Pain—as though needles were stabbing every inch of his body.
The immense power within the Spirit Ring surged into Lin Yue's body like utterly uncontrollable lava, racing through every limb and bone!
Earlier, Ah Yin had absorbed her Spirit Ring with effortless composure. Lin Yue had thought he could absorb his just as easily, never imagining that a Spirit Ring beyond his age limit would cause such agony in his meridians.
Lin Yue could clearly feel a mass of uncontrollable Soul Power darting through his meridians. It crashed about like a rat loose in a granary, forcing him to muster all his Soul Power to suppress it.
Fortunately, whale rubber had already expanded and strengthened his body and meridians enough that the rampaging power could not truly damage his core.
As he continued circulating his Soul Power to suppress it, the energy coursing through his body grew weaker and weaker, until it finally dissolved completely, merging into his body and becoming part of him.
"Whew."
After a long while, Lin Yue let out a deep breath. When he opened his eyes and stood up, he felt waves of strength flowing through his meridians, and delight immediately filled him.
Level 13! After absorbing this Spirit Ring, his Soul Power had reached level 13! He was even faintly at the threshold of level 14. Once his power settled a little, he could advance straight to level 14 within two or three days!
[Ding! Successfully killed a 700-year-old Soul Beast, Red Flood Dragon Blood Lizard. Battle reward obtained: one Amplification Protection Coupon.] [Amplification Protection Coupon: when performing amplification, you may consume this coupon to apply a protection effect. If this amplification fails, no failure penalty will be incurred.]
What a prize! His battle with the Red Flood Dragon Blood Lizard had actually earned him something this good!
Recalling the worthless rewards from his previous battles, Lin Yue was astonished, but he also began to understand how the system awarded its rewards.
His initial fight with Feng Xiaolin had earned him only ten points, yet the seven-hundred-year-old Jade Bamboo Grove and the seven-hundred-year-old Red Flood Dragon Blood Lizard had each given him an excellent reward.
It seemed that ordinary battles against evenly matched opponents yielded little in the way of rewards. Conversely, the more difficult the battle and the stronger the opponent, the richer the reward became...
Seeing Lin Yue stand up and then fall into a daze, Tang Yin immediately approached, worry in her eyes. "How do you feel, Brother Lin? Does anything hurt?"
"I'm fine. I feel great."
He waved a hand, then raised his left arm. Churning crimson energy swept up over it, and a longsword condensed from blood energy appeared in his grasp. Behind him, a yellow Spirit Ring had also appeared, radiating a gentle glow.
"Little Lin, what's your first Soul Skill?"
Since it had come from that Berserk Lizard, Su Yan believed Lin Yue's Soul Skill would surely be more straightforward than Little Tang's.
A strange expression crossed Lin Yue's face. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly said, "My first Soul Skill is Berserk."
That was right—the Berserker's Berserk.
His Spirit Ring lit up, and the Bloodline Power already churning around his left arm instantly grew more violent. No longer confined to that arm, it spread across Lin Yue's limbs and torso, coiling around his entire body.
For a moment, the raging blood energy chilled Lin Yue's mind. Icy killing intent and bone-deep composure sent the strength throughout his body soaring.
Feeling the power within him, Lin Yue said, "When activated, my first Soul Skill, Berserk, increases my attack power by 100%, my attack speed by 100%, and my movement speed by 100%. The price is a 10% reduction to all my defensive capabilities."
As he spoke, Lin Yue stepped forward, his swift figure leaving only a faint afterimage on the ground. With another swing of his hand, a thick tree that would have taken two people to encircle instantly snapped, its cut surface as smooth as a mirror.
Lin Yue nodded, satisfied.
An extreme boost to offense. Though it came with a slight drawback, that was hardly unacceptable.
The reduced resistance might seem to create a defensive weakness, but in practice, the hundred-percent movement speed bonus, coupled with the hundred-percent attack speed bonus that could help him adjust his parries, was enough to make Lin Yue half an agility attack type Soul Master. Who knew how many attacks he could avoid with those two bonuses alone...
No, perhaps even ordinary agility attack type Soul Masters would not have such a powerful enhancement Soul Skill. They might not be able to keep up with his enhanced speed.
"Another enhancement Soul Skill, and such a powerful boost at that. Unfortunately, strengthening your offense also leaves your defense slightly lacking. Hmm, it certainly fits that lizard's nature."
Having heard about Little Tang's Soul Skill and now seen Little Lin acquire a similar one, Su Yan nodded. Even the astonishment in his heart had faded considerably.
Seeing one genius could still leave him stunned. Seeing two at once had nearly numbed him.
Yu Xiaogang caught sight of the Spatial Soul Tool belt Tang Yin had tossed aside earlier, and the corner of his mouth twitched. He picked it up, held it out to the girl, and said quietly:
"Xiao San, although we've gotten past that earlier hurdle, I still want to give you these Spatial Soul Tools. Even if you don't become my disciple, I hope you'll accept this gift."
Xiao San, Xiao San, Xiao San! I've told him countless times that my name is Tang Yin. Why does he never listen?
The little girl turned her head away. Her impression of Yu Xiaogang was already abysmal, and now even looking at him irritated her.
Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang assumed Xiao San simply did not understand how precious Spatial Soul Tools were, and immediately explained:
"This belt has twenty-four pearls in total, each containing one cubic meter of space for storing objects. It's extremely precious. Xiao San, you..."
Seeing that Xiaogang still intended to pester her, displeasure flickered across Tang Yin's face. She took the belt, but then strode over to Lin Yue and offered it to him with a gentle smile.
"Brother Lin, you might find this Spatial Soul Tool useful."
Tang Yin knew Lin Yue had always helped out at the clinic. Not only did he bring her and Xiao Wu all sorts of snacks and meat every day to supplement their nutrition, but he also had the additional task of brewing medicines. Of course she understood that giving Brother Lin this belt was only right.
"For me?" Pleasantly surprised, Lin Yue looked up, glanced at the storage belt, then at Yu Xiaogang's expression, which looked as though he had swallowed a fly. In the end, he reached out and accepted it.
This item truly was becoming increasingly important to him. As his Alchemist level rose, he could make more and more kinds of medicine, and both his potions and medicinal ingredients needed somewhere to be stored.
"Thank you, Ah Yin. I'll get a Soul Tool ready for you too."
Understanding that Tang Yin did not want to keep the belt because she loathed Yu Xiaogang, Lin Yue put it away, making sure to offer that promise.
"Mm, thank you, Brother Lin. I'll look forward to it."
Tang Yin gave him a radiant smile. The sight made Yu Xiaogang's heart ache, his face full of incomprehension.
Why wouldn't she accept my Storage Soul Tool, instead giving it to that fellow? And why did that fellow's casual promise of a gift that didn't even exist make Xiao San so happy? Why?
"What bewitching potion did that damned brat feed Xiao San?"
Hidden in the shadows, Tang Hao watched Yu Xiaogang stand frozen to one side, his expression bitter and indignant. For a moment, he actually felt a trace of kinship with him.
Yes, why? I don't understand either. Xiao San just keeps wanting to follow that fellow around. Sigh...
With that thought, Tang Hao picked up his wine jar and took a huge gulp. Unbidden, a phrase rose in his mind.
Bitter wine slid down my throat, and my heart ached.
Watching the two youngsters grow closer and closer, with the inexplicable addition of a nickname like "Ah Yin," and Xiao San even changing her own name because of it, Tang Hao felt a tangle of emotions...
Yet, to revive the Clear Sky Sect and help Xiao San grow quickly, he could not interfere with that wretched brat, who had indeed helped her a great deal... He could only silently watch it all unfold... Watch his daughter become increasingly dependent on that man... Until she fell completely...
"All right, since we're done, let's hurry back. This is still the Soul Hunting Forest, after all. We shouldn't linger."
With their business here finished, Su Yan brushed the dust from his clothes. Exhaustion filled his body, and all he wanted was to return to the academy as quickly as possible and get some proper rest.
Naturally, the other three nodded in agreement. They quickened their pace and soon retraced their route along the path.
As it turned out, there really were not many particularly powerful Soul Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest.
Aside from the three unusual creatures the group of four had encountered earlier, the strongest Soul Beast they saw on their return journey was merely a two-hundred-year-old Gale Wolf. It was hardly worth mentioning.
"It looks like I'll have to go somewhere with stronger beasts for my next Spirit Ring."
With that thought, Lin Yue touched his belt and placed an item from his sleeve into the Spatial Soul Tool.
Heh heh. Once we get back, it'll be time to strengthen and amplify that thing, making it Ah Yin's most crucial trump card in her early stages.
Taking a moment to glance down, Lin Yue could not help feeling delighted at the information that appeared before his eyes—
[Spirit Bone: Life Marrow. Origin: Jade Bamboo Grove Soul Beast. Torso bone (spine). Age: seven hundred years (can be strengthened). Attached Soul Skill: Area Absorption.]