Lu Lin walked over to Si Yuan Ye and said respectfully,
"Teacher!"
Si Yuan Ye gave a slight nod. "You want to go out and obtain your Second Soul Ring?"
Clearly, Si Yuan Ye had heard every word of Lu Lin's conversation with Mo Yin.
Even though they were a full twenty miles apart.
Lu Lin had to use his second Martial Soul to sense the auras of Si Yuan Ye and Nan Yunheng, but Si Yuan Ye could practically perceive everything.
The difference between them was beyond measure.
"That's right, Teacher."
Lu Lin answered candidly.
Over the past two years, this incarnation of his had grown to nearly nine years old. He now stood over five foot seven, almost as tall as an adult.
Thanks to the boost from the Dark Demon Dreadclaw Bear's super Martial Soul, tremendous explosive power lay hidden beneath Lu Lin's seemingly frail frame.
Since Ji Ming and Nan Yunheng had different Innate Soul Power levels, Si Yuan Ye taught his two disciples in completely different ways.
Nan Yunheng's current training focused mainly on the speed of her cultivation, supplemented with all kinds of rare natural treasures.
That was how the eleven-year-old Nan Yunheng had reached the two-ring Soul Grandmaster realm despite having only second-level Innate Soul Power.
As for Ji Ming, Si Yuan Ye focused more on strengthening his foundations and helping him master the essence of his Martial Souls.
Besides, the Body Sect had always emphasized developing Martial Souls and mastering various Battle Skills. It looked down most of all on Soul Masters who relied solely on their Martial Soul skills.
So Lu Lin had deliberately slowed the improvement of his Soul Power Level, spending more time familiarizing himself with and mastering his two Martial Souls.
If he hadn't, Lu Lin would have reached level twenty much sooner.
Without Si Yuan Ye's approval, Lu Lin had no idea when he would be allowed to go out and obtain his second ring.
Si Yuan Ye thought for a moment, then looked at his disciple and slowly nodded.
"Fine. I agree."
"Mo Yin, take him to hunt for a Soul Ring."
?????
Mo Yin, who had been happily savoring the fine wine he had just acquired, froze at those words. His face stiffened, and he looked as though he would rather cry than smile.
Truth be told, he didn't really want to go out.
In an unnoticed corner, the girl's lips curved into a faint, serene smile.
Several dozen days later, in the Heaven Dou Empire.
The capital, Heaven Dou City.
Three thousand years ago, the Sun Moon Continent collided with Douluo Continent, completely reshaping the continent's political landscape.
The imperial family of the Star Luo Empire changed hands, with the Xu clan's Star Crown Martial Soul replacing the Dai clan.
The Heaven Dou Empire split in two, becoming the Heaven Soul and Spirit Empires.
At midday,
sunlight poured without restraint over the towering city walls. The enormous gates stood open, swallowing and disgorging a ceaseless stream of people.
Noble youths in finery rode past at full speed on horned scale horses.
Even more commoners, Soul Masters, and craftsmen formed a colorful torrent that surged along the main street, wide enough for eight carriages to travel abreast. People brushed shoulders as they went, painting a picture of bustling prosperity.
At the sight, a hint of astonishment flashed through Lu Lin's eyes.
It really was Heaven Dou City.
This city, with its ten thousand years of history, was truly extraordinary.
Since crossing over, Lu Lin had never before visited such a prosperous city.
Neither Frostwind City, where his original body was, nor the small town where his incarnation, Ji Ming, had been created by the panel could compare with Heaven Dou City.
What surprised him, though, was that he saw very few examples of the newer Soul Tools in Heaven Dou City.
They weren't entirely absent, but they were rare.
This enormous metropolis seemed to bear more of the characteristics of the Spirit Hall era.
Among the three original empires of Douluo, the Heaven Soul Empire truly paid the least attention to Soul Tools—or, rather, its Soul Tool technology was the most backward.
That aligned perfectly with the Body Sect's philosophy.
But it also meant that, during the Peerless era, the Heaven Soul Empire was the first to be wiped out by Ju Zi.
"All right, Young Ji, stop looking around. We need to get to the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena."
Mo Yin, dressed in a black robe, lazily urged Lu Lin on.
He had lost count of how many times he had visited Heaven Dou City. Naturally, he found nothing remarkable about it.
Lu Lin couldn't help laughing.
There was, of course, a reason they had come to Heaven Dou City.
Si Yuan Ye had agreed to let his disciple go out and obtain his Second Soul Ring.
The condition was that after obtaining it, Lu Lin had to come to the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena and compete.
He could return to the sect only after earning a Silver Soul Badge.
Lu Lin and Mo Yin had just come out of the Star Dou Great Forest.
His Second Soul Ring came from a Golden Mane Lion with seven thousand six hundred years of cultivation.
With a powerful Titled Douluo like Mo Yin protecting him, finding a suitable Soul Beast had been easy.
Absorbing the Soul Ring, however, had been a bit of a struggle.
After obtaining his Second Soul Ring, the two had hurried straight to Heaven Dou City, which was how they had ended up in the scene described above.
Mo Yin naturally hoped Lu Lin would finish the trial Si Yuan Ye had assigned him as soon as possible, so they could return to the sect.
As long as Lu Lin hadn't earned a Silver Soul Badge, Mo Yin couldn't go back either.
They were in the same boat now.
A little later, at the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.
This enormous, circular building stood in the heart of Heaven Dou City. It was a symbol of the city's strength and glory in its own right.
After completing a series of tedious formalities, Lu Lin and Mo Yin finally entered the colossal building.
As soon as he stepped inside, Lu Lin's gaze was drawn to a huge Soul Guiding Crystal Tablet in the center of the lobby, its surface shimmering with flowing light.
The tablet was divided into several sections, with lines of Soul Masters' names and points scrolling rapidly across it.
At the very top, the list for Gold Soul Masters had only a handful of names.
By contrast, Iron Soul Masters and Silver Soul Masters occupied most of the tablet.
Lu Lin only glanced over it briefly before the display rapidly changed to lists of doubles, three-person teams, and even seven-member groups.
There was so much to see that he couldn't take it all in.
Mo Yin remained unmoved by the tablet, his only interest being a drink.
The reception desk stood along one side of the lobby.
It looked much like a bank counter from Lu Lin's previous life.
Lu Lin joined the line at the window where a pretty, composed female employee in the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena's blue uniform was working. She looked to be in her early twenties.
"Name, age, Soul Power Level, and Martial Soul."
The employee asked in a flat, formulaic tone.
"Ji Ming. Sixteen years old. Level twenty-one. Martial Soul: Claw Bear."
Lu Lin replied calmly, concealing his real age and the name of his Martial Soul.
As long as he didn't say it, who would know what his Martial Soul was called?
The Dark Demon Dreadclaw Bear and the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear only looked alike. A closer examination would reveal that they were worlds apart.
The uniformed employee looked at Lu Lin and frowned almost imperceptibly. Was he really sixteen?
After a brief silence,
she took out a Crystal Ball and passed it through the window. "Test your Soul Power."
Lu Lin did as asked and placed his hand on it.
This kind of Crystal Ball was different from the one used during Martial Soul awakenings. It could only determine a rough range for a person's Soul Power.
The next moment, the Crystal Ball emitted a gentle glow, indicating the level twenty range.
The employee nodded slightly. "That'll do."
As she spoke, she took back the Crystal Ball and continued entering Lu Lin's information.
A moment later, her voice reached Lu Lin's ears.
"All right. You just need to choose a title."
Lu Lin calmly said two words. "Yan Jun."
A little later, the employee passed a standard iron badge through the window. It represented Lu Lin's current rank in the Soul Fighting Arena.
The employee then explained some basic rules, such as the different kinds of competitions, the point system, and the rule that participants could only compete once a day.
In short, after completing a long series of formalities, Lu Lin was finally registered—but the registration fee was shockingly high. It cost a full ten Gold Soul Coins.
That made Lu Lin wince.
With the iron badge in hand, Lu Lin could now sign up for a Soul Fighting match.
For now, though, he could only enter matches for Soul Masters below the Soul Elder level. Judging by Soul Power alone, a level-twenty-one Soul Master would certainly be at a disadvantage against one at level twenty-nine.
"Next, let's welcome the two Soul Masters competing in this match—Yan Jun and Blazing Wolf!"
As the young female host finished speaking, the audience erupted into applause and cheers.
Lu Lin stepped onto the ring in black, a wolf mask covering half his face. To his surprise, his opponent, whose title was Blazing Wolf, wore a mask resembling a bear-type Soul Beast.
It struck him as odd.
The two contestants entered one after the other.
The host explained their details to the audience, including how Yan Jun was a new competitor at level twenty-one and Blazing Wolf was at level twenty-six. Then she stepped off the ring, leaving the stage to them.
Blazing Wolf looked Lu Lin up and down, taking in his thin frame, and raised an eyebrow.
Where did this little brat come from? One slap from me would leave him half-dead.
The spectators below had much the same opinion. They whispered among themselves, already losing interest. A level-twenty-one Soul Master against one at level twenty-six—Blazing Wolf clearly had the advantage.
Blazing Wolf gave a savage grin. As his Martial Soul Possession took hold, two yellow Soul Rings appeared around him.
First Soul Skill: Flame Wolf Claw!
Blazing Wolf shot toward Lu Lin as fast as lightning.
Lu Lin's expression remained placid. He calmly released his Martial Soul, along with two completely unremarkable purple Soul Rings.
In an instant, the entire arena fell silent. You could hear a pin drop.
Blazing Wolf's pupils contracted. He could hardly believe his eyes.
Two purple Soul Rings? What kind of joke was this?
But he had already launched his Soul Skill. It was too late to change course midway.
The next moment, he saw the first purple Soul Ring around "Yan Jun" light up. A streak of crimson flashed, and Blazing Wolf took the full brunt of a Thousand Year Soul Ring skill. Blood gushed from his body as if it cost nothing, creating a spectacular sight.
Sure enough, the fight ended just as he had imagined.
One claw was all it took to leave him half-dead!
Before you continue