Fusing a Soul Ring, Martial Soul Hall's Investigation

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 sounded. The Netherworld Leopard's pupils instantly lost focus, and it stopped breathing.

The next moment, a pale purple Soul Ring emerged from the Netherworld Leopard's body.

Jiang Lin immediately sat down cross-legged. The King's Power Sword floated quietly before him, and Jiang Lin held his breath, 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 around the King's Power Sword, then immediately collapsed inward as all the soul power within it surged into the blade.

"The final step: meditate and fuse!"

Recalling the steps from the original work, Jiang Lin closed his eyes and entered his spiritual space.

At the same time, an incomparably terrifying impact of soul power, along with the Netherworld Leopard's lingering consciousness, swept toward Jiang Lin through the King's Power Sword!

Looking at the Netherworld Leopard that had appeared in his spiritual space, Jiang Lin's eyes showed a trace of disdain.

"If I could kill you once, I can kill you a second time!"

Jiang Lin immediately summoned the King's Power Sword and slashed at the gathered form of the Netherworld Leopard's consciousness.

"Awoo!"

Endless unwillingness and hatred radiated from the Netherworld Leopard as it swung its claws and viciously struck back.

"Boom!"

About ten minutes later, the Netherworld Leopard's lingering consciousness completely dissipated. Under Jiang Lin's meditation, the immense energy within the Soul Ring continuously merged into him and transformed into his own soul power.

Another half hour later, Jiang Lin finally opened his eyes after the fusion was fully complete. A violent aura swept out from his body, and a purple Soul Ring slowly emerged beneath his feet.

"A One-Ring Soul Master. I did it!"

"I never expected that I would truly break through the limitations of the original work. My first Soul Ring was already a thousand years old. Not only that, my soul power has broken through again, soaring directly from level 20 to level 23."

"And the soul skill granted by this Netherworld Leopard—"

Jiang Lin beckoned with one 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 at the broad stretch of forest ahead!

"First Soul Skill, Void-Splitting Slash!"

A black sword light half a meter long 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.

Not only that, the black sword light had grown several times larger, expanding directly to two meters before severing more than a dozen large trees in front of it!

"With such power, if I catch someone off guard, even a Soul Venerable would be seriously injured!"

"Sigh, but this Void-Splitting Slash consumes an absurd amount. That one strike alone used up a full thirty percent of my soul power!"

"Jiang Lin, you're done fusing it? Is this your first soul skill? It's really amazing!"

Xiao Wu came before Jiang Lin. Feeling the destructive power caused by the Void-Splitting Slash in the distance, her face was full of astonishment.

"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 gain soul skills, the methods she possessed from the world of The Qin Empire were no weaker than this world's soul skills. Some techniques, once cultivated to a profound level, were even far more powerful than this world's soul skills.

Little Dragon Girl, however, did not think so much. Now that Jiang Lin's strength had improved, she felt nothing but 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've completely absorbed the Netherworld Leopard's Soul Ring, I still need some time to adjust to it. We can obtain the second Soul Ring in a few days."

"Besides, it's been so long that I'm getting hungry. Let's find somewhere to eat first."

"Alright."

Notting City Martial Soul Hall, council chamber.

"Tap, tap, tap—"

A finger lightly tapped against the table. Its owner was an incomparably beautiful man with smooth skin, peerless looks, golden armor-like formal attire, long golden hair, and peach-blossom eyes.

"After all this time, you still haven't found any specific information on them?"

A gentle voice came from the man's mouth. If one did not pay close attention to his appearance, most people would likely take him for an unrivaled beauty.

This man was Yue Guan, one of Martial Soul Hall's elders, known as Chrysanthemum Douluo!

At his words, Chief Deacon Carlot, standing nearby, broke out in a light cold sweat. Recalling the results he had only recently received, his body could not help trembling slightly.

"What? Are you afraid to speak? Am I really that frightening?"

Yue Guan frowned slightly.

"No, absolutely not."

Carlot hurriedly shook his head.

"E-Elder Ju, please forgive this subordinate's incompetence. I dispatched every deacon in the branch hall, but we truly could not uncover those people's exact identities."

"Even Jiang Lin, the one who awakened a High-grade Martial Soul—I personally went to Holy Soul Village a few days ago. But Jack, the village chief of Holy Soul Village and the only person connected to Jiang Lin, had already disappeared."

"Oh?"

"Didn't I hear that there was a boy who enrolled at Notting Academy together with Jiang Lin?"

"Did you find nothing from him either?"

Though Yue Guan's tone remained gentle, a trace of coldness appeared in his eyes.

"Elder Ju, that boy is called Tang San. But he only awakened a worthless Martial Soul like Blue Silver Grass, and his relationship with Jiang Lin was not good. His family consisted of only a drunken blacksmith father, so he did not know Jiang Lin's true identity either."

Carlot suddenly seemed to recall something and continued, "Oh, right, Elder Ju. When I went to Notting Academy before, that old headmaster told me 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 it was merely a false identity Jiang Lin fabricated for that old headmaster before leaving. As for anything else, this subordinate has been unable to discover anything further."

"A reclusive Jiang Clan?"

The rhythm of Yue Guan's fingers tapping on the table suddenly quickened, and a thoughtful look surfaced in his eyes.

Seeing this, the fear on Carlot's face grew even stronger.

Finally, after another ten-odd minutes, Yue Guan rose from his seat.

"Alright, I understand. Have those people continue searching. This elder needs to return to the main hall."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yue Guan's figure vanished directly from Carlot's sight.

"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 couldn't I find it after searching through every record? Could it have been erased by some mysterious force?"

"Forget it. I won't think about it anymore. Secrets of this level are not something a mere Soul Ancestor like me can access."