The Thousand-Year Second Spirit Ring, An Unexpected Death

[In order to save up enough Gold Soul Coin to buy Whale Rubber and increase the absorption limit of my second soul ring, I began using my status as a soul master to take on various odd jobs to earn money.]

The scene shifts.

The youth Lin Qing began appearing in every corner of Nuoding City.

At dawn, he helped load and unload cargo at the warehouse by the city gates.

At noon, he worked as a sparring partner at the city's martial arts hall—naturally, while restraining most of his strength.

In the evening, he would even go to the apothecary to help sort medicinal herbs.

"Hmm."

Lin Qing, in reality, nodded in approval.

"This is the right move."

Having a first soul ring that was only three hundred and fifty years old and ill-suited was truly a helpless necessity.

Therefore, he had to strive to improve the quality of his second soul ring.

Although thousand-year Whale Rubber was expensive, it was absolutely worth the investment.

[The time that followed was a daily routine of repeating cultivation and odd jobs. Occasionally, Xiao Wu would come looking for me, dragging me along to buy carrots, which caused me a great deal of distress.]

The narrator's voice was filled with a sense of helplessness.

Seeing this, Lin Qing couldn't help but rub his chin.

Could the death of this parallel Lin Qing... be because he got too close to Xiao Wu, caught the attention of Tang Hao, and was ultimately beaten to death?

It's entirely possible!

Tang Hao is notoriously petty.

I can't afford to provoke him, really, I can't.

[At nine and a half years old, my Soul Power Level successfully broke through to level twenty.]

[At the same time, I used all the Gold Soul Coin I had saved from working to buy the thousand-year Whale Rubber. After consuming it using the correct method, my physical fitness improved significantly.]

[Because I had consumed several pieces of Whale Rubber, I believed my physique could handle absorbing a thousand-year second soul ring.]

[This was no longer something the academy teachers could be responsible for, so I chose to hire a small soul-hunting squad to head into the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for a soul ring.]

A five-man soul master squad escorted the youth deep into the forest.

Fighting, searching, and fighting again.

[In the end, we successfully hunted a two-thousand-year-old Shifting Fox.]

It was a fox with a body of pure silver and eyes that glowed with an eerie pink light, capable of various forms of Illusion.

As it collapsed to the ground, a purple soul ring emerged beneath it.

Purple!

The mark of a thousand-year soul ring!

[Two thousand years—the age was a bit high, but I still chose to take the risk.]

[After enduring nearly an hour of near-death agony, I finally succeeded in absorbing this thousand-year soul ring and obtained an extremely compatible second soul skill—Illusion!]

The absorption process was far more difficult than the first time.

The youth's entire body trembled, and fine beads of blood seeped from the surface of his skin.

But he held on.

When the purple soul ring completely merged into his body, the markings of his Heavenly Eye split into two lines.

One yellow, one purple.

"Hiss!"

Seeing this, Lin Qing gasped.

"He actually really did it."

Nine and a half years old, level twenty, a thousand-year second soul ring.

Placed anywhere, this was absolutely a genius-level achievement.

Although it couldn't compare to a monster like Tang San, it was still astonishing enough.

"It seems that the 'me' in this parallel world has a rather hardworking personality."

A complex emotion welled up in Lin Qing's heart.

He felt both admiration and a touch of pity.

Because he knew that this hardworking "self" was already dead.

The last words continued.

[Lacking background and strength, I still chose to keep a low profile. Fortunately, my second soul skill not only allowed me to cast illusions but also to alter my soul rings and my own appearance.]

In the scene, the youth's second soul ring changed to yellow after he activated it.

I tried my best not to expose my second soul ring casually, and continued to avoid having too deep a contact with Tang San.

In the academy, the blue-clad youth would occasionally cast probing glances my way.

But Lin Qing would always nod politely but distantly, then quicken his pace to leave.

Until I was twelve, when an accident forced me to expose my soul ring.

Lin Qing sat up straight.

"What kind of accident?"

He was very curious.

What exactly happened to make this parallel Lin Qing, who had always acted with such caution, reveal himself?

At twelve years old, my Soul Power Level reached twenty-nine, just one step away from level thirty.

On the day of graduation from Notting Academy, Xiao Wu invited me to head to Shrek Academy in Suotuo City together.

"Lin Qing, are you really not coming to Shrek Academy with us?"

Xiao Wu tugged at the youth's sleeve, her eyes sparkling.

"Even though the conditions there are a bit poor, the teachers are all very impressive!"

"No."

The youth shook his head.

"I plan to... return to Emperor Soul Village first."

He gazed at the distant sky, his eyes somewhat unfocused.

"I want to see everyone, then decide where to go."

Xiao Wu said that since we were all friends, she insisted on going together.

"Then I'm going too! I haven't seen the village you grew up in yet!"

"Xiao Wu, don't be difficult." Tang San tried to dissuade her from the side.

"I'm going! Lin Qing is my friend, what's wrong with me going to take a look?"

In the end, the girl in pink won.

Thus, she and a helpless Tang San followed me back to Emperor Soul Village.

The scene shifted.

The familiar dirt road, the familiar old locust tree.

But the atmosphere in the village... was wrong!

It was too quiet, eerily quiet.

Upon returning to Emperor Soul Village, I discovered something strange: many families were missing from the village.

The youth walked along the dirt road in the village, his brows knitting tighter and tighter.

The thatched cottages that should have had smoke rising from their chimneys were now empty.

The door panels were crooked, and the window paper was tattered.

Even the homes of Er Ni and Er Gouzi seemed to have been abandoned.

That familiar courtyard.

The fence had collapsed, and the house door stood wide open.

Weeds grew rampant inside; it was clear no one had lived there for a long time.

The Lin Qing in reality felt his heart constrict violently.

"Er Ni..."

He stared fixedly at the light and shadow screen, his breathing becoming rapid.

What happened to Er Ni?

I asked the elderly who had remained in the village, only to learn that a major event had occurred two years prior.

An old man leaning on a cane recounted the sequence of events with a trembling voice.

The old man's voice was aged and sorrowful.

"That child, Er Gouzi, found a strange piece of metal on the mountain behind the village. When he touched it, his whole body felt energized and comfortable."

"Everyone said it was a treasure."

Er Gouzi found a strange piece of metal on the mountain that seemed like a treasure, and word of this reached a group of bandits.

Later, the bandits came to Emperor Soul Village.

The sound of hooves shook the sky.

A dozen fierce and malicious men charged into the village, beating anyone they saw and looting everything they could find.

The Bandit Leader was a level twenty-one Soul Grand Master.

The leader was a One-Eyed Brute.

He released his Martial Soul—a ferocious Earth Wolf.

Two yellow spirit rings floated up and down beneath his feet.

[They found Er Gouzi's home, threatening him for the treasure he had picked up.]

"Hand it over!"

The One-Eyed Brute kicked Aunt Li to the ground.

Er Gouzi was hoisted up by his collar, trembling all over in terror.

"I... I'll give it to you..."

He shakily pulled the piece of metal from his chest pocket.

[After obtaining the treasure, the Bandit Leader actually set his sights on Er Ni.]

The One-Eyed Brute toyed with the metal, his eyes darting toward the figure huddled in the corner.

"This little girl is quite the looker."

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Take her! She'll be my mountain bride!"

"No, don't!"

Er Ni screamed and backed away.

[Er Ni would rather die than submit.]

She grabbed a pair of scissors from the table and pressed them against her own throat.

Her eyes were bloodshot and tears streamed down, but her gaze was resolute.

"If you come any closer... I'll die right here in front of you!"

The One-Eyed Brute froze for a moment, then flew into a rage from embarrassment.

"Damn it! If you won't drink the toast, you'll drink the forfeit!"

He waved his hand violently.

"Grab her for me!"

Two bandits lunged forward.

[However, Er Ni chose to commit suicide.]

The scissors pierced her neck.

Fresh blood gushed out.

The young girl's body collapsed limply.

Her eyes remained open, gazing at the sky outside the door.