Fourth Spirit Skill

Jiang Lin stood up from beside the corpse of the Golden Thunder Python and stretched his slightly numb legs.

Absorbing a soul ring nearing thirty thousand years took longer than he had anticipated. The massive thunder-attribute energy and the Golden Thunder Python bloodline had scoured his meridians for nearly two hours. Fortunately, the Blood Fiend Divine Thunder Halberd had a high enough affinity for the thunder attribute; although the entire process had been perilous, he had ultimately pulled through.

He looked down at his hands, clenched his fists, and felt the soul power within his body, which was now more than twice as thick as before.

Level 43 peak, just a hair's breadth away from Level 44.

His fourth soul ring pulsed slowly around the Blood Fiend Divine Thunder Halberd. That pitch-black ten-thousand-year soul ring was as deep as solidified ink jade, and under the sunlight, it faintly shimmered with a subtle dark golden halo—the lingering traces of the Golden Thunder Python's bloodline.

The massive snake carcass still lay stretched out on the ground.

Jiang Lin did not waste time; he had Elder Chen help him carve off the pristine meat from the snake, processing it alongside the corpse of the Purple Lightning Mad Lion that Tang Yuan had been keeping for him.

He kept what was useful and sent the rest to the system for recycling, finishing the task in a flash of white light.

Dugu Bo had been waiting nearby for some time. He had already retracted his Jade Phosphorus Poison Dragon martial soul true body, and he looked at least ten years younger than before.

The cyan-purple toxin patches on his face had mostly faded, and a few strands of his original black hair were faintly visible amidst his gray-green locks. Dugu Yan stood beside him; the young girl had only recently broken through, and the soul power fluctuations on her were still fresh.

"Young Master, this girl Yan Yan just obtained her third soul ring and is already at Level 34."

Dugu Bo's tone carried undisguised pride.

"Moreover, after her Martial Soul Evolution, signs of dragon transformation have appeared deep within her snake soul—a dark golden pattern has emerged on the spine of the snake soul, which is a sign of the initial awakening of the dragon bloodline. Given time, she might just become another Jade Phosphorus Poison Dragon."

Jiang Lin nodded, his gaze sweeping over Dugu Yan: "Not bad."

Dugu Yan beamed with a smug smile at the praise.

Normally, this wasn't her personality, but who could blame her when she was currently the weakest person present?

By her estimation, even a Young Master like Jiang Lin, who was around her age, could probably beat her three times over with one hand.

Dugu Bo changed the subject, his eyes falling on the newly added black soul ring around Jiang Lin:

"Young Master, what is this fourth soul skill of yours? Let this old man feast his eyes."

Jiang Lin did not speak; he simply raised the Blood Fiend Divine Thunder Halberd and slashed at the empty space beside him.

The moment the halberd blade fell, a dull sonic boom erupted in the air, and a crack nearly a meter long split open silently on the ground.

The edges of the fissure were smooth and flat, with dark golden arcs of electricity crackling and dancing on the cut surface, while the surrounding grass and trees remained completely undisturbed—all the power had been precisely controlled along the trajectory of the halberd blade, without a single shred leaking out.

Dugu Bo's pupils shrank violently.

As a Title Douluo who had spent his entire life dealing with all kinds of soul masters, he saw the trick behind this strike at a glance.

That was no ordinary swing; a soul skill was hidden within it.

But he hadn't seen the soul ring light up, hadn't sensed any signs of soul power fluctuations, and there hadn't even been any abnormalities in the flow of soul power in the air.

If the power of the crack on the ground hadn't far exceeded the level of a normal strike, he would have almost thought Jiang Lin had just swung the halberd casually.

"Instant cast."

Jiang Lin's voice was calm, as if stating the most ordinary fact.

"There is no charging process. The soul ring does not light up when released, and there is no leakage of soul power fluctuations. From the opponent's perspective, it looks like I am just swinging the halberd normally, but the attack power of that strike is increased by two hundred and fifty percent."

He paused, then added: "And the cooldown is extremely short. Theoretically, I can use it continuously."

Dugu Bo gasped.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

He had lived for over eighty years and dealt with all kinds of soul masters, from Soul Masters to Title Douluo; there wasn't a strange or bizarre soul skill he hadn't seen.

But the four words "non-indicative instant cast" were something he could count on one hand the number of times he had seen in his life.

Ordinary augmentation-type soul skills would have the soul ring light up and show signs of soul power fluctuations upon release, giving the opponent at least a chance to react—to block, dodge, or release a soul skill of their own to counter.

But this soul skill of Jiang Lin's left absolutely no trace; no light effects, no fluctuations, no wind-up, nothing at all.

In battle, this meant the opponent would never know if Jiang Lin's next strike was a normal attack or a killing blow with two-and-a-half times the power.

Opponents of the same level simply couldn't defend against it.

Even someone a full major realm higher than him would suffer a huge loss if they were even slightly careless.

Can you imagine a Soul King entangled in a fight with this Level 43 Soul Ancestor, seeing the opponent swing a halberd casually, thinking that with their soul power being a major realm higher, they could easily tank it—only for the power of that strike to suddenly surge by two-and-a-half times, breaking through their defense and piercing their chest?

You wouldn't even have time to react, because the moment you saw the halberd blade thrusting toward you, you wouldn't be able to judge how powerful that strike was.

"A Golden Thunder Python nearing thirty thousand years is indeed a good thing."

Dugu Bo sighed sincerely, his gaze toward Jiang Lin carrying a hint of complexity.

This youth was too terrifying. Not only did he possess perseverance and vision far beyond his peers in cultivation, but even the soul skills he acquired were so devious and ruthless.

He suddenly felt that the decision he had made at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well might have been the most correct choice of his life.

Tang Yuan remained silent on the side, but a hint of approval flashed in those eyes that were as still as an ancient well.

He was a hammer user, a power-type peak Title Douluo, and he had a deeper understanding of the words "attack power" than anyone else.

He knew better than Dugu Bo what a two-and-a-half-fold non-indicative burst meant.

In his combat experience, the most important thing about killing someone of a higher level wasn't how strong your strongest strike was, but whether you could land that strike at the most opportune moment.

And the words "non-indicative" meant the opponent would never be able to defend against that moment.

Elder Chen stroked his beard, the smile at the corner of his mouth impossible to hide.

The three of them were all Title Douluo; naturally, they knew just how... insidious this kind of soul skill was.