Background

"Heart-Eating Essence Theft."

Lin Wan murmured inwardly.

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

The energy swiftly replenished the Soul Power Lin Wan had consumed in 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 Soul Grandmaster out of the forced stupor caused by Soul Seizure.

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

"You don't have level-one Soul Power! What kind of monster are you?"

The short, stocky Soul Master shrieked in horror, trying to retreat and flee. But Lin Wan's Fox Claw had his wrist locked tight, and the pain and weakness left him utterly powerless.

The Martial Soul and rank he had been so proud of before Lin Wan now seemed utterly insignificant.

He could not understand how an ordinary person with Innate Soul Power of only level one had suddenly become so powerful.

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

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

The short, stocky Soul Grandmaster stumbled back with a scream, clutching his 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 had to find out through this Soul Master whether he was alone or whether there were more of them.

If you failed to uproot the weeds, they would grow back with the spring breeze.

He advanced step by step. The silver-white Fox Claw, stained with blood, slowly rose again, its fingertips glinting with a dangerous chill beneath the bleak winter sunlight.

The short, stocky Soul Master was scared out of his wits. With a thud, he dropped to his knees, weeping and crying out, "I'll talk! I'll talk! Greed got the better of me—I wanted to sell you for a fortune! Please spare me, my lord! Spare me!"

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

So there really were accomplices!

Killing intent instantly rose in Lin Wan's heart. Without further hesitation, he mentally accessed the system inventory.

"The Tinderbox."

Sizzle!

Sparks burst forth!

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

"Roar—!!!"

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

The moment they appeared, they locked onto every target.

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

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

From behind the distant hill, several brief, miserable screams immediately rang out as the hounds moved.

Old Drus sat collapsed nearby, completely terrified, 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. Once he confirmed that there were no survivors, he recalled the giant hounds.

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

This incident also made him realize that his concealment 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 create a convincing background for himself.

"Grandpa Drus, we can't stay here. We need to leave immediately."

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

The carriage raced through the bumpy forest path. Old Drus gripped the sideboard tightly, still shaken as he watched Lin Wan's back.

Naturally, Lin Wan noticed Old Drus's silence. But he was busy coming up with a plausible background for himself and had no time to comfort him.

A moment later.

"Grandpa Drus, did I scare you?"

Old Drus trembled and hurriedly shook his head.

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

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

Lin Wan drew a deep breath. "Actually, I can hardly believe that thing was so powerful either."

Lin Wan stretched out his hand, The Tinderbox resting in his palm.

"What is that?"

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

"My master gave it to me."

"In Frost City, I met a mysterious senior. He said my Martial Soul was very special, but my foundation was too poor. And with a face like this, it was too dangerous in these times. He saw that my character was decent, so he accepted me as a nominal disciple. Before leaving, he gave me this protective charm. He said it contained several powerful guardian forces, and that rubbing the flint could activate them in a life-or-death crisis. But it could only be used a few times, and the commotion was too great, easily attracting trouble. He told me never to use it unless absolutely necessary."

Lin Wan felt that this story was fairly convincing. He had merely changed the time, place, and people involved.

During Martial Soul Awakening, his extraordinary talent had attracted the system's attention. It had chosen him as its host, and he had drawn The Tinderbox.

What he had said was true. He had only swapped out a few words.

"Master?"

Old Drus's cloudy eyes lit up at once.

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

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

In Old Drus's eyes, anyone who awakened 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. After teaching me methods of cultivation and giving me something to protect myself with, he left. He also told me to cultivate diligently and find him after graduation."

Old Drus began imagining things again. He was even starting to envision Lin Wan's future as a Title Douluo.

"That senior truly has an eye for talent. Xiao Wan, you must listen to your master and cultivate diligently! Don't let that senior's expectations down."

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

The carriage entered the village and immediately drew the villagers' attention.

When they saw Old Drus and Lin Wan return, everyone eagerly gathered around them.

After all, this was a Soul Master from their village!

When Lin Wan appeared before them, revealing a face that had become ever more breathtaking under the nourishment of Soul Power, gasps and exclamations erupted from the crowd.

"Heavens! It's Xiao Wan! He's far too beautiful!"

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

"As expected of 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.