Inside the hotel room.
Lin Mo opened his crimson-gold eyes, a flicker of flame flashing through them.
"Awesome! I finally broke through to Soul Grandmaster!!"
He was so excited that he stood right up on the bed and cheered.
A six-year-old Soul Grandmaster-wouldn't word of that shake the entire continent?
"This second soul skill is pretty good too. My hands are itching to try it out."
But looking around the room crowded with furniture, Lin Mo shook his head helplessly.
Forget it, forget it. For my wallet's sake, I'll find somewhere open to test it next time.
"Next up are the fire dragon attribute card and the fire python external soul bone."
Looking at the two items before him, Lin Mo fell into a brief contemplation.
He was considering whether to absorb them together!!
After all, the fire python and fire dragon were both fire-attributed, so they were highly compatible.
Perhaps they could even spur the external soul bone to evolve?
"To hell with it!! A measly eight-hundred-year spine bone plus a fire dragon's flames-how could they kill me with my Soul Emperor-level physique?"
Lin Mo gritted his teeth and pressed both into his chest at once.
In an instant, two bursts of crimson light illuminated the entire room!!
Before long, the boy's body caught fire.
Yes, it was burning in the literal, physical sense.
His clothes instantly turned to ash, exposing his bright red skin.
"Aaaah! Hot! So hot!!"
Lin Mo screamed, jumped onto the floor, and scrambled into the bathroom.
Splash!!
He jumped straight into the wooden bathtub, which the hotel staff had already filled with warm water.
But now that warm water had become scalding hot.
Great clouds of steam rose, filling the entire room.
Fortunately, the wooden bathtub was large enough, and there was plenty of water.
Soaking in it, Lin Mo barely managed to withstand the intense heat inside him.
"Hiss!!"
He wasn't the only one in unbearable agony. The Blazing Sun Serpent martial soul manifesting behind him was suffering just as badly.
Countless serpent scales fell away, revealing vivid red skin.
Then new scales began to grow-crimson-gold dragon scales, tougher and thicker than before!!
The exact same transformation was taking place on Lin Mo's body.
Only in his case, the transformation began with the spine along his back.
The fire python's external soul bone seemed to have grown into the boy's body.
At the same time, rows of ribs began extending from the external spine bone.
They ultimately formed a complete skeletal frame, enclosing Lin Mo's entire body.
Crack, crack.
Immediately afterward, countless crimson-gold scales began attaching themselves to the skeletal frame.
In the blink of an eye, they covered his entire body, forming a perfect suit of armor.
Clearly, the external soul bone had successfully evolved, just as he had envisioned.
"Whew... That nearly killed me. I'm definitely never doing that again."
Panting like an ox, Lin Mo slumped in the wooden bathtub.
Yet he couldn't hide the excitement and exhilaration in his eyes.
Clearly, his mouth said no, but his body was honest.
It probably wouldn't be long before his scars healed and he forgot the pain.
Next time, he would keep courting death just as recklessly!!
"It's about time I went back to the academy. I've been away for nearly half a year this trip."
Despite soaking in scalding water, Lin Mo's body felt no discomfort.
This time, he had spent nearly half a year living like a wild man in the Star Dou Great Forest.
It was only after returning to town that he learned just how much time had passed.
But that was normal enough. Between absorbing Ah Yin's soul bone and absorbing a twenty-thousand-year soul ring, plenty of time had gone by.
He had also spent over half a month with Liu Erlong. Time really had flown.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, Lin Mo lived a simple life shuttling between two routines.
Every day, he was either cultivating or keeping watch on Yu Xiaogang.
Originally, he had planned to copy Ah Yin's Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring when Tang Hao came looking for the man.
But for some reason, Tang Hao seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth.
Ever since Lin Mo returned to the academy, he hadn't detected any trace of him.
Or rather, had he stopped appearing ever since Lin Mo stole Ah Yin?
"Strange. Did losing his inheritance hit him so hard that he still hasn't recovered? Or is he still looking for me, the homewrecker next door?"
Watching Gangzi feed Luo Sanpao nearby, Lin Mo fell into contemplation.
He had watched the man for three whole years, yet there hadn't been so much as a stir.
All he ever did was read miscellaneous books, feed Luo Sanpao, or wreak havoc on Tang San.
Aside from that, not a single person had come looking for him.
"Mo! What are you thinking about? Aren't we going back to the dorm?"
Seeing the boy head toward the academic affairs office, Xiao Wu hurriedly called out from beside him.
They had just eaten lunch. Why come here instead of going back for an afternoon nap?
The girl looked puzzled, but she still followed him.
"To arrange early graduation."
Lin Mo stopped dwelling on it and answered directly.
Now that Tang Hao's whereabouts were unknown, he had already taken everything he needed.
There was little point in continuing to stay at Noding Academy.
He might as well go to Suotuo City and see whether Dai the Runaway had fled to Shrek Academy yet.
Even if he hadn't, Lin Mo could still get close to Zhao Wuji and Flender and see what good things they had.
"Early graduation?! Then where are we going to play next? No, I mean, where are we going to study?"
Hearing that they were leaving, Xiao Wu immediately asked excitedly.
After these past few years, she had grown tired of staying at Noding Academy too.
Although she had become the school's top girl, there wasn't much fun to be had nearby.
"What? You want to leave with me too?"
Looking at the little rabbit skipping beside him, Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.
Over these past few years, the two had grown closer and closer.
They either slept and ate together or bullied Tang San together under the guise of sparring.
Sometimes, she was even more ruthless than he was, beating Buddha Tang until he questioned his entire existence.
"Of course! You're my big brother, after all..."
Xiao Wu lifted her little head, though she pursed her lips as she said the latter half.
Clearly, she was still a little unwilling to accept being a rung beneath him.
But she couldn't beat him in a fight, and he frequently fed her delicious snacks.
So she didn't fuss over it too much.
Being his little rabbit sister was pretty nice too~
"Heh. Let's go. Once we finish the paperwork, we'll head back to the dorm and pack. Then I'll take you out for a feast."
Seeing how the girl said one thing and meant another, Lin Mo shook his head as he spoke.
Afterward, the two went to the dean's office.
The paperwork went smoothly.
As long as students reached rank ten soul power and successfully obtained their first soul ring, they could graduate from a Junior Soul Master Academy.
Back at the dorm, Lin Mo and Xiao Wu began packing their belongings.
"Big brother, are you really graduating early?"
Everyone in Dorm Seven looked at the two in surprise.
Although they knew their two leaders were exceptionally gifted, they hadn't expected them to graduate so soon.
Now that they thought about it, they really hated to see them go.
"Yeah. There's no point staying here. Better to head out and make our way in the world sooner. The same goes for you-once your soul power is high enough, hurry up and get your soul rings so you can graduate."
Lin Mo lectured them as he packed.
With him supervising them, Dorm Seven's average strength had advanced by leaps and bounds over the past three years.
Two years earlier, Wang Sheng had successfully obtained his first soul ring and graduated.
The others were no longer bullied either, and their lives had grown better and better.
"Y-yes! We'll keep your teachings firmly in mind, big brother!!"
Everyone nodded repeatedly and shouted in unison.
Quite a few of them even had reddened eyes.
Sitting on a bed in the corner, Tang San heard this, and a trace of complicated emotion flashed through his eyes.
But more than anything, he felt relieved, grateful that he finally wouldn't have to be a punching bag anymore.
After watching their big brother and big sister leave, Dorm Seven gradually fell silent.
Everyone sighed inwardly. Their big brother would no longer be there to supervise them.
But the resilience Lin Mo had forged in them over these years would still leave a profound mark on them for the rest of their lives.
Before you continue