Lin Yao withdrew his finger from the blade and contentedly waved the vicious blade, Soul Devourer.
Even as a conventional melee weapon, this carving knife was incredibly cost-effective.
Its sharpness was so absurd that even when Lin Yao merely swung it a couple of times, the heart-stopping whistle of air was unmistakable.
Lin Yao quietly calculated to himself, Next, I need to find a way to learn more about Huo Yuhao, then see if I can use the Gold of Life to lure Electrolux out.
Going by the three-year age difference between himself and Ye Guyi, Lin Yao figured that when he was around twelve, he would be just in time for Huo Yuhao's encounter in the Star Dou Great Forest at age eleven.
Shrek was already close to the Star Dou Great Forest, and his family had fast horses. They could easily make the round trip without delaying anything. And even if he did end up delayed, Lin Yao was sure Shrek wouldn't reject him over it.
If they were really that arrogant, they wouldn't have come all the way to deliver an invitation in person.
Lin Yao quickly thought it over, then put the Ranked Carving Knife into his Storage Soul Tool. If I get it, it's my good fortune; if I lose it, it's fate.
No matter how much he planned now, he wouldn't be able to find out if it worked for another five years. Until then, he might as well focus on cultivating.
Lin Yao liked making plans, but he was also pragmatic. After briefly sorting through his thoughts, he sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.
In the blink of an eye, five years passed.
Lin Yao and Ye Guyi had grown much more familiar with each other, and they were less guarded around one another.
The black power on Lin Yao's Soul Devourer Cursed Blade, formed from the Gold of Life, had gradually faded under the influence of Ye Guyi's golden Soul Power.
The life force radiating from the Gold of Life had also benefited both Lin Yao and Ye Guyi immensely.
Even the people throughout the Lin Mansion had grown much stronger and healthier under the nourishment of this life force.
On top of that, Lin Yao had been born with Innate Full Soul Power. By seven, he had two Soul Rings; at twelve, he had reached Level 40. He had truly brought honor to his father, and Lin Xueli's standing in the court of the Dou Ling Empire had become much more secure.
When Lin Yao broke through to the Soul Elder realm at age nine, he had another dream about that temple.
This time, a purple figure appeared in the dream. Lin Yao couldn't make out his face; he could only see the figure wave his arm, sending purple energy into a line of text.
[God of Destruction's First Trial: Defeat a thirty-thousand-year Soul Beast]
Only then did Lin Yao realize what the things in his dreams were: a divine trial from the God of Destruction.
The God of Destruction looked so stern and upright. Was he actually thinking of jumping ship, too?
By the time Lin Yao had reached the Soul Elder level, Lin Xueli had more or less stopped asking after his progress. For his third Soul Ring, Lin Yao chose an eight-thousand-year Dark Night Pterosaur. The Soul Skill he gained was Dark Radiance Protective Barrier, another buff-type skill, just like his first.
With two boosts, plus his second Soul Skill—the dragon-claw attack that worked at both close and long range—Lin Yao's Soul Elder setup was already impressive.
During this time, Lin Yao had tried many times. Whether he activated a Soul Skill to increase the concentration of his own dark attribute or focused all his attention on controlling his body, he couldn't use dragon breath on his own.
Given this, Lin Yao made his judgment about his Martial Soul: dragon breath really did have to be gained by attaching a Soul Ring. That had frustrated him for a short while, but after thinking it over, he let it go.
At worst, it would just take up one Soul Ring slot. Soul Ring slots weren't some rare treasure whose purpose was anything other than filling them with Soul Skills to increase a Soul Master's combat strength.
If he obsessed over the pros and cons of every Soul Ring slot, he'd only end up trapping himself.
For his fourth Soul Ring, Lin Yao planned to find a Soul Beast skilled in dragon breath or other breath attacks, unlocking the Ender Dragon's dragon breath ability.
Since his first two Soul Rings had already surpassed the usual age limits, and his third had reached eight thousand years, Lin Xueli agreed to let Lin Yao challenge a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring for his fourth, following Tang San's glorious precedent.
He even called upon his network of connections and asked the Dou Ling Empire's chancellor to arrange for a ninety-first-level Titled Douluo in the service of the imperial family to secretly watch over Lin Yao.
That way, Lin Yao could be tested without dying during the Soul Hunting Operation.
The Titled Douluo never met Lin Yao. From beginning to end, Lin Yao only knew that someone was following him; he never sensed the man's presence or saw what he looked like.
At Lin Yao's instruction, the carriage headed toward the southern part of the Star Dou Great Forest, getting as close as possible to where Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had met Huo Yuhao.
The carriage jolted along. Ye Guyi sat beside Lin Yao, lightly gripping the corner of his clothes, then said, "It's a shame I haven't hunted any Evil Soul Masters in all these years. Cultivating on my own has slowed my Soul Power growth. Otherwise, I could've gone to hunt my fourth Soul Ring with you. Then you wouldn't have overtaken me."
Lin Yao smiled, leaning lightly against the carriage wall as he replied, "Cultivation depends on talent. You can't rush it. Trying too hard to force quick results will only damage your foundation. If you don't build a solid foundation, then even if your Soul Power Level goes up, someone at the same level can still pin you down and beat you."
Ye Guyi nodded, finding Lin Yao's words entirely reasonable. Then she looked at him and said, "Tell me, how do you cultivate? You've managed to keep your strength so formidable, and your Soul Power has grown so much faster than mine."
Lin Yao smiled at her complaint, then ran a hand through his hair and said warmly, "That's even easier to understand. I was born with Innate Full Soul Power, so naturally, I should cultivate faster than you. The reason you were able to cultivate so quickly before was that killing Evil Soul Masters through your Martial Soul gave you a boost. But that wasn't without its benefits. The Soul Power you gained from the holy power of those Evil Soul Masters also cleansed your meridians without you realizing it. You might not feel it yet, but the higher your level gets, the more you'll see the advantages of having built that foundation."
"Pills that cleanse the meridians are quite expensive on the market. You've saved a fortune in cultivation resources."
Ye Guyi covered her mouth and laughed, then stretched. "You're right. My Martial Soul really is easy to feed."
Their carriage stopped at a mountain village dozens of miles south of the forest.
The village looked poor, but quite a few Soul Masters lived there. Most were on the verge of a breakthrough and preparing to hunt Soul Rings, while others were high-level Soul Masters who had been doing business with Soul Masters for years.
Lin Yao and the others rented a stable there and left a servant from the Lin Mansion behind to watch the carriage and care for the horses. They set off on foot toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
If they took the horses any closer, the animals would catch the scent of the Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest and panic, potentially bolting and getting lost for nothing.
So nobody in their right mind would choose to ride a horse into the Star Dou Great Forest...
Before you continue