An Encounter with a Cute Girl in Pink

This was a Hundred-Year Spirit Ring. It was yellow overall, but the yellow was incredibly deep, with a faint hint of purple within it. This indicated that the Spirit Ring was already close to a thousand years old.

"Phew~"

Lin Qing sat cross-legged beside it. After regulating his breathing for a moment, he began controlling his Martial Soul to draw in the Spirit Ring.

Under Lin Qing's pull, the Spirit Ring slowly settled around his body. At once, Lin Qing felt an immense surge of Soul Power flood into his body, filling him with an indescribable warmth.

It was nothing like the descriptions from the original novel, where the Soul Power from a Spirit Ring would batter the body, causing the meridians to swell and even inflicting damage. Lin Qing only felt himself enveloped by warm Soul Power, utterly relaxed and comfortable.

In less than five minutes, Lin Qing had completely absorbed the Spirit Ring. Looking at the yellow ring beneath his feet, he thought bitterly, What a huge loss!

Under normal circumstances, when a Soul Master absorbed a Spirit Ring at their current limit, it would take at least two or three hours. Yet Lin Qing had finished in only five minutes. That meant his earlier judgment had been wrong—and wildly wrong at that!

Lin Qing had originally believed he could absorb any Spirit Ring below a thousand years, but now it seemed that he had not merely been wrong. He had been ridiculously wrong.

Lin Qing clenched his fist. "My first Spirit Ring could've probably absorbed a Two-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring without any problem. Sigh~, damn it, what a huge loss."

"Forget it, forget it. At least a yellow Spirit Ring won't draw too much attention, right?" Lin Qing could only console himself this way.

After all, having a thousand-year Spirit Ring as one's first ring was simply too shocking. Some major force might discover him, drag him away, and torture him for answers.

Lin Qing shook his head, tossing aside those tangled thoughts, then immediately examined his Spirit Skill.

"Holy shit!"

The moment he sensed his Spirit Skill, Lin Qing was stunned. He had originally thought this Spirit Ring would merely grant him a water-element attack Spirit Skill, but he never expected his first Spirit Skill to be this overpowered!

"First Spirit Skill: Water Breathing."

Lin Qing gripped his Nichirin Blade and activated his first Spirit Skill. The yellow Spirit Ring beneath his feet flashed, and the Nichirin Blade began to change.

The blade changed from black to water blue, while its guard transformed from an oval into a hexagon. The character "Exterminate" originally engraved on the blade became the four words "Demon Slayer," while the other side bore the two characters "Lin Qing."

Once the first Spirit Skill was activated, Lin Qing immediately sensed that his Nichirin Blade had become the Water Breathing Nichirin Blade. In this state, he could use all eleven forms of Water Breathing sword techniques. Moreover, he only needed to activate the Spirit Skill once to switch the blade's form; he did not need to continuously consume Soul Power to maintain it.

"This is way too broken, isn't it? It looks like every time I gain a Spirit Ring, I'll unlock a new blade form, and every blade form represents a different Breathing style."

At that thought, Lin Qing's breathing quickened. This Spirit Skill had brought him far too great a surprise. With his current strength, if he encountered that crocodile again, he could kill it in three moves at most. That was Lin Qing's confidence.

After calming his excitement, Lin Qing swiftly left.

After leaving the Star Dou Great Forest and returning to Soul Hunting Town, Lin Qing felt as though both body and mind had been cleansed.

He had lived like a wild man in the forest for over a month, nearly two. Now, Lin Qing was filthy and disheveled, and an unpleasant stench clung to him.

"No, I have to wash up."

With that, Lin Qing found a place to bathe. Once he had washed up, he began his journey home. After all, Nuoding Academy would begin classes in only around twenty days.

There was no need to hurry as much on the way back. With his speed, even if he took his time, he could reach Nuoding City in fifteen days at most. There was no need to rush when he still had more than twenty days.

"Robbery! Old man, hand over all the money you have!"

Not far ahead on the road, a scar-faced man carried a broadsword over his shoulder and shouted down at an elderly man. Behind the scar-faced man stood another seven or eight burly men with equally fierce faces.

"My lord, please show mercy! This money is for saving this old man's life!" The old man knelt on the ground and pleaded desperately.

"I don't care about any of that. Hand over the money, or else—hmph! You won't need to keep living. I'll chop you down right now." As he spoke, the scar-faced man placed his broadsword against the old man's neck.

"Old man, I advise you not to refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. Our boss has already been merciful enough. If you still don't know what's good for you, don't even think about leaving alive!" one of the burly men behind Scarface said viciously.

"Spare me, my lord! I'll give it to you! I'll hand over everything!"

With that, the old man began taking out his money, preparing to give it to the bandits.

"Stop!"

"Old sir, there's no need for that."

At that moment, a little girl in a pink dress leaped down from a small hillside. With her hands on her hips, she pointed at the bandits and shouted.

At the same time, Lin Qing flashed to the old man's side, helped him up, pulled him away from the bandits, and shielded him behind himself.

The bandits thought they had encountered some powerful Soul Master and were badly startled. When they saw that it was only a little brat and a little girl, their faces visibly darkened.

"You two little brats dare stick your noses into Scarface's business? I think you're tired of living!"

Scarface was furious. He was angry that two children who looked barely six years old dared meddle in his affairs, and even angrier that the two of them had actually startled him just now. It was an utter humiliation!

As he spoke, Scarface gripped his broadsword and approached Lin Qing and the little girl step by step with a gloomy expression.

"Hmph! Big guy, you were the one bullying this old grandpa first, and now you want to attack Sister Xiao Wu too? You're asking for a beating!" said the little girl in the pink dress.

"Sister Xiao Wu!" Hearing the girl introduce herself, Lin Qing was startled. He had not noticed before, but a little girl in a pink dress, wearing rabbit-ear hair accessories and calling herself "Sister Xiao Wu"—wasn't she the original story's heroine, the hundred-thousand-year rogue rabbit—no, Xiao Wu, the hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit in human form?

"Little brats, you're still acting so arrogant when death is staring you in the face. You've got such tender skin—those noble lords will definitely like you. Once I catch you and sell you to them, I'll make a fortune." As he spoke, the scar-faced man's gaze upon Lin Qing and Xiao Wu gradually turned greedy.

"Little ones, hurry and leave. Don't let this old man drag you down with me," the old man said to Lin Qing and Xiao Wu.

"Don't worry, old sir. These people are no match for us," Lin Qing reassured him.

"That's right, Grandpa. I'm really strong!"

With that, Xiao Wu said no more and immediately rushed forward, ready to fight.

Lin Qing was speechless. Xiao Wu had not yet condensed her first Spirit Ring at this point. She was merely a somewhat stronger ordinary little girl.

"Take a kick from Sister Xiao Wu!"

Xiao Wu shouted as she charged forward, whipping her leg toward Scarface's head.

Scarface was clearly no pushover. He immediately raised his broadsword to block, barely stopping the strike.

Although Xiao Wu's body was only six years old, she was still a level-ten Spirit Scholar. Empowered by Soul Power, her kick sent Scarface staggering back several steps.

She's just a little girl—how can she be so strong? Scarface was shocked, but he did not think too deeply about it. Perhaps the girl had been born with immense strength, or perhaps he had visited brothels too often lately and had grown weak.

"Get them together! Catch them, and when we sell them, each of you will be rewarded with one Gold Soul Coin!"

"Whoa~!"

"Boss is mighty!"

Hearing about the reward of a Gold Soul Coin, the bandits grew excited. That was a Gold Soul Coin—enough to support an ordinary family of four for an entire year.

The bandits immediately approached Lin Qing and Xiao Wu with excitement.

"Honestly, you're just a few ordinary bandits. I have no idea why you're so confident that you can take us down."

With that, Lin Qing finally stopped hiding his strength. He summoned his Nichirin Blade Martial Soul, and a yellow Spirit Ring appeared, floating around him.

"A-A Soul Master!"

The excitement stirred up by the Gold Soul Coin instantly cooled upon seeing Lin Qing summon his Martial Soul and that yellow Spirit Ring. Cold sweat broke out across the backs of both Scarface and the other bandits.

They might have had the numbers, and they might all have been big, burly adults. But they were facing a Soul Master, and one with a Hundred-Year Spirit Ring at that. There was no way they could win!

Lin Qing did not waste any more words. He directly activated his Spirit Skill. Ever since obtaining his Spirit Ring, he had not tested it out yet. This was the perfect chance to try a sword technique.

His only Spirit Ring flashed, and Lin Qing's black blade immediately transformed into the blue Water Breathing Nichirin Blade.

"Water Breathing: Third Form: Flowing Dance!"

Before the bandits even had time to beg for mercy, Lin Qing unleashed his Breathing technique. He instantly turned into a thin stream of water, winding past every bandit.

In an instant, all the bandits collapsed to the ground in agony.

Lin Qing had merely severed the tendons in their hands and feet, while planting a trace of water energy near each of their hearts. As long as he wished it, he could kill them at any time.

As for why he did not kill them now—wasn't it obvious? There was still an old man and a little girl here.