The next day.
At noon, the sun blazed overhead.
In a dense jungle, several heads huddled in a sneaky row, their eyes fixed on the ice-blue dragon before them.
It was none other than Lin Yan and the others, led by Zhao Wuji.
They had been crouching here for quite a while. At last, among the many dragons, they had found one of a suitable age.
Before long, Zhao Wuji turned his gaze to Lin Yan. A smile played at the corners of his mouth, as if he were ready to watch a good show.
"A seven-hundred-year-old Ice Armor Dragon! What do you think?"
Lin Yan nodded.
"No problem. It's a good match for our junior schoolmate."
That was right. The giant dragon before them was the final target of this Spirit Hunting Operation—and the one Lin Yan was about to conquer.
"Fatty, give me a hand. I don't think I can beat it on my own."
Lin Yan took a deep breath, then turned to Ma Hongjun.
Ma Hongjun looked troubled. "Huh? Me?"
Lin Yan nodded. "Yeah! Distract it for me. Isn't your first Soul Skill a ranged attack?"
Then he looked at Wen Ruan. "Junior schoolmate, try to limit its speed as much as you can. Leave the rest to me."
Wen Ruan wasn't as timid as Ma Hongjun. She immediately nodded in earnest.
"Okay!"
A few words were all it took for Lin Yan to lay out the plan.
He glanced at Zhao Wuji one last time. Seeing the admiration in the other man's eyes, he felt a little less apprehensive.
If things get dangerous, he'll step in, right?
Lin Yan pursed his lips without a word. Honestly, this was his first time encountering a Soul Beast, and he was scared too.
He was scared of running into danger, scared he might just drop dead on the spot.
But there was no choice. He had to go for it!
The path of a Soul Master was like this. A true enemy wouldn't take pity on you just because you were weak. At least Zhao Wuji was here to cover him. If he didn't test his strength now, he wouldn't get another opportunity this good.
Lin Yan kept his eyes on the Ice Armor Dragon in the distance. He took a deep breath and said to Ma Hongjun and Wen Ruan,
"Get ready. I'm going in."
Ma Hongjun instinctively shrank his neck, while Wen Ruan lifted her full chest.
The next second.
[Evil Fire Demon Dragon Soul Possession!]
The phantom of a purplish-red dragon shot into the sky, then crashed into Lin Yan's body.
[First Soul Skill: Fire Demon God Spear!]
In a flash, Lin Yan charged out with his spear in hand.
A seven-hundred-year-old Ice Armor Dragon wasn't exactly strong, but it wasn't weak either. By human Soul Master standards, it would be at least the equivalent of a Soul Grandmaster around level twenty-five or twenty-six.
For Lin Yan, who was only level fifteen, it was an enormous challenge.
After all, even Gangzi, at level twenty-nine, had been all timid and deferential in the face of a four-hundred-year-old Datura Snake.
Of course, the two cases weren't comparable. Luo Sanpao and the Evil Fire Demon Dragon weren't in the same weight class, and two hundred-year farting Soul Skills were no match for a thousand-year weapon-type Soul Skill.
In the bushes, Zhao Wuji stood watching the two figures already locked in combat in the distance. A smile curled his lips.
"Now that's what you call a true Little Monster."
"He dares to reach for the stars and do what no one else can!"
In Lin Yan, he saw the shadow of his former self.
The Immovable Wisdom King who had fought his way out against several opponents of equal, or even higher, rank.
At that moment, Zhao Wuji felt the urge to take on a disciple. Just like Flender, he wanted a personal disciple to take over from him and carry on his will.
The only problem was, he didn't know if a genius like Lin Yan would be willing.
Elsewhere.
Lin Yan was locked in combat with the Ice Armor Dragon. With Wen Ruan limiting its speed, he didn't fall behind too quickly.
But Soul Beasts were built far tougher than Soul Masters. Even with its speed restricted, the Ice Armor Dragon kept launching a relentless barrage of attacks with its physical strength.
Lin Yan could hold his own for a little while, but if this dragged on, he was bound to lose.
"Fatty! Don't let it keep attacking me. Distract it!"
"Junior schoolmate's already slowing it down. What are you afraid of?"
Taking advantage of a brief pause to catch his breath, Lin Yan shouted over his shoulder, his voice edged with anger and anxiety.
He hadn't expected that after all this time, Ma Hongjun still wouldn't be ready to join the fight. He'd summoned his Martial Soul and then just stood there like an idiot.
The guy was hopeless.
In the clearing, Ma Hongjun saw that Lin Yan was getting angry with him. At last, he snapped out of his fear.
"Oh, right! Okay!"
He hurriedly channeled the Soul Power within him, then instinctively breathed fire toward the battlefield.
[First Soul Skill: Phoenix Fire Line!]
A straight line of scarlet flames shot toward the man and dragon.
Lin Yan, locked in battle with the Ice Armor Dragon, instinctively sensed danger. He looked back—and saw the Phoenix Fire Line hurtling straight toward his back.
At this critical moment, he couldn't afford to worry about whether the Ice Armor Dragon's attack would hit too hard for him to withstand. He held his spear across his chest and took a sweeping blow from its tail head-on.
Bang!
The dragon's tail struck the spear. Lin Yan used the force of the impact to propel himself out of the Phoenix Fire Line's path.
That was the only reason he escaped unscathed.
Then Ma Hongjun's fire attack hit an open patch of ground in the distance, blasting a huge crater into it.
Lin Yan had watched it all unfold. Relief surged through him, but so did a burst of anger.
"Watch where you're aiming, damn it!"
That was right—Ma Hongjun had missed again. His first Soul Skill, Phoenix Fire Line, had nearly blasted Lin Yan in the back.
Luckily, they both had fire-attribute Martial Souls, so Lin Yan was extremely sensitive to heat. Otherwise, if that attack had hit him, he'd probably have been left half-dead, if not worse.
"S-sorry. I'm not very good with my Soul Skill yet."
Ma Hongjun stammered out an apology, his body still retreating uncontrollably. He looked utterly panicked.
Lin Yan didn't press him on it, because...the Ice Armor Dragon was coming at him again.
"Ah..."
"Flender, why do you have to be so fond of that chubby little Ma Hongjun?"
Zhao Wuji sighed softly and shook his head at Ma Hongjun in disappointment.
By ordinary standards, Ma Hongjun's reaction was perfectly normal. He was just a child from an ordinary family; there was nothing strange about being afraid of a Soul Beast.
The problem was that Lin Yan was just too outstanding—more outstanding than any child facing a Soul Beast for the first time.
It was Lin Yan's performance that was abnormal...
The battle went on for a long time.
A seven-hundred-year Soul Beast was no match for a Soul Grandmaster. And yet, in the end, Lin Yan still won.
He won with Wen Ruan's support, with Ma Hongjun's interference, and through his own efforts.
His face was streaked with blood, and he stood panting before the Ice Armor Dragon. One hand braced his spear against the ground, while the other hung limp at his side. He looked both battered and impressive.
"Junior schoolmate, come quick! It wants to die first."
Wen Ruan snapped out of her shock and hurriedly answered,
"Oh, right! I'm coming!"
"Hurry, or this Soul Ring will be mine."