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"Heart-Eating Essence Theft."

Lin Wan silently recited it in his heart.

A not particularly large amount of soul power and life essence was forcibly drawn through the Fox Claw and surged into Lin Wan's body.

This energy quickly replenished the soul power Lin Wan had expended activating his soul skill, while the excess soul power and life essence began strengthening his body.

"Ah—!!!"

The piercing agony and rapidly draining soul power instantly jolted the short, stocky Grand Soul Master out of Soul Seizure's forced stupor.

He immediately let out an incomparably shrill scream. Looking at the gruesome bloody hole in his wrist and Lin Wan's hand, which glimmered with an eerie silver light like a demon's claw, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief.

"You don't have rank-one soul power! What kind of monster are you?"

The short, stocky Soul Master shrieked in panic, trying to retreat and flee. But Lin Wan's Fox Claw had his wrist firmly locked, and the pain and weakness left him unable to exert any strength at all.

The martial soul and rank he had been so proud of before Lin Wan now seemed utterly worthless.

He could not understand how an ordinary person with merely rank-one Innate Soul Power had suddenly become so powerful.

Lin Wan remained expressionless, his sea-blue eyes as cold as ice.

He abruptly pulled back his Fox Claw, bringing up a spray of blood.

The short, stocky Grand Soul Master screamed as he staggered backward, clutching his profusely bleeding wrist. His face was pale as paper, and he looked at Lin Wan as though he were a demon wearing human skin.

"Talk! Who sent you? Do you have any accomplices?"

Lin Wan needed to find out through this Soul Master whether he was alone or whether there were more of them.

Failing to pull out the roots meant they would grow back with the spring wind.

He advanced step by step, his bloodstained silver-white Fox Claw slowly rising again. The cold gleam at its fingertips flashed with dangerous light beneath the bleak winter sun.

The short, stocky Soul Master was scared out of his wits. With a thud, he fell to his knees, tears and snot streaming down his face as he cried, "I'll talk! I'll talk! I was blinded by greed! I wanted to sell you for a fortune! Please spare me, sir! Spare me!"

Just as the short, stocky Soul Master wailed and begged for mercy, Lin Wan's enhanced ears caught an extremely faint sound from behind a distant hill.

There really were accomplices!

Killing intent immediately rose within Lin Wan. He no longer hesitated and instantly connected his thoughts to the system inventory.

"The Tinderbox."

Sizzle!

Sparks flew!

Three enormous black figures radiating terrifying auras appeared in an instant.

"Roar—!!!"

The Three-Headed Hounds roared in unison, shaking the entire valley.

The instant they appeared, they locked onto every target.

Before the giant hounds, the short, stocky Soul Master's cries became incomparably faint.

He did not even have time to react before one of the giant hounds' massive paws crushed him into pulp.

From behind the distant hill, several brief, agonized screams immediately followed the hounds' movements.

Old Drus collapsed limply to the side, utterly dumbfounded, his mouth hanging wide open.

Lin Wan expressionlessly withdrew his Fox Claw. The silver-white glow faded, and his palm returned to normal.

He swept his gaze over the mess on the ground and the distant hill. After confirming there were no survivors left, he put the giant hounds away.

Lin Wan had not intended to use The Tinderbox, but to be safe, he had summoned its power anyway, determined to kill the other person in one blow and leave no chance for escape.

This incident had also made him realize that his attempts to keep a low profile in Frost City had been useless.

In that case, he had to display enough power to intimidate others.

And with The Tinderbox, Lin Wan could conveniently fabricate a background for himself.

"Grandpa Drus, this isn't a place to linger. We need to leave immediately."

Lin Wan helped the limp old Drus to his feet, swiftly cleared away the obvious traces around the carriage, then drove onward toward Cold North Village.

The carriage sped through the bumpy forest. Old Drus clutched the carriage boards tightly, still shaken as he stared at Lin Wan's back.

Lin Wan naturally noticed Old Drus's silence, but he was busy concocting a plausible background for himself and had no time to comfort him.

A moment later.

"Grandpa Drus, I scared you, didn't I?"

Old Drus trembled and hurriedly shook his head.

"No... no. Xiao Wan, you saved Grandpa. Grandpa just never expected..."

He did not know how to express the shock in his heart.

Lin Wan took a deep breath. "Actually, I can't believe that thing was so powerful either."

Lin Wan extended his hand, The Tinderbox resting in his palm.

"This is?"

Old Drus looked at the box in Lin Wan's hand in confusion.

"My master gave it to me."

"In Frost City, I met a mysterious elder. He said my martial soul was very special, but my foundation was too poor, and with a face like this, I was in far too much danger in these times. He saw that my character was passable, so he accepted me as a nominal disciple. Before leaving, he gave me this protective talisman. He said it contained several powerful protective forces that could be activated by striking the flint in a life-or-death crisis. But it could only be used a few times, and it made too much of a commotion, which could easily attract trouble. He told me never to use it unless absolutely necessary."

Lin Wan felt that the story he had made up was quite reasonable. He had merely changed the time, place, and people involved.

When his martial soul awakened, his extraordinary talent had attracted the system's attention. It had chosen him as its host, and he had drawn The Tinderbox.

The story he told was true; he had only changed a few words.

"Master?"

Old Drus's cloudy eyes immediately lit up.

"Xiao Wan, you took a master? And a mysterious, powerful elder at that!"

Old Drus immediately imagined a reclusive master roaming the world at leisure, who had taken a liking to Lin Wan's talent.

In Old Drus's eyes, anyone who could awaken soul power was a genius. Lin Wan was naturally a genius too, so he did not doubt Lin Wan's words in the slightest.

"Could this be a precious soul tool?" Old Drus asked.

"That's right." Lin Wan nodded and put away The Tinderbox.

"My master's whereabouts are uncertain. He taught me a cultivation method and gave me something to protect myself with before leaving. He also told me to cultivate diligently and seek him out after graduation."

Old Drus began imagining things again. He even started envisioning Lin Wan's future as a Titled Douluo.

"That elder truly has a discerning eye! Xiao Wan, you must listen to your master and cultivate well! Don't disappoint the elder's expectations."

Seeing that Old Drus had completely believed him and relaxed, Lin Wan also breathed a sigh of relief.

When the carriage entered the village, it immediately drew the villagers' attention.

Seeing Old Drus and Lin Wan return, everyone eagerly gathered around them.

After all, a Soul Master had come from their village!

When Lin Wan appeared before them, revealing that face made ever more breathtaking by the nourishment of soul power, the crowd erupted in gasps and exclamations.

"Heavens! It's Xiao Wan! He's so beautiful!"

"He's even more handsome than those young masters and ladies in the city paintings!"

"No wonder he's the little Soul Master from our village. Even his bearing is different now!"

Lin Wan had long grown accustomed to such looks in Frost City. He smiled and greeted the villagers.