Hu Liena pressed herself closer.
She buried her face against Lin Tian's shoulder, her hair falling between them. The strength around her waist kept her from pulling away, and she did not want to pull away either.
"Lin Tian."
"Mm."
"There is still a match tomorrow."
"I know."
"Then hold me for a while."
"Alright."
Hu Liena closed her eyes.
Listening to Lin Tian's steady heartbeat, her body, which had been feverish from the Whale Rubber, gradually calmed.
After a while, she lifted her face.
"Give me another piece."
"You can't continue tonight."
"I still want to become stronger."
"Your body needs time to adapt."
"What about tomorrow night?"
"Tomorrow night is fine."
Hu Liena finally loosened her arms.
She took half a step back and draped her black gauze outer robe over her shoulders again.
"It's settled, then."
"Mm."
"You are not allowed to forget."
"I won't."
Hu Liena looked at Lin Tian, the smile on her face brighter than the lamplight.
She bent down, picked up the remaining Whale Rubber, and closed the wooden box.
"It isn't safe to keep these things in your room."
"I'll put them away."
"Put them in my room."
Lin Tian looked at her.
"You're planning to keep them for me?"
"And supervise your cultivation while I'm at it."
"You'll supervise me?"
"I'm already level forty-five now."
Hu Liena lifted her chin.
"I might not be unable to catch up to you in the future."
"Then give it a try."
"Just wait."
She carried the wooden box a few steps away, then turned back to look at Lin Tian.
"Lin Tian."
"Is there something else?"
"That hug just now didn't count as thanks."
"Then what did it count as?"
Hu Liena did not answer immediately.
She stood at the entrance to the training ground. Her white dress clung to her slender figure, and her black gauze robe covered her shoulders, yet it could not block the radiant beauty of the lamplight falling upon her face.
"It counted as me wanting to hug you."
After saying that, she turned and left with the wooden box in her arms.
Her skirt swayed gently.
Her embroidered shoes stepped across the stone slabs, revealing a glimpse of her fair ankle.
Lin Tian remained where he was, watching her figure vanish at the end of the corridor.
A moment later, he withdrew his gaze.
"Hu Liena."
"She is getting more and more direct."
Lin Tian sat cross-legged on the stone platform again.
The Nine Nether Beast and the Primordial Chaos Azure Lotus appeared at the same time.
Four black Soul Rings slowly revolved beneath the lamplight.
He took out another piece of Whale Rubber and began cultivating.
At the far end of the corridor, Hu Liena paused while carrying the wooden box.
She turned to look toward the training ground.
The blush on her fair cheeks had yet to fade.
"Tomorrow night..."
Hu Liena raised a hand and pressed it against her chest.
Then she hugged the wooden box tightly and hurried back to her room.
Moonlight fell into the room through the window.
The wooden box was placed beside the bed.
She sat on the edge of the bed, lifted her legs, removed her embroidered shoes, and placed her fair bare feet on the soft carpet.
Remembering how Lin Tian had steadied her earlier, her legs unconsciously tightened.
"Tomorrow night, it can't just be a short hug."
Hu Liena murmured softly.
She reached out, took out a piece of Whale Rubber, and examined it carefully in her palm for a while.
"I need to become stronger."
"And keep standing by his side."
In the distant training ground, azure light and pitch-black light alternated in flashes.
Lin Tian was still cultivating.
Yet that night, Hu Liena could not fall asleep for a long time.
One month later.
Deep within the Great Star Dou Forest.
Large stretches of ancient trees lay toppled across the ground.
Deep claw marks, several feet deep, had been left between the broken trunks.
Lin Tian stood in the center of an open clearing.
Level fifty Soul Power surged through his meridians.
Over the past month, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament had completed several stages.
Spirit Hall Academy maintained a perfect winning record.
With the help of Whale Rubber and the cultivation chamber, Lin Tian's Soul Power had also risen from level forty-five to level fifty.
The Tank Engine had completed five enhancements.
Five new Attribute Forgers had further increased his strength, defense, and Soul Power recovery.
Now, he only lacked a Soul Ring to officially enter the realm of a Soul King.
Heavy footsteps kept approaching from the dense forest ahead.
Each step made the ground tremble.
Crack!
An ancient tree that required several people to encircle snapped in half.
A massive figure crashed through the canopy and appeared before Lin Tian.
It was a giant bear over eight meters tall.
Dark golden fur covered its entire body.
Its two bear paws were exceptionally massive.
Its ten sharp claws were each over a meter long, their surfaces flowing with dark golden light.
The claws merely grazed the ground, yet the hard rock was sliced apart.
A Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.
One of the most powerful races among Soul Beasts.
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear before him had reached a cultivation of thirty thousand years.
Even ordinary Soul Sages would not wish to face it alone.
Lin Tian looked at those dark golden claws.
"Perfect for the Nine Nether Beast."
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear suddenly raised a paw.
Five dark golden claw lights tore through the trees ahead and descended straight toward Lin Tian.
Lin Tian did not evade.
The Nine Nether Beast stepped forth from behind him.
Its nine massive tails spread out at once.
Pitch-black Destruction Power blocked the attack before Lin Tian and collided head-on with the dark golden claw lights.
Boom!
Dozens of ancient trees around them exploded at once.
Splintered wood flew in every direction.
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear stepped across the broken timber littering the ground, its massive body charging directly at Lin Tian.
It raised its right paw.
Dark golden claws pressed down from above Lin Tian's head.
The Tank Engine within Lin Tian instantly activated.
His bones and muscles rapidly expanded.
Two meters.
Three meters.
Four meters.
Five meters!
All the power brought by fifty enhancements erupted.
Lin Tian raised an arm and directly grabbed the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's wrist.
Bang!
The ground beneath both of them collapsed at the same time.
The shockwave kicked up great swathes of earth.
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear continued exerting force downward.
Lin Tian stood in place, his legs not retreating even half a step.
"Not bad strength."
His five fingers gradually tightened.
A series of crisp cracks came from the bones in the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's wrist.
It immediately raised its other paw, its five claws sweeping horizontally toward Lin Tian's chest.
Dark golden light flashed past.
Five tears appeared in the black clothes over Lin Tian's chest.
The claws continued inward, but only left five shallow marks on his skin.
The Primordial Chaos Azure Lotus bloomed at his right side.
Azure Divine Light descended.
Those five marks vanished in an instant.
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear swung its arm again.
Lin Tian had already seized both of its wrists.
The Tank Engine continuously supplied him with strength.
His five-meter-tall body pressed forward.
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's thick legs gradually sank into the ground.
It tried to break free, but Lin Tian gave it no chance.
The first black Soul Ring around the Nine Nether Beast suddenly lit up.
"Netherworld Mountain-Splitter."
Destruction Power gathered in Lin Tian's right leg.
He raised his knee and slammed it into the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's chest.
Boom!
The thick fur on the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's chest caved inward.
Its massive body left the ground and crashed through dozens of ancient trees behind it.
Destruction Power had already entered its body.
A second eruption followed close behind.
A huge spray of blood exploded from the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's chest and abdomen.
It crawled up from the shattered wood, blood constantly flowing from its mouth.
The Soul Beast did not flee.
Dark golden light surged from its ten sharp claws.
Two phantom Dreadclaws over ten meters long crossed as they descended.
Ten deep trenches were carved into the surrounding ground.
Lin Tian raised his right hand.
The first Soul Ring of the Primordial Chaos Azure Lotus lit up.
"All-Heaven Prison Root."
Thick vines burst out of the ground.
The vines intertwined layer upon layer, blocking the Dark Gold Dreadclaws.
The first layer of vines snapped.
The second layer was immediately sliced apart.
More vines grew from the soil.
Azure Life Divine Light continued to fall.
The broken roots reconnected.
The power of the Dark Gold Dreadclaws was rapidly depleted.
By the time the final claw light passed through the vine net, Lin Tian had already arrived before the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.
The Nine Nether Beast's nine massive tails descended from different directions.
Just as the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear raised its paws, vines tightly bound its limbs.
Blades of destruction struck its back one after another.
Large patches of dark golden fur were severed.
Wounds appeared one after another.
Lin Tian clenched his right fist.
The power of the Pearlglow Gauntlet gathered around his knuckles.
His fist crashed down onto the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's head.
Bang!
The first force shattered its protective Soul Power.
Netherworld Mountain-Splitter erupted from within the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear once more.
Its head slammed violently downward.
A massive crater appeared in the ground.
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear still tried to rise.
Lin Tian raised his fist again.
This punch triggered a critical hit.
The Destruction Power instantly doubled.
Boom!
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's head sank into the ground.
Large cracks spread outward from the center of the crater.
Its limbs twitched a few times before completely losing their strength.
A pitch-black Soul Ring rose above the corpse.
Lin Tian withdrew the Nine Nether Beast.
His five-meter-tall body returned to normal.
He sat cross-legged and raised his hand to draw in the Soul Ring.
The Thirty-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring rapidly descended.
Immense Soul Power surged into his body.
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's lingering ferocity entered his Spirit Sea, but before it could take shape, the Nine Nether Beast crushed it with one claw.
The Primordial Chaos Azure Lotus scattered divine light.
The power within the Soul Ring continuously merged into Lin Tian's meridians and flesh.
Half an hour later.
The fifth black Soul Ring stabilized.
Lin Tian opened his eyes.
The pressure of a Soul King spread from his body.
The remaining shattered wood and rocks around him rolled outward at the same time.
Level fifty-one!
[Fifth Soul Ring successfully absorbed.] [Obtained soul skill: Dark Gold Soul-Destroying Claw.] [Dark Gold Soul-Destroying Claw: Condenses dark golden Dreadclaws with Destruction Power, ignoring part of the target's defense and dealing simultaneous damage to the body and spirit.]
Lin Tian raised his right hand.
Dark golden claws covered his five fingers.
Black destruction aura flowed between the claws.
He casually swung forward.
Five streaks of claw light instantly crossed a hundred meters.
Ancient trees, rocks, and the ground along the way were all sliced apart.
Five deep trenches extended all the way to the end of the forest.
"Not bad."
Lin Tian withdrew his Soul Power.
He turned and left the Great Star Dou Forest.
Three days later.
Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.
Inside the Spirit Hall Academy resting area.
Hu Liena stood before Lin Tian.
She wore a platinum academy uniform.
Her fitted short skirt fell to the middle of her thighs.
Black stockings wrapped around her slender legs.
Her golden boots stepped against the floor, their heels making faint sounds.
She raised her hand and adjusted Lin Tian's collar.
"You were gone for three days, and you didn't even tell me beforehand."
"I went to obtain my fifth Soul Ring."
Lin Tian looked down at her.
"I'm back now."
Hu Liena smoothed down his collar.
Her fingers moved down along the golden patterns before finally resting on Lin Tian's chest.
"Level fifty?"
"To be precise, level fifty-one."
She lifted her face.
"What Soul Beast?"
"A Thirty-Thousand-Year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear."
Hu Liena's fingers paused.
"You killed it by yourself?"
"Mm."
She stared at Lin Tian for a moment.
"Even Soul Sages are unwilling to take a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's attacks head-on."
"And yet you came back without a single wound on you."
"It could only tear my clothes."
Lin Tian raised his hand and held Hu Liena's waist.
"Have you been cultivating properly these past few days?"
"I'm already level forty-six."
Hu Liena stepped closer.
Her black stockings brushed against Lin Tian's trousers.
Her arms wrapped around his waist as she pressed her face against his chest.
"While you were gone, I didn't use any Whale Rubber."
"Afraid something would go wrong?"
"I was waiting for you to help me."
She lifted her eyes.
"After today's match, accompany me while I cultivate."
"Alright."
Hu Liena did not let go immediately.
She stood on tiptoe and lightly touched the side of Lin Tian's face.
"This is your reward for returning safely."
Lin Tian held her waist and did not let her pull away.
"Just this?"
Hu Liena's cheeks reddened slightly.
"We'll talk tonight."
The resting area door was pushed open at that moment.
Xie Yue entered the room, his steps halting at the doorway.
Yan followed behind him and likewise saw Hu Liena leaning in Lin Tian's arms.
Hu Liena released him and adjusted her short skirt.
Her expression quickly returned to normal.
"The match is about to begin?"
Xie Yue nodded.
"Our opponents are Shrek Academy."
Lin Tian stood up.
"Let's go."
The doors on both sides of the Soul Battle Platform opened at the same time.
The Shrek Seven Monsters entered first.
Dai Mubai stood at the front of the team.
Tang San stood in the center.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing guarded the sides.
Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Ning Rongrong stood at the rear.
Spirit Hall Academy walked onto the Soul Battle Platform from the other side.
Lin Tian stood at the front.
Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan stood to his left and right.
The other three team members followed behind them.
This time, Lin Tian did not have the team members leave the field.
"Use the formation from our usual training."
Hu Liena nodded.
"I'll handle the mental control."
Xie Yue drew his two Moon Blades.
"Yan and I will attack."
The remaining three simultaneously released their Soul Power, preparing to provide support and defense.
On Shrek's side, Tang San stared at the Soul Rings beneath Lin Tian's feet.
"Five Soul Rings."
Dai Mubai's expression darkened.
The experience of kneeling on the Soul Battle Platform last time still remained in his memory even now.
"He's already a Soul King."
Yu Xiaogang stood outside the arena.
"Tang San, use the Seven-in-One Fusion Technique immediately!"
Tang San did not hesitate.
"Form up!"
The seven Shrek members swiftly lined up in a straight line.
Ning Rongrong summoned the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Oscar created Recovery Sausages.
The others' Soul Power was continuously transmitted through a special method, all of it converging within Tang San's body.
Blue Silver Grass covered the entire Soul Battle Platform.
Tang San's aura rose steadily.
Level forty.
Level fifty.
Level sixty.
Vast Soul Power condensed behind him into the colossal phantom of Blue Silver Grass.
A wave of shocked cries erupted from the audience.
"Shrek's Soul Power has fused together!"
"Tang San's aura is already approaching that of a Soul Sage!"
"This is Shrek's true trump card!"
The referee raised his right hand.
"The match begins!"
The fourth Soul Ring beneath Tang San's feet immediately lit up.
"Blue Silver Prison!"
Hundreds of Blue Silver Grass stalks burst through the Soul Battle Platform.
Vines lashed out from every direction, coiling toward the seven Spirit Hall members.
Hu Liena stepped forward.
Demon Fox Martial Soul Possession.
Pink light blanketed the Soul Battle Platform.
"Enchantment!"
Ma Hongjun and Oscar froze at the same time.
Just as Zhu Zhuqing was about to launch a surprise attack, Xie Yue's two Moon Blades were already blocking her path.
Yan slammed a fist into the ground.
Crimson flames burst along the cracks, burning through all the surrounding Blue Silver Grass.
Three Spirit Hall team members activated their soul skills at the same time.
A Soul Power barrier covered the rear of their formation.
Shrek's first wave of attacks was completely blocked.
Tang San raised both hands.
More Blue Silver Grass grew from beneath the ground.
"Hold Lin Tian down!"
Dai Mubai and Xiao Wu charged out simultaneously.
The White Tiger Fierce Light Wave struck head-on.
Xiao Wu circled around the side, her legs shooting straight for Lin Tian's neck.
Before you continue