At five in the morning, dawn had yet to break.
When Lin Mo left Nuoding Academy with his pack on his back, the Grandmaster was already waiting there. The morning fog was thick, and the man's black robe was covered in dew. He had clearly been waiting for a long time.
"Have you memorized the map?" the Grandmaster asked.
"I have."
"The Thunder Dragon Python's weak points are its seventh inch and its belly, where its scales are thinnest. It releases most of its lightning attacks through the horn on its head. If you can break the horn first, its threat will be cut by at least half." The Grandmaster paused. "But don't try it lightly. That horn concentrates the Soul Power of its entire body. Get close, and you're courting death."
Lin Mo nodded. He had already memorized those key points by heart.
The Grandmaster pulled a palm-sized wooden box from inside his robe and handed it over. "Open it and take a look."
Lin Mo lifted the lid. Inside lay a dark red pill, about the size of his thumb. Fine golden veins spread across its surface like blood vessels.
"A Power Gathering Pill," the Grandmaster said. "Take it at a critical moment, and it can restore half your Soul Power within thirty breaths. There's only one, so don't use it unless you have no other choice."
Lin Mo gripped the box tightly. He understood how valuable it was—restoring half his Soul Power in thirty breaths was like getting an extra life. The Grandmaster might have been cold in his words, but everything he had prepared was meant to keep Lin Mo alive.
"Grandmaster." Lin Mo looked up. "When I come back, teach me theoretical knowledge."
The Grandmaster froze for a moment. "Why do you suddenly want to learn that?"
"I used to think that being strong was enough. But lately, I've realized that strength alone isn't enough. I need to know where my power comes from, where its limits are, and how to break through them. You're the only one who can teach me."
The Grandmaster fell silent for a long time—so long that Lin Mo thought he wasn't going to answer.
"All right." The Grandmaster turned away, his voice a little hoarse. "Come back alive, and I'll teach you."
Lin Mo watched his figure disappear into the morning fog, then turned and set off for the Star Dou Forest.
He covered the six hundred li in two days.
On the first day, he walked three hundred li and spent the night in a hunter's shack. At dawn the next day, he continued on. By noon, he finally saw the outline of the Star Dou Forest—a sea of dark green stretching from the horizon to his feet, its treetops towering into the clouds and blotting out the sun.
Standing at the forest's edge, Lin Mo felt the oppressive force rushing toward him. It was the intertwined auras of countless Soul Beasts, forming a field like a slumbering giant beast, breathing in and out the power of the primordial wilderness.
The system map unfolded in his mind. Thunder Marsh lay deep within the forest, about a hundred and twenty li from the edge. Dense clusters of red dots marked the way, each one representing a Soul Beast. Hundred-year, thousand-year, even ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts—the deeper he went, the more crowded the red dots became, and the darker their color.
"One hundred and twenty li." Lin Mo estimated the distance. "At my speed, it'll take four hours to get there at full tilt. But I'll run into Soul Beasts along the way, so the actual time will at least double."
He took a deep breath and stepped into the forest.
The canopy blotted out the sunlight, and the world instantly dimmed. The air was thick with the smell of rotting leaves and damp earth. Every so often, an unknown bird cried out from the depths, its eerie call sounding like a baby wailing.
Lin Mo slowed down and opened his Soul Power perception to its full extent. His past-life experience fighting in the jungle told him that in a place like this, speed wasn't the most important thing. The most important thing was not stepping into a trap.
The first hour passed smoothly. He skirted the territories of three Hundred-Year Soul Beasts without alerting anything. But in the second hour, the Soul Beast population clearly grew denser, and the species more dangerous. He spotted the tracks of an Iron-Armored Rhino and the droppings of a Wind Wolf. He even saw the claw marks of a Millennium Giant Bear gouged two inches deep into a tree trunk.
"I'm nearing the outer edge of the core region." Lin Mo picked up his pace.
Half an hour later, the sounds of a fight suddenly came from ahead. It wasn't a clash between Soul Beasts. It was people—someone was fighting a Soul Beast.
Lin Mo slowed down and crept closer. After slipping through a thicket, he saw a clearing where three Soul Masters were surrounding a Millennium Iron-Backed Crocodile Lizard. Two were men and one was a woman, all around twenty years old. Their Soul Ring Configurations included two Hundred-Year Soul Rings each, while the man leading them had a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as his third. His Soul Power was probably around level thirty-five.
The Iron-Backed Crocodile Lizard was covered in wounds, but it was fighting like a cornered beast. Its tail swept across the clearing, and one of the male Soul Masters failed to dodge in time. He was sent flying and crashed through a tree.
"Fall back! We can't beat this thing!" the leader shouted.
The three fought as they retreated, quickly disappearing into the woods. The Iron-Backed Crocodile Lizard chased them for a short distance, then gave up and crawled back into the marsh.
Lin Mo waited until they were gone before emerging from the thicket. He glanced in the direction the Iron-Backed Crocodile Lizard had vanished. It was the entrance to Thunder Marsh.
"I'm here."
Thunder Marsh was even more desolate than he had imagined.
A gray expanse of mud stretched as far as the eye could see, its surface covered in dark green moss. Bubbles occasionally rose from the mire, bursting with a foul stench. The sky was blanketed in dark clouds, with lightning darting through them and thunder rolling every few seconds. The air reeked of ozone mixed with rot, so acrid it made his throat go dry.
On the system map, a huge red dot flashed in the center of the marsh: Thunder Dragon Python, two thousand five hundred years old.
[Warning: Target is active. Detailed tactics are recommended before approaching.]
Lin Mo didn't rush in. He found a relatively dry patch of high ground and lay down to survey the terrain.
The marsh's terrain was complex: muddy stretches, shallow water, and a few scattered patches of solid ground. The Thunder Dragon Python had a strong sense of territory. It was coiled in the center of the marsh, and no other Soul Beasts dared approach within three hundred meters.
"I can't charge in head-on." Lin Mo studied the terrain. "The mud will slow me down, but it lives in the marsh and will be completely at home. If I fight it here, I won't be able to use even half my strength."
He had to lure it out.
Lin Mo watched for a while and noticed a pattern in the Thunder Dragon Python's movements. Every two hours, it swam from the center of the marsh to a patch of solid ground on the eastern side to bask in the sun. It stayed there for about fifteen minutes. That patch was the only dry ground in the marsh, surrounded by shallow water where the mud was thin enough to stand in.
"That's the spot." Lin Mo memorized its location and began to prepare.
First, he circled around to the eastern side of the solid ground and found a concealed place to lie in wait. Then he put on the Thunder-Resistant Inner Armor the Grandmaster had given him and checked his short blade and pill. Once everything was ready, he waited.
One hour. Two hours.
Right on schedule, the Thunder Dragon Python swam out from the center of the marsh and slowly crawled onto the solid ground.
Lin Mo finally got a clear look at it. Its body was seven meters long and as thick as a barrel, covered in blue-purple scales. Arcs of electricity danced across them with a crackle. A half-meter-long spiral horn rose from its head, its tip gleaming with a blinding white light. Its golden, vertical-pupiled eyes burned in the darkness like two lamps.
It coiled into a ball, rested its head on its body, and closed its eyes to rest. Arcs of electricity coursed between its scales, occasionally striking the ground and blasting small craters into the mud.
A two-thousand-five-hundred-year-old Soul Beast—its very existence was enough to make your scalp crawl.
Lin Mo didn't rush to attack. He waited for the Thunder Dragon Python to enter a deep rest. The system showed that its heart rate was dropping, its breathing slowing, and the arcs of electricity growing less frequent.
Now!
Lin Mo shot out from his hiding place and instantly activated Dragon Mastiff Fury! All his attributes surged by 80 percent. A dark golden shock wave burst outward as he sprinted over the mud, each step kicking up a huge splash!
The Thunder Dragon Python woke at the last possible second!
The perception of a thousand-year Soul Beast saved it. It jerked its head up, its horn flashing with blinding white light as a bolt of lightning as thick as an arm struck toward Lin Mo!
Lin Mo had been ready. The instant the lightning crashed down, he rolled sideways. It grazed his shoulder and slammed into the mud, sending a column of water three meters into the air. The Thunder-Resistant Inner Armor did its job, diverting most of the current, but Lin Mo still felt half his body go numb.
He gritted his teeth and kept charging. Twenty meters. Fifteen. Ten—
The Thunder Dragon Python opened its mouth, readying a second bolt of lightning! This time, it wasn't attacking with its horn. It was firing a ball of lightning from its mouth, with a wider range and greater speed!
Lin Mo had nowhere to dodge. The mud was too deep, and soft mire stretched out to either side. If he tried to evade, he'd sink into it.
Without hesitation, he unleashed Earth Fire Dragon Breath at full force!
Crimson flames collided with blue-white lightning in midair. Boom! The blast sent mud flying in every direction, instantly reducing visibility to zero. Using the explosion as cover, Lin Mo charged into the mud cloud and thrust out his right claw—
Dragon Claw: Void Breaker!
Five claw marks fused into a dark golden blade of light, aimed straight at the Thunder Dragon Python's seventh inch!
The blade struck its scales, spraying sparks everywhere! The Thunder Dragon Python roared in pain. Three gashes tore open the scales at its seventh inch, and blue-purple blood gushed out. But the defense of a two-thousand-five-hundred-year Soul Beast was too strong. Dragon Claw: Void Breaker couldn't kill it, only badly wound it.
The Thunder Dragon Python went berserk. Ignoring its injuries, it swept its tail toward Lin Mo, electricity crackling along it!
Lin Mo couldn't dodge in time. The tail slammed into his chest—crack! The Thunder-Resistant Inner Armor split, and Lin Mo was sent flying. He rolled through the mud for more than ten meters before finally stopping.
His chest throbbed with pain, and his mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood. Lin Mo struggled to his feet and looked down. The armor was shattered, and a charred whip mark scored his chest. Torn flesh revealed a glimpse of bone.
Red text flashed in the system prompt:
[Warning: Host has sustained severe injuries. Left-side ribs fractured. Internal organs slightly displaced.]
[Dragon Mastiff Fury remaining duration: eight breaths.]
Eight breaths.
Lin Mo wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at the Thunder Dragon Python. It was badly wounded too. Blood still spurted from the gash at its seventh inch, and its movements had clearly slowed. But its ferocity was fully unleashed. Its golden vertical pupils brimmed with murderous intent, and the white light on its horn grew brighter and brighter—it was charging up. Its next attack would be lethal.
The system prompts flashed frantically:
[Warning: Target is charging "Thunder Dragon Breath." Release in three seconds.]
[Recommendation: Interrupt or evade!]
Three seconds. There wasn't time to evade. Lin Mo was in an open area, with no cover anywhere.
He could only interrupt it.
Lin Mo reached for his waist with his right hand—the Power Gathering Pill the Grandmaster had given him. He crushed it between his teeth and swallowed. His depleted Soul Power instantly recovered by half. Then he poured all his Soul Power into his right claw. Scales covered his shoulder, and a blinding dark golden light shone across his talons.
The Thunder Dragon Python opened its mouth, lightning gathering in its throat—
Lin Mo kicked off the ground and charged!
He unleashed Dragon Claw: Void Breaker with all his might! This time, it wasn't one blade of light, but five. He poured all his Soul Power into this strike, holding nothing back!
Five dark golden claw marks tore through the air with a sharp whistle, slashing toward the Thunder Dragon Python's horn!
Lightning blasted from the python's mouth and collided with the claw marks—Boom! The explosion sent Lin Mo flying. He turned twice in midair before crashing heavily into the mud.
His vision blurred, and his ears rang. Lin Mo struggled to lift his head—
The Thunder Dragon Python's horn had snapped.
The half-meter horn had broken off at the base and fallen into the mud. Its white light still flickered like a dying firefly. Without its horn, the Thunder Dragon Python was like a tiger with its teeth pulled; the power of its lightning attacks had dropped by ninety percent. It rolled in agony and thrashed its tail against the mud, but it was clearly making its final, desperate struggle.
Lin Mo got to his feet and drew his short blade.
He walked over to the Thunder Dragon Python. It no longer had the strength to fight back. It could only look at him with its golden vertical pupils. There was no fear in its eyes, only unwillingness—a two-thousand-five-hundred-year-old ruler had died at the hands of a six-year-old child.
"Sorry," Lin Mo said, and drove the short blade into its seventh inch.
The Thunder Dragon Python gave one final twitch, then lay still.
A deep purple Soul Ring rose from its corpse, so dark and dense it was almost black—exactly two thousand five hundred years.
Lin Mo dropped onto his backside in the mud and gasped for breath. It felt as if a truck had run him over, and the pain in his chest made cold sweat break out across his skin. But he had no time to rest. This was the core region of the Star Dou Forest, and the smell of blood would attract other Soul Beasts.
He sat cross-legged and guided the Soul Ring into his body.
The instant the two-thousand-five-hundred-year Soul Ring entered him, Lin Mo felt as if his entire body were about to explode! Violent thunder-attribute energy rampaged through his meridians, as if ten thousand needles were stabbing his blood vessels. Blue-purple arcs of electricity surfaced on his skin, crackling and making the surrounding mud smoke.
The system prompts flashed frantically:
[Absorbing Thunder Dragon Python Soul Ring... two thousand five hundred years...]
[Dragon blood concentration increased: 67% → 78%]
[Martial Soul Evolution opportunity detected! Spend 300 Evolution Points to accelerate absorption?]
"Spend them!"
The 300 Evolution Points were deducted, and a cool energy surged into his body, tempering the violence of the lightning. The two forces collided and fused inside him: dark golden Chaos Power, crimson Earth Fire Power, and blue-purple Thunder Power. All three colors intertwined within Lin Mo, eventually reaching equilibrium.
Boom!
Another barrier inside his body shattered.
An hour later, the Soul Ring was completely absorbed.
Lin Mo opened his eyes. Three Soul Rings rose beneath his feet—purple, purple, purple.
Three Thousand-Year Soul Rings!
[Third Soul Ring acquired successfully.]
[Soul Power Level: 31 (leap in level)]
[Martial Soul Evolution progress: 45% → 65%]
[New Soul Skill: Thunder Dragon Might—Release the Dragon Might of a lightning domain. All enemies within range continuously take lightning damage, and their speed is reduced by 30% for fifteen breaths.]
[Evolution Form · Earth Fire Scale Armor Form upgrading...]
[Chaos Dragon Mastiff · Earth Fire Scale Armor Form → Chaos Dragon Mastiff · Three-Attribute Form (Earth Fire + Thunder)]
[New Passive: Thunder Scale—Attacks have a 30% chance to trigger a follow-up lightning strike, dealing additional damage.]
[New Active: Three-Attribute Breath—Switch between Earth Fire, Thunder, or mixed breath attacks. Mixed breath has double the power but also double the cost.]
Lin Mo stood up and felt the surging power within him. Three Thousand-Year Soul Rings revolved slowly around him as dark golden, crimson, and blue-purple energy flowed over his skin, like three little dragons slithering beneath it.
He raised his right hand. Scales spread up to his shoulder, their color shifting from blue-black to a mix of blue-black and dark red. Blue-purple arcs of electricity danced across their surface. His five claws were an inch longer than before, and lightning crackled at their tips.
[Current Evolution Points: 940]
He was still nine levels away from his fourth Soul Ring.
Lin Mo looked toward the depths of the marsh. The golden marker still flashed on the system map, about fifty li away:
[Dragon blood concentration: 68% · Unknown dragon bloodline · Status: dormant]
He hadn't dared approach before because he wasn't strong enough. But now—level thirty-one, three Thousand-Year Soul Rings, and the Chaos Dragon Mastiff evolved into its Three-Attribute Form.
"I should go take a look." Lin Mo withdrew his Martial Soul and headed toward the golden marker.
He covered the fifty li in two hours.
The farther he went, the stranger the marsh became. The mud turned pitch-black, with a thin layer of mist floating above its surface. The mist had a sweet, fishy smell, and breathing too much of it made him dizzy. The system warned that it was mildly toxic, so Lin Mo tore off a strip of cloth, wet it, and covered his nose and mouth.
There were fewer and fewer traces of Soul Beasts. Within the last ten li, there wasn't a single red dot on the system map. It wasn't that there were no Soul Beasts here. It was that they were all avoiding this area.
What could make even thousand-year Soul Beasts flee in fear?
Lin Mo slowed down and spread his Soul Power perception to its full extent. Half an hour later, a huge pool appeared ahead—not mud, but clear water, so deep he couldn't see the bottom. At its center was a small island, where a dead giant tree stood, its trunk so thick that ten people couldn't have joined hands around it.
The golden marker was on the island.
Lin Mo didn't dare go ashore. He circled the pool and found claw prints along the bank—enormous prints, each as big as a washbasin, sunk deep into the soil. Dried blood stained their edges, dark with age.
He crouched down for a closer look. The prints had five toes, and the claw marks at the front were deep, meaning the creature's claws were extremely sharp. They were also spaced far apart, with each stride exceeding three meters. The creature had to be at least three times the size of the Thunder Dragon Python.
"Three times the size of the Thunder Dragon Python..." Lin Mo frowned. The Thunder Dragon Python was seven meters long, so three times that was twenty-one meters. A dragon-type Soul Beast that large had to be at least ten thousand years old.
But what did the system say about its age?
He looked at the system map. The field for the golden marker's age was blank, with only a question mark.
[Unknown dragon bloodline · Age: ???]
[Recommendation: Do not approach.]
Even the system was advising him not to approach.
Lin Mo hesitated. Reason told him he should retreat. At level thirty-one, he'd be easy prey for a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast. But his instincts told him that this creature was connected to him somehow. The Chaos Dragon Mastiff Martial Soul stirred inside him, as if answering a call.
He took a deep breath and made a decision: he wouldn't go closer, just take a look from far away.
Lin Mo circled downwind of the pool and climbed a large tree. Once he reached the canopy, he parted the leaves and looked toward the island—
Beneath the dead giant tree, a dragon lay coiled.
It wasn't a lesser dragon. It was a true dragon.
It was more than twenty meters long, its body covered in pitch-black scales edged with dark golden patterns like ancient runes. Its four limbs were thick as pillars, and dried blood still clung to its claws. A pair of damaged wings sprouted from its back, their membranes riddled with holes. They clearly couldn't carry it into the air anymore. One of the dragon horns atop its head was broken, and the other was covered in cracks.
Its eyes were closed, and its breathing was slow, its chest rising and falling slightly. Each time it breathed, the dark golden markings on its body lit up, keeping time like a heartbeat.
The Chaos Dragon Mastiff Martial Soul inside Lin Mo roared wildly, as if it wanted to burst out of him. He struggled to suppress it, but its agitation only grew stronger—
The Black Dragon opened its eyes.
Golden vertical pupils, ten times larger than the Thunder Dragon Python's, burned in the darkness like twin suns. It looked toward Lin Mo's hiding place—not merely looking, but staring him down. It was like a hunter gazing at its prey, or a king looking down at an ant.
Lin Mo's entire body went rigid.
That oppressive force didn't come from Soul Power. It came from a difference in the very level of their lives—the pressure of a true dragon upon all mortal creatures. Under that pressure, the Chaos Dragon Mastiff Martial Soul inside him trembled like a servant before its master.
Red warning text flashed frantically on the system screen:
[Warning! Warning! High-ranking entity detected—]
[Black Dragon King · Zhu Hai · ??? years old (suspected to be severely injured)]
[Danger level: impossible to assess]
[Recommendation: Flee immediately!]
Lin Mo didn't run.
It wasn't that he didn't want to. He couldn't move. The Black Dragon King's gaze pressed down on him like a mountain, leaving him unable to move even a finger.
The Black Dragon King watched him for a long time. So long that Lin Mo thought he was going to die right there.
Then the Black Dragon King spoke.
Its voice was as ancient as weathered stone, as deep as the shifting of the earth's crust. "Chaos Dragon Mastiff... I never thought I'd see one again."
Lin Mo's heart lurched. This thing recognized his Martial Soul?
"Come here," the Black Dragon King said.
Lin Mo's body rose from the tree against his will, slowly floating toward the island. He struggled with all his might, but the Black Dragon King's Soul Power bound him tight as invisible chains.
Only after landing on the island and standing before the Black Dragon King did Lin Mo truly grasp its immense size. Its head alone was larger than his entire body. One of its dragon horns had broken off, but the other was still three meters long. The dark golden patterns on its scales grew brighter as he approached, as if responding to something.
The Black Dragon King lowered its head, its golden, slit-pupiled eyes scrutinizing him from up close.
"Six years old, thirty-first level, three Thousand-Year Soul Rings," it said. "Faster than I expected."
"You... were waiting for me?" Lin Mo asked.
"I've waited a long time." The Black Dragon King closed its eyes. "So long I've lost count."
It fell silent for a while, then said, "I wasn't waiting for you. I was waiting for him—the man who killed me."
Lin Mo froze.
"A long time ago, a man came here and fought me. He won, but he didn't kill me. He said that when one of his descendants came, I was to give them something." The Black Dragon King opened its eyes. "I've waited eight hundred years."
Eight hundred years.
Lin Mo drew in a sharp breath. Had someone from eight hundred years ago really foreseen that a descendant would come looking for it today?
"Who was that man?"
The Black Dragon King didn't answer. It opened its mouth, and dark golden light stirred deep in its throat. Then it spat out a fist-sized crystal, which landed in front of Lin Mo.
The crystal was dark gold, its surface covered in countless tiny facets, each reflecting a different light. Liquid flowed within it, as if it were alive.
[Detected—Dragon God Crystal Fragment!] [Dragon God Crystal Fragment: An energy crystal shattered when the ancient Dragon God fell, containing a trace of the Dragon God Origin] [Effect: Can purify Martial Soul bloodlines and unlock the hidden evolution path of the Chaos Dragon Mastiff] [Warning: Requires Soul Power Level 50 or higher to absorb. Otherwise, there is a risk of bodily explosion]
Dragon God Crystal.
Lin Mo's hand trembled. This was more precious than any Soul Ring or Soul Bone. Even a trace of the Dragon God's Origin was enough to elevate his Martial Soul to an entirely different level.
But he needed to reach level fifty to absorb it. He was only at level thirty-one.
"Keep it safe," the Black Dragon King said. "Use it once you're strong enough. Don't waste it."
It closed its eyes again, its breathing slowing. The dark golden patterns on its body grew dimmer and dimmer, like a lamp about to go out.
"Are you going to die?" Lin Mo asked.
"Soon," the Black Dragon King said. "I've waited for you long enough. It's time to go."
Lin Mo fell silent. He didn't know what to say. The Black Dragon King had waited eight hundred years just to hand a crystal to the descendant of a man. And that man was very likely the previous owner of the Chaos Dragon Mastiff Martial Soul.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Lin Mo asked.
The Black Dragon King opened its eyes and looked at him for a while. Then it smiled. A dragon's smile was terrifying, but Lin Mo could feel the kindness in it.
"Get stronger," it said. "Strong enough that no one can kill you. And then—"
It closed its eyes.
"Give that fellow a stick of incense for me. His name was... never mind, I've forgotten it."
Its breathing stopped.
The dark golden patterns went completely dark, and the Black Dragon King's body began to disintegrate. Its scales turned into black specks of light and drifted away, its flesh crumbled to ash, and its bones shattered into dust. The whole process took only ten breaths. The twenty-meter-long true dragon vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a Dragon God Crystal and... a bone.
The bone was palm-sized and dark gold, with runes carved all over its surface.
A system notification appeared:
[Black Dragon King Zhu Hai has died] [Obtained: Dragon God Crystal Fragment ×1] [Obtained: Black Dragon King Soul Bone · Right Arm (??? years · Absorbable)] [Warning: The Black Dragon King Soul Bone is over one hundred thousand years old. Requires Soul Power Level 60 or higher to absorb. Otherwise, death is certain]
A hundred-thousand-year Soul Bone.
Lin Mo stared at the bone in his hand, his fingers trembling even harder. There weren't even a few Soul Bones belonging to Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts anywhere on the entire continent. And the one in his hand came from a true dragon.
"Once I reach level sixty..." he murmured. "I wonder how long that'll take."
He put away the Dragon God Crystal and the Soul Bone, then bowed toward the spot where the Black Dragon King had vanished.
"I'll get stronger. Strong enough that no one can kill me."
As he turned to leave the island, the system displayed a new quest:
[Main Quest Triggered: Legacy of the Dragon God] [Stage One: Break through to level 50 within three years and absorb the Dragon God Crystal Fragment] [Reward: Evolve the Chaos Dragon Mastiff to its Fourth Form and unlock the divine evolution path] [Failure: Permanently lose the opportunity for divine evolution] [Stage Two Clue: Absorb the Black Dragon King Soul Bone (requires level 60)]
Go from level thirty-one to level fifty within three years.
Lin Mo took a deep breath. It was a crazy goal, but not an impossible one. Grandmaster's training plan, the system's bonuses, and the latent power of the Dragon God Crystal—all he had to do was stay alive, and he could make it.
By the time he left Thunder Marsh, night had fallen.
Lin Mo found a safe place to spend the night, lit a fire, and roasted some dried food. His chest still hurt, but his Soul Power was circulating faster and accelerating the healing. He probably wouldn't be left with any lasting effects.
He checked the system panel:
[Host: Lin Mo] [Martial Soul: Chaos Dragon Mastiff · Three-Attribute Form (Earth Fire + Thunder)] [Soul Power Level: Level 31] [Soul Rings: Purple (450 years), Purple (1,400 years), Purple (2,500 years)] [Soul Skills: Dragon Mastiff Fury, Earth Fire Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw: Void Breaker, Thunder Dragon Might] [Talents: Scale Armor Protection (30% damage reduction), Earth Fire Protection (counterattack), Thunder Scale (pursuit), Dragon Might (suppression)] [Evolution Progress: 65%] [Evolution Points: 940] [Special Items: Dragon God Crystal Fragment (requires level 50), Black Dragon King Soul Bone (requires level 60), Haotian Order (single use)] [Quest Progress: Tang Hao's Entrustment (0%), Legacy of the Dragon God Stage One (0%)]
Nineteen levels to go.
Lin Mo closed his eyes and drifted into sleep. Tomorrow, he'd return to Nuoding City, study theory with Grandmaster, and then keep cultivating.
Three years was neither a long nor a short time.
But with the Dragon God Crystal and the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bone as goals, he felt that every day had meaning.
A wolf howled from deep in the forest.
Lin Mo rolled over and slept soundly.
Before you continue