However, that idea was clearly unrealistic. Jiang Lin raised the King's Power Sword and drove it straight into its heart.
"Awoo—"
A low whimper rang out. The Netherworld Leopard's pupils instantly lost focus, and it breathed its last.
The next moment, a pale purple Soul Ring emerged from the Netherworld Leopard's body.
Jiang Lin immediately sat cross-legged. The King's Power Sword hovered quietly before him, and he then held his breath and focused, using his own Soul Power as a link to draw the Soul Ring toward the sword.
"Buzz—"
A faint ripple spread out. Moments later, the Soul Ring finally settled onto the King's Power Sword, then immediately collapsed inward as all the Soul Power within poured into the blade.
"The final step: meditate and fuse!"
Recalling the steps from the original work, Jiang Lin closed his eyes and entered his mental space.
At the same time, an incomparably terrifying surge of Soul Power, along with the Netherworld Leopard's remaining consciousness, flowed through the King's Power Sword and bore down on Jiang Lin!
Looking at the Netherworld Leopard that had appeared within his mental space, Jiang Lin's eyes revealed a trace of disdain.
"Since I can kill you once, I can kill you a second time!"
With that, Jiang Lin summoned the King's Power Sword and slashed directly at the aggregate of the Netherworld Leopard's consciousness.
"Awoo!"
Endless resentment and unwillingness radiated from the Netherworld Leopard as it swung its sharp claws and struck fiercely.
"Boom!"
"..."
Around ten minutes later, the Netherworld Leopard's remaining consciousness completely dissipated. Under Jiang Lin's meditation, the immense energy within the Soul Ring continuously merged into his body and transformed into his own Soul Power.
Another half hour later, Jiang Lin, having completely finished the fusion, finally opened his eyes. A violent aura swept out from his body, and a purple Soul Ring slowly emerged beneath his feet.
"A One-Ring Soul Master at last!"
"I never expected that I would truly break through the limitations of the original work. My first Soul Ring has reached a thousand years, and not only that, my Soul Power has broken through again, soaring directly from level 20 to level 23."
"And the Soul Skill bestowed by this Netherworld Leopard—"
Jiang Lin beckoned with his hand, and the King's Power Sword hovering in midair instantly flew over. Grasping its hilt, he poured the Soul Power within his body into the blade, then fiercely slashed toward the broad forest ahead!
"First Soul Skill, Void-Splitting Slash!"
A half-meter-long black sword light instantly detached from the King's Power Sword. The next moment, it vanished right before Jiang Lin's eyes. When it reappeared, it was already fifty meters away.
Moreover, the black sword light had expanded several times over, swelling to two meters long before severing more than a dozen trees in front of it!
"With such power, if it catches an opponent off guard, even a Soul Elder would be severely injured!"
"Sigh, but the Void-Splitting Slash consumes an absurd amount. That single attack used up a full thirty percent of my Soul Power!"
"Jiang Lin, have you finished fusing it? Is this your first Soul Skill? It's really amazing!"
Standing before Jiang Lin and sensing the destructive force caused by the Void-Splitting Slash in the distance, Xiao Wu's face was filled with amazement.
"So this is a Soul Skill? It truly is powerful."
A trace of envy appeared in Tian Yan's eyes, but it vanished in an instant.
Even if she could not absorb Soul Rings and possess Soul Skills, the methods she had brought from The Qin Empire were in no way weaker than this world's Soul Skills. Some techniques, once cultivated to a profound level, were even far more powerful than the Soul Skills of this world.
Little Dragon Girl, however, did not think so much. Now that Jiang Lin's strength had improved, her heart held only happiness for him.
"Jiang Lin, where are we going next? Are we going to hunt a second soul beast suitable for your Martial Soul?"
"Yes, Sister Long, but not for now. Although I have fully absorbed the Netherworld Leopard's Soul Ring, I still need some time to adapt to it. It won't be too late to obtain my second Soul Ring in a few days."
"Besides, it has been so long that I'm getting hungry. Let's find somewhere to eat first."
"Alright."
—
Notting City Spirit Hall, council chamber.
"Tap, tap, tap—"
A finger lightly tapped against the table. It belonged to an incomparably beautiful man with smooth skin, peerless looks, golden ceremonial armor, long golden hair, and peach-blossom eyes.
"It has been so long. Have you still not uncovered their exact information?"
A gentle voice came from the man's lips. If one did not look closely at his appearance, most people might have mistaken him for an unparalleled beauty.
This man was none other than Yue Guan, one of Spirit Hall's elders, known as the Chrysanthemum Douluo!
Upon hearing this, Chief Deacon Carlot, who stood nearby, began to sweat lightly on his forehead. Thinking of the results he had received not long ago, his body could not help trembling.
"What? Do you not dare to speak? Am I that frightening?"
Yue Guan frowned slightly.
"No, absolutely not."
Carlot hurriedly shook his head.
"E-Elder Chrysanthemum, please forgive this subordinate's incompetence. I have dispatched every deacon in the branch hall, but we truly cannot uncover those people's exact identities."
"Even Jiang Lin, who awakened a High-grade Martial Soul—I personally went to Holy Soul Village a few days ago, but Jack, the Holy Soul Village chief and the only person connected to Jiang Lin, had already vanished."
"Oh?"
"Didn't I hear that there was a boy at Notting Academy who enrolled alongside Jiang Lin?"
"Did you find nothing from him either?"
Though Yue Guan's tone remained gentle, a hint of coldness entered his eyes.
"Elder Chrysanthemum, that boy is called Tang San. But he only awakened a useless Martial Soul like Blue Silver Grass, and his relationship with Jiang Lin was not good. His family consists of nothing but a drunken blacksmith father, so he does not know Jiang Lin's exact identity either."
Suddenly, Carlot seemed to recall something and continued, "Right, Elder Chrysanthemum, when I went to Notting Academy before, that old headmaster told me that Jiang Lin might be from the reclusive Jiang Clan."
"However, after returning, this subordinate searched through every record in the hall and found no information whatsoever about the Jiang Clan."
"Therefore, this subordinate suspects that it was merely a false identity Jiang Lin made up for the old headmaster before leaving. Beyond that, this subordinate can find nothing else."
"A reclusive Jiang Clan?"
The frequency of Yue Guan's fingers tapping the table immediately increased, and a thoughtful look surfaced in his eyes.
Seeing this, the fear on Carlot's face deepened.
Finally, after another ten or so minutes, Yue Guan rose from his seat.
"Enough, I understand. Have those people continue searching. This elder must return to the main hall."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yue Guan's figure vanished directly before Carlot's eyes.
"He just left?"
A trace of surprise appeared on Carlot's face, followed by suspicion in his eyes.
"Could there truly be a reclusive Jiang Clan somewhere on this continent?"
"But if there is, why could I not find it after searching through every record? Could some mysterious force have erased it?"
"Forget it, I won't think about it. Such secrets are not something a mere Soul Ancestor like me can come into contact with."
Before you continue