Lin Yue, a newly appointed elder of Spirit Hall.
He was the youngest Titled Douluo in Spirit Hall apart from Bibi Dong, having broken through to the Titled Douluo rank at the age of forty.
Yet even before he reached that rank, people had joked that if he ever became a Titled Douluo, he would be the weakest on the continent—without exception.
That was because Lin Yue's Martial Soul and Soul Skills were utterly useless.
His Martial Soul was a strange vortex-like space.
At first, no one knew what kind of Martial Soul it was. They assumed it was a top-tier spatial Martial Soul.
But once Lin Yue acquired Soul Rings, they learned that while his Martial Soul was indeed spatial, it was nowhere near top-tier.
No matter how many Soul Rings Lin Yue gained, he had only one Soul Skill: Containment. It could draw Soul Beasts of equal strength into the vortex space.
If Lin Yue could make use of the Soul Beasts he contained, it would at least be a decent Soul Skill.
The problem was that he couldn't control the Soul Beasts he contained. Once released, they remained wild and untamable.
That left his Soul Skill with little value and even less combat potential.
Not to mention that containing a Soul Beast took a considerable amount of Soul Power, so he couldn't do it without limit.
But although his Soul Skills were weak, Lin Yue's cultivation speed was exceptionally impressive.
So Spirit Hall hadn't given up on cultivating him. Even if his Soul Skills were useless in combat, once his level rose, his basic attacks would still pack a punch.
Lin Yue hadn't disappointed Spirit Hall in that regard. At forty, he had reached level ninety.
After acquiring a Soul Ring, he officially became a Titled Douluo.
Today, he had undergone his title ceremony at Douluo Hall.
His title was "Soul Collector."
He had also been promoted to elder of Spirit Hall and become a member of Elder Hall.
After the title ceremony,
"Heh, congratulations, Elder Lin. Oh, no—should I call you Soul Collector Douluo now?"
The speaker was Porcupinefish Douluo. His grin was impossible to miss, and it was full of mockery.
Ghost Leopard Douluo chimed in, "Soul Collector, Soul Collector—you collect the souls of Soul Beasts. Elder Lin's Martial Soul may not be good for much else, but when it comes to catching Soul Beasts, you're second to none in Elder Hall! Hahaha!"
Snake Lance Douluo looked at Lin Yue with feigned concern. "Elder Lin, becoming a Titled Douluo is cause for celebration. But how many Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts can your Soul Skill contain now? It must be quite a sight when you release them. Though I wonder... can they obey you yet?"
His words drew quiet laughter from several of the elders nearby.
They all clearly knew the greatest flaw of Lin Yue's Soul Skill: he couldn't control the Soul Beasts he contained.
Golden Crocodile Douluo, the Second Worship, held a position of great distinction. He didn't laugh aloud like the others, but his gaze carried a trace of scrutiny and barely concealed disdain.
He spoke slowly, his voice deep. "Lin Yue, the position of elder in Spirit Hall carries great responsibility. Your Martial Soul... has unusual properties. You must study it further, and not let down Spirit Hall's investment in you or the seat you hold in Elder Hall."
His words sounded like encouragement, but in truth, he was reminding Lin Yue that his strength didn't quite match his position.
Everyone seemed to assume that although Lin Yue had reached the rank, his actual fighting strength was probably inferior even to that of some powerful Soul Douluos.
Standing at the center of their attention, Lin Yue felt the gazes around him—some mocking, some scornful, some appraising.
He paid them no mind. Instead, he silently absorbed the memories of his previous life.
That was right. He was a transmigrator.
But after being reborn on Douluo Continent, he hadn't awakened the memories of his previous life until he broke through to the Titled Douluo rank.
Only just now had the memories of both lives fully merged.
[ Ding~ Host's memories have fully awakened. Containment System successfully bound! ]
Immediately afterward, a voice devoid of emotion sounded in Lin Yue's mind.
Only then did Lin Yue realize that his Martial Soul had originally been his system.
Unfortunately, after his reincarnation, the laws of the universe governing this world had sealed his memories. As a result, the system couldn't complete its binding and could only temporarily become his Martial Soul.
Now that he had broken through to the Titled Douluo rank and his memories had fully returned, the system had finally bound itself successfully.
Lin Yue was speechless.
Seriously? I'm already a Titled Douluo, and only now does the system show up?
[ Ding~ Since the system only bound itself after the host had broken through to the Titled Douluo rank, the host will receive compensation. ]
[ Ding~ The host has received one opportunity to use the Containment Shelter without restriction! Valid for 24 hours. ]
[ Ding~ Special Notice 1: The host may use this opportunity to forcibly place every Soul Beast on Douluo Continent into the Containment Shelter at the same time! ]
[ Ding~ Special Notice 2: Soul Beasts contained without restriction cannot be tamed directly by the Containment Shelter. The host will need to tame them personally afterward! ]
"Contain every Soul Beast at the same time..."
"Hiss~"
Lin Yue sucked in a sharp breath. As expected of a system—this ability was outrageously powerful!
Could this count as the system taking revenge on the world's will?
If he used this skill,
would Douluo Continent be left without a single Soul Beast?
Just thinking about it made Lin Yue feel exhilarated.
It had been twelve years since the death of the previous Pope, Qian Xunji. In other words, the original timeline had already reached the Shrek Academy arc.
If he contained every Soul Beast, then regardless of what happened to the other Soul Masters, the so-called Shrek Seven Devils wouldn't be able to level up.
Without Soul Beasts, they couldn't hunt for Soul Rings, and their Soul Master levels would remain frozen in place, forcing them to end up like Yu Xiaogang.
And it wouldn't just be the Shrek Seven Devils. Every sect and faction, including Spirit Hall, would be unable to obtain Soul Rings for their Soul Masters.
But he was different. As long as his level reached...
"Wait, I'm already a Titled Douluo. I don't need to absorb any more Soul Rings."
"So containing all the Soul Beasts wouldn't cost me anything!"
"Not only that, I could release them whenever I needed to. If I controlled every Soul Beast, I'd effectively monopolize all of Douluo Continent's cultivation resources!"
"And they're essential resources for every Soul Master who wants to raise their level."
The more Lin Yue thought about it, the more excited he became.
[ Ding~ Does the host wish to use this opportunity? ]
As if sensing Lin Yue's excitement, the system prompted him at just the right moment.
"Use it. Right now!"
Lin Yue answered without hesitation.
With an ability this powerful, of course he wouldn't waste it.
As for whether Douluo Continent would erupt into chaos once all the Soul Beasts disappeared, he didn't care.
He wasn't targeting anyone in particular. He was crippling everyone equally.
[ Ding~ Unlimited containment activated... ]
[ Ding~ The system is containing every Soul Beast in this world... ]