(Gu Yuena fan art)
Second Martial Soul!
Mental-type!
Lin Jiang raised his hand and traced an arc through the air with his fingertip.
The arc left an afterimage in his eyes, like a blade slicing through water, the ripples slowly closing behind it.
"Eye of Time and Space."
The name surfaced from the depths of his bloodline, as if it had been waiting a long time for him to finally awaken.
It wasn't mere insight.
He could sense the folds in space and catch the afterimages of time.
For now, it was still very weak. He could only see more clearly and sense things more keenly.
But he knew for certain that these eyes were capable of far more.
A deeper power slumbered within them, waiting.
Lin Jiang lowered his hand, and the golden light in his eyes slowly faded.
He leaned against the headboard and gazed out the window.
Moonlight fell quietly. Leaves swayed in the night breeze, and insects chirped one after another.
Nothing had changed.
But he knew something was different.
Lin Jiang lay back down and stared at the ceiling.
A hair-thin crack on it was clearly visible, though he had never noticed it before.
Now that he had a Second Martial Soul, its potential seemed considerable.
But for now, his Soul Power had been thoroughly consolidated at level forty. It was time to get a fourth Soul Ring for his Golden Dragon King Martial Soul.
He rolled over and closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, he'd help Ye Lingling finish her Soul Fighting tasks first. He could think about the rest afterward.
The next morning.
Lin Jiang had just finished washing up when he heard Dugu Yan's voice from the courtyard.
"Lingling, you're here early."
Wiping his face, he walked to the doorway and glanced outside.
Then he froze.
Ye Lingling stood in the courtyard with her back to him, talking to Dugu Yan.
But today, Ye Lingling was like a completely different person from yesterday.
The black clothes and veil were gone, replaced by a close-fitting silver dress. Its fabric shimmered faintly like pearls, tracing the lines of her waist with perfect clarity.
White stockings covered her legs, stretching from her ankles to the hem of her skirt and gleaming softly in the morning light.
Standing in the courtyard, she looked like a bashful mimosa that had suddenly bloomed.
Dugu Yan looked her up and down, suspicion growing in her eyes.
"Hm? You're here this early? That's rare. Why are you dressed so brightly today?"
Ye Lingling lowered her head, blushing to the roots of her ears as she twisted the hem of her skirt between her fingers.
"Um... Ahem... I thought we could go Soul Fighting early today and finish our tasks sooner..."
Dugu Yan tilted her head and stared at her for a good while.
Then the corners of her mouth slowly curled up, and she leaned closer.
"You little minx. Don't tell me you've fallen for Lin Jiang too?"
Ye Lingling jerked her head up, blushing even harder as both hands flapped frantically in front of her chest.
"No, no! Yan Yan, don't say things like that..."
Dugu Yan leaned in even closer, until the tips of their noses nearly touched.
"Hmm?"
Her emerald phoenix eyes narrowed. Her tone was like an interrogator questioning a suspect, but the smile at the corners of her mouth gave her away.
Under Dugu Yan's stare, Ye Lingling froze completely, mouth open, unable to say a word.
Just then, Lin Jiang walked out of the house.
Dugu Yan caught sight of him from the corner of her eye and instantly changed her expression.
She hurried over, looped her arm around Lin Jiang's, and pressed herself against him. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she spoke in a sickly-sweet voice.
"You're up~"
Dugu Yan pulled him off balance. He steadied himself and scratched his head.
"I'm up."
He looked over at Ye Lingling.
The silver dress, the white stockings, the way they traced her slender figure just right.
The morning light fell on her as her blue hair spilled over her shoulders, a faint blush still lingering on her face.
A thought flashed through Lin Jiang's mind. Why did this outfit remind him of the young starlets from his previous life?
His gaze lingered on Ye Lingling for two seconds.
Just two seconds.
Dugu Yan's radar went off at once.
She looked up at Lin Jiang, then at Ye Lingling, and slowly pursed her lips.
She tightened her grip around Lin Jiang's arm and pressed even closer to his side.
"I'm coming with you today!"
Lin Jiang looked down at her, a smile playing on his lips. "Yan Yan, don't you still need to recuperate?"
Dugu Yan blushed and pinched his waist.
"Shut up."
The three of them left and walked all the way to the entrance of the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.
Before they could even go inside, they ran into a group of people.
Yu Tianheng stood at the front with his arms crossed, Yu Feng and Osler behind him.
The two lackeys still bore yesterday's injuries. One had a bruised eye, and the other had blood at the corner of his mouth. The moment they saw Lin Jiang, their eyes nearly spat fire.
Osler leaned close to Yu Tianheng's ear and whispered, his voice full of hatred:
"Boss, that's the guy!"
Yu Tianheng ignored him.
His gaze fell on Dugu Yan, and his brow furrowed.
"Yan Yan? So that's where you've been all these days."
Dugu Yan didn't even give him a proper look. Her voice was cold as ice chips.
"What's it to you? Get out of the way. Don't ruin my good mood."
Yu Tianheng's expression shifted.
Then he saw Ye Lingling in a close-fitting silver dress and white stockings, standing on Lin Jiang's other side with her head bowed and a faint blush on her face.
His gaze moved between the three of them, and his expression darkened completely.
"Well, look at you." He glared at Lin Jiang, his voice low, seething with barely contained anger.
"You've stolen both girls on our team."
Lin Jiang replied calmly, "Yu Tianheng, I don't want to get into a conflict with you."
"Heh." Yu Tianheng sneered, lifting his chin in disdain. "That's a nice thing to say. You're not scared, are you?"
He turned to Dugu Yan, a mocking smile on his lips.
"Yan Yan, is this really the kind of man you chose? A coward."
Dugu Yan's eyes widened. She was just about to speak—
Lin Jiang raised a hand to stop her.
"Yan Yan, it's fine." His voice was unhurried, as if he were talking about the weather. "Let me give him a good beating."
Dugu Yan glanced at him, bit her lip, and took half a step back.
Yu Tianheng grinned and stepped back two paces, taking up a fighting stance.
"Hmph, come on!"
Yu Feng shouted at the top of his lungs, "Go, Boss! Teach that punk a lesson!"
Osler joined in, shouting louder than anyone else. "With Boss taking the field, that punk's finished today!"
As soon as they finished shouting, Osler's gaze drifted to Ye Lingling.
He looked her up and down, a greasy smile on his face.
"Yan Yan belongs to Boss, and as for Ye Lingling..." He rubbed his hands together and turned to Yu Feng. "We'll split her between us, bro."
Ye Lingling's face went pale. She instinctively covered her skirt and took a step back.
A hand blocked her way.
Lin Jiang shifted to one side, shielding both her and Dugu Yan behind him.
He didn't look at Osler, or even at Yu Tianheng. He simply stood there like a wall.
Osler's grin froze on his face, and for some reason, a chill crept down his back.
Yu Tianheng snorted, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"Still playing the hero?"
His right arm suddenly swelled, ripping his sleeve apart!
The arm grew more than twice as thick and stretched over half a foot longer.
Blue-purple scales covered every inch of skin. Sharp claws sprouted from his fingertips, and arcs of electricity crackled between the scales.
"Dragon Transformation—!"
The crowd gasped.
"That's the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Dragon Transformation! It can turn parts of the body into a dragon's body, greatly increasing strength and defense!"
"How could that kid dare to fight him? This isn't even a battle between equals!"
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