Interlude: Everyday Life (Part 1)

(This chapter mainly covered some settings, the cultivation progress of Lin Qing and the others, as well as a few things that happened at Nuoding Academy. Please enjoy!)

(Note: the supplementary settings in this chapter mainly concerned Lin Qing's Martial Soul. If you do not want to read them, you may skip this chapter; doing so will have almost no impact on your reading of the later plot.)

(Note: the supplementary information about Lin Qing was concentrated in Section Two of this chapter: Lin Qing's First Awakening, and Section Four: Talent Release—Nichirin Blade. Feel free to skip around.)

Back at the academy, Lin Qing and Xiao Wu's relationship made another breakthrough.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two years had passed. Xiao Wu and Lin Qing were both eight years old.

Their strength had also improved greatly. Through his own efforts and the aid of his second Martial Soul, Lin Qing had successfully reached Level 20 a year ago. In the Star Dou Great Forest, he hunted a Cloudmist Beast over 4,400 years old for his second Spirit Ring and unlocked his second Breathing Style, Mist Breathing.

Meanwhile, Lin Qing's second Martial Soul, the Red Spider Lily, independently condensed its second Spirit Ring. Its Spirit Skill was called Blue Other Shore Flower. It could create a Blue Other Shore Flower, and after a Demon consumed it, it would no longer fear sunlight. Even the sacred attributes of Douluo Continent would be unable to threaten it.

In other words, once a Demon consumed the Blue Other Shore Flower, almost no one in this world besides Lin Qing could kill it. Unless someone could erase the Demon at the molecular level, it would revive endlessly.

After becoming a Soul Grandmaster, Lin Qing collected his subsidy and immediately went to the academy to pay the fees, becoming a self-funded student alongside Xiao Wu. At Lin Qing's request, the two also moved into the same dormitory.

Xiao Wu's progress was equally enormous. Under Lin Qing's urging, she finally reached Level 20 after two full years and became a Soul Grandmaster.

Over the past two years, Lin Qing had continuously used the money he saved to secretly purchase Whale Rubber, steadily improving Xiao Wu's physical condition with it. This allowed Xiao Wu's second Spirit Ring to condense into one just over a thousand years old, making her combat strength far greater than in the original story.

As for Tang San, during his time studying at Nuoding Academy in the original story, no one had been able to match him. Xiao Wu, the only one with talent comparable to his, had been lazy and disliked cultivation, so he had not focused on increasing his level.

During Tang San's days at Nuoding Academy in the original story, he spent most of his time blacksmithing to make money and crafting hidden weapons. He did not have much time for actual cultivation.

Perhaps Lin Qing and Xiao Wu had spurred him on, but over the past two years, Tang San only went to the blacksmith shop to complete his daily basic tasks and earn enough to cover his expenses. He spent all his remaining time cultivating diligently. With the support of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, he reached Level 20 just over a month after Xiao Wu broke through. Yu Xiaogang and Nuoding Academy's headmaster then led him to the Soul Hunting Forest to obtain his second Spirit Ring.

Of course, Tang San still challenged Lin Qing this time. Since Lin Qing had not told anyone else that he had broken through, Tang San could not possibly go to Spirit Hall specifically to inquire about him, and Spirit Hall would not casually divulge a Soul Master's information to others. Therefore, Tang San had no idea that Lin Qing had become a Soul Grandmaster long ago.

When Tang San challenged Lin Qing, Lin Qing's Soul Power Level was already 25, while Tang San was only a Level 22 Soul Grandmaster. Naturally, Tang San was no match for him.

This time, Lin Qing did not even summon his Spirit Rings. After all, his Spirit Rings were far too shocking and should not be exposed. Besides, against Tang San, whose level was three below his own, Lin Qing did not think there was any need to activate them.

Of course, Lin Qing had also warned Xiao Wu repeatedly in private, finally dispelling her urge to show off her Spirit Rings and making her hide her thousand-year second ring.

Section One: Tang San the Hidden Weapon Master

In the study, Yu Xiaogang was giving Tang San a theory lesson.

"Third Brother, why has your condition been so poor lately?" Seeing Tang San's dispirited state, Yu Xiaogang stepped forward and asked with concern.

"Teacher, I..."

Seeing Tang San hesitate, Yu Xiaogang immediately understood. "Is it because of Xiao Wu?"

"Yes." Tang San nodded.

"Third Brother, you must understand that once you become a Titled Douluo, what kind of woman on the entire continent could you not find? There is no need to neglect your cultivation over a Xiao Wu." Yu Xiaogang earnestly lectured Tang San.

"But, Teacher, I fell in love with Xiao Wu the moment I first saw her. I have never seen such a cute and lively girl. Teacher, I think I will only ever like Xiao Wu in this life!" Tang San declared firmly.

"Very good." Rather than rebuking Tang San, Yu Xiaogang praised him with great satisfaction.

"Teacher, you are not going to scold me?" Tang San was somewhat surprised. He had thought Yu Xiaogang would reprimand him for it.

"Of course not. Only someone as devoted in love as you is worthy of becoming my disciple." Yu Xiaogang said approvingly.

Tang San looked deeply moved, then became despondent again. "But, Teacher, every time I want to give Xiao Wu a gift, she refuses it. And Lin Qing and Xiao Wu are inseparable. Ever since they moved out of Dorm Seven, it has been difficult for me to see Xiao Wu."

"And, Teacher, several times I followed the methods you taught me to win Xiao Wu's sympathy, but every time, Xiao Wu scolded me and seemed to dislike me even more," Tang San said.

"Third Brother, my methods should not be the problem. If so, then the problem can only lie with the person," Yu Xiaogang said.

"The problem lies with the person?"

"That's right. From my observations over the past two years, Xiao Wu should be the kind of girl who greatly admires the strong. Think about it: whenever you and Lin Qing finish a spirit battle, does Xiao Wu not seem to like Lin Qing even more?"

"That's right! Every time Lin Qing defeated me, Xiao Wu's feelings for him seemed to deepen further." Tang San suddenly understood.

"Then that explains it. As long as you can defeat Lin Qing, Xiao Wu will naturally fall for you." Yu Xiaogang patted Tang San on the shoulder. "Third Brother, cultivate diligently from now on. Your talent is not much different from Lin Qing's. As long as you work harder than Lin Qing, one day you will defeat him and win Xiao Wu's heart."

"Teacher, I understand!" Tang San readily agreed.

Yet a sharp glint flashed through his eyes. So all I need is to defeat Lin Qing? If I rely on cultivation alone, who knows how long it will take before I can defeat him? At this stage, the thing that can greatly increase my strength is hidden weapons!

It seems I need to spend more effort on hidden weapons. Tang San clenched his fist and silently swore, Lin Qing, just wait. Once I create powerful hidden weapons, I will definitely defeat you and let Xiao Wu escape your clutches!

In the end, Tang San still returned to his original path, advancing his hidden weapons and cultivation side by side.

Section Two: Lin Qing's First Awakening

Lin Qing had been at Nuoding Academy for three years now, and he had finally turned nine.

"Over the past year, Tang San has been spending more time at the blacksmith shop. He seems to have devoted himself entirely to hidden weapons and has even fallen behind in cultivation. He only advanced one level in a year and is now merely Level 23," Lin Qing muttered to himself as he sat in his room.

"Xiao Wu, on the other hand, has improved greatly under my urging. In one year, she went from Level 23 to Level 27, nearly one level every three months."

"At this rate, by the time Xiao Wu goes to Shrek, she should be at least Level 34."

Xiao Wu had probably gone off somewhere to play at this moment. Lin Qing was not worried about her safety. After all, Xiao Wu now had a Titled Douluo bodyguard. Besides, Xiao Wu herself was no weakling. Though she was only a Level 27 Soul Grandmaster, even some of the academy's Soul Elder teachers could not defeat her. With that strength, she could swagger through Nuoding City and its surrounding areas.

The reason Lin Qing had not gone out to play with Xiao Wu was not only because he trusted her safety, but also because he was about to break through to Level 30 today.

Lin Qing sealed the entire room tightly. With a soft pop, his Level 30 bottleneck shattered.

He then summoned his Red Spider Lily Martial Soul. The magnificent flower, woven from azure and blue, gently swayed in Lin Qing's left hand.

Lin Qing sat cross-legged in the room. As the Red Spider Lily swayed, a phantom Spirit Ring of intertwined blue and azure emerged above his head. It continuously absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, gradually becoming more solid.

At last, the Spirit Ring fully condensed and stabilized. It slowly descended, settling around Lin Qing's body and joining the first two Spirit Rings of the same color as they emitted a tranquil glow.

After absorbing the Spirit Ring, Lin Qing's level reached 31, and he had truly become a Soul Elder.

The next moment, Lin Qing focused his mind. The Soul Power fluctuations throughout the room instantly calmed, and Lin Qing's own Soul Power fluctuations steadily settled at Level 29.

"So this is the innate ability awakened by the Red Spider Lily Martial Soul after reaching Level 30? Aura Concealment. Not bad. And it does not merely conceal one's aura—it can even directly conceal one's Soul Power Level. Even Soul Power testing crystals cannot detect my true Soul Power." Lin Qing's face lit up. "This ability is incredibly useful!"

After all, there had always been a Titled Douluo secretly watching him from nearby. If Lin Qing performed too monstrously, even Tang Hao might be unable to remain calm. Perhaps one day, he would emerge to eliminate a potential threat.

But this newly awakened ability could perfectly solve that problem. He only needed to conceal his Soul Power Level.

"Still, I cannot make it too obvious. I cannot stay at Level 29 for too long. At the very least, I need to raise my displayed Soul Power Level to 30 within the next three months, otherwise Tang Hao will definitely grow suspicious."

After all, how could a genius who had reached Level 29 only three years after awakening his Martial Soul suddenly stagnate? Lin Qing was not some useless trash like Yu Xiaogang, with his innate half-level Soul Power. If his cultivation remained stagnant, it would only make him more suspicious.

"I remember that in Douluo 2, there was a category of ultimate Martial Souls whose cultivation speed became extremely slow after Level 30, several times more difficult than that of other Soul Masters. Perhaps I can disguise myself along those lines. Martial Souls that advance slowly after Level 30 did not only appear in Douluo 2; this era simply has no such concept and merely considers them defective Martial Souls."

Because this type of Martial Soul appeared only once in a millennium, and because its combat strength far surpassed others of the same rank, its slow cultivation after Level 30 was viewed as a flaw. No one in the Martial Soul world had studied such Martial Souls; everyone only cared about improving their own strength.

After familiarizing himself with his talent, Lin Qing sensed the new Spirit Skill he had obtained.

"Third Spirit Skill—Infinity Castle."

The Spirit Ring flashed. In the next moment, Lin Qing arrived in a sealed city. The city was gloomy and terrifying, surrounded on all sides, above and below, by wooden structures that blocked out the sunlight.

Yellowed electric lamps illuminated the entire city, allowing Lin Qing to barely make out his surroundings.

Within Infinity Castle stood countless buildings, but they were not arranged neatly across the ground like those of an ordinary city. Instead, houses faced every direction—east and west, north and south, up and down, left and right—rotating and pressing against one another, embedded together like a Rubik's Cube.

At the center of the city, Lin Qing sat upon his own throne. Across from him knelt a woman in a kimono, clutching a biwa. Her long black hair cascaded down, covering her eyes. With her head lowered, she remained completely motionless.

"What is this?" Lin Qing looked at the woman before him, who clearly radiated a dense demonic aura. He stepped forward, bent down, and brushed aside her long hair to reveal her face.

Her entire face was pale, devoid of even the slightest trace of color. When he looked at her eyes, he was immediately startled. This woman had only one eye, situated in the middle of her forehead and tightly shut.

Lin Qing used his hand to pry open her eyelid, revealing her eyeball. Upon it was a single large character: "Four."

"Just as expected! This is Upper Rank Four, Nakime!" Lin Qing confirmed the woman's identity.

"So this is Infinity Castle?" Lin Qing rose to his feet and carefully sensed everything around him.

"Not bad. It feels as though I am the ruler of this place, able to manipulate everything in the city at will."

"It is just a pity that the Upper Rank Demons in Infinity Castle are still asleep. It seems I will have to become stronger before I can awaken them." As Lin Qing sensed everything within Infinity Castle, he felt a little regretful.

"Still, with Infinity Castle, I have been spared a great deal of trouble."

"I can open this Infinity Castle with a single thought. It can serve as storage space, and at critical moments, it can also be a trump card to save my life."

"And it seems I can use Infinity Castle to place marks as well. So long as someone has been marked, I can sense their condition at all times. That way, if I am not nearby, I can pull them into Infinity Castle to avoid danger."

Of course, he could also set the marks to sense danger automatically, pulling the marked target into Infinity Castle whenever they encountered danger or some unexpected situation.

Lin Qing left Infinity Castle and returned to the dormitory. "With Infinity Castle, my plan can begin as well..."