Eight-Year-Old Soul Ancestor

The trip to the Star Dou Great Forest concluded, and Lin Yi followed Sword Douluo Chen Xin back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Bearing the Twin Martial Souls of the Snow Lotus and the Ice Dragon, with an innate Soul Power Level of thirty, his first and second soul rings had already reached three hundred and five hundred years respectively, while his third soul ring exceeded the conventional limit at fifteen hundred years... Although these details were strictly sealed, Lin Yi's status within the sect had already quietly shifted.

He was no longer just an unremarkable orphan, but the only personal disciple under Sword Douluo, an indispensable pillar for the sect's future.

After returning to the sect, Lin Yi's life became extremely disciplined, yet also incredibly arduous.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin's requirements for him were strictly enforced, one might even call them harsh.

Every day before dawn, under Chen Xin's supervision, his morning was dedicated to extreme physical and agility training, aimed at tempering his bones and stimulating his potential.

The afternoon was spent on the repeated application and deep exploration of the three soul skills of his Snow Lotus Martial Soul, striving for the ability to trigger soul skills instantly with a single thought, ensuring minimal consumption and maximum effect.

Chen Xin was in no rush to have him attach a soul ring to his Ice Dragon Martial Soul, rarely even mentioning it. Instead, he would occasionally use his own peerless sword intent to pressure Lin Yi, forcing him to draw upon the chill of the Ice Dragon Martial Soul to resist, thereby honing his control over his second martial soul and its innate extreme ice attribute.

Under such high-intensity cultivation, Lin Yi's progress was self-evident.

His profound foundation of innate thirty-level soul power was thoroughly stimulated, consolidated, and steadily improved.

A year passed in the blink of an eye, and by the time Lin Yi was seven, his soul power level had broken through from the thirty-first level at the time of his return to the thirty-fifth level.

Such terrifying cultivation speed left Ning Fengzhi and the two Title Douluos who knew the truth secretly shocked, further confirming that this child's future was limitless.

It was also in the year Lin Yi turned seven that Ning Fengzhi held a deep discussion with Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo.

Inside the meeting hall, Ning Fengzhi looked at the two pillars of the sect before him and spoke slowly: "Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone, the child Lin Yi has top-tier talent and character; he will surely be a pillar of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in the future.

Rongrong is a spirited girl, perhaps a bit too spoiled by us. If she is to lead the sect in the future, she will likely need a powerful assistant."

Bone Douluo Gu Rong chuckled: "Fengzhi, what are you implying?"

Ning Fengzhi turned his gaze to Chen Xin: "Uncle Sword, Lin Yi is your disciple. What do you think... about arranging a betrothal between him and Rongrong?

This way, as both a personal disciple and a future son-in-law, his ties to the sect will be even closer, and his future role in assisting Rongrong will be well-justified."

Chen Xin was silent for a moment. Devoted to the sword his entire life, he had never cared for such worldly entanglements, but he knew Ning Fengzhi's words held merit. A union between Lin Yi and Ning Rongrong would be most beneficial for the stability and development of the sect.

More importantly, he had watched Ning Rongrong grow up and viewed her as his own granddaughter; naturally, he hoped she would have a strong and reliable support in the future.

"Agreed," Chen Xin finally uttered a single word.

The matter was settled. Not long after, a marriage contract was quietly established among the upper echelons of the sect. Sword Douluo summoned Lin Yi to his side, his tone as indifferent as ever, yet carrying an unquestionable weight: "Lin Yi, you and Rongrong are now betrothed. Remember, you are not only my disciple, but in the future, you must wholeheartedly assist and protect Rongrong, and safeguard the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. This is your responsibility."

Lin Yi looked up at the teacher who had shown him such immense kindness, his face displaying the appropriate amount of childish ignorance and solemnity, and he nodded firmly: "Yes, Teacher, this disciple understands. I will definitely protect Sister Rongrong well."

However, deep within his lowered eyes lay a pool of clarity and understanding.

How could he not grasp the implications behind this betrothal? Assist? Protect? He smiled silently to himself; the road ahead was long, and who would be assisting whom remained to be seen. Still, that little demoness Ning Rongrong was indeed a girl who needed looking after at this stage.

Time flew, and another year and a half passed.

Under Sword Douluo's unyielding and strict supervision and his own tireless efforts, Lin Yi's cultivation progressed steadily.

When he was eight and a half, the soul power within him finally broke through the bottleneck of the fortieth level!

A Soul Ancestor at eight and a half! When the news spread, Ning Fengzhi and the two Douluos who knew the truth were once again rendered speechless. This could no longer be described as mere genius; it was monstrous!

With the level breakthrough, acquiring a soul ring was put on the agenda. Sword Douluo Chen Xin once again took the lead, bringing Lin Yi to the outskirts of the Far North to search for a suitable soul beast.

The target this time was a fourth soul ring. According to Chen Xin's plan, it should be between four thousand and five thousand years old—a range that would challenge Lin Yi's limits while ensuring his safety.

After searching for several days on the ice-covered plains, they finally found an "Extreme Ice Scorpion" with a cultivation of about four thousand five hundred years deep within a glacial crevice.

The soul beast was carved like blue crystal, its scorpion tail flashing with a lethal, eerie light. It moved as fast as lightning, and its cold aura carried strong paralyzing and freezing properties.

A fierce battle unfolded under Chen Xin's control, the main purpose being to let Lin Yi experience the combat style of high-level soul beasts and the various applications of the ice attribute firsthand.

In the end, the Seven Kill Sword was unsheathed, landing a precise strike to weaken the beast, allowing Lin Yi to deliver the finishing blow.

Absorbing this four-thousand-five-hundred-year soul ring was several times more dangerous than the previous three. The cold poison and violent soul power of the Extreme Ice Scorpion nearly tore Lin Yi's meridians apart, and the icy malevolence constantly assaulted his sea of consciousness.

But relying on his rock-solid foundation, tenacious will, and the higher-order chill spontaneously surging from his Ice Dragon Martial Soul, Lin Yi suppressed and refined it bit by bit.

When he successfully finished the absorption and stood up, his aura was even more condensed and heavy, and the fourth soul ring of his Snow Lotus Martial Soul, a deep black halo, pulsed slowly.

Fourth Soul Skill--Breath of Ice Sealing!

The effect was to continuously consume soul power to form a layer of invisible, extreme cold aura on the surface of his body.

This layer of aura significantly increased his defensive capabilities, and more importantly, any enemy who made direct contact with him—whether through their body or energy—would suffer from a powerful backlash of cold, with a certain chance of being instantly frozen. Even if not completely frozen, their movements and soul power circulation would be significantly sluggish.

A powerful soul skill that combined offense and defense, perfectly suited for close-quarters self-preservation and crowd control!

Chen Xin sensed the effect of this soul skill, and a hint of approval flashed in his eyes.

This soul skill complemented his previous "Ice Lotus Protection," allowing the survival capabilities of Lin Yi, an auxiliary-type soul master, to take a qualitative leap.

"Not bad. A forty-first-level Soul Ancestor with such a soul skill—even when facing an assault-type Soul Ancestor, you have the strength to fight," Chen Xin gave a rare affirmation. "Let's go back! Consolidate your cultivation. Your path is still very long."