First Soul Skill: Fire Demon God Spear!

On the open ground, Zhao Wuji watched Lin Yan's "ignorant" refusal to listen to reason, and anger flared within him.

True dragon or fake dragon—setting aside whether the boy's claims held any water, who would be held responsible if something went wrong? It would be him, the teacher in charge.

When that time came, forget about bonuses or vacation time; it was uncertain if he could even keep his position here.

Carrying his irritation, Zhao Wuji threatened him with a harsh tone.

"I'm warning you, I'm not as easygoing as Flender. You'd better behave and stop causing me trouble."

"Otherwise, do you think I won't just leave you here to fend for yourself?"

Yet, despite his ferocious display, Lin Yan showed no fear, remaining stubbornly committed to his own opinion.

The two remained at a stalemate. During this time, both Ma Hongjun and Wen Ruan came forward to persuade Lin Yan for quite a while, but unfortunately, it had no effect.

It wasn't until Lin Yan let out a sound of surprise.

"Huh? Why is there a yellow one?"

Zhao Wuji followed the direction of Lin Yan's finger and glanced over, discovering that among the fire-red dragon pack, there was indeed a golden figure. He replied perfunctorily.

"I don't know. It must have mutated."

"Mutated?"

Lin Yan lightly rubbed his chin with his fingers, appearing lost in thought.

Soon, he made his decision.

"I want that one. It's golden; it looks like it has a Light attribute at first glance."

Zhao Wuji's brow furrowed into a knot upon hearing this.

"That is a soul beast of nearly two thousand years. Are you sure?"

"I am sure."

Lin Yan's expression was incredibly resolute, making it clear that no one could sway him.

At this point, Zhao Wuji stopped insisting. You can't save someone who is hell-bent on destruction. He had already laid out the consequences clearly; since Lin Yan was seeking death, he had no obligation to play the good guy.

He turned to look at Ma Hongjun and Wen Ruan.

"The two of you will be my witnesses. When we go back, you will recount the cause of his death in full detail. If you miss a single word, you'll have me to answer to."

With that, not caring if Lin Yan might regret his choice, he activated his martial soul and charged into the dragon pack.

At this moment, Wen Ruan walked up, looking at Lin Yan with a gaze full of worry.

Lin Yan smiled to reassure her.

"Don't worry, I can do it. Once I finish absorbing the soul ring, I'll help you hunt for yours."

Wen Ruan did not feel happy at Lin Yan's promise; on the contrary, she felt even more uneasy.

Before long, Zhao Wuji flew back, dragging the giant golden dragon.

Thud!

The dragon, nearly four meters long, was tossed onto the ground with a heavy, dull sound. Everyone could clearly perceive the scorching heat and the aura of light radiating from its body.

There was no mistake; this was a Flame Azure Dragon that had mutated to possess a Light attribute! If its cultivation were calculated based on the size of a normal Flame Azure Dragon, it would be around two thousand years.

However, since it had mutated, Zhao Wuji couldn't be certain of the exact age, only that it was a thousand-year soul beast.

Lin Yan picked up the dagger he had discarded earlier. Without needing a reminder from Zhao Wuji, he impatiently walked up to the dragon's head.

Looking at the dragon head, which was nearly the size of a washbasin and currently glaring at him with furious, dying eyes, Lin Yan felt not a shred of fear!

He raised his hand, and the blade fell...

The movement was fluid and completed in one go. The dragon likely felt only a moment of pain before its brain was completely destroyed, and its life force flickered out.

Immediately after, as if afraid that Zhao Wuji might change his mind at any moment, Lin Yan sat cross-legged and began to absorb the soul ring.

Not far away, Zhao Wuji couldn't help but feel a sense of surprise at the sight.

"He's certainly decisive, though it's a pity he's a fool."

In his view, Lin Yan's performance was indeed far superior to Ma Hongjun's. This type of personality was naturally suited for the slaughter and growth of the soul world.

One had to know that when facing an enemy, showing even a hint of fear would put one at a disadvantage.

Take Ma Hongjun, for example; if he had faced the gaze of this giant dragon just now, he might have been scared out of his wits and not even dared to strike. If the dragon had possessed even the slightest ability to resist, Ma Hongjun would have ended up dead.

However...

"What a pity! I actually regret letting you die like this..."

Watching Lin Yan, who had already entered the state of absorbing the soul ring, Zhao Wuji shook his head helplessly.

If only he had insisted a little longer just now.

An innate soul power of level 10—such a fine seedling, so similar to the desperate, go-getter spirit he had in his own youth. To die from a ruptured body while absorbing a soul ring was truly dramatic.

Zhao Wuji felt a pang of regret for not stopping Lin Yan earlier.

"Honestly, he's just a child, but am I a child too?"

"How could I be so foolish."

Filled with regret, he silently crouched down.

The scene fell into silence; Ma Hongjun knew Zhao Wuji was currently in a fit of rage, so he dared not speak.

Wen Ruan, meanwhile, stared fixedly at Lin Yan, terrified of missing even the slightest change in his condition.

Time ticked by second by second, yet Lin Yan showed no signs of his body exploding.

One minute later, Zhao Wuji felt a bit uneasy...

Five minutes later, Zhao Wuji was somewhat surprised...

Ten minutes later, Zhao Wuji was utterly shocked!

It was not until about half an hour had passed.

Boom!

A giant dragon wreathed in purple flames soared into the sky, scattering the evening's sunset clouds and becoming the only splash of color in this world.

The Evil Fire Demon Dragon circled once in the air, its magnificent purple flames leaving behind afterimages that made the three of them forget to even breathe.

Immediately after, the giant dragon dove downward, crashing directly into Lin Yan's body.

In an instant, a ripple of dark purple energy swept outward, carrying a terrifying heat that blew away all the debris nearby, leaving Lin Yan as the sole protagonist of this world.

"A thousand-year spirit ring, nothing more than this!"

"Counting the improvements from the whale gel's medicinal power and the two months of daily grueling training, absorbing this thousand-year spirit ring has actually pushed me directly to level 15."

Lin Yan was overjoyed, then suddenly snapped his eyes open.

Eerie, purplish-red flames even drifted from the corners of his eyes; his aura was like that of a Flame Monarch!

[First Spirit Skill: Fire Demon God Spear!]

Accompanied by a low shout, a spear with a silver body and a purple-gold tip suddenly manifested.

Lin Yan grasped it from the air, and his momentum instantly surged.

[Fire Demon God Spear: Condenses the power of fire to form a physical spear. Attacks carry burning and explosive effects, increasing one's own attack, speed, and defense by 100%.]

"Hiss~"

"This is a weapon-type spirit skill?"

Zhao Wuji's eyes widened, his jaw nearly hitting the ground in shock.

Being able to absorb a thousand-year first ring was already outrageous enough, but for his first spirit skill to be a weapon-type skill was even more so.

One had to know that there were millions of martial souls on the Douluo Continent, with all sorts of strange and bizarre spirits and skills; he had heard of powerful and rare skills before.

Among them, weapon-type skills for beast martial souls were legendary, top-tier skills—that was equivalent to having an additional tool martial soul!

Lin Yan walked back to Zhao Wuji's side.

"Teacher Zhao, what did I tell you? My martial soul is a true dragon!"

His tone was brimming with pride, showing no restraint whatsoever.

Immediately after, he looked at Wen Ruan.

"Little Senior Sister, wait for me to hunt a spirit for you!"

Wen Ruan's pretty face flushed red, and she shyly turned her head to the other side.

Beside them, Ma Hongjun looked at the spear in Lin Yan's hand, the envy in his eyes nearly overflowing.

"I... I want a thousand-year first ring too."

The three of them looked at the high-spirited Lin Yan before them, a variety of emotions flashing through their hearts.

Zhao Wuji was shocked, Ma Hongjun was envious, and Wen Ruan felt joyful...

Lin Yan himself was also immersed in his own delight.

Two months of dormancy had earned him a starting point that no one else on the continent could reach; it was worth it!

However...

Just as he was immersed in beautiful visions of the future, he suddenly felt a surge in his stomach.

Lin Yan tried to suppress the restlessness, but the more he suppressed it, the more uncomfortable he became.

Until this feeling reached a critical point.

"Puh-wah~"

A mouthful of blood suddenly sprayed from Lin Yan's mouth, and immediately after, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.