Just then, the time that had completely frozen around them began to flow again.
Before absorbing the Soul Ring, Light Maiden Lin Xiyao had already set up a veil of light in the Glazed Light Realm to block any probing.
Lin Qingmo had already left the Glazed Light Realm and was watching the veil of light rise without warning.
There was nothing he could do, so all he could do was pray that nothing had happened to his grandson.
After a long while...
The veil of light faded, and the light elements in the Glazed Light Realm grew even more abundant than before.
The grave look on Lin Qingmo's face had yet to fade when he sensed a burst of Soul Power from his grandson, far stronger than ever before, erupt from within him—Level 26!
"Th-this is?!" Lin Qingmo gaped in disbelief, unable to trust his own eyes.
He clearly remembered that not long ago, when he had left, his grandson had still been talking with the Light Maiden.
Then the veil of light had risen, and before long, such a tremendous change had taken place.
Not only had he obtained a Soul Ring, but his cultivation had leapt six levels? And there had also been that fleeting surge from a Head Soul Bone, so soothing that even his soul had felt at ease...
"Ci Yan, you..." Lin Qingmo's voice trembled slightly as he looked at Lin Ciyan, his mind in utter disarray.
Just then, Xiyao, inside the Sea of Consciousness, sent him a message: "Ci Yan, I can temporarily anchor a portion of my original power to your Soul Ring."
"I can disguise its outward appearance as any age and color you want. After all, the appearance of a three-hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring would be far too earth-shattering."
"As long as you don't release a massive amount of Soul Ring energy, no outsider will be able to detect it."
Lin Ciyan's heart stirred, and he immediately understood what Xiyao intended.
He shifted his thoughts slightly, guiding that power.
The Soul Ring, whose true nature surpassed three hundred thousand years, shimmered and shifted.
At last, it settled into a deep, regal purple, looking like a fine Soul Ring of around eight thousand years.
Though it was still far beyond an ordinary Second Soul Ring, at least it remained within the bounds of "what a genius could plausibly achieve."
Unlike before, when it could scare someone to death on sight.
"Grandpa," Lin Ciyan brushed off some dust that wasn't there.
He offered a smile that seemed a little "tired" and "excited," while trying to keep his tone as languid as ever.
"All done. I was lucky enough to meet a senior Light Maiden who was willing to talk with us. Her cultivation was around eight thousand years."
"Eight thousand years?!" Lin Qingmo sucked in a sharp breath. A purple Soul Ring couldn't be faked, but an eight-thousand-year Second Soul Ring was still astonishing enough!
"She... why would she..."
"Maybe my Holy Radiance Qilin Martial Soul is especially compatible with the light elements here."
"What about the one with three hundred thousand years of cultivation just now?"
"She was the senior who helped me find her kin..."
"After helping me, that senior left..."
Lin Ciyan began weaving his "plausible" explanation.
"After talking with me, the young Light Maiden thought my Martial Soul and outlook were interesting, and was willing to lend me a hand."
"She didn't sacrifice herself in the traditional sense. Instead, she granted me a portion of her original power in a gentler way, forming this Soul Ring and a Head Soul Bone."
He pointed to his forehead. "The Soul Bone is called the Skull of Radiant Dawn. It gives me powerful mental defenses. As for the Soul Ring..."
The purple Soul Ring at his feet lit up once more, and a gentle, holy veil of light spread out from him, covering a radius of ten meters.
"After I fully absorbed the senior's power, my Martial Soul seems to have undergone some kind of beneficial mutation, awakening a domain-type skill: [Light Domain: Holy Splendor Canopy]."
A touch of "confusion" and "delight" appeared on Lin Ciyan's face at just the right moment.
"Within this domain, light elements gather of their own accord, slowly strengthening me and restoring my strength."
"My other Soul Skill, [Grace of Bathing Light], is for healing and recovery."
He attributed his two powerful Soul Skills
to the "domain" and "supporting skill" awakened through the beneficial mutation of his Martial Soul after absorbing the Soul Ring and Soul Bone.
That neatly sidestepped the even more absurd notion of "a Second Soul Ring directly granting a domain."
Lin Qingmo felt the rich, lively light elements within the veil of light.
He looked at the "undeniably real" purple Soul Ring beneath his grandson's feet.
And, sensing his clear Level 26 Soul Power, felt his shock slowly give way to overwhelming joy.
An eight-thousand-year Second Ring! A top-grade Head Soul Bone!
His Martial Soul had undergone a beneficial mutation and awakened a domain after absorption! He had leapt six levels!
Any one of these would have been enough to shake the continent, yet now they had all come together in his grandson!
"Good! Good! Good!" Lin Qingmo exclaimed, repeating the word three times in his excitement. He patted Lin Ciyan heavily on the shoulder, his eyes even growing misty.
"Heaven blesses my grandson! Heaven blesses Shrek! Just imagine how happy Elder Mu will be when he hears!"
He automatically filled in the whole story: his exceptionally talented grandson, in a special environment rich in light elements,
had, through a fortunate coincidence, moved a powerful and mild-tempered Soul Beast with a rare light attribute.
It had given him its wholehearted aid, sending him soaring to new heights!
The details were still astonishing, but at least they now formed a seemingly reasonable chain of events.
"Come on, Grandpa. We should head back." Lin Ciyan dispersed the domain and smiled.
Xiyao, in his Sea of Consciousness, sent a ripple of delight as well, approving of this "low-key" way of handling things.
Lin Qingmo looked at his grandson's seemingly ever-languid yet unfathomably deep smile, and his heart filled with a thousand emotions.
Thus, Lin Ciyan successfully "packaged" his astonishing stroke of fortune—a three-hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring and Soul Bone—
as an eight-thousand-year encounter and a Martial Soul mutation.
He could show off his talent without exposing all his trump cards too soon. It was a masterstroke!
[ Ding! The host has successfully absorbed a special Soul Ring and Soul Bone, and cleverly used his wits to resolve a potential crisis. This embodies the essence of the Way of Slacking. Reward: +800 Slacking Value! Current Slacking Value: 5439 points ]
Hearing the system's reward notification, Lin Ciyan's smile grew even brighter.
On the way out of the Glazed Light Realm and back to Shrek Academy,
Lin Ciyan maintained his usual lazy demeanor.
As if absorbing an eight-thousand-year Second Soul Ring and a Head Soul Bone had been nothing more than an everyday matter.
Yet Lin Qingmo could clearly feel that the restrained but boundless aura of light around his grandson was many times stronger than before.
The depths of the Star Dou Great Forest were fraught with danger.
Even with a Super Douluo leading the way, they could still run into the occasional unruly Soul Beast.
As they passed through a dense stretch of primeval forest, Lin Qingmo sensed a thousand-year Shadow Leopard in the distance.
"Ci Yan, there's a thousand-year Shadow Leopard over there," Lin Qingmo said.
Hearing this, Lin Ciyan looked delighted. "Perfect timing. I can go test out my new Soul Ring!"
"And it's a dark attribute, too. I wonder how well my domain will work against it..."
As Lin Ciyan approached of his own accord,
the Shadow Leopard also sensed that humans had trespassed on its territory.
A roar filled with savage fury rang out, and a rank stench swept toward them!
A huge black shadow suddenly pounced down from the treetops to one side, its claws glinting with a cold, eerie light as it lunged straight for Lin Ciyan, who looked so weak!
It was a Shadow Leopard with cultivation approaching nine thousand years!