Tianlin's Killing Intent and Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia

"Hmph, what an overconfident fool." O'ldo chuckled. Their Soul Power differed by nearly ten levels, yet Tianlin still dared to fight. He could hardly wait to see Tianlin get thoroughly beaten.

"Mount Shu Swordplay, Gale Force Lightning!" Tianlin opened with the strongest move among Mount Shu's introductory sword techniques.

When this move was unleashed, the sword struck as swiftly as a gale and as fiercely as lightning. Aside from his soul skill, Frezing Snow, it was Tianlin's strongest offensive technique.

"First Soul Skill, Ring Impact!" Chu Jie sensed the danger of the sword technique and immediately attacked.

Clang! The Demon Sword collided with the Copper Ring. Tianlin staggered back three steps, but the other party's ring was sent flying as well.

This exchange ended in a draw. Yet the two had a full ten-level gap in Soul Power, and the one with greater Soul Power had even used a soul skill, only to gain no advantage whatsoever. It was easy to imagine that if they were at the same level, that person would be no match for Tianlin at all.

"Damn it, I never expected a mere one-ring Soul Master to have such terrifying attack power. In that case, Second Soul Skill, Ring Restraint." Chu Jie had said that he was a control-system Soul Master, so compared to his first skill's impact, this was his most formidable technique.

The ring gradually began to expand and hovered directly above Tianlin. In an instant, it locked down his body. Tianlin gripped the Demon Sword and forcibly held it up, preventing the ring from continuing to constrict.

"How is it? Admitting defeat now? With your Soul Power, it's impossible for you to break free of my restraint," Chu Jie said smugly.

"Admit defeat? Are you joking? You think this little restraint can trap me for long? First Soul Skill, Frezing Snow!" Tianlin's Soul Ring lit up as he used his first soul skill as well. Under Frezing Snow's assault, the Demon Sword continually sliced at the Copper Ring's edge, and cracks visibly appeared on its surface.

"Damn it, what kind of Weapon Spirit is that? Its attack power is outrageously high! Why aren't you attacking together? At this rate, I won't be able to hold him for much longer!" Chu Jie cried out in panic.

Tianlin had not expected Chu Jie, a Heaven Tier student, to be so despicable. Bullying the weak with his greater strength was not enough; he even wanted to gang up on him.

O'ldo was beside himself with excitement. He had waited a long time for this moment. Now that Tianlin was restrained, wasn't he his to do with as he pleased? O'ldo had no such thing as dignity. On the contrary, taking advantage of someone's misfortune was what he enjoyed most.

O'ldo summoned his Sunflower and used his second soul skill, Flower Storm.

With Tianlin restrained, he had no way to defend or evade. He was immediately swept into the storm, where the sharp petals quickly cut countless wounds across his body.

That was not all. O'ldo's lackeys joined in as well, their spirits wolves, dogs, and whips. Wolf fangs, dog claws, and lashes struck Tianlin without pause.

The sight made O'ldo burst into laughter. "Well? This is what happens when you offend me."

"You bastards are truly despicable." The agonizing pain completely enraged Tianlin. He spent a third of his Soul Power in one breath, raising Frezing Snow's might to its peak and breaking free of the restraint in an instant.

As though it sensed its master's fury, the Demon Sword emitted waves of eerie blue light.

"Seven Kill Swordplay, Killing Intent Spreads!"

This time, Tianlin truly intended to kill. Killing intent rapidly gathered around him.

The surrounding temperature seemed to drop several degrees. The people surrounded by that killing intent broke out in goosebumps, their entire bodies trembling.

"Kill!" Tianlin spat out a single word and charged straight into the crowd.

With a sweep of the Longsword, several people were instantly sent flying. Long bloody gashes were left across their chests.

Tianlin could still show some mercy to those few, but toward the true culprits, Chu Jie and O'ldo, he had no intention of holding back in the slightest.

First was Chu Jie, the Heaven Tier student. His Copper Ring had just been shattered by Tianlin, and the backlash to his Soul Power left him completely unable to move. Tianlin easily sliced off one of his ears with a single stroke, sending him rolling across the ground in agony.

Then came O'ldo. He had been frightened so badly by Tianlin that his legs went limp. Kneeling on the ground, he repeatedly apologized. "I'm sorry, please forgive me. It was all my fault. I know I was wrong. I'll never dare do it again."

Unfortunately for him, Tianlin truly wanted to kill him and paid no attention to his pleas. His blade swung directly toward O'ldo's head.

Just then, a pleasant female voice rang out from the woods. "Nine Heart Begonia!"

At some point, petals began to drift down from the sky. Those petals had healing effects, and the wounds on Tianlin's body gradually began to disappear. Not only him—even the wounds on the chests of those Tianlin had slashed stopped bleeding and quickly formed scars. Of course, Chu Jie's severed ear could not grow back.

"Stop. Right now, this is only a fight, and they are the ones at fault. But once you kill someone, the nature of the matter will be completely different."

The girl's voice calmed Tianlin slightly. His sword edge shifted just a little, and like Chu Jie, O'ldo only had one ear sliced off.

It was entirely intentional. He could refrain from killing them, but that did not mean he could pretend nothing had happened after they provoked him. One ear each was a small punishment.

"Sigh, why are you so impulsive?" The girl sighed and stepped out. Under the moonlight, Tianlin finally saw her clearly.

She was an exceptionally beautiful girl with short silver hair and delicate features. She held a begonia flower in her hand, while two yellow Soul Rings circled around her.

Another Soul Grandmaster—and her spirit was actually the legendary Nine Heart Begonia, a spirit passed down through only a single bloodline.

This spirit was said to be the number one healing-type spirit in the world. It had only one soul skill: area-wide group healing. The more Soul Rings it possessed, the stronger its healing ability became.

There was a saying that as long as a Nine Heart Begonia Soul Master was present, even dying would be difficult.

"You're Ye Lingling?" Tianlin guessed the girl's identity. After all, in the original story, she was the only person who possessed the Nine Heart Begonia spirit.

Ye Lingling nodded. She was not surprised that Tianlin recognized her. After all, she was rather famous at the academy—one of its beauties, and the possessor of the Nine Heart Begonia spirit.

However, she did not seem to like talking much. She simply stood there silently treating everyone.

So she was a girl with a cold exterior and a warm heart.

Very soon, with Ye Lingling's help, all the wounds on Tianlin's body vanished. They had only been superficial injuries to begin with. Aside from the considerable Soul Power he had expended and his torn clothes, he was completely fine.

The number one healing-type spirit in the world truly lived up to its reputation.

"For Senior Lingling's sake, I'll spare you today. Now get the hell out of here!" Tianlin shouted at them, Demon Sword in hand.

Those nobles already cherished their lives, and now they were scared out of their wits. Not one of them dared to utter a harsh word. Carrying away their leader, who had passed out from the pain, they fled in disgrace.

Seeing this, Ye Lingling withdrew the Nine Heart Begonia and said to Tianlin, "They will not let today's matter go. They may very well use their family's power. You should be careful."

"Thank you for the warning, Senior," Tianlin said with a smile. This senior really was kind.

It seemed Heaven Dou Royal Academy was not entirely filled with trash. There were still genuine geniuses here after all.