Lin Jian's External Soul Bone, Lin An's Thoughts

By evening, Han Ping had returned with Lin An and brought back the Rock Armor Dragon Turtle. Lin Jian's absorption of the soul ring had also reached its final stage and was about to end when a sudden change occurred.

The giant saber arms on the Sky-Splitting Mantis's corpse suddenly erupted with dazzling bluish-white light. A surge of Space Power, far sharper and more violent than the soul ring's energy and filled with the intent to cut, transformed into two solid-looking green bolts of lightning and struck Lin Jian's arms with incomparable precision. "Argh!" Lin Jian, who had always been able to endure pain, let out an uncontrollable roar of agony.

Lin Feng panicked. "Jian!" He rushed forward, checked him, and found that this was not some final trick left behind by the Sky-Splitting Mantis before its death. After examining Lin Jian's condition, he confirmed that an External Soul Bone had formed. Only then did Lin Feng relax.

However, what Lin Jian was experiencing was even more painful than when the soul ring had first entered his body. He felt as if his arms had been thrown into a spatial tempest. Every inch of bone, muscle, and meridian was being sliced and crushed by countless invisible spatial blades, then forcibly reshaped and fused under that domineering foreign power before gradually stabilizing.

Seeing Lin Jian's condition steadily get back on track, Lin Feng silently grumbled to himself. Jian really got the protagonist's script. His past experiences and this opportunity—he's practically the male lead. And looking at Lin An and Lin Qing beside him... fine, those two have male lead scripts too! Am I supposed to be the portable old grandpa for all these protagonists? No, no, all the ones with protagonist scripts have been sent to my side to serve as my subordinates. I've got the great male lead script! Thanks, King Qin Guang. Thanks to that big shot behind the scenes.

By midnight, Lin Jian finally finished absorbing the External Soul Bone and woke up. Slaying this soul beast had granted him a powerful Second Soul Skill: Void Prison. It injected the Sky-Splitting Mantis's Space Power into the ground, instantly creating an unstable spatial distortion field within an area ahead. It could produce the effects of spatial confinement and spatial cutting, making it a skill of tremendous value in both group battles and individual combat. In group battles, it amplified the spatial confinement effect to slow enemies, while in individual combat, it amplified the spatial cutting effect to inflict massive damage.

The External Soul Bone manifested as the Sky-Splitting Mantis's Sky-Rending Saber Arms growing from his arms—two slender arm blades that seemed alive, gleaming with a cold blue-gold light. Its skill was Spatial Edge, which added a spatial cutting effect to the arm blades' already formidable offensive power. It was a powerful single-target attack skill. With the absorption of the soul ring and soul bone, Lin Jian's Soul Power reached level 23. It seemed there had still been residual energy from his previous absorption of the Immortal Grade, and with the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye's stimulation, as well as the additional External Soul Bone, he ultimately stopped at level 23.

With Lin Jian awake, the day's matters were finally finished. Lin Feng arranged for Lin Jian to stand watch, since he had effectively slept for most of the day and would not be able to sleep anyway.

Before going to bed, Lin An came to find Lin Feng. Lin Feng had just told everyone that they would set out in the morning for the territory of an eight-thousand-year Feathered Sparrow.

Lin An sat beside Lin Feng. "Young Master, there's something I want to tell you."

Lin Feng said, "Go ahead. Since when did you need an opening line before speaking?"

Lin An said, "Young Master, I don't want the Feathered Sparrow. I want a ten-thousand-year soul beast."

Lin Feng said, "Sure. Then we'll look for a ten-thousand-year soul beast tomorrow. Uncle Han knows the location of an Aurora Saber-toothed Tiger. We'll go there tomorrow."

Lin An froze for a moment. He had not expected Lin Feng to agree without asking anything. He had originally thought Lin Feng would ask why he had hesitated last time and why he had thought about it for so long.

Lin Feng saw Lin An's confusion and said, "Everyone has their own secrets. That's perfectly normal. I have no intention of prying into yours. Otherwise, I wouldn't have told you about the Secret Method in advance. You are a member of the Lin Family and grew up alongside me. I've never doubted you, nor was I trying to test you. So, Lin An, you don't need to worry about anything."

Lin An said, "Young Master, I don't really have any secrets. I just have some thoughts that are hard to say aloud."

Lin Feng said, "What? Are you secretly in love with your young master and afraid I'll find out?"

Lin An sprang to his feet in agitation. "Young Master, what are you talking about?! I like girls!"

Lin Feng waved a hand. "Sit down. Don't make so much noise; everyone else is resting. I know you don't mean that. I was teasing you. You usually chatter away and dare to say any kind of nonsense, but now you're getting all serious."

Lin An sat down again. "Young Master, what I mean is, although I've been by your side ever since you were born, after you finished your training in the Star Dou Great Forest, you started doing many things. First, you took in Lin Jian, then the Zhao Brothers, and now Lin Qing. You personally chose all of them. But I was brought back and raised by the Master. I just feel that, compared to them, Young Master may see them more as your own people."

Lin Feng did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had never expected to hear something like this from Lin An, so he asked, "Are you saying that my father and I should split the household, then divide up which of you are whose property and take you away according to ownership?"

Lin An said, "Young Master, you know that's not what I mean."

Lin Feng said, "I know that's not what you mean. What I mean is that the thing you're worrying about isn't a problem at all. It's true that my father brought you back and raised you, and it's true that I chose them, but all of you are my people. It's like the property you inherit from your parents and the money you earn through your own work. No matter where it came from, it's all yours. So all of you are my own people. To me, you're the same. There is no difference in closeness or distance."

Lin An said, "But Young Master calls Lin Jian Jian, calls Lin Qing Qing, but when it comes to me, you always call me Lin An by my full name."

Lin Feng said, "I just thought An An sounded awful, while calling you An An also sounds too much like calling a girl. Though I don't really mind it. Fine, then from now on, I'll call you An An."

Lin An had not expected that the point Lin Feng had been hung up on was actually this. He suddenly found it funny, but also felt reassured. With the knot in his heart gone, Lin An said to Lin Feng, "Young Master, I'm going to rest."

Lin Feng smiled. "Go on, An An."

Hearing Lin Feng call him that, Lin An felt a little embarrassed, but also reassured. He said nothing and walked away with red ears.

In truth, no one had fallen asleep yet. Lin Feng and Lin An had lowered their voices during their conversation, but they had not deliberately avoided everyone else. In the quiet of the night, and with everyone being soul masters, they had all heard it. Of course, each had their own thoughts. Dugu Bo felt that the Lin Family's atmosphere and values were excellent, and that the relationship between master and servants was very close. Dugu Yan decided that she would make fun of Lin An tomorrow. Han Ping had always seen Lin An as lively as a little sun since childhood, so he found it rather interesting to see him troubled by something for the first time. As for Lin Jian and Lin Qing, they were deeply moved. Their lives over the past few years had been far too miserable, but fortunately, they had found a wonderful household and a wonderful young master. Their future would surely only get better and better.

Early the next morning, everyone finished packing and began breakfast. Dugu Yan said to Lin An, "Morning, An An. What do you want for breakfast?" She deliberately stressed the words "An An."

Lin An had returned to his usual lively, talkative self and was unafraid of Dugu Yan's teasing. "Morning, Yan Yan. I'll eat whatever there is for breakfast."

Dugu Yan had not expected her teasing to fail, so she doubled down. "Really? I wonder whether there'll be anything among the food we brought that you actually want to eat. How about asking your young master to prepare something for you?"

Lin An directly called out to Lin Feng, "Young Master, I know you brought some golden pheasant roasted by the family kitchen. I want roasted chicken."

Dugu Yan had not expected this guy's skin to be so thick, and for a moment, she had no idea what else to say.

Watching the two bicker, Lin Feng felt somewhat helpless. How were the two oldest acting more childish than the two youngest? Still, watching the show was quite entertaining. Lin Feng took out the prepared food from his Soul Tool, and everyone ate breakfast.

Dugu Bo watched with a smile as well. Dugu Yan had had few friends since childhood and no peers around her. After entering Heaven Dou Royal Academy, she had run into Yu Tianheng's pursuit, making others even less willing to approach her. The Lin Family's children were all quite decent. If Dugu Yan could make a few friends through this, Dugu Bo considered it a good thing. In any case, he was now deeply involved with Lin Feng, and once they entered the Soul Master Academy established by the Lin Family, their relationship with the Lin Family would become even closer. They were all their own people now.