Demon Blade Assault

Lin Jin's assured answer greatly pleased Qian Renxue.

She left the side room, giving Lin Jin and his sister some space.

"Porcupinefish Guard, what did you find?" Qian Renxue asked as soon as she returned to the main hall of the Crown Prince's Mansion.

"The child was telling the truth. The manner of death in the village indeed matches the methods of an Evil Soul Master." Porcupinefish Guard lowered his head slightly as he replied.

"What about the Evil Soul Master? Did you find any trace of him?" Snake Guard, standing on Qian Renxue's other side, asked.

"Dead."

"Dead?"

"Yes. The Evil Soul Master was killed in a single strike. Judging from the residual soul power aura on the corpse, it was very similar to the aura of Lin Jin's Martial Soul," Porcupinefish Guard explained.

"Impossible. Someone capable of slaughtering over a hundred people would have to be at least a Soul Elder. How could he have died at the hands of a six-year-old child who had only just awakened his Martial Soul?" Snake Guard's doubts were entirely reasonable.

At that moment, Qian Renxue also wished to know exactly how great Lin Jin's potential was.

Porcupinefish Guard had clearly considered this as well. In a low voice, he explained, "This is also what puzzles this subordinate. But although the residual soul power aura at the scene was faint, it was exceptionally pure and tyrannical. It shared the same origin as the child's displayed Martial Soul. I would not mistake that."

"Thus, this subordinate suspects that when the Evil Soul Master was about to attack his younger sister, the child's extreme despair or rage caused some kind of... uncontrolled outburst after his Martial Soul awakened."

"This outburst may have far exceeded his usual strength, but the price was also immense. That might explain why he later became weak and fell unconscious."

Qian Renxue listened quietly, her fingertips lightly tapping the armrest of her chair.

Porcupinefish Guard's speculation coincided perfectly with her earlier observations.

The level of power within Lin Jin's Martial Soul was extremely high. If it could erupt briefly, it was not entirely impossible for him to kill a careless or weakened Soul Elder across ranks.

"Enough. It is enough that we know Lin Jin is worth cultivating." Qian Renxue stopped them from continuing the discussion.

"Porcupinefish Guard, after you take him to obtain his First Soul Ring tomorrow morning, personally arrange for him to enter the Vanguard Camp at the Northern Border. Hand him over to Centurion Lei Ke, and then leave him alone. Let him develop as he will."

"Your Highness, isn't six years old a little too young? It also doesn't meet the enlistment age requirements," Porcupinefish Guard said, startled before voicing his question.

"Hmph. I lost my father at eight, came here at nine and endured humiliation and hardship, and only killed Xue Qinghe after three years. Is six really too young?" Qian Renxue said coldly.

Qian Renxue's words plunged the hall into silence.

Snake Lance and Porcupinefish Douluo both knew well the hardships their Young Master had endured. Her resolve and forbearance, far beyond her years, left them unable to raise any further objection regarding Lin Jin's age.

"This subordinate understands." Porcupinefish Douluo bowed and accepted the order.

Inside the side room, Lin Jin gently stroked his younger sister's sleeping face, his eyes filled with tenderness and reluctance.

"Xiao Xue, Older Brother will be leaving for a while," he said softly. "Be good and listen to His Highness. Once Older Brother becomes strong enough, I'll come back for you."

Lin Jin then took out the bracelet from his robes, made from wild chrysanthemums that Lin Xue had woven to celebrate her older brother's successful Martial Soul awakening.

Early the next morning, before dawn had broken.

Porcupinefish Douluo took Lin Jin and quietly left Heaven Dou City, heading for the nearby Sunset Forest.

With a Titled Douluo leading the way, finding a suitable Soul Beast went exceptionally smoothly.

Porcupinefish Douluo caught an Ironclad Beast for Lin Jin, one with nearly five hundred years of cultivation, famed for its sharp claws and hard shell.

When Lin Jin personally drove the Short Blade, containing a trace of Demon Armor's aura, into the Soul Beast's vital point, a dense yellow Soul Ring rose into the air.

He sat cross-legged and guided the Soul Ring's energy into his body.

The process was not without pain. The violent energy battered his meridians.

But the Soul Beast's savage resentment encountered the even more savage Demon Armor and was easily subdued.

The entire process was far quicker and smoother than Lin Jin had anticipated.

When Lin Jin opened his eyes again, a sharp gleam flashed through them.

He had successfully absorbed this Soul Ring, whose age far exceeded that of an ordinary First Soul Ring, and his soul power rose directly to level thirteen.

Just as expected.

The first Soul Ring skill Lin Jin obtained was Honor of Kings Kai's First Skill.

"First Soul Skill: Demon Blade Assault!"

With a thought, he loosely clenched his right hand. A solid dark-red energy blade nearly half a meter long instantly formed and shot forth with a swing of his arm, effortlessly cleaving a giant stone in the distance apart. The cut was smooth as a mirror!

A trace of surprise flashed through Porcupinefish Douluo's eyes.

The purity and sharpness of this soul skill were nothing like what a Soul Master who had just acquired his First Soul Ring should possess.

This showed that while the age of a Soul Ring was certainly important, the quality of one's Martial Soul was equally crucial in bringing out the power of the soul skill granted by the Soul Ring.

Half a month later, Iron Blood Pass, at the Empire's Northern Border.

The desolate air was filled with a blend of grim killing intent and bloodshed.

Porcupinefish Douluo stuffed an Identity Document and a thin bundle into Lin Jin's arms.

"Go in from here and find Lei Ke, the Centurion of the Vanguard Camp. From now on, whether you live or die depends entirely on your own fate." Porcupinefish Douluo's voice carried no fluctuation. After speaking, his figure vanished from the spot like a ghost, as though he had never been there.

Lin Jin looked at the pass walls, mottled with sword marks, axe scars, and bloodstains left by years of war.

He took a deep breath and stepped resolutely through the gate that seemed poised to swallow people whole.

He knew that the moment he crossed those gates, endless battles, bloodshed, and cruel war would await him.

And he would not only survive here—he would climb, step by step, all the way to the top.

After making inquiries, Lin Jin found the Centurion Lei Ke mentioned by Porcupinefish Douluo.

He looked to be around forty, and was a Soul Elder-level Battle Soul Master.

A vicious scar ran across his face, stretching from his left temple to his lower right jaw, making his already stern features appear even more ferocious.

Lei Ke was currently training the recruits. "Listen up, you maggots!"

He continued with unquestionable authority, "This is Iron Blood Pass, not your hometown where you play house! There is only one rule here: military orders are absolute, and then you survive!"

Lei Ke's eagle-like gaze swept over the recruits before finally settling on Lin Jin, who had just arrived.

"You, come here. What's your situation?"

Lin Jin walked expressionlessly up to Lei Ke.

He handed over the Identity Document from his robe and said calmly, "Centurion, my name is Lin Jin. I have come to report for duty under orders."

"You're here to report for duty?" Lei Ke's voice carried obvious displeasure. "Kid, are your feathers even grown in yet, and you dare come to the Vanguard Camp? This is the Empire's most brutal Vanguard Camp, not a nursery!"

At once, the recruits let out a restrained burst of laughter, their eyes filled with scrutiny and undisguised contempt.

Once war broke out, they feared being dragged down by Lin Jin. Here, weakness itself was an original sin.

"Sir, please inspect it." Lin Jin ignored their laughter and looked steadily at Lei Ke.

Lei Ke frowned and reluctantly accepted the document. When he saw the seal representing the Crown Prince at the bottom, his pupils contracted.

The scar on Lei Ke's face twitched violently. "I don't care which backdoor connection got you shoved in here. In this place, if you're a dragon, you coil up; if you're a tiger, you lie down!"

He stepped forward, his towering figure looming over Lin Jin with an oppressive presence. "If you want to stay in my unit, then show me what you're made of!

"The Vanguard Camp doesn't take trash!"