Assassinating the Perverted Old Priest, Explosion Is Art!

He acted immediately.

Lin Qing first picked up the golden orb of light.

[Innate Soul Skill Delayed Vision]

He summoned his Heavenly Eye Martial Soul, and the vertical eye between his brows opened.

Then, the golden orb of light automatically merged into his Martial Soul.

"Bzz—!"

As the orb merged with the Heavenly Eye, a cool sensation spread from between his brows and flowed through his entire body.

Lin Qing felt his vision change.

His sight became clearer, and the world seemed to slow down.

He looked at the cup on the table.

He reached out and gave it a gentle push. The cup tipped over.

Within Delayed Vision, the cup's falling speed was noticeably slower.

Every detail was clearly visible.

The curve of the cup's wall, the ripples across the water's surface, even the drifting paths of tiny particles in the air... everything had slowed down.

No.

It was not that they had slowed down.

It was that Lin Qing's visual information processing speed had increased dramatically!

"Is this Delayed Vision?"

Lin Qing muttered to himself.

He tried maintaining the state.

A moment later.

A faint stabbing pain came from between his brows. His mental power was being rapidly consumed, and his Soul Power was draining just as quickly.

"The consumption is huge..."

Lin Qing deactivated Delayed Vision.

The world returned to its normal speed.

He estimated that, with his current mental power and Soul Power, he could maintain Delayed Vision for roughly ten minutes at most.

Anything beyond ten minutes would overdraw his strength.

"But ten minutes is enough."

At a critical moment, that time could mean the difference between life and death.

Besides, as his mental power improved, the slowing effect would improve as well.

Lin Qing's gaze flickered.

He even wondered whether, if his mental power became strong enough, an effect similar to stopping time might appear.

Even if it lasted only one-tenth of a second, it would be enough to change everything in battle.

Next, Lin Qing picked up the pale-blue orb of light.

[Soul Tool Knowledge]

He pressed the orb against his forehead.

"Bzz—!"

An enormous amount of information flooded into his mind.

The history of Soul Tool development, the basic principles of Soul Tool circuits, introductory materials science, energy conversion theory, the foundations of Soul Tool design, detailed engraving techniques...

Countless words, blueprints, and formulas surged through his mind.

Lin Qing felt his head swell, as if an entire library had been crammed into it at once.

A full ten minutes passed before the influx of information gradually stopped.

He opened his eyes, his gaze somewhat unfocused. Only after a long while did his eyes slowly regain clarity.

"So... that's how it is..."

He muttered to himself.

A corner of the mysteries of Soul Tools had been unveiled before him.

But...

"I have the knowledge, but I still need to accumulate experience myself."

Lin Qing helplessly shook his head.

He could not instantly become a fourth-level Soul Engineer like Sun Moon Lin Qing.

This knowledge was merely theoretical.

To truly master it, he still needed extensive practice.

Engraving Soul Tool circuits by hand, assembling Soul Tools by hand, correcting Soul Power output errors by hand.

He had to do all of that himself.

"Still, this knowledge is at least ten thousand years ahead of this era."

What kind of advantage was a technological gap of ten thousand years?

"That's enough."

Lin Qing smiled.

He had the information needed to learn how to make Soul Tools properly.

Over the next half month, Lin Qing's life became exceptionally regular.

During the day, he studied Soul Tool Knowledge and practiced engraving techniques.

At night, he secretly observed Viscount Priest's movements. (Note: He is Viscount Priest, not a duke as previously written. This has been corrected.)

He used his First Soul Skill to transform into all kinds of appearances.

Sometimes he was a farmer selling vegetables, sometimes a begging vagrant, and sometimes a passing pedestrian.

All so he could blend into the crowd and quietly follow him.

He recorded information such as Priest's travel habits, frequently visited locations, the number of guards accompanying him, and the guards' strength.

Bit by bit, intelligence was gathered.

Bit by bit, the plan was refined.

Lin Qing was very patient.

He knew he could not rush something like this.

One failure might alert the enemy and even bring about his own death.

So, he had to wait.

Wait for an absolutely safe opportunity.

Finally.

Half a month later.

The opportunity came.

That morning, Lin Qing was strolling near Priest's residence as usual.

Suddenly, he saw the residence gates open, and a lavish carriage drove out.

Four guards followed beside the carriage.

They wore matching clothes, and their auras were steady.

They were all Soul Ancestors.

"Leaving the city?"

Lin Qing's eyes lit up.

He quietly followed while keeping his distance.

At the same time, he activated Delayed Vision.

He observed the guards' positions, the carriage's speed, and the surrounding environment.

Every detail was clearly displayed before his eyes.

Lin Qing hid in the shadows and thought rapidly.

"Four Soul Ancestor guards... That's a little troublesome."

A High-Explosive Bomb could kill a Soul Ancestor, but four of them... might be too many.

And if the guards reacted quickly enough, they might block the blast and protect Priest.

"I need to think of something..."

Lin Qing's gaze flickered.

He looked at his own clothes, then at the distant carriage.

A plan took shape in his mind.

The carriage slowly left Suotuo City.

Inside the carriage, Viscount Priest reclined against a soft cushion with his eyes closed, resting.

He was in a good mood today.

Yesterday, a "friend" had sent him a letter saying that he had recently acquired a batch of "good merchandise."

They were all adorable little boys.

Young, handsome, with tender skin—exactly his favorite type.

So today, he had deliberately left the city, planning to inspect the "goods" personally.

If the quality was good, he would not mind spending a little more money.

After all, money was the thing he lacked least.

Just as he happily indulged in his fantasies—

"Ow!"

The carriage suddenly jolted.

The coachman's angry scolding came from outside.

"You filthy commoner! You blind old hag! Can't you see this is Viscount Priest's carriage?!"

Priest frowned and lifted the carriage curtain to look outside.

He saw an old woman in ragged clothes, her hair gray-white, lying in front of the carriage.

The vegetable basket in her hand had overturned, scattering vegetables all over the ground.

The old woman clutched her leg and groaned in pain.

She looked as though the carriage had hit her.

"Bad luck."

Priest curled his lip in disgust.

He hated these filthy poor people most. Just looking at them made him sick.

"Deal with her."

He gave the order coldly.

"Yes."

One of the guards stepped forward, about to act.

The old woman suddenly raised her head and grinned, revealing a mouthful of neat white teeth that did not look like an elderly person's teeth at all.

Priest froze.

Before he could react, the old woman abruptly pulled a dark-red metal sphere from the vegetable basket and hurled it viciously through the carriage window!

"What is that?!"

Priest instinctively dodged.

The metal sphere rolled into the carriage and stopped at his feet.

Its surface flashed frantically with red light.

"Beep! Beep! Beep—!"

A piercing alarm sounded.

Priest's pupils contracted sharply.

A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

"Not good—!"

He wanted to escape.

But it was already too late.

The old woman grinned at him again.

"Explosion is art!"

"Bzz!"

The old woman's figure vanished into thin air!

Immediately after that!

"BOOM—!!!"

A deafening explosion thundered at the city gate!

Dark-red flames swallowed the entire carriage!

A terrifying shockwave spread in every direction. Before the four guards could react, the blast wave sent them flying!

As for the carriage... it had completely vanished, and Viscount Priest within it had been reduced to fragments.

"W-what... happened?!"

The guards at the city gate were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground.

The flames and thick smoke in the distance had yet to disperse, leaving their faces full of terror.

"An explosion..."

"A Soul Master attack!"

"Quick! Notify the City Defense Army!"

The guards descended into chaos.