The White Tiger sensed a deadly threat from the purple lightning net. Like a startled cat, its enormous body suddenly sprang backward.
Unfortunately, the net fell too quickly, and its coverage was too wide.
The White Tiger simply couldn't escape its reach in an instant.
"Crackle..."
Streaks of purple lightning arced like swimming dragons, coursing across the two beasts.
The White Tiger's body suddenly went rigid, looking extremely stiff.
Though the Deep Blue Thunder Python had high resistance to lightning, it still couldn't withstand the purple lightning invading its body through its mouth. A faint smell of charred flesh quickly filled the air.
A bright yellow Spirit Ring appeared above the Deep Blue Thunder Python's corpse.
Lin Chen leaped down from the tree trunk.
While he was still in midair, the Sky Thunder Whip in his hand had already lashed out.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
The Sky Thunder Whip wrapped around the White Tiger's forelegs. As soon as Lin Chen landed, he yanked hard.
"Thump!"
The White Tiger's massive body was instantly dragged more than ten meters away.
"Pfft!"
The whip's sharp tip pierced through the White Tiger's eye socket and into its brain. A bright yellow Spirit Ring appeared above its corpse as well.
Lin Chen didn't dare let the White Tiger, which held a grudge against him, escape alive. After all, he would be completely defenseless while absorbing a Spirit Ring.
He had dragged it aside only because he was afraid of absorbing the wrong Spirit Ring.
Lin Chen surveyed the area around him.
Beasts that had lived for seven or eight hundred years were already kings of the Soul Hunting Forest, and the Deep Blue Thunder Python was one of the strongest among them.
This was easy to see from the fact that the White Tiger had stopped at the edge of the Deep Blue Thunder Python's territory while chasing him.
Even a White Tiger that had lived for more than seven hundred years didn't dare trespass lightly into the Deep Blue Thunder Python's territory. The other Spirit Beasts were even less likely to have the guts.
Lin Chen walked over to the Deep Blue Thunder Python's corpse. Looking at its bright yellow Spirit Ring, he couldn't help smiling.
"Come on, my First Soul Ring."
Lin Chen sat cross-legged and drew the yellow Spirit Ring toward himself.
"Buzz!"
As the yellow Spirit Ring reached the top of his head, it contracted violently, then swiftly dropped down and encircled him.
Along with the Spirit Ring came a tremendous sense of pressure.
The pressure was terrifying. Any ten-level Soul Scholar would have had every bone in their body crushed to powder in an instant.
Fortunately, Lin Chen wasn't an ordinary Soul Scholar.
Even so, the pressure made every bone in his body creak.
But it didn't exceed what he could bear.
After an unknown amount of time, the pressure gradually faded away.
The yellow Spirit Ring slowly settled down. It began to move in an orderly rhythm, traveling from the bottom of Lin Chen's body to the top, then back down again.
At that moment, Lin Chen felt as though something inside him had shattered.
A surging wave of Soul Power emerged.
Lin Chen hurriedly circulated his cultivation method, refining that Soul Power into his own.
As he refined the Soul Power, he also received feedback about his First Soul Skill.
Sky Thunder Dragon Elephant: Increases lightning attribute strength by 200% and physical strength by 100%. Lasts half an hour.
No wonder it was a dragon-type Spirit Beast. The boosts were absurdly powerful.
And it had only lived for about eight hundred years.
When the last trace of Soul Power had been refined, Lin Chen's absorption of the Spirit Ring was complete.
The most ridiculous thing about Douluo Continent was that even Spirit Masters didn't know their exact level. They had to be tested to find out.
"Open status panel!"
With a thought, Lin Chen's status panel appeared in the air before him.
[Name: Lin Chen]
[Martial Soul: Sky Thunder Whip]
[Level: 12]
[Spirit: 12]
[Constitution: 25]
[Cultivation Techniques and Secret Arts: [Click to expand]]
An eight-hundred-year First Spirit Ring had only given Lin Chen two levels of Soul Power.
That wasn't unexpected.
Tang San's ten-thousand-year Fourth Spirit Ring had also only given him two levels of Soul Power.
As for why his First Spirit Ring had brought him to level twelve—
The three months between awakening his Martial Soul and the start of school had been enough for him to cultivate one level of Soul Power.
"Time to go!"
Lin Chen stood up and headed out of the Soul Hunting Forest without looking back.
Between heaven and earth, a lifetime passed like a white colt flashing across a crevice—gone in the blink of an eye.
Two months slipped by.
In his hotel room, Lin Chen opened his eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Level thirteen."
If even Tang San could do it, there was no reason he couldn't.
"Time to go to Nuoding Academy."
Rather than inflict Disaster Curse on strangers, he would much rather curse Tang San and his master and disciple.
There was no particular reason.
He simply didn't like the pair. After all, it didn't matter who he cursed.
There was just one condition: the academy had to let him skip class.
He didn't want some trivial matter like that to waste his cultivation time.
There probably wouldn't be any major problem.
Who would turn down a graduate with Innate Full Soul Power?
That was a living advertisement for the academy.
Lin Chen checked out, left the hotel, and headed straight to Nuoding Academy.
He didn't rush inside.
He wasn't hoping to witness some dramatic scene. He was waiting for Old Jack.
A person had to know how to be grateful. He'd survived until now thanks to the villagers' charity. Now that he was doing well, how could he not show his appreciation?
He'd had no money to spare when he left, or he would have given them some then.
Lin Chen had timed his arrival, so he didn't have to wait long.
"Grandpa Jack!"
Seeing Old Jack and Tang San in the distance, Lin Chen hurried over to greet them.
"Little Chen?"
Old Jack looked Lin Chen up and down, disbelief in his eyes.
How could he have changed so much in just three months?
Not only was he dressed like a noble, but he was fairer and had grown quite a bit taller.
If Lin Chen hadn't spoken first, Old Jack might not have recognized him at all.
Tang San was equally astonished.
In just three short months, every trace of his country-bumpkin appearance had vanished. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was born into a noble family.
Lin Chen glanced at Tang San's brow.
Good grief. It's been three months, and the bad luck still hasn't struck. All I can say is, he really is the child of destiny—even his bad luck has to pile up before it finally explodes.
Lin Chen exchanged a few pleasantries with the two of them, then led Old Jack off to the side.
"Grandpa Jack, please take this."
He took out the money pouch he had prepared earlier and handed it to Old Jack.
"What are you—"
Lin Chen cut him off. "Grandpa Jack, I have enough money now. This isn't all for you, either. Take it back and share it with everyone."
"If it weren't for your help, I would have starved to death long ago. Now that I'm able to, I should repay everyone for raising me."
"All right. You're such a good child."
Seeing that Lin Chen had put it that way, Old Jack could no longer refuse.
Looking at the relieved smile on his face, Lin Chen smiled too.
"Leave Tang San to me. You should head back first."
Lin Chen didn't offer to buy him a meal or invite him to stay in town for the night.
He was carrying so many Gold Soul Coins. It was best to return to the village as soon as possible. If word got out, an ordinary man like him could end up losing his life.
"All right. With you looking after him, Grandpa can rest easy."
Old Jack had no reason to worry, not when Lin Chen had earned so much money in just three months.
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