Time flew by like a white colt flashing past a crack. In the blink of an eye, more than two years had passed.
The Spirit Hall of today no longer belonged to the Golden Generation. It had entered the era of Lin Ze'an.
Bibi Dong had once wanted him to join Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan as part of the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall.
But as time passed, Lin Ze'an's Soul Power Level had now reached Rank 54.
He had left his former upperclassmen far behind, becoming, without question, the foremost member of Spirit Hall's younger generation.
The Elders and Bibi Dong all knew full well that, barring any surprises, Lin Ze'an would become the first deity of Spirit Hall after the Angel God.
It was worth mentioning that, over these two-plus years, Ghost Leopard and Ling Yuan had also reached Rank 90 one after the other.
With Yue Guan's help, each had obtained a Soul Ring close to the hundred-thousand-year quality. Their Soul Power had surged to Rank 92, and they had become Titled Douluo.
Golden Crocodile stood opposite Lin Ze'an, looking fondly at his great-grandson.
"Then, Great-Grandpa, if you're only using the power of a Soul Saint to fight me, you'd better be careful." Lin Ze'an looked at Golden Crocodile and smiled faintly.
As soon as he finished speaking, Mo Ruier appeared behind Lin Ze'an.
At the same time, five Soul Rings emerged beneath his feet in succession—purple, purple, black, black, red!
The moment that vivid, blood-red Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring appeared, it released a terrifying aura that made it hard to breathe. Its pressure swept outward like a tsunami!
Hu Liena and the others, watching from the side, instantly widened their eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing.
"A... a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?" Hu Liena instinctively looked down at herself.
"We only have a thousand-year Fourth Soul Ring. I can't believe our junior already has a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring..."
Was this the difference in talent?
Xie Yue and Yan stood dumbstruck too. They stared at the red Soul Ring beneath Lin Ze'an's feet, its terrifying aura sending shock waves through their hearts.
They hadn't seen their junior in a long time, not since Lin Ze'an went into seclusion.
They never imagined that his strength would have advanced by leaps and bounds, to the point that he had reached such heights.
Golden Crocodile gave a proud snort. "Your Great-Grandpa was a genius too, once. I was no worse than you."
As he spoke, Golden Crocodile's powerful frame shuddered.
"Roar—!"
With a deafening roar, a gigantic golden crocodile appeared behind Golden Crocodile.
Then, nine Soul Rings slowly emerged beneath Golden Crocodile's Martial Soul.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red!
Like Lin Ze'an's, the final Soul Ring was blood-red—a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring that radiated a terrifying pressure that made one's heart tremble!
Lin Ze'an raised a hand, and enormous vines burst from the ground, coiling around him.
"Then please, Great-Grandpa, give me some pointers."
At that, Golden Crocodile's eyes flashed. The Sixth Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up at once. "Sixth Soul Skill—Furious Golden Crocodile!"
"Boom—!"
In an instant, a colossal phantom of a golden crocodile appeared in the sky. It opened its bloody maw and dove straight toward Lin Ze'an.
Seeing this, Lin Ze'an lightly tapped the ground with his toes and retreated.
The Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring beneath his feet also blazed with dazzling light, bathing the surrounding space in blood-red.
Lin Ze'an looked at Golden Crocodile, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "If you're going all out from the start, Great-Grandpa, then I won't hold back either."
In a flash, his eyes lit up, and a vast amount of life energy gathered around him.
"Fifth Soul Skill—King: Emerald Grasp!"
"Vmmm—!"
The space within several hundred meters of him began to twist, and countless green arrows made of life energy appeared, filling the sky.
"What?!" Golden Crocodile's pupils contracted. He stared at the arrows blotting out the sky, his expression growing serious.
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring was no joke. With Lin Ze'an's talent on top of that, even a Fifth Soul Skill couldn't be underestimated.
As the overwhelming rain of arrows was about to pour down, Golden Crocodile gave a low shout, and the Soul Power within him surged into motion.
In an instant, the colossal golden crocodile phantom in the sky blazed with dazzling golden light, its already massive body swelling even further.
Seeing this, Lin Ze'an's lips curved upward. He swept a hand toward Golden Crocodile, and the countless arrows flying through the sky plunged down like a surging green flood.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
In an instant, countless explosions erupted around the golden crocodile phantom!
The seemingly indestructible golden scales were as fragile as thin paper under Lin Ze'an's relentless attacks.
One arrow after another pierced through its defenses and passed through the golden crocodile phantom.
Soon, the phantom began to shudder violently. Its scales burst apart one by one, and its energy began to spill out wildly.
In just a moment, the once-mighty golden crocodile phantom had been pierced through with dozens of holes. At last, it could hold on no longer and vanished into thin air with a thunderous boom.
But Lin Ze'an didn't stop.
His gaze sharpened, and the remaining arrows changed direction, shooting straight toward Golden Crocodile himself.
At last, the emerald arrows filling the sky gradually vanished. Lin Ze'an blurred out of sight, then landed lightly on the ground.
Across from him, Golden Crocodile had reappeared. The scales on his chest were badly damaged, and a few fine scratches marked his body.
But that was only because he had drawn on power beyond Soul Saint level to defend himself.
Lin Ze'an's lips curved upward. "You let me win, Great-Grandpa."
Golden Crocodile laughed heartily and came over to pat Lin Ze'an on the shoulder. "You sure hit hard, kid! But you're strong, no doubt about it!"
"Each wave pushes the next forward. No wonder you're my great-grandson!"
Lin Ze'an raised an eyebrow and picked up the thread with a cheeky grin. "So the wave in front dies on the beach?"
At that, Golden Crocodile roared with laughter, raised his hand, and smacked Lin Ze'an hard on the head.
The blow wasn't light. Though Lin Ze'an had been ready and nimbly leaned to one side, he still got hit, and several tufts of his hair were knocked askew.
Golden Crocodile drew back his hand and scolded him with a laugh. "You little rascal! You're getting bolder by the day, talking to your Great-Grandpa like that?"
Despite his words, his eyes were filled with pride.
He didn't know whether there were other deities, but according to the Great Elder, with his great-grandson's talent, becoming a god was surely within reach.
And if he ascended to godhood alongside the young mistress...
At the thought, Golden Crocodile's gaze suddenly grew fervent, and he fixed his eyes on Lin Ze'an.
Under that sudden stare, Lin Ze'an felt a little uneasy. He instinctively took half a step back, scratched his head, and asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Great-Grandpa?"
Something felt off. Where had he seen that look before?
"It's nothing, nothing." Golden Crocodile Douluo waved a hand, his expression easing. "Your Great-Grandpa just thought of something interesting."
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