In the end,
the Sea Soul Beasts were spent, but Emperor Jing's cultivation...
still remained at nine hundred and ninety thousand years.
He... had failed...
The heavenly tribulation that stood between him and godhood...
had barred his way at the very brink of success...
After ten thousand years of life as a beast, in the end, it had all been but a mayfly's dream...
Through a thousand trials and ten thousand perils, he had become glazed crystal, yet the silver dragon... had mistaken the true dragon...
Emperor Jing lowered his eyes and scanned the empty sea horizon behind him, then intoned in a low voice:
I hate the endless blue of the vast sea; a million autumns have passed since then.
Leaning on the railing, I recall the past in lonely silence; sorrow and separation sink deep into my dreams.
My family and household are gone; such is the fleeting life. Success turned to failure, and all became a dream.
I return today, but I am no longer myself. The world remains, but the people are gone... and my tears have run dry...
"Warriors of the Sea Clan, this emperor... is coming!"
The last moments of Emperor Jing's life were dazzling.
He used the cultivation he had honed over nine hundred and ninety thousand years, a level infinitely close to godhood, to leave Douluo Continent an unprecedented explosion.
That day, the heavens and earth changed color, and the sun and moon lost their light.
That day, the sky collapsed, the earth split, and the mountains and rivers shattered.
Lin Jing witnessed it all.
Unknowingly, he had put himself in Emperor Jing's place. In particular, after seeing him sacrifice every Sea Soul Beast and still fail to become a god, Lin Jing fell silent.
Regardless of his own identity, even though he stood among the humans on the opposite side...
he... still wanted Emperor Jing to succeed.
Because Emperor Jing really had given it everything he had.
And he had honored his promise, choosing not to live on alone as a dragon.
"Emperor Jing..."
As Emperor Jing self-destructed, Lin Jing's consciousness returned to the hotel in Nuoding City.
Yet he remained unsettled for a long time.
No one knew what he was thinking, or how long he remained silent.
After a long while,
Lin Jing rose to his feet. With a thought, the Vast Sea Glazed True Dragon appeared and disappeared behind him.
Its glazed dragon body shimmered with rainbow hues in the sunlight streaming through the hotel window.
A sonorous dragon's roar rang out, resounding through heaven and earth.
Everyone in the hotel heard it.
Some woke with a start from their dreams; others were so frightened their legs went weak.
Lin Jing's hair changed from deep black to transparent, glazed crystal.
Two Glazed Dragon Wings emerged from his back, the left nearly touching the door and the right almost reaching the window.
This wasn't the limit of the Glazed Dragon Wings. It was the limit of this hotel room.
The wings could only serve to show off, because they couldn't carry Lin Jing through the air.
They were made of glazed crystal, with no feathers, no batlike membranes, and no pterosaur-like muscle fibers.
Simply flapping them wouldn't get him off the ground.
At most, they could serve as a hang glider.
But that didn't matter much. He could gain the ability to fly by absorbing a Blue Silver Emperor Spirit Bone.
After解除ing the Vast Sea Glazed True Dragon Martial Soul's possession state, Lin Jing summoned his Dark Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul.
An evil aura spread as a black-and-red Blue Silver Grass, about twenty centimeters tall, appeared in Lin Jing's hand.
After sensing the abilities of the Dark Blue Silver Emperor, he nodded with satisfaction.
The Dark Blue Silver Emperor possessed three abilities: devouring, darkness, and poison.
Furthermore, because of the Martial Soul Evolution, even the first Soul Skill he had just obtained had changed along with it.
The blood Thorn Drain absorbed could now replenish his own body.
Not only did the Blue Silver Grass harden, the Dark Blue Silver Emperor could also convert blood into Soul Power to replenish itself.
In the era of Peerless Tang Sect, during Douluo II, he would absolutely be considered an Evil Soul Master. The moment he showed his face, Shrek would have its eye on him.
But things were different in Douluo I. As long as the people from Spirit Hall didn't discover him, he could cultivate by devouring other people's blood.
Then he could live in the sunlight like any ordinary Soul Master, without having to spend every day hiding from pursuit.
After inspecting the changes to his Blue Silver Grass, Lin Jing looked up and saw that his reflection had changed again.
"Can a Tool Martial Soul's possession state change a Soul Master's appearance too?"
Lin Jing wondered.
In the mirror, streaks of red had appeared in his hair, and his pupils had turned a deep black.
The longer Lin Jing stared, the more he felt an eerie, bone-chilling sensation.
His expression hadn't changed at all, yet he seemed to exude a faint trace of wickedness.
After inspecting his changes, Lin Jing left the hotel and walked out of Nuoding City.
He headed in the direction of Holy Soul Village.
"There are still three months until Nuoding Primary Soul Master Academy opens."
Lin Jing pondered as he walked along the dirt road.
How should he spend those three months?
He still felt that his system was a little too bare-bones.
Aside from leveling up and key plot points, there were no opportunities to obtain roulette spins.
Although there was a quest system, it hadn't triggered even once so far, and Lin Jing wasn't holding out much hope for it.
For these three months, he would probably be stuck in single-player mode.
Tang San's apprenticeship after school started should count as a key plot point. He could look forward to a plot-exclusive roulette spin.
As he mulled it over, Holy Soul Village came into view.
An old man leaned beneath the wooden sign at the village entrance.
It was Old Jack.
Lin Jing's heart skipped a beat. Could Old Jack have been waiting here ever since he left?
Even though the system had sent him here directly, seeing this scene still warmed his heart.
He hurried over.
Old Jack noticed someone running toward him, but his cloudy eyes couldn't make out who it was.
It wasn't until he heard that familiar voice.
"Grandpa Jack, what are you doing at the village entrance?"
Lin Jing ran up to Old Jack and supported his arm.
"You're back... you're back."
Old Jack breathed a sigh of relief. Lin Jing had been gone for several days without a word, and he'd been worried sick.
"Grandpa Jack, I..."
Lin Jing scratched his head and decided to tell a kind lie:
"Master Su Yuntao took me to obtain a Spirit Ring. That's why I was gone for so many days."
"Obtain a Spirit Ring?!"
Old Jack's steps halted as Lin Jing helped him toward the village. He turned to look at Lin Jing.
"Xiao Jing, are you now... a Lord Soul Master?"
"Yes, Grandpa Jack. I'm a One-Ring Soul Master now."
Lin Jing grinned, showing a row of gleaming white teeth.
"Good! That's wonderful!"
Old Jack was overcome with excitement, but he still held it in and said to Lin Jing:
"Xiao Jing, you only awakened your Martial Soul a few days ago, and already you've become a Soul Master."
Before they knew it, the two had reached the Spirit Awakening Hall.
A stone statue stood at the entrance to the hall, carved in the likeness of the Soul Saint who had come from Holy Soul Village.
Old Jack pointed at the statue and said:
"Xiao Jing, this is the pride of our Holy Soul Village, a powerful Soul Saint!"
"To honor him, we built this statue and changed the name of our village."
"That's how Holy Soul Village got its name."
Lin Jing nodded and flashed a cocky grin.
"Grandpa Jack, I'll have Holy Soul Village renamed Douluo Village. When that day comes, remember to tear this one down and replace it with a statue of me!"
"You little rascal!"
Old Jack laughed as he raised his cane, pretending to hit him.
Lin Jing dodged to the side. "I'm telling the truth!"
Old Jack lowered his cane and said nothing more. He turned and headed down another village path.
"You've been worn out for days. Go home and get some good rest."
"I'll be waiting for that day."
Lin Jing shouted, "Grandpa Jack, we'll see!"
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