Twelve-Year-Old Soul King

After obtaining his fourth soul ring and advancing to Soul Ancestor, the focus of Lin Yi's life underwent a subtle shift.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin believed that one could never achieve greatness by working behind closed doors; a true soul master must grow through the tempering of blood and fire.

Therefore, for the next two years, Lin Yi began a systematic regimen of practical combat experience.

In the first year, he primarily followed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's external expedition teams.

These teams were usually led by sect deacons, with members mostly being young disciples between levels twenty and thirty. Their missions involved hunting suitable low-level soul beasts, gathering medicinal herbs, or handling peripheral sect affairs.

Within this team, Lin Yi played the role of a pure support soul master.

He restrained the natural chill and sharpness brought by his Ice Dragon martial soul, presenting only his Snow Lotus martial soul to others. When the team encountered ten-year or hundred-year soul beasts, he did not participate in the attacks directly. Instead, he would roam the edges of the battlefield, precisely casting "Healing Light" to restore injured companions or manifesting "Ice Lotus Protection" to block lethal attacks for teammates facing danger.

At first, the other disciples in the team did not pay him much attention, seeing that he was young and a support-type.

However, after several dangerous encounters were resolved thanks to Lin Yi's reaction speed and precise grasp of timing—which far exceeded that of ordinary support soul masters—the way everyone looked at him changed completely.

His area-of-effect "Extreme Cold Domain" could even slow down groups of soul beasts at critical moments, creating breathing room for the team.

He even utilized "Breath of Ice Sealing" to freeze an agile soul beast that attempted a sneak attack the moment it touched the hem of his clothes, allowing his teammates to finish it off with ease.

In this year, Lin Yi not only mastered the four soul skills of his Snow Lotus martial soul to perfection, but he also gained a profound understanding of the essence of teamwork and how to protect himself and support others on a chaotic battlefield.

His soul power rose steadily through repeated consumption and recovery in actual combat, climbing from level forty-one to level forty-four.

In the second year, Sword Douluo changed the training method. He began to frequently take Lin Yi to the soul fighting arenas in major cities.

Here, the opponents Lin Yi faced were no longer soul beasts with low intelligence, but diverse soul masters with ever-changing tactics.

At first, Sword Douluo arranged for him to team up with a Soul Ancestor disciple from the sect who specialized in power or agility attacks to participate in two-on-two soul fights.

On the small, high-profile arena stage, Lin Yi's support abilities underwent a true test.

He needed to predict the opponents' targets and attack routes, and in the blink of an eye, decide whether to apply healing or activate a shield, whether to use "Extreme Cold Domain" to restrict the opponents, or rely on "Breath of Ice Sealing" for passive defense or even to trip them up.

His coordination with his teammate evolved from awkward to tacit, and the powerful support capabilities of the Snow Lotus martial soul gained fame through repeated victories, though this also invited more targeted tactics.

This forced Lin Yi to constantly adjust his rhythm and the sequence of his soul skill releases, causing his combat intelligence to grow rapidly.

Later, Sword Douluo had him join a seven-person team composed of peripheral sect soul masters to participate in more complex team soul fights with more variables.

In the seven-on-seven melees, Lin Yi truly realized the importance of a grand perspective. He no longer focused solely on his own teammates; he had to constantly monitor the movements of the opposing support and control-type soul masters to judge the flow of the entire battle.

The roles of his "Pure Lotus Protection" and "Extreme Cold Domain" were brought to their limit in team battles, turning the tide of the fight at critical moments time and again.

Two years of life in the soul fighting arena stripped away the last traces of Lin Yi's immaturity, leaving his gaze calm and sharp. His practical combat experience, on-the-spot adaptability, and fine control over soul power all reached heights difficult for his peers to attain.

His soul power level also climbed all the way from level forty-four to level forty-seven during this high-intensity tempering.

Leaving the soul fighting arena, he returned to the sect for a period of consolidated cultivation. Another year and a half passed, and when Lin Yi was eleven years old, the surging soul power within him finally broke through the bottleneck once more, reaching level fifty!

An eleven-year-old Soul King! Even for Ning Fengzhi and the two Douluos, who were already accustomed to such things, this news caused another massive stir. This had already exceeded their understanding of what a "genius" was.

Obtaining the fifth soul ring was imperative. Sword Douluo Chen Xin wore a solemn expression; this time, he intended to challenge a higher limit.

Based on how Lin Yi had handled his first four soul rings, as well as his current physical strength and mental power, Chen Xin set the target at a ten-thousand-year soul ring—and not just one that had just crossed the ten-thousand-year mark, but one at the eleven-thousand-year level!

The two stepped into the core area of the Far North once again, where the environment was even colder and the active soul beasts were increasingly powerful and terrifying.

The search process was fraught with danger, and they even encountered terrifying existences with tens of thousands of years of cultivation, only avoiding them thanks to Chen Xin's formidable strength.

Finally, at the peak of a towering ice mountain, they found their target: a giant ape over ten meters tall, covered in thick ice armor like sapphire, with knotted muscles and an aura of primordial power. A ten-thousand-year soul beast, the Titan Ice Ape! Its cultivation was exactly over eleven thousand years!

This Titan Ice Ape possessed terrifying strength and defense; with every move, ice cliffs crumbled, and its roar was deafening. Even Sword Douluo dared not be the slightest bit careless.

The Seven Kill Sword True Body manifested, and it seemed as if only that giant sword capable of severing everything remained between heaven and earth.

A world-shaking battle between a Title Douluo and a ten-thousand-year soul beast erupted at the peak of the ice mountain.

Sword energy crisscrossed, ice shards flew, and the massive roar echoed across the wilderness. In the end, relying on his supreme cultivation and attack power, Chen Xin found the weak point in the Titan Ice Ape's defense, struck with one sword, and Lin Yi delivered the finishing blow, ending the life of this overlord-level soul beast.

A black soul ring, deep as the night sky yet emitting heart-palpitating energy fluctuations, rose slowly. The faint red patterns appearing on its surface signaled a quality that surpassed ordinary ten-thousand-year soul rings.

"An eleven-thousand-year Titan Ice Ape; the energy and soul shock contained in its soul ring far exceed any you have absorbed before." Chen Xin looked at Lin Yi, his tone unprecedentedly serious. "Keep your mind steady and guide the soul power. I will protect you, but it depends primarily on yourself!"

Lin Yi nodded heavily, sat cross-legged, and extended his mental power and soul power toward the black soul ring.

BOOM—!

Energy like a volcanic eruption surged into his body instantly, ten times more violent than when he absorbed his fourth soul ring! Not only that, but a soul force filled with brutality, arrogance, and icy cold slammed into his sea of consciousness like a heavy hammer—it was the lingering, undying battle intent of the Titan Ice Ape!

A thick layer of ice instantly condensed on the surface of Lin Yi's body, his meridians felt a tearing pain, and his consciousness was almost crushed by that violent will.

He gritted his teeth and frantically circulated his soul power. The cool aura of the Snow Lotus martial soul and the extreme chill of the Ice Dragon martial soul simultaneously protected his body, one repairing while the other suppressed.

His mental power was highly concentrated, resisting the soul impact like a rock.

This was an ultimate test of will and strength. Time seemed to become infinitely long.

Under Chen Xin's worried gaze, Lin Yi's body trembled violently several times, and blood spilled from the corners of his mouth, but he ultimately stabilized the situation, taming and absorbing that violent energy bit by bit.

He did not know how much time had passed, but when the last trace of brutality was purified, that deep black soul ring perfectly settled onto the Snow Lotus martial soul, rhythmically pulsing alongside the other four.

Lin Yi opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them. The powerful aura of a level fifty Soul King was released without reservation, even more solid and heavy than that of an ordinary newly advanced Soul King.

Fifth Soul Skill—Pure Lotus Bloom!

The effect was to instantly release the origin power of the Snow Lotus martial soul, forming a massive purification domain centered on himself.

Within the domain, all friendly units received a powerful group heal, recovering approximately seventy percent of their injuries and dispelling most negative status effects. At the same time, it could instantly restore seventy percent of the consumed soul power for friendly units!

This was a strategic-level soul skill capable of changing the tide of battle! Group healing combined with group soul power restoration—in a war of attrition or a desperate situation, it could be called a divine skill!

Chen Xin sensed the effect of this soul skill, and even with his state of mind, he could not help but be moved. The future achievements of this child might truly surpass everyone he had ever seen.

"Very good." Chen Xin suppressed the waves in his heart and said indifferently, "A level fifty Soul King with such a soul skill—among the younger generation on the continent, no one can surpass you. Go back; you need time to fully digest this advancement."