After getting a taste of the benefits of the Slacking Cultivation Accelerator, Lin Ciyan had fallen completely in love with this "quietly getting rich" style of cultivation.
In the days that followed, he became a "touring performance artist across Shrek City and the surrounding areas."
He grew ever more adept at combining [Invisible Mode] with the [Slacking Accelerator].
Shrek City, the bustling Soul Tool Commercial Street.
To attract customers, a shop was holding a small "Soul Power Precision Control Challenge" outside its entrance.
Participants had to use Soul Power to make a fragile crystal shard float through a complex maze without damaging it.
Quite a few Soul Masters stepped up to give it a try, but they all failed when the slightest instability in their Soul Power shattered the crystal.
Just as everyone was shaking their heads and sighing, a boy wearing a straw hat, who looked like he had merely stopped to watch the fun (Lin Ciyan), ambled forward.
He didn't even look at the maze. He simply picked up a crystal shard.
His fingertip twitched, and a layer of gentle yet solid Holy Radiance Soul Power enveloped it.
The crystal seemed to lose all its weight, as though guided by invisible fingers.
At an almost lazy pace, it swayed and bobbed through every turn with pinpoint precision, avoided every obstacle, and reached the finish in perfect condition.
He hadn't even summoned his Martial Soul throughout the whole process, and his face wore a casual expression that said, "This thing looks pretty easy."
Everyone: "!!!"
[ Ding! You completed a high-difficulty Soul Power control challenge on the Soul Tool Commercial Street with an utterly relaxed attitude, creating a stark contrast in skill and expectations. Slacking Influence +2800! Current total influence: 8300 points! Cultivation speed increased: 16%! ] [ Ding! Obtained Slacking Value +200! ]
Maple Leaf City, near Shrek City. Central Square.
A group of young Soul Masters were sparring and exchanging pointers. Their Soul Skills clashed, light flashed, and passersby gathered to watch and cheer.
At the height of the battle, a stray wave of flame suddenly veered off course and hurtled toward a young man beside the fountain who seemed to be dozing!
The onlookers cried out in alarm, but the young man merely mumbled something like a sleep-talking dreamer and casually raised a hand.
No Soul Ring flashed, and there was no earth-shaking display of power. A layer of armor, thin as a cicada's wing and shimmering with flowing black-and-gold hues, instantly covered his arm—the Mystic Yellow Exquisite Armor appearing only in that area.
"Pfft!"
The powerful wave of flame struck the armor and vanished as if swallowed by the sea, without raising so much as a ripple.
The young man only scratched the ear that had been "disturbed," rolled over, and continued his "afternoon nap."
The Soul Masters and passersby: "(⊙ˍ⊙)!"
[ Ding! You neutralized a Soul Skill attack in another city's square with "passive defense." The extreme contrast embodied the idea that "you can be invincible even while lying flat." Slacking Influence +4200! Current total influence: 12500 points! Cultivation speed increased: 22%! ] [ Ding! Obtained Slacking Value +300! ]
There were also times when he dined at high-end restaurants and drew envious provocations, only for his opponent's Soul Skill shockwaves to fail to so much as shake the plate in front of him.
Or when, at a Soul Beast materials market, he spotted a swindler passing off inferior goods at a glance and exposed the truth with the most basic Soul Power vibration technique...
Lin Ciyan had pushed both items to their limits. His Slacking Influence climbed steadily, and his cultivation speed bonus rose right along with it.
That day, after once again revealing his "strength" in front of a crowd without seeming to mean to, Lin Ciyan cheerfully checked his gains.
[Current Slacking Value: 7320 points]
[Current Slacking Influence: 15800 points]
[Slacking Cultivation Accelerator bonus: 26%!]
"Not bad, not bad. At this rate, breaking twenty thousand influence is just around the corner!" Lin Ciyan hummed a little tune as he leisurely returned to Sea God Island.
The moment he set foot on Sea God Island, a battle-ready figure came charging straight toward him. It was Bei Bei.
"Brother Lin! You're back! Perfect timing—let's fight!" Bei Bei's face glowed with confidence, his eyes blazing. Clearly, his cultivation had improved again, and he felt ready to take on the world.
Looking at his childhood friend, brimming with fighting spirit, Lin Ciyan sighed helplessly. "Bei Bei, why do you always come looking for a spar just when I've finished my 'spiritual cultivation' and need a quiet moment to savor it? You're hitting me right in the middle of my post-meditation downtime."
"Save it!" Bei Bei grinned as Soul Rings rose beneath his feet—yellow, purple, and black!
They were, remarkably, three Soul Rings that surpassed the optimal configuration. His Soul Power surged with greater solidity than before, clearly showing that he hadn't slacked off during this time.
"I feel better than ever! This time, I'll definitely force you to show what you can really do!"
Before he'd even finished speaking, Bei Bei gave a low shout. "Martial Soul Possession!"
Blue-purple dragon scales rapidly covered his arms, and tiny snakes of lightning slithered between them.
They crackled softly as the pressure of a top-tier Beast Martial Soul spread through the air, its power far greater than before.
Without the slightest hesitation, he pushed off the ground, his body streaking forward like lightning.
A straight punch packed with tremendous force shot toward Lin Ciyan's face, its wind sharp and fierce!
Facing this swift assault, Lin Ciyan showed no intention of using Martial Soul Possession.
He merely raised his right arm at his leisure, a layer of solid Holy Radiance Soul Power flowing over it like water, its full power hidden from view.
"Thud!"
Fist met arm with a muffled impact.
Bei Bei felt as though he'd punched a massive, immovable mountain.
The force rebounding through his arm left it tingling, while Lin Ciyan only swayed slightly, his feet planted as firmly as roots.
"You've gotten stronger," Lin Ciyan remarked, still speaking with the same infuriatingly lazy air.
Unconvinced, Bei Bei launched another attack!
He moved with an intricate footwork technique, his body shifting as both fists rained down like a violent storm.
Sometimes he punched, sometimes he struck with his palm, sometimes he clawed.
He brought the close-combat techniques granted by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul into full play, moving and reacting far faster than before.
Yet Lin Ciyan's movements, though they didn't look fast, always dodged the deadliest attacks by a hair's breadth. Or he blocked and dispersed them with his Soul Power-coated arms, elbows, and knees.
His movements carried a strange rhythm, as if he'd already predicted every one of Bei Bei's attack routes. He made it all look easy, unhurried and effortless.
His occasional counterattacks were like an antelope hanging its horns on a branch—leaving no trace—yet they always struck at the exact moment Bei Bei's old strength had run out and his new strength had yet to rise, leaving him so uncomfortable he could have spat blood.
The two figures darted back and forth across an open space on Sea God Island, the sounds of fists and feet colliding ringing out without pause.
Bei Bei's attacks were as fierce as thunder, while Lin Ciyan's defense and counterattacks were like light and water—everywhere at once, yet impossible to pin down.
This was the ultimate game of give and take!
Bei Bei felt as if he were fighting an impossibly slippery loach, with nowhere to put his strength!
Unable to break through Lin Ciyan's defenses, he was instead rocked by those seemingly casual yet precisely timed counterattacks, his blood and energy churning. The fire of competition in his heart roared higher and higher.
Seeing Lin Ciyan still as calm and composed as ever, without even breathing hard, he finally couldn't hold back.
"First Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Claw!"
Bei Bei growled, and the First Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly blazed!
His dragon-scaled right claw instantly swelled in size. The lightning coiling around it was no longer a tangle of tiny bolts, but thick, dazzling streaks of thunder.
They gathered into the huge, solid phantom of a blue-purple dragon claw. With a roar that seemed to tear the air apart and a devastating aura, it came crashing down toward Lin Ciyan!
This time, it wasn't an ordinary punch or kick. He was unleashing the power of a Soul Skill!
It seemed this "friendly" spar was about to enter its next stage.
Looking at the formidable Thunder Dragon Claw, Lin Ciyan's eyes finally flashed with a hint of seriousness. But the lazy curve of his lips remained unchanged.