Holy Soul Village, the back hills.
Deep in the woods, ancient trees towered overhead.
Lin Jing darted through the forest. From time to time, a pitch-black strand of Blue Silver Grass sprang from his palm and wrapped around a tree trunk, swinging him forward.
His movements were smooth and agile, just like Spider-Man in some movie from his previous life.
He swung through the trees until he reached the heart of the forest. Then he withdrew the Dark Blue Silver Emperor and landed steadily on the ground.
As soon as he steadied himself, a black glimmer flashed deep in his eyes.
In the next instant, black-and-red light surged from his body and spread out in every direction.
It moved at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, it enveloped everything within ten meters of him.
He hadn't stopped it deliberately. With his current, one-ring strength, ten meters was simply his limit.
"One ring... The domain's range is only ten meters? And it drains Soul Power way too fast."
Lin Jing frowned, then stilled his mind and began examining the Soul Skills attached to the Blue Silver Devouring Domain.
Tang San's Blue Silver Domain had attached Soul Skills. There was no reason Lin Jing's Blue Silver Devouring Domain should be a blank slate.
The next second, his eyes lit up.
He immediately activated one of them.
"Blue Silver Devouring Domain's attached skill, All Rivers Run into Sea!"
That was right. It was All Rivers Run into Sea.
His Blue Silver Devouring Domain had four attached Soul Skills:
Disguise, Blue Silver Range Entanglement, Myriad Manifestations of the Forest, and All Rivers Run into Sea.
Besides that, Lin Jing discovered that his domain closely matched the Blue Silver Domain.
To sum it up in his words:
Whatever the Blue Silver Domain had, the Blue Silver Devouring Domain had too. But whatever the Blue Silver Devouring Domain had, the Blue Silver Domain might not.
One thing the Blue Silver Domain lacked was "devouring."
Every strand of Dark Blue Silver Emperor could devour an enemy's blood and Soul Power.
The blood could raise his cultivation, while the Soul Power replenished his own reserves.
As soon as Lin Jing spoke, All Rivers Run into Sea activated!
Within a ten-meter radius, the Dark Blue Silver Grass that had already been assimilated by his domain bent toward him in unison.
It was like subjects bowing before their king.
Amid a soft rustling, flecks of black Soul Power rose from the blades of grass like fireflies, slowly streaming into Lin Jing's body.
That was the effect of All Rivers Run into Sea: recovery.
The amount recovered depended on how much Blue Silver Grass was nearby.
This was a forest in the wilderness, where Blue Silver Grass was everywhere. Even within the ten-meter radius around Lin Jing, its recovery effect was astonishing.
At the very least, it could offset the energy he spent maintaining the Devouring Domain.
Lin Jing clenched his fist. He felt that he could now take on a Soul Grandmaster head-on and utterly crush him.
The next morning.
The morning mist had yet to lift.
Dewdrops clung to the blades of grass, each one sparkling as it reflected the faint light on the horizon.
Lin Jing had deliberately gotten up at the crack of dawn.
He was going to stand up for his little brother!
He pushed open the door and looked up at the sky.
A streak of purple in the east was just about to fade.
If his guess was right, Tang San would be in the back hills at this hour.
"I'd better hurry."
Lin Jing poured Soul Power into the 100,000-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone.
The next moment, his body suddenly felt light.
It was as if he'd broken free of gravity's hold. His whole body floated into the air.
He fixed on the direction of the back hills, then darted forward and shot off like a streak of light.
The village's only blacksmith shop.
Tang Hao leaned against the doorway, with empty liquor jars piled haphazardly beside him.
He had to wonder where the man got the money for all that booze.
If Old Jack saw him, he'd probably be so angry he'd rap Tang Hao on the head with his cane.
Tang San was about to start school, yet this father wasn't saving money. If anything, he was drinking more than ever.
At that moment, Tang Hao stared vacantly ahead, his eyes unfocused.
No one knew what he was thinking.
After a while, his expression shifted.
He'd sensed something.
He raised his head and gazed in a certain direction with cloudy eyes.
It was the direction Lin Jing had taken off in.
Tang Hao's lips moved.
His voice was low and hoarse.
"A... Yin..."
The back hills.
Lin Jing didn't land directly on the peak. Instead, he touched down halfway up the mountain.
He planned to climb to the summit on his own two feet.
For a Soul Master on the verge of becoming a Soul Grandmaster, a few flights of steps were nothing.
He lightly touched down on his toes and shot forward.
The stone steps flew beneath him as the mountain wind howled.
In the blink of an eye, he was standing at the summit.
The mountaintop was a vast, flat expanse of rock, open and unobstructed.
A dark-skinned boy sat cross-legged on the edge of the cliff, facing east.
Lin Jing drew a deep breath and channeled Soul Power into his throat.
"TANG SAN!!!"
His shout exploded across the mountaintop.
Even birds in the distant woods were startled into flight.
Tang San had been immersed in cultivation. Lin Jing's shout jolted him so badly that his whole body jerked.
He lost his balance and toppled toward the cliff.
At the critical moment, Tang San slapped the ground with his palm and hauled himself back.
Once he was safely on the mountaintop, cold sweat soaked his back.
He'd come that close to falling.
A surge of anger shot up through him.
Who was it?!
Not only had they interrupted his cultivation, they'd nearly made him fall off a cliff!
They had a death wish!
A flash of murderous intent passed through his eyes.
"Can't you hear me calling you?"
Lin Jing's voice rang out again.
Tang San hadn't even finished standing up when a sharp crack sounded.
Lin Jing stamped his right foot against the ground, jolting a pebble into the air.
He flicked it with a finger. The pebble shot toward Tang San's face with a sharp whistle.
An ordinary child would never have dodged that.
But Tang San was no ordinary child.
In his previous life, he had been hailed as the Tang Sect's most brilliant genius.
Tang San didn't even blink. He reached out with his right hand.
His index and middle fingers clamped together.
The pebble was caught precisely between them, motionless.
But after that, Tang San didn't keep his gaze on Lin Jing, his enemy.
Instead, he warily searched the surroundings.
Whenever Lin Jing had given him trouble before, he'd brought a gang of lackeys along.
A bunch of brats would surround Tang San while Lin Jing hid behind them and gave orders, never getting involved himself.
Tang San had gotten used to it.
Soon, his gaze returned to Lin Jing.
There were only one or two places on the summit where someone could hide, but he hadn't found anyone there.
Tang San frowned.
Did he really come alone?
Was awakening his Martial Soul what gave him the confidence?
He let out a cold laugh inwardly.
Since you've delivered yourself to me, don't blame me for being merciless.
Tang San straightened, dusted himself off, and curled his lips into a cold smile.
"Lin Jing, you've repeatedly come looking for trouble with me. For the sake of us being from the same village, I've backed down again and again."
"But you've pushed your luck and gone too far."
"Today, I'll teach you a proper lesson on behalf of your parents."
Lin Jing: "?"
Why was Tang San making up a whole speech for himself?
Before you continue