When Zhen Hua turned away from the Spirit Pagoda counter, he didn't even have a receipt in his hand.
He exchanged a few pleasantries with He Zhiqiu, nothing more than the usual "Let's have tea sometime" and "Come by again next time." His tone was as flat as if they were talking about the weather.
He Zhiqiu stroked his beard and cheerfully saw them off, but his eyes lingered on Lin Qingzhou for several seconds longer. He was probably still wondering how that Unyielding Soul Spirit had ended up lowering its head.
The three of them didn't go far after leaving the Spirit Pagoda. Zhen Hua led the way, walking noticeably faster than he had on the way there.
Mu Ye brought up the rear, a blade of grass he'd found somewhere between his teeth, looking utterly carefree.
Lin Qingzhou walked in the middle. The newly acquired Soul Power still flowed slowly through his meridians, and the aura of the Destruction Lion Mastiff had just settled, like a lion curled up and dozing deep within his dantian.
Back at the Blacksmith Guild headquarters, Zhen Hua shut the office door and drew the curtains. He turned to Lin Qingzhou, his expression more serious than ever.
"Kid, the Martial Soul you released at the Spirit Pagoda just now had an extremely unusual aura. He Zhiqiu is a sharp old fox. He must have noticed, but he didn't ask because he was mindful of Mu Ye and me."
"From now on, don't reveal your Martial Soul out in the open unless you have no other choice. Especially don't let anyone find out you only awakened it at nine. The Spirit Pagoda may be at odds with the Federation, but all sorts of people are inside. If word gets out, someone will set their sights on you."
Mu Ye spat out the blade of grass beside them. Unusually, he didn't interrupt; he only nodded.
"Old Zhen Hua is right. Your Martial Soul is a treasure, but it's trouble, too. Keep it hidden until you're strong enough to fight."
Lin Qingzhou nodded and said nothing. He understood these principles better than anyone. After all those years in Aolai City, keeping his abilities concealed had long since become instinct.
Early the next morning, as Lin Qingzhou sat cross-legged in the cultivation room Mu Ye had arranged for him, his Soul Power suddenly began surging violently.
The purple-gold energy deep within his dantian seemed to have been ignited by something, rushing madly through his limbs and bones.
Eyes closed, he guided the energy through his meridians with his mind, round after round. Each cycle pushed the strength of his Soul Power a little higher.
The shadow of the Destruction Lion Mastiff roared softly in the depths of his consciousness. It wasn't resisting; it was cooperating. The first resonance between Soul Spirit and host meant he was now qualified to condense a Second Soul Ring.
As a purple ring rose from beneath his feet and joined the first, the two violet lights shone against each other in the cultivation room, turning the metal ornaments on the walls purple.
Lin Qingzhou opened his eyes and let out a long breath of stale air. He could feel his physical strength and mental power rising. The increase wasn't great, but it was a step in the right direction.
"At last, I've taken another step..."
Lin Qingzhou suddenly felt a little melancholy. He even wondered: If I'd had this power sooner, would things have ended differently?
The door opened, interrupting his thoughts.
Mu Ye leaned against the doorframe, holding a freshly brewed cup of tea that steamed in the air. He glanced at the two purple Soul Rings beneath Lin Qingzhou's feet, the corner of his mouth lifting before he returned to his usual languid expression.
"You condensed it? That was quick."
He walked in, set the teacup on the table, then dropped into the nearby chair and crossed one leg over the other. "All right, tell me what your two Soul Skills are."
Lin Qingzhou lowered his head and felt the flow of Soul Power within him. The light of the First Soul Ring coursed slowly over the purple-gold demonic markings. He knew that power well: it enhanced strength.
The Destruction Lion Mastiff was a strength-type Soul Beast to begin with. It was no surprise that its First Soul Skill inherited that trait.
"My First Soul Skill..."
He spoke in a calm, even voice.
"Power of End. A strength-enhancement skill. After Soul Power is injected, the density of my muscles and the strength of my bones increase at the same time. My strength goes up by about thirty percent. The duration depends on how much Soul Power I use; at full power, it can last around five minutes."
Mu Ye took a sip of tea and nodded.
"An all-attribute enhancement is standard for a Body Martial Soul. It isn't flashy, but it's practical. Thirty percent is pretty good for a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. And you already have a solid foundation, so the enhancement will be even more effective. What about the Second Soul Skill?"
Lin Qingzhou didn't answer right away. He raised his right hand, palm up, and a purple light sprang from it, gathering into a sphere the size of a fist.
A layer of dark-purple destructive force wrapped around the sphere, while an exceedingly faint thread of silver flowed within its core—the trace of mental power spilling out. The sphere spun twice above his palm, then vanished without a sound.
"My Second Soul Skill..."
He looked at the purple specks lingering in his palm and spoke.
"Devour of End. An attack skill. It compresses destructive force and releases it. When it hits a target, it explodes, dealing both physical and energy damage. But that's not all..."
He paused.
"When the Soul Spirit fused with me, some of the Destruction Lion Mastiff's Mental Attribute remained in my mindscape."
"While this skill damages the opponent's body, it also carries a trace of mental impact. It doesn't directly attack the mindscape or exert strong control. Instead, it causes a moment of confusion when the opponent is hit, slowing their reaction by a fraction of a second."
Mu Ye set down his teacup.
"Mental Attribute?"
He leaned forward slightly. "You said the Destruction Lion Mastiff had a destructive attribute. I didn't realize it also had a Mental Attribute. Ordinary Destruction Lion Mastiffs definitely don't."
"Yours was probably locked up in the Spirit Pagoda for two years, and its mental power mutated through prolonged resistance. That's the difference between an Unyielding Soul Spirit and an ordinary Soul Spirit. As they refuse to submit even if it means death, their mental strength is forced to keep growing. You made it bow its head, and in its final moments it gave you its strongest inheritance."
"It was a fluke."
Lin Qingzhou answered honestly. "At the time, I was just trying to find a suitable Soul Spirit. I didn't think that far ahead."
"A fluke is still luck, and luck is part of strength." Mu Ye stood and beckoned to him. "Come on, follow me to the training room. Talk is cheap. I need to see for myself how powerful these skills are."
The training room Mu Ye took him to wasn't the testing room from before, but another, larger and more spacious room.
The ceiling was three stories high, and the walls were covered with a layer of grayish-white protective coating, scarred with countless impacts of varying depth.
The floor was made of the same material. It felt a little soft underfoot, but it was extremely resilient; ordinary Soul Skills could leave no more than a shallow dent. Several testing dummies stood in the corners, each reinforced with multiple layers of protection, yet their outer shells were still pitted with old damage.
"Give it everything you've got."
Mu Ye folded his arms across his chest, Soul Power forming a faint white protective layer around him. "Hit me directly. That'll let me see just how strong you are."
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