The vision abruptly cut off.
Everything sank into darkness.
Lin Qing in reality remained silent for a long time, feeling strangely bereft.
"Xuan Zi..."
He murmured the name, a complicated surge of emotion rising within him.
Anger, regret, and... a trace of helplessness.
To be fair, he had considered and anticipated Sun Moon Lin Qing dying this way.
That old bastard Xuan Zi at Shrek Academy was truly inhuman.
Relying on his immense strength and high seniority, he acted without the slightest restraint.
In the original story, his mistakes had already caused the deaths of many students, and he had even caused trouble without reason during the tournament.
Now, because Sun Moon Lin Qing had performed too brilliantly and might have threatened Shrek, he had simply decided to kill him.
This was exactly the sort of thing Xuan Zi would do.
"That really is Shrek's style."
[ Ding! Last words concluded! ]
The system's cold notification pulled Lin Qing back from his heavy emotions.
He stared at the black Ash Urn on the table, at Sun Moon Lin Qing's calm, sharp portrait on its surface, his heart filled with mixed feelings.
Both were Lin Qing, and both were transmigrators.
One had died at the hands of that old freak Priest.
One had died at the hands of that old beast Tang Hao.
And another had died at the hands of that old bastard Xuan Zi.
"This world is fucking dangerous."
Lin Qing cursed under his breath.
But the next second—
[ Receiving relics... ]
The system spoke again.
The Ash Urn's lid automatically sprang open.
[ Relics obtained: "Five-Thousand-Five-Hundred-Year Silver Hero Beast Soul Ring (with Metal Manipulation Soul Skill)," "Innate Soul Skill · Delayed Vision," "Soul Tool Engraving Knife · Precision Type III," "Soul Tool Knowledge," "Level Seven Soul Tool · Milk Bottle," "Level Five Soul Tool · Storage Ring," "Level Seven Soul Tool · Teleportation Ring," "Level Four Soul Tool · Energy Storage Burst High-Explosive Bomb" ]
"Holy... shit!"
Lin Qing stared at the nine floating halos before him, his mouth wide enough to fit an egg.
Several seconds passed before he suddenly came back to his senses.
"This is an insane haul!"
His voice cracked with excitement.
How were these relics?
This was practically a treasure trove!
A Five-Thousand-Five-Hundred-Year Soul Ring!
An Innate Soul Skill!
Soul Tool Knowledge!
And a whole pile of high-level Soul Tools!
There were even two Level Seven Soul Tools!
What did Level Seven Soul Tools even mean in this era?
And now... Lin Qing reached out with trembling hands and touched the halos one by one.
Each time he touched one, the halo transformed into a physical object and fell into his palm.
The cool sensation, the tangible reality.
"This feels incredible!"
He muttered to himself.
Then he could not help grinning.
He smiled like a child who had stumbled upon a treasure.
[ Ding! Sun Moon Lin Qing's last wish received! ]
The system interrupted his foolish grin.
Lin Qing wiped the smile from his face and listened seriously.
[ "Help me... win the Soul Master Tournament!" ]
The voice of the last wish was calm, yet it carried a deep unwillingness.
Not an enraged roar.
Not a hateful curse.
Only... unwillingness.
Lin Qing froze.
"Just... that?"
He was somewhat surprised.
He had thought the last wish would be something like, "Kill Xuan Zi," or "Destroy Shrek."
After all, Sun Moon Lin Qing had died at Xuan Zi's hands.
He had died so miserably, so unjustly.
If it had been Lin Qing, he would have hated him to the bone.
But Sun Moon Lin Qing's last wish... was merely to win the Soul Master Tournament.
"Looks like what he truly couldn't accept wasn't dying at Xuan Zi's hands."
Lin Qing murmured.
"It was losing to that cheating bastard Huo Yuhao on the battlefield."
Losing to the true protagonist who had cheats enabled.
Both were geniuses, both were hardworking.
Yet he had lost because his "cheat" was not big enough.
Lin Qing could understand that unwillingness.
[ Upon fulfilling the Deceased's Last Wish, "Win the Soul Master Tournament," you may obtain the relic: "Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone of your choice" x1! ]
"Gasp!"
Lin Qing sucked in a sharp breath.
His eyes instantly lit up.
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, and he could choose it? The reward was far too tempting!
Soul Bones were priceless treasures that Soul Masters dreamed of obtaining.
Every Soul Bone could greatly enhance a Soul Master's strength.
And Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones were even legendary treasures!
Even Title Douluo would fight desperately over them!
"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament is six years away."
Lin Qing quickly calculated the timing.
"It's still early. No rush."
He calmed himself and began sorting through his thoughts.
First, the most important matter was choosing his second Soul Ring.
"I have to choose this Five-Thousand-Five-Hundred-Year Silver Hero Beast Soul Ring!"
Lin Qing stared at the purple halo, his gaze resolute.
The Metal Manipulation Soul Skill was simply too useful.
Not only could it control metal in battle and create temporary weapons.
More importantly, it would be enormously helpful in crafting Soul Tools!
With the Metal Manipulation Soul Skill, the efficiency of making Soul Tools could increase severalfold, while precision would also improve dramatically.
"But the problem is..."
Lin Qing furrowed his brow.
"Is my physical constitution strong enough to absorb a Five-Thousand-Five-Hundred-Year second Soul Ring?"
Sun Moon Lin Qing had managed it through a miracle.
But he could not place his hopes on miracles, even if he desperately wanted that Soul Skill.
"Wait."
A flash of inspiration struck, and he thought of something.
"Whale Rubber!"
By Sun Moon Lin Qing's era, the effects of Whale Rubber had already been discovered, making even Thousand-Year Whale Rubber a scarce treasure.
Not to mention Ten-Thousand Year Whale Rubber, which could only be encountered by chance.
So even as Jing Hongchen's disciple, he had never eaten Ten-Thousand Year Whale Rubber.
In the original story, the only person who had truly consumed it was Huo Yuhao, who had obtained a piece by accident.
But Lin Qing was different!
"I have rewards from last wishes!"
He remembered.
Six-year-old Lin Qing's last wish had been to kill Viscount Priest.
After completing it, the relic reward would be five pieces of Ten-Thousand Year Whale Rubber!
"Ten-Thousand Year Whale Rubber..."
Lin Qing's breathing quickened.
This stuff was vastly more effective than Thousand-Year Whale Rubber!
If he could eat a few pieces, his physical constitution would absolutely soar!
Absorbing a Five-Thousand-Five-Hundred-Year Soul Ring might still be difficult, but it should not be as close to death as it had been for Sun Moon Lin Qing.
"So the key now is figuring out how to kill that old freak Priest."
Lin Qing's gaze sharpened.
Originally, he had planned to act only after obtaining his second Soul Ring, or even his third.
After all, Priest was a level thirty-two battle Soul Elder, and his family even had Soul Ancestor guards.
He definitely could not defeat them head-on.
But Sun Moon Lin Qing's relics gave him a new idea.
Lin Qing's gaze fell upon the dark red metal sphere.
[ Level Four Soul Tool · Energy Storage Burst High-Explosive Bomb ]
A one-use explosive Soul Tool made by Sun Moon Lin Qing himself that required no Soul Engineer to operate.
Its power was immense, enough to kill an unprepared Soul Ancestor.
"If it can kill a Soul Ancestor, then killing a Soul Elder should be easy, right?"
A cold curve rose at the corner of Lin Qing's lips.
Besides, he had another relic.
[ Level Seven Soul Tool · Teleportation Ring ]
Lin Qing picked up the transparent crystal ring and examined it closely.
The silver stream of light within its setting slowly rotated as if alive.
Teleportation range: up to one hundred meters.
It could only be used once per day, but it was not a one-use Soul Tool.
Among Level Seven Soul Tools, it was known as a "miracle."
With it, under many circumstances, it was equivalent to possessing a second life.
"One hundred meters..."
Lin Qing's eyes lit up.
That distance was enough for him to teleport from the center of the explosion to a safe area.
A plan gradually took shape in his mind.
First, he would use his First Soul Skill to alter his appearance and approach Priest. Then he would use the High-Explosive Bomb to kill him, use the Teleportation Ring to flee the scene, and finally change back to conceal himself.
Perfect.
"But before that, I need to learn some Soul Tool Knowledge."
At the very least, he had to know how to use these Soul Tools, how to activate the High-Explosive Bomb, and how to use the Teleportation Ring.
Otherwise, having treasures he could not use would be rather awkward.
Before you continue