Lin Ye: My Fourth Soul Skill Can Apply Debuffs

"I want you to join our family!"

Tang San: "???"

Meng Yiran: "!!!"

The Dragon Duke's startling declaration left Tang San dumbfounded, while Meng Yiran was delighted.

What was Grandpa trying to do...?

A hint of bashfulness flashed across the girl's face.

However.

"Sorry, but I must decline, Senior." Lin Ye refused without hesitation.

The Dragon Duke was rather surprised. Well now, their invitation had actually been rejected?

"Young man, think this through. Our Meng Family is no weakling in the Heaven Dou Empire. If you join us, the benefits and status you gain in the future will certainly be beyond anything your Shrek can offer."

"Then how does your Meng Family compare to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

Although Lin Ye's question was perfectly calm, it left Meng Shu tongue-tied, unable to say a word for a moment.

Their Meng Family truly could not compare to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, whose power blazed like the sun at its zenith.

Meng Shu and Snake Granny exchanged a glance. The same possibility had occurred to both of them.

Snake Granny asked, "Could you be from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

The corners of Lin Ye's lips lifted slightly. He summoned his white paper martial soul, and keen sword intent surged from his body as he manifested a Seven Kill Sword.

Even Tang San, normally so calm and composed, felt a wave of horror at that sword intent.

"Do you recognize this sword, Seniors?"

The instant they saw the Seven Kill Sword, both Meng Shu's and Snake Granny's expressions changed.

"The Seven Kill Sword! Could you be..."

Lin Ye quickly withdrew his martial soul, then sighed. "Unfortunately, my talent is lacking. I've only scratched the surface of my master's teachings, so I can't maintain this sword for long."

At Lin Ye's words, the corners of the Dragon Duke's and Snake Granny's mouths twitched.

Come on, man. Just listen to yourself.

Only scratched the surface?

That was Sword Douluo, a Titled Douluo renowned for his swordsmanship! Even a mere scratch of the surface of his swordsmanship was already the limit others could reach!

Sword Douluo really had taken in a fine disciple.

"So, Seniors, have you decided how you intend to recruit me?"

Hearing Lin Ye's words, the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny immediately grew fearful. They no longer dared mention bringing him into their family and promptly changed their tune.

"Ahahaha, Young Master Lin Ye, if we'd known you were his disciple, how would we have dared? How about this: we withdraw our earlier condition. You may take him away, and as an apology, we can even find you a soul beast," the Dragon Duke said with an ingratiating smile.

"No need." With a thought from Lin Ye, four rings of light slowly appeared.

Yellow, purple, purple, black!

Everyone was shocked at the sight of the fourth, black ring around Lin Ye.

A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring!

Tang San was equally stunned as he looked on.

They had only been apart a short while, and Lin Ye had already obtained his fourth soul ring? And a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring at that!

"Hiss!" The Dragon Duke sharply sucked in a breath of cold air.

Wasn't this soul ring configuration far too heaven-defying? Was this really a configuration a normal soul master could possess?

"Senior, I appreciate your kindness. If there's nothing else, we'll take our leave."

Seeing that Lin Ye intended to leave, the Dragon Duke immediately called out, "Young Master Lin Ye, please wait."

Lin Ye turned around and asked, "What else is it, Senior Dragon Duke?"

The Dragon Duke stepped forward, bowed to Lin Ye, and offered him a token. "This is my Dragon Duke Token. It can command anyone beneath me in the Meng Family to carry out your orders."

Lin Ye accepted the token with a smile. "Then I'll accept this gesture of goodwill, Senior. If I need anything in the future, I'll come to your Meng Family."

With that, Lin Ye turned and left with Tang San.

Only after Lin Ye's figure had vanished completely did the Dragon Duke finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Old woman, you won't blame me for giving him the Dragon Duke Token, will you?" The Dragon Duke turned and asked with a bitter smile.

Snake Granny shook her head. "Why would I blame you? Someone with such an illustrious background and extraordinary talent should only be befriended, never made an enemy."

Her granddaughter, on the other hand...

Snake Granny turned to look at Meng Yiran, who was still gazing dreamily in the direction where Lin Ye had disappeared.

"Sigh..."

"If you have questions, ask them now. Get them out quickly so we can get moving."

On the way back, Lin Ye sensed Tang San's curious gaze and spoke with some impatience.

"Your soul ring..."

"Killed something along the way." Lin Ye gave only that indifferent reply before quickening his pace and running ahead.

Tang San was rather dumbfounded by Lin Ye's casual attitude.

What did he mean, killed something along the way?

A ten-thousand-year soul beast, just like that?

"Your Xiao Wu's fate is still unknown, and you have the leisure to stand there in a daze? Hurry up!"

At Lin Ye's words, Tang San jolted back to his senses and quickened his pace.

That was right. Xiao Wu. He still had to find Xiao Wu.

"Xiao Wu, wait for me!"

Lin Ye ran ahead, dividing his attention between running and inspecting the system panel.

[Name: Lin Ye.]

[Age: Twelve (???).]

[Martial soul: World-Painting Scroll.]

[Level: Forty-two (???).]

[Soul skills: Manifestation (innate ability), Unending Inspiration (800), Scroll Unfurling: Heavenly Net (3000), Swift Stroke: Seamless (7000), Ink Erosion: Withered Trace (10000).]

[...]

Besides advancing to level forty-two, Lin Ye's panel now displayed another ten-thousand-year soul skill. He had obtained it from a ten-thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider he happened upon while coming to find Tang San.

Of all places, that ten-thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider had chosen to block the route Lin Ye had to take.

Following the principle of "why turn down something delivered to your door," Lin Ye had struck swiftly, manifesting two or three Pseudo Black Holes in succession and tearing it into scraps, turning it into a soul ring.

"Just what you'd expect from Uncle Yang's Pseudo Black Hole. It's so useful. Too bad it's only the game version. I wonder when I'll get to visit the world of Honkai: Star Rail and meet him?"

Although Lin Ye had also visited the world of Honkai Impact 3rd, he had never met Welt. He had gone there five hundred years in the past.

That time, he had only visited Shenzhou five hundred years ago and become a certain flat-chested immortal's first disciple.

After studying under his master, descending the mountain, and completing the Yae Village quest in the Far East, he had left that world.

"Oh, right. I didn't check this ten-thousand-year soul skill's effect earlier. Let me take a look."

Lin Ye carefully sensed his Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring. The next moment, a stream of information flooded his mind.

"Soul skill: Ink Erosion: Withered Trace."

After using this skill, attacks that hit would inflict negative effects on the enemy.

"Hiss!" Upon learning the skill's effect, Lin Ye sucked in a breath of cold air.

It was actually a skill that applied debuffs to enemies!

Given the complex attribute-based combat mechanics of miHoYo characters, the variety of negative effects he could apply to enemies was practically endless.

The negative effects this soul skill could inflict were tied to the skill attributes of the character he manifested.

For example.

The attributes of Honkai: Star Rail characters: shock, wind shear, freeze, burn, bleed, entanglement, imprisonment, and so on.

Other effects applied by skills included, but were not limited to: bleeding, energy drain, stun, attraction, attribute vulnerability, resistance reduction, and defense reduction.

If the original skill already had a negative effect, he could add any one additional effect on top of it.

Once I get the chance, I have to try it. I absolutely have to. Hehehehe...