Lu Chen saw that Xiao Wu was fast asleep, so he tiptoed out of the dormitory building and made his way to the empty field.
A streak of red flashed through Lu Chen's eyes. With a flip of his palm, the Asura Demon Sword appeared in his hand.
Lu Chen said calmly, "Swung Sword Ten Thousand Times?"
Lu Chen gripped the hilt firmly with both hands, slightly lowering his arms as he gathered strength. Then he suddenly spun around, and the blade descended through the air with a sharp, ripping sound.
"Shhk!"
A streak of red flashed across the Asura Demon Sword before merging into Lu Chen's body, bringing with it a faint yet distinct warmth.
And so, Lu Chen continued swinging the Asura Demon Sword in his hands.
By the thousandth swing, sweat had soaked through Lu Chen's cuffs. He remained completely unaware of it, staring only at the traces left behind by the Asura Sword with every slash.
Lu Chen felt the soreness in his wrists, yet his face was filled with joy. He had discovered that every time he swung his sword, the Asura Sword returned a trace of power to nourish his body.
At the three-thousandth swing, the soreness in his right arm crawled upward through his muscles and bones, as though countless needles were stabbing him at once. Even his fingertips began to go numb.
Lu Chen gritted his teeth and shouted in a low voice, "I won't give up!"
When the six-thousandth swing fell, the eastern horizon had already begun to turn pale. Lu Chen's movements underwent a subtle change. His originally fierce swings had gained a few more traces of fluidity.
At the nine-thousandth swing, Lu Chen's consciousness had grown somewhat hazy. He relied only on muscle memory to mechanically repeat the motions of bringing the sword down and raising it again.
Lu Chen suddenly bit through the tip of his tongue. The instant a sharp sweetness exploded across his mouth, his slowing movements jolted violently, and his speed increased by several more points.
[Congratulations, Host, on swinging your sword ten thousand times. Rewarding the host with a Spirit Concealing Phantom Soul Pill!]
When the final swing fell, the sun rose, and orange-red light spilled across the field.
Lu Chen leaned against the Sword Body and knelt on one knee. His chest heaved violently, his heart pounding in his ribcage like a war drum. A shimmering red light radiated from the Asura Demon Sword and continuously flowed into his body, repairing his exhausted physique.
[Spirit Concealing Phantom Soul Pill]: After consumption, it can conceal the consumer's Soul Beast Aura. The aura released externally will be no different from that of an ordinary human Soul Master. Even if a Titled Douluo were to arrive in person, they would be unable to see through the traces of the Soul Beast's True Body.
A flash of golden light passed, and a completely Gilded Pill lay quietly in his palm. Its medicinal fragrance filled his nose!
"Huh?"
Lu Chen looked at the pill in his hand, the corner of his mouth twitching. No, I worked all night, and all I got was a useless pill?
"But Tang Hao should be coming to the academy soon, right?"
A thought struck Lu Chen, and a sly glint flashed through his eyes. "I'd better give it to that Little Rabbit. Otherwise, by the time I come back, the rabbit might have turned into a spicy rabbit head."
Tang San's opportunity... naturally, I have to seize it!
Lu Chen took a bath and returned to Dormitory One.
Xiao Wu was sleeping soundly while hugging her pillow. A string of clear drool hung from the corner of her mouth, and her breathing was as even as a sleeping rabbit's. A faint pink flush still colored her cheeks.
Lu Chen walked to the bedside and took out the Gilded Pill. He was just wondering how to feed it to her without making a sound when he heard Xiao Wu mumble hazily, "It smells so good~~"
The tip of Xiao Wu's nose twitched, as though she had caught the pill's fragrance, and her small mouth unconsciously opened.
Lu Chen's eyes lit up at the sight. With a flick of his finger, the pill flew into her mouth.
"Radish..."
The pill melted upon entering her mouth, transforming into a warm current that flowed through her limbs and bones. A flash of pink light suddenly passed over Xiao Wu's body. She smacked her lips twice, turned over, and continued sleeping deeply, completely unaware that someone had secretly stuffed a Life-Saving Pill into her mouth and that she had already avoided a future crisis.
A smile appeared at the corner of Lu Chen's mouth as he murmured, "I'd better fatten the rabbit up before eating her!"
Lu Chen placed several Gold Soul Coins beside the pillow, left behind a letter, and turned to walk toward the academy's main gate.
As soon as he reached the entrance, Lu Chen saw his grandfather frowning as he argued with Yu Xiaogang about something.
A boy around Lu Chen's age stood beside Yu Xiaogang.
Looking at the boy, Lu Chen thought to himself, So this is Tang San, huh? What a poor kid. Yu Xiaogang fooled him just like that, and now he's suffering from a lack of education! If he didn't have enough opportunities, he would have been trained into a cripple long ago!
"Grandpa!"
Lu Chen jogged over to Lu Jinnian's side. "What's wrong?"
Lu Jinnian shot Yu Xiaogang a sidelong glance and said, "Yu Xiaogang wanted to take you as his disciple, but I refused!"
Lu Jinnian did not believe that someone who could never break through Level Thirty could teach his grandson. What was wrong with Yu Xiaogang? How could he be so clueless?
Lu Chen raised his head to meet the fervent gaze of Yu Xiaogang. "Grandmaster, I don't want to become your disciple! Just teach Tang San properly!"
Is harming Tang San not enough? Now you want to harm me too? Don't cripple my Asura Sword!
After saying that, Lu Chen pulled Lu Jinnian along and hurried into the carriage. Seeing his grandson looking as though he were facing a great enemy, Lu Jinnian asked, "Are you really that afraid of becoming Yu Xiaogang's disciple? He just told me that he planned to hunt a Snake Spirit Beast for Tang San's Soul Ring and turn Tang San into a Control System Soul Master!"
Lu Chen criticized him, "Blue Silver Grass already possesses the characteristic of Entanglement as a plant Martial Soul. He's completely adding unnecessary flourishes. Besides, in my opinion, the true characteristic of Blue Silver Grass lies in its vitality—the 'Spring Wind Blows Anew' kind of vitality! Yu Xiaogang's vision is either too narrow, or he deliberately doesn't want Tang San to take the support route!"
Lu Jinnian nodded repeatedly as he listened to his grandson, then asked, "Chen'er, what about you? What kind of Soul Ring do you want?"
Hearing this, Lu Chen took out a notebook and slowly said, "Sword Opens Double Blades, born for killing. So I want a Soul Ring that can increase my Attack Power!"
Lu Jinnian nodded. This idea suited him perfectly.
After five days of travel, Lu Jinnian and Lu Chen finally arrived at the Small Town near the Star Dou Great Forest.
Along the way, Lu Chen had maintained his training of swinging his sword ten thousand times a day. However, the rewards he received were rather poor. Only a Storage Soul Tool with a capacity of fifty cubic meters was worth mentioning.
Lu Jinnian looked at the setting sun and brought Lu Chen to a hotel. He said, "We'll stay in this Small Town for one night and buy some supplies while we're at it. We'll enter the Star Dou Great Forest tomorrow morning!"
Although they were still very far from the Star Dou Great Forest, Lu Chen could clearly hear the roars of Soul Beasts from within the forest.
Sitting in the hotel, Lu Chen sighed with emotion. "The Star Dou Great Forest truly lives up to its reputation as one of the three most famous Soul Beast habitats on the Douluo Continent! We can feel its pressure even from this far away!"
Hearing this, Lu Jinnian said, "The Star Dou Great Forest is a vast primeval forest with complicated terrain. It has wetlands, swamps, and more. The Soul Beasts there are also extremely terrifying. The closer one gets to the center of the forest, the stronger the Soul Beasts become. There are even Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beasts inside! Any Soul Master, so long as they have enough strength and good luck, can find the Soul Ring most suitable for them there!"
Lu Jinnian then reminded him, "Chen'er, remember this tomorrow. Don't run around recklessly. You must stay close to me!"
Lu Chen nodded, unable to stop himself from looking forward to what kind of Soul Skill he would obtain the next day!
Before you continue