had his "saintly compassion" ruthlessly shattered by this experience. He simply sat in his seat with his head lowered. No amount of noise could make him look up, much less prompt him to spout any of his so-called saintly rhetoric.

The school bus started moving again. The roar of the engine concealed the silence within, while the thick smoke sweeping past outside the windows silently told of the world's drastic transformation.

Douluo World

Naturally, Lin Yao had no idea that Academy World Lin Yao was thinking about him day and night, eagerly hoping that he, a First Ring Soul Master, would carry him to greatness.

In truth, if they could establish another connection, Academy World Lin Yao's strength really would experience a leap.

After all, Lin Yao of the Douluo World had obtained a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as his first Soul Ring.

Over the past month or so, Lin Yao had cultivated methodically, quietly consolidating the Soul Power in his body and strengthening his foundation. His Soul Power had already broken through to Level 18.

If that increase in strength were transferred to the Academy World, would that not make Lin Yao over there soar in power?

At that time, Soul Power would transform into Blood Qi Power, producing a highly noticeable strengthening effect on the body. Academy World Lin Yao's physical capabilities in every aspect would improve.

With that, modern firearms would naturally pose even less of a threat to him.

Back to the point: since awakening his martial soul at the age of six, Lin Yao had already spent two and a half months in the Douluo World.

During that time, he had immersed himself in cultivation nearly every moment, never showing the slightest slackness.

Lin Yao was extremely strict with himself, and Sword Douluo Chen Xin also taught him with meticulous care.

As a result, he was almost harsh in honing his combat techniques and Soul Power foundation. He had no thoughts of seeking quick gains.

At the First Ring Soul Master stage, advancing one level in a little over a month was neither particularly fast nor particularly slow.

However, Lin Yao had seen the terrifying rise of geniuses in the Peerless Era ten thousand years later and the Dragon King Era twenty thousand years later. It was inevitable that he would be affected.

Take Huo Yuhao, the Son of the Plane favored by the Douluo Plane ten thousand years later. His very first Soul Ring was Million-Year. It was simply heaven-defying.

Twenty thousand years later, the Nether Emperor, hastily created by the plane to face Tang Hao's possession, was even more ridiculously powerful.

He became a Title Douluo at nineteen, advanced to Super Douluo at twenty-five, and received the title of "Nether King."

Among these favored geniuses, only Yun Ming, who relied entirely on his own talent, could contend with them.

Yun Ming became a Title Douluo at twenty-three, reached Level 95 Super Douluo at twenty-six, became an Extreme Douluo at thirty-one, and reached the quasi-god level at thirty-five. He even wished to explore creating his own godhood. He could truly be called a legend of his generation.

Compared with these outstanding descendants, Tang San of the first Soul Land era was not much to speak of.

At the same time, after having his expectations raised by these later figures, Lin Yao naturally set higher standards for himself.

He did not expect to be stronger than those people. He merely hoped not to fall behind them at the same rank.

Then he would cultivate step by step, steadily advancing toward the pinnacle.

In Lin Yao's eyes, treating Tang San—who had wasted time forging iron in his early years and undergone all sorts of "human experiments" under Yu Xiaogang—as his rival would be lowering himself and refusing to make progress.

Lin Yao could remain composed. He consolidated his foundation step by step and worked hard at swordsmanship, which was not as "satisfying" as increasing Soul Power.

That persistence and determination won Chen Xin's deep approval.

Not long ago, their relationship had advanced another step. Lin Yao had practically become Chen Xin's final disciple, truly binding their fortunes together.

Chen Xin had also taught him the Seven Kill Sword Art without holding anything back.

The Seven Kill Sword Art was no simple technique. Those unfamiliar with it might think it was merely Sword Douluo Chen Xin's summary of his own swordsmanship, but that was not the case.

It was an exquisite combination of foundational and advanced sword techniques, continuously refined by generations of Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul geniuses from the Chen Clan, where Sword Saint Chen Xin came from.

Among them, Chen Xin's father, Chen Jianjun, a peak Level 98 Douluo, had made an especially outstanding contribution to the Seven Kill Sword Art.

Chen Jianjun had been able to withstand Qian Daoliu's attacks with his Level 98 Soul Power, even when Qian Daoliu wielded divine power granted by the Angel God. His talent and strength had astonished the world.

The only person of his era who could compare to him was Tang Chen, who had already inherited the Asura God's legacy. If the Rakshasa God had not interfered with him, Tang Chen would have become the Second Hokage Asura God.

With such a powerhouse contributing to the Seven Kill Sword Art, its value was self-evident.

Although Lin Yao did not possess the matching Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul and would need to spend some effort fully grasping it, the value of this sword art far surpassed that of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

After all, the potential for development held by such a deeply rooted sword art was far beyond what a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring could offer.

Chen Xin's unreserved instruction filled Lin Yao's heart with gratitude.

With Lin Yao's current strength and Soul Power, he could at most learn some of the Seven Kill Sword Art's basic sword moves. Even so, his offensive ability had improved enormously.

Moreover, while learning the Seven Kill Sword Art, Lin Yao drew inferences from it and gained a deeper understanding of his first soul skill, Ink Star Sword Shadow.

He used it with greater experience and proficiency, and its Soul Power consumption had also decreased considerably.

One day, after Lin Yao completed the first stage of honing his swordsmanship and Soul Power at the Martial Arts Arena, he turned around and saw Ning Rongrong sitting on the steps, her hands propping up her cheeks as she stared blankly into space.

Seemingly sensing Lin Yao's gaze, Ning Rongrong snapped back to her senses. She immediately stood and hurried toward him.

"Lin Yao, big..."

"Hmm?"

"Brother Lin Yao, you finally finished cultivating. I've been waiting for you here forever. You get way too absorbed when you cultivate—you never pay attention to me."

The current Ning Rongrong trusted Lin Yao from the bottom of her heart. She only occasionally acted playful when addressing him.

Lin Yao was happy to indulge her. The two went back and forth, and their bond grew ever deeper.

With Lin Yao, Ning Rongrong gained the friendship of a peer that she had lacked in the original story, and her personality was no longer so awkward.

After all, in the original story, she had been surrounded by flattery and fake smiles. As a little girl who had lost her mother at a young age, she was sensitive enough to clearly sense that falsehood.

But things were different now. With Lin Yao, a peer, caring for and protecting her, he could handle many matters that the older generation found inconvenient to intervene in.

Furthermore, with Lin Yao serving as an example, even though Ning Rongrong did not particularly enjoy cultivation, she would faithfully complete every task Lin Yao assigned her and never slack off.

In just over a month, beneath the Heavenly Cycle Star Array that Lin Yao had specially arranged for her, Ning Rongrong's Soul Power had improved significantly from Level 13. She was not far from Level 14.

Compared to the original story, by the standards of a Support Type soul master, Ning Rongrong now easily outclassed those little punks in both Soul Power and cultivation speed. That was quite remarkable.

At this rate, by the time Ning Rongrong reached eleven or twelve, her Soul Power would definitely exceed Level 26. She might even touch the threshold of Soul Elder.

Furthermore, nourished by the Heavenly Cycle Star Array, Star Power slowly seeped into her body. While cultivating Soul Power, her physical strength also improved.

The current Ning Rongrong, nourished by both Soul Power and Star Power, was no longer that shy Support Type soul master. Knocking down a Tool Spirit Master of the same rank with one punch would be no problem.

"Rongrong, if I don't cultivate diligently, how will I protect my dear little sister in the future?"

Lin Yao reached out and gently patted Ning Rongrong's head, asking with a smile.

Such simple and sincere words instantly made Ning Rongrong blush, her eyes filled with delight.

"Actually, I don't need protecting. My talent is very strong too. If you and I join forces, we'll definitely be invincible in the future. Then we can defeat every big bad guy who wants to bully us."

"Alright."

Lin Yao nodded.

"We'll defeat all the big bad guys who want to hurt Rongrong together..."