Exposed

"Good afternoon, Book Elder. Don't tell me you've been waiting here specifically for me?"

"What are you talking about? Only a handful of people come to this enormous library all day long.

I saw that you came here often enough and found you rather pleasing to the eye. Since I happened to run into you again today, I thought I'd pass the time by giving you a few pointers."

"I see. Then this junior thanks you for your kindness, Book Elder."

Of course, Lin Huo did not believe Book Elder's nonsense. He was completely certain that the old man had been waiting here specifically for him.

As for the reason, barring any surprises, it was because the prodigy persona he had crafted had successfully drawn the man's attention. That was precisely the result he wanted.

One could not conduct academic research by blindly shutting oneself away, or it would be far too easy to go astray.

Especially since, on the profound path of Soul Master theory research, he could only strictly be considered a newcomer who had just stepped through the door.

Although his advanced ideas allowed him to progress rapidly in learning theoretical knowledge, he still occasionally needed a towering authority to clear up his doubts.

And Book Elder, who managed the entire Blazing Fire Grand Library and possessed vast, unfathomable knowledge, was undoubtedly an excellent person to consult.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lin Huo resumed his usual reading and studies, while Book Elder put on his usual old, aged act beside him, forever looking drowsy.

Having already adapted to this environment over the course of yesterday afternoon, Lin Huo did not pay much attention to the same situation today.

He studied while searching for an excuse to explain his rapid rise in Soul Power.

At the same time, Lin Huo once again seriously considered the matter of his first Soul Ring.

In truth, according to his original plan, there had been no need to rush his first Soul Ring at all.

One reason was that raising five levels of Soul Power to ten would take quite some time, so he had originally been left with ample time to prepare.

Another reason was that he had always wanted to pursue the true limit of Soul Ring age.

The Soul Master cultivation system was essentially like rolling a snowball.

The higher one's physical fitness, the older the Soul Ring one could absorb. The older the Soul Ring absorbed, the stronger the Soul Power feedback it provided.

A four-hundred-year Soul Ring could allow Tang San to jump three levels in a row. Tang San's own accumulated cultivation had certainly played a part, but the Soul Power feedback from absorbing the Soul Ring could not be ignored.

Moreover, when Tang San later attached a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring to the Clear Sky Hammer, it truly proved that Soul Rings had an immensely powerful feedback effect on Soul Power Level.

The powerful feedback from a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring could even let Tang San charge through levels within the Titled Douluo realm.

Setting aside Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings for now, even a mere four-hundred-year Soul Ring could raise one's Soul Power Level.

So what about five-hundred-year, eight-hundred-year, or even thousand-year Soul Rings for a Soul Warrior?

Even a single level of Soul Power could save a Soul Master at least several months of arduous cultivation.

If one pursued the limit of Soul Ring age all the way through, the increased Soul Power would save at least several years of hard work. It was undoubtedly an endeavor with exceptionally generous returns.

Furthermore, according to the continent-wide consensus regarding the golden age of Soul Master cultivation—

The faster a Soul Master cultivated in the early stages, the stronger their physical constitution would develop. When their body finally matured, that would determine the upper limit of their future cultivation speed.

In other words, the faster one cultivated early on, the faster one would cultivate later. The two were directly proportional.

And if one could reach level thirty before the age of twenty, Soul Masters across the Douluo Continent would consider it a sign of boundless potential.

The existence of such circumstances made pursuing the limit of Soul Ring age even more worthwhile.

Not to mention that the older a Soul Ring was, the stronger the Soul Skill effect it could grant.

If his first Soul Ring could reach the thousand-year level, then even after he reached the Titled Douluo realm in the future, his first Soul Skill would not become a useless joke.

For example, when Tang San first encountered Dai Mubai, if he shouted out Blue Silver Entanglement, a hundred-year Soul Skill, Dai Mubai would only laugh.

But if what he shouted was Blue Silver Entanglement, a thousand-year Soul Skill, Dai Mubai would only be pinned to the ground and crushed by the absurd power of a thousand-year Soul Ring.

On top of that, he had yet to find a theoretical method for determining an individual's Soul Ring limit, and he had not yet used Whale Rubber to improve his physique.

All in all, those were the reasons Lin Huo had never been in a hurry to obtain his first Soul Ring.

Now, because of his ability to gain experience through combat, his Soul Power was indeed rising faster than Lin Huo had expected.

Fortunately, of the two prerequisites for obtaining a limit-breaking first Soul Ring, he had already roughly found a clue for determining an individual's theoretical Soul Ring limit.

Different Soul Masters had different limits due to differences in their individual constitutions. There had even been cases of Soul Masters dying after absorbing three-hundred-year Soul Rings.

Gangzi's so-called theoretical Soul Ring limits were utter garbage and had no reference value whatsoever.

To truly determine the limit of a Soul Ring, he needed a more concrete and standardized method.

For the time being, Lin Huo called this project the "Unification of Soul Master Measurements."

While Lin Huo was deeply absorbed in his studies, Book Elder examined him closely as he had yesterday, his heart originally filled with admiration.

Then, the Soul Power fluctuations he inadvertently sensed from Lin Huo suddenly changed Book Elder's expression.

"Why has your Soul Power increased so quickly?!"

His wrist was suddenly seized, and the unexpected question in his ear made every hair on Lin Huo's body stand on end.

No matter how carefully he concealed it, accidents always prevailed. In the blink of an eye, someone had seen through the matter of his rising Soul Power Level.

Book Elder gripped Lin Huo's wrist tightly. All his previous admiration for Lin Huo had turned into vigilance.

According to the information he had gathered, Lin Huo had only possessed level-six Soul Power yesterday.

Yet from the Soul Power fluctuations he had inadvertently sensed just now, he discovered that Lin Huo's Soul Power had risen remarkably compared to yesterday.

Judging from Lin Huo's own situation, he had at least level-eight Soul Power now!

At the cultivation speed of someone with five levels of Innate Soul Power, raising two levels of Soul Power in just over a day was simply impossible.

Even his own beloved granddaughter, who possessed nine levels of Innate Soul Power, needed at least months to raise a single level of Soul Power.

Lin Huo's bizarre rate of Soul Power growth made him think of only one vicious group.

Fallen Soul Masters!

The moment Lin Huo saw Book Elder's guarded expression, he knew the man had misunderstood.

And what else could the misunderstanding be? He had obviously mistaken him for a Fallen Soul Master.

Raising two levels of Soul Power in a single day without taking drugs or absorbing any Soul Rings was indeed something only Fallen Soul Masters who devoured the flesh and blood of living beings could accomplish.

Though he was in danger, Lin Huo did not panic. He merely felt a slight headache.

Given Book Elder's current attitude, if he could not provide a reasonable explanation, the man would likely eliminate evil without hesitation.

So the question was, how was he supposed to explain this away?