Third Soul Skill, Ambush from Ten Sides!

Xiao Lin pulled the short blade from the Man Faced Demon Spider's head, wiped it on its golden-green blood, and sheathed it at his waist.

A purple Soul Ring floated above the corpse, slowly rotating and emitting a soft, mysterious glow. Six thousand years of cultivation had condensed into this pure mass of energy, waiting for him to absorb it.

He took a deep breath, sat down cross-legged, laid the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute across his knees, and used his Soul Power to draw in the Soul Ring.

As if answering a summons, the purple sphere slowly drifted toward Xiao Lin. It circled his body three times before suddenly plunging into the Martial Soul within him.

Boom!

A savage torrent of energy instantly flooded his limbs and bones, more than ten times fiercer than the combined force of absorbing his first two Soul Rings! The resentment and life force of the seven-thousand-year Soul Beast surged through his meridians like a burst dam, rampaging wildly as they tried to shatter his will and seize his body.

Xiao Lin clenched his teeth. Veins bulged across his forehead, and sweat streamed down like rain.

But he did not retreat.

His willpower had always been far stronger than that of his peers. Coupled with his experience absorbing the first two Soul Rings, he already knew how to handle such an impact.

He guarded his mind closely, guiding the violent energy along a specific path and taming, then integrating it bit by bit.

Time passed second by second.

Gu Rong and Chen Xin stood some distance away, silently standing guard for Xiao Lin. Neither spoke, but concern showed in both their eyes.

A six-thousand-year Soul Ring was indeed an enormous burden for a Soul Elder who had only reached level thirty. If Xiao Lin's will had been even slightly weaker, the backlash could have seriously injured him—or killed him outright.

Yet neither of them intervened.

They knew this was Xiao Lin's own choice. Since he had chosen this path, he had to bear its consequences himself. If they helped him at this moment, they would instead damage his foundation and affect his future achievements.

At last, nearly an hour later, Xiao Lin's aura gradually stabilized.

He slowly opened his eyes. A flash of purple light passed through his jade-green pupils before vanishing.

He had succeeded.

He lowered his head to look at the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute in his hand. Three Soul Rings slowly revolved around the flute's body—one yellow and two purple—gleaming brilliantly beneath the sunlight.

The third Soul Ring had been successfully added.

At the same time, the Soul Power within him broke through the level-thirty bottleneck and surged upward, finally stabilizing at level thirty-two.

"Congratulations, Brother Xiao Lin!" Gu Rong strode over, patted Xiao Lin on the shoulder, and grinned broadly. "A six-thousand-year Soul Ring, absorbed successfully in one go! Impressive! Truly impressive!"

Chen Xin also came over. Though he said nothing, the approval in his eyes said it all.

Xiao Lin rose to his feet and stretched his body, feeling the surging Soul Power within him. A smile involuntarily curled his lips.

"Thank you both for standing guard for me." He cupped his hands in thanks.

"Why be so polite?" Gu Rong waved him off. "By the way, what is your third Soul Skill? Hurry up and show us!"

Xiao Lin nodded, raised the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute, and held it to his lips.

He did not begin playing immediately. Instead, he first closed his eyes and sensed the newly acquired Soul Skill in his mind.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, delight flashing through them.

"Third Soul Skill—Ambush from Ten Sides!"

Before his words had faded, the flute rang out.

It was a melody entirely unlike the previous ones. It lacked the murderous sharpness of "Guangling Melody" and the stirring grandeur of "The General's Command." Instead, it was swift and tense, gripping the heart like an army of thousands closing in from every direction, pressing nearer step by step until it was hard to breathe.

As the flute music spread, the space within a hundred-meter radius around Xiao Lin seemed to undergo some subtle change.

Visible ripples appeared in the air like rings upon water, spreading outward in all directions. Those ripples intertwined into an invisible net that shrouded the entire area.

Standing within the net, Gu Rong and Chen Xin clearly felt an unusual pressure.

"Interesting." Gu Rong raised an eyebrow and tried to move, only to discover that his senses had been severely disrupted. Xiao Lin was clearly less than a hundred meters in front of him, yet he felt as though the other man were at the edge of the world.

Furthermore, he found that he could not accurately determine Chen Xin's position. Though they stood only a few steps apart, it felt as if a thick fog lay between them.

"Our senses have been disrupted," Chen Xin said calmly, with a trace of praise in his voice. "And not just our senses. Even the flow of Soul Power has slowed. What an excellent control-type Soul Skill."

Just then, several invisible arrows condensed in the air. With piercing whistles, they shot toward Gu Rong from different directions!

Though his senses were disrupted, Gu Rong's battle instincts remained. With a flicker of his body, he easily dodged the arrows.

But as he evaded them, even more arrows and spears formed from every direction, pouring down like a raging storm!

"Good heavens!" Gu Rong shouted as he dodged. "This thing can attack automatically too?"

Xiao Lin stopped playing, and the invisible net vanished with the music.

He lowered the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Ambush from Ten Sides weaves an invisible net from sound waves. Enemies within the net will have their senses severely disrupted. They will lose their sense of direction and be unable to communicate with their allies. At the same time, an ambush attack will randomly descend within the net every few seconds. If an enemy tries to break out, it will trigger even more ambushes to surround and attack them."

He paused, then added, "Once I become more proficient with this Soul Skill, I can shrink the net's range in exchange for stronger suppression. I may even be able to create illusions within the net and make enemies attack one another."

Gu Rong sucked in a breath.

"Isn't that way too overpowered?" His eyes widened. "Sense disruption, communication cutoff, automatic attacks, and it can even create illusions... How is that a control-type Soul Skill? It's practically a moving prison! Wouldn't anyone trapped inside be at your mercy?"

"It is not that exaggerated." Xiao Lin smiled modestly. "The drawbacks are obvious too—it consumes a great deal of Soul Power. With my current reserves, I can probably only maintain it for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. And if I encounter an opponent far stronger than me, they may be able to forcibly break the net."

"Even so, it's incredible." Gu Rong clicked his tongue in amazement. "I've lived this long, and this is the first time I've seen a Soul Skill of this kind. You really are a freak, kid."

Chen Xin spoke as well. His voice was as calm as ever, but there was a note of seriousness in his tone. "Xiao Lin, I understand your three Soul Skills now."

Xiao Lin said respectfully, "Please offer your guidance, Brother."

"Your first Soul Skill, Guangling Melody, is an offensive skill. It uses sound blades to wound enemies, has a wide attack range and considerable power, and ignores part of physical defense. Your second Soul Skill, The General's Command, is an enhancement skill. It raises the attack power, morale, and resistance to control effects of yourself and your allies. Your third Soul Skill, Ambush from Ten Sides, is a control skill. It weaves a cage from sound waves to disrupt, trap, and strike at enemies."