Eight-Year-Old Soul Ancestor

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

With the Snow Lotus and Ice Dragon Twin Martial Souls, innate Soul Power Level 30, a three-hundred-year First Soul Ring and a five-hundred-year Second Soul Ring, and a Third Soul Ring that surpassed the usual limit at fifteen hundred years... Though this information was tightly guarded, Lin Yi's standing within the sect had quietly changed.

He was no longer an insignificant orphan. He was now the only direct disciple under Sword Douluo, and an indispensable pillar of the sect's future.

After returning to the sect, Lin Yi's life became extremely regimented, yet unbearably grueling.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin's demands were exceptionally strict—so strict they bordered on harsh.

Every day, before dawn, he had to train under Chen Xin's supervision. Mornings were devoted to pushing his physical conditioning and footwork to their limits, tempering his body and unlocking his potential;

afternoons were spent repeatedly using and thoroughly exploring the three Soul Skills of his Snow Lotus Martial Soul, striving to make them spring into action at a thought, with minimal expenditure and maximum effect.

Chen Xin did not rush to add a Soul Ring to his Ice Dragon Martial Soul. He hardly mentioned it at all. Only occasionally would he pressure Lin Yi with his own peerless sword intent, forcing him to draw on the chill of his Ice Dragon Martial Soul to resist. This was how he honed Lin Yi's control over his Second Martial Soul and its innate Ultimate Ice attribute.

Under such high-intensity training, Lin Yi's progress was plain to see.

The rich foundation of his innate Soul Power Level 30 was fully brought to the fore, consolidated, and steadily increased.

A year flew by. By the time Lin Yi was seven, his Soul Power Level had risen from 31 when he returned to the sect to 35.

Such a terrifying rate of cultivation left Ning Fengzhi and the two Titled Douluo, who knew the truth, secretly astounded. They were even more certain that his future was boundless.

That same year, when Lin Yi was seven, Ning Fengzhi had a long discussion with Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo.

In the council chamber, Ning Fengzhi looked at the two pillars of the sect before him and spoke slowly. "Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, Lin Yi is an exceptional child in both talent and character. He'll surely become a pillar of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

"Rongrong is a lively girl, and we've spoiled her a little too much. When she takes charge of the sect one day, she'll likely need powerful support."

Bone Douluo Gu Rong chuckled. "Fengzhi, what are you getting at?"

Ning Fengzhi turned to Chen Xin. "Uncle Jian, Lin Yi is your disciple. What would you say to betrothing him to Rongrong? That way, he'd be both your direct disciple and your future son-in-law, binding him even more closely to the sect. And in the future, it would only be right for him to support Rongrong."

Chen Xin fell silent for a moment. He had devoted his life to the sword and had never cared for worldly entanglements. But he knew Ning Fengzhi had a point: Lin Yi and Ning Rongrong's union would be most beneficial to the sect's stability and growth.

More importantly, he had watched Ning Rongrong grow up and cherished her like his own granddaughter. Naturally, he hoped she would have someone powerful and dependable to rely on in the future.

"Agreed." Chen Xin finally gave his answer.

And so it was settled. Not long afterward, a marriage pact was quietly drawn up among the sect's senior members. Sword Douluo summoned Lin Yi and spoke in his usual calm tone, yet with unmistakable weight. "Lin Yi, you and Rongrong are now betrothed. Remember, you're not only my disciple. In the future, you must do your utmost to support and protect Rongrong, and to safeguard the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. That is your responsibility."

Lin Yi looked up at the teacher who had shown him such profound kindness. He put on a suitably childish look of confusion mixed with solemnity and nodded firmly. "Yes, Master. I'll remember. I'll protect little sister Rongrong."

Yet beneath his lowered eyes, his gaze was clear and knowing.

How could he not understand what this betrothal meant? Support her? Protect her? He laughed silently to himself. There was a long road ahead, and it remained to be seen who would support whom. Still, that Little Demoness Ning Rongrong was indeed a girl who needed looking after, at least for now.

Time passed, and another year and a half went by.

With Sword Douluo's relentless supervision and his own tireless effort, Lin Yi's cultivation steadily advanced.

At eight and a half, the Soul Power inside him finally broke through the bottleneck at Level 40!

An eight-and-a-half-year-old Soul Ancestor! When the news reached Ning Fengzhi and the two Douluo who knew the truth, they were once again left speechless with shock. The word "genius" no longer sufficed. He was a monster!

With his breakthrough, obtaining a Soul Ring became the next priority. Sword Douluo Chen Xin once again set out in person, taking Lin Yi to search for a suitable Soul Beast on the outskirts of the Far North.

This time, they were looking for a Fourth Soul Ring. According to Chen Xin's plan, it should be between four and five thousand years old: enough to challenge Lin Yi's limits, but still safe.

After several days searching across the snowfields, frozen for thousands of miles, they finally found an Extreme Ice Scorpion with a cultivation of about four thousand five hundred years, deep within a glacier crevasse.

Its whole body looked as if it had been carved from blue crystal. Deadly glimmers shone from its tail, and it moved with lightning speed. Its chilling aura carried potent paralyzing and freezing properties.

A fierce battle began under Chen Xin's control, mainly to let Lin Yi experience firsthand how high-level Soul Beasts fought and how they wielded ice attributes.

In the end, the Seven Kill Sword struck with precision, wounding it and leaving Lin Yi to deliver the finishing blow.

Absorbing this four-thousand-five-hundred-year Soul Ring was several times more perilous than the previous three. The Extreme Ice Scorpion's icy poison and frenzied Soul Power nearly tore Lin Yi's meridians apart, while its frigid, baleful energy repeatedly battered his sea of consciousness.

But Lin Yi relied on his exceptionally solid foundation, his iron will, and the higher-grade chill that surged of its own accord from his Ice Dragon Martial Soul to suppress and refine it all.

When he finished absorbing the Soul Ring and rose to his feet, the aura around him had grown even denser and more imposing. The Snow Lotus Martial Soul's Fourth Soul Ring—a deep black ring—pulsed slowly.

Fourth Soul Skill—Breath of Ice Sealing!

It continuously consumed Soul Power to form an invisible layer of extreme chill over his body.

This chill significantly increased his defense. More importantly, any enemy who touched him directly, whether with their body or with energy, would suffer a fierce backlash of cold. There was a chance they would be frozen instantly. Even if they weren't completely frozen, their movements and the circulation of their Soul Power would be greatly slowed.

It was a powerful Soul Skill, combining offense and defense, and perfectly suited for self-preservation in close combat and controlling the battlefield!

When Chen Xin sensed the effect of this Soul Skill, a flicker of approval crossed his eyes.

This Soul Skill complemented Ice Lotus Protection, giving Lin Yi, an Auxiliary System Soul Master, a dramatic leap in survivability.

"Not bad. At Level 41, with a Soul Skill like this, you can hold your own even against a Power Attack System Soul Ancestor." Chen Xin rarely offered praise. "Let's go back! Consolidate your cultivation. You still have a long road ahead."