Deep in the Dense Forest, the four-thousand-year Shadow Wolf was held fast by Life Blue Silver Grass. All its savage fury had dissipated, leaving it capable only of low whimpers, with none of its former ferocity.
As Yue Huaxi finished speaking, a warm smile immediately rippled through Lin Chen's eyes. He turned toward the Heaven Dou Royal Academy students, who were still reeling in shock, and said calmly, "We'll borrow this spot for cultivation for now. Stand guard nearby, and don't approach or disturb us."
"Yes! Of course!" the young man leading the students hastily replied. He led his companions several meters away, where they stood guard with reverence written across their faces.
Their gazes were now filled with admiration as they looked at Lin Chen. A Soul Grandmaster had effortlessly subdued a four-thousand-year Soul Beast. Even the finest geniuses of their Heaven Dou Imperial Academy fell far short of such strength.
Lin Chen nodded slightly, then channeled his Life Soul Power. A soft, pale-green glow rose from his fingertips as he gently rested his hand on the Shadow Wolf's head.
Gentle Life Force slowly flowed into the wolf, instantly soothing the last of its savage fury and leaving it utterly still. Lin Chen acted cleanly, without the slightest hesitation, gently extinguishing the Shadow Wolf's life. A deep-purple, four-thousand-year Soul Ring slowly rose from the Soul Beast's body and hovered above Yue Huaxi's head, its flowing radiance containing tremendous speed and Soul Power.
"Xi'er, calm your mind. Sit down, regulate your breathing, and guide the Soul Ring's power into your body." Lin Chen's steady voice was like a pill that settled her heart. "I'll protect you with my Life Soul Power throughout, channeling away the Soul Ring's impact and stabilizing your meridians and foundation. Absorb it without worry. With me here, nothing will go wrong."
Yue Huaxi nodded gently, a trace of certainty on her cool face. She had never doubted Lin Chen. She immediately sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and mobilized all the Soul Power within her to begin drawing in the four-thousand-year Soul Ring overhead.
Her pale-silver Moonlight Spirit Grass Martial Soul bloomed fully, its light mingling with the purple Soul Ring's radiance. The Shadow Wolf's Soul Ring power was supple and swift, perfectly compatible with her moonlight power without the slightest rejection, making the absorption considerably smoother.
Lin Chen stood before Yue Huaxi without moving a step away. His Life Domain spread fully around him, not only enveloping her but bringing everything within a hundred meters into his perception. No fluctuation of Soul Power, however faint, could escape his scrutiny.
He continuously supplied gentle Life Soul Power to help Yue Huaxi channel the violent Soul Ring energy and protect her meridians and Martial Soul, while remaining alert to their surroundings. Earlier, he had sensed several concealed gazes deep in the Dense Forest watching them, their greed utterly undisguised. Clearly, they had come for this four-thousand-year Soul Ring, or for his own heaven-defying Soul Rings.
Su Qingyuan immediately focused as well, standing beside Lin Chen. Her Azure Lotus Martial Soul quietly bloomed, the pure-white Azure Lotus Guard Soul Skill poised to activate. Her determined eyes swept their surroundings as she protected Yue Huaxi alongside him.
She was now a level-thirteen Soul Master, and after many days of tempering through real combat, her use of Soul Skills had grown increasingly proficient. She was no longer the little girl who could only worry; she had become a capable helper to Lin Chen.
The Heaven Dou Royal Academy students nearby also tightened their grips on their Soul Master weapons and stood watch intently. They, too, had noticed something amiss in the shadows. Filled with gratitude toward Lin Chen, they were naturally willing to give their all to protect the cultivation.
Time ticked away. The silver radiance around Yue Huaxi grew brighter and brighter, while the purple Soul Ring overhead slowly descended, merging into her body little by little. Its power continued to fuse with her own Soul Power, and the aura of her cultivation steadily climbed.
Level twenty-one, level twenty-two... Washed by the Soul Ring's power, her cultivation surged, drawing ever closer to the threshold of Soul Elder.
Just as Yue Huaxi's Soul Ring absorption reached its most critical moment, movement finally stirred deep in the Dense Forest!
"Attack! Seize the four-thousand-year Soul Ring! Kill that boy and take the secret of his heaven-defying Soul Rings!"
A vicious shout abruptly rang out. Three black shadows darted from the darkness of the Dense Forest like specters, Soul Power surging around each of them. All three were Soul Elders above level thirty, and their black-clad leader was a level-thirty-seven Soul Elder. His eyes twisted with malice as he lunged straight at Yue Huaxi!
They were Soul Master bandits who lurked around the Dense Forest, habitually hunting Soul Masters out training and plundering their Soul Rings and resources. After watching for some time, they had seen that Lin Chen was merely a Soul Grandmaster and taken him for a soft persimmon they could squeeze at will. Intent on stealing the Soul Ring and the secrets he possessed, they had not taken him seriously at all.
"You're courting death!"
Lin Chen's gaze suddenly turned icy, and killing intent erupted around him.
They dared attack Xi'er right under my nose. They're digging their own graves!
Before the black-clad men could approach, the two deep-green Soul Rings beneath Lin Chen's feet blazed to life. The three-thousand-eight-hundred-year and five-thousand-year Soul Rings shone brilliantly, their overwhelming aura instantly sweeping across the clearing and drowning out the Soul Power fluctuations of all three Soul Elders!
"Life Entanglement!"
Countless strands of Life Blue Silver Grass burst from the earth, thicker and faster than ever before. Like enraged green dragons, they instantly blocked the three black-clad men's path, sealed every avenue of attack, and lashed out to bind them!
The black-clad leader's expression changed drastically. He had never imagined that this seemingly young Soul Grandmaster could possess such formidable combat strength, much less Soul Rings of such utterly heaven-defying ages! He hastily activated his third Soul Skill, trying to resist the Blue Silver Grass's assault. "Third Soul Skill—Black Wind Slash!"
Pitch-black wind blades slashed toward the Blue Silver Grass, but under the absolute suppression of superior power, they were instantly shredded. Even his Martial Soul grew listless beneath the pressure of Lin Chen's Life Domain!
[Life Domain triggered: enemy Soul Power suppressed by 40%, speed reduced by 45%!]
The three black-clad men felt their Soul Power stagnate and their movements become painfully sluggish. They had no time to dodge before the Blue Silver Grass bound them tight, completely sealing their Soul Power and leaving them unable to move!
"With this paltry strength, you dared come out to steal Soul Rings?" Lin Chen walked forward slowly, his gaze cold and utterly devoid of pity.
These bandits had harmed passing Soul Masters and committed countless evils. Now that they had fallen into his hands, there was no way out alive.
"Spare us! Please spare us, sir! We'll never dare do it again!" At the sight of him, the black-clad men were frightened out of their wits. They hastily dropped to their knees and begged for mercy, without a trace of their former arrogance.
But Lin Chen remained unmoved. Soul Power stirred at his fingertips, and the force of Life Suppression poured down, directly crippling all three men's Martial Souls and stripping them of their ability to do evil. Then he swept his hand and flung them away, leaving them unconscious deep in the forest.
In no more than two breaths, three Soul Elder bandits had been effortlessly dealt with!
The Heaven Dou Royal Academy students nearby were once again struck dumb with shock. Their gazes toward Lin Chen now bordered on reverent awe. A Soul Grandmaster crushing Soul Elders seemed like something out of a myth to them, yet it had played out before their eyes again and again.
With the hidden danger resolved, Lin Chen turned and returned to Yue Huaxi's side to continue guarding her. The killing intent around him faded, and his gentle composure returned.
A little while later, the light around Yue Huaxi blazed brilliantly. Silver and purple radiance intertwined before merging completely into her body!
Above her head, two Soul Rings—one yellow, one purple—circled steadily. The purple ring was deep and dazzling, unmistakably four thousand years old!
Yue Huaxi slowly opened her eyes. A gleam of silver-purple light flashed through her cool gaze, and her aura surged as she broke straight through to level twenty-four Soul Grandmaster!
Her second Soul Skill—Moonlight Tracelessness—had successfully awakened!
This Soul Skill could not only greatly enhance her speed but also release moonlight mist to disrupt her enemies' perception. Perfectly suited to the Shadow Wolf's speed power, it directly doubled her combat strength!
"I... did it!" Yue Huaxi stood and looked at Lin Chen. A rare, genuine smile appeared on her cool face, her eyes filled with gratitude and tenderness.
Without Lin Chen, she could never have absorbed a four-thousand-year Soul Ring as a Soul Grandmaster, much less achieved such a leap in strength.
Looking at Yue Huaxi after her breakthrough, Lin Chen's eyes filled with quiet satisfaction. "Congratulations, Xi'er."
Su Qingyuan also hurried forward and took Yue Huaxi's hand, brimming with joy. "Xi'er, you're amazing!"
While the three were rejoicing, the young leader of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy students stepped forward again and bowed deeply to Lin Chen. "Senior, thank you for saving us today and allowing us to witness such heaven-defying strength. My name is Li Ran. If you ever need anything in Heaven Dou City, anything I can help with, I wouldn't refuse even if it meant dying ten thousand deaths!"
He knew that a heaven-defying genius like Lin Chen would surely reach the pinnacle of the continent in the future. Forming a connection with him now was an immense opportunity.
Lin Chen nodded slightly and said calmly, "It was no trouble. We'll be heading to Heaven Dou City soon. If fate allows, we'll meet again."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Lin Chen seemed to sense something. He raised his head toward the distant horizon, his gaze suddenly deepening.
He could clearly sense an extremely powerful Soul Power aura rapidly approaching. It felt both familiar and unfamiliar, carrying the dual Soul Power fluctuations of the Clear Sky Hammer and Blue Silver Grass—it was Tang San!
Tang San had actually come near this Dense Forest too, bringing people from Shrek Academy with him!
The pull of destiny had come far sooner than expected. He and Tang San were about to meet face-to-face for the first time, right here!
A faint curve lifted the corners of Lin Chen's mouth. He quietly drew in his Soul Power, yet an eager fighting spirit lingered around him.
Tang San, we're finally going to meet.
In this life, I'll see which of us truly holds heaven's mandate!
"Let's go meet an interesting group of people."
Holding Su Qingyuan's and Yue Huaxi's hands, Lin Chen walked toward the source of the Soul Power fluctuations. Sunlight spilled through the leaves onto the boy, outlining a figure that pressed onward without hesitation.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Dense Forest, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, and the others were walking slowly forward. Tang San's brow was tightly furrowed, the sense of danger in his heart growing ever stronger. He looked gravely toward Lin Chen's direction. "There are powerful Soul Power fluctuations ahead, and... a life aura that makes me deeply uncomfortable!"
Two utterly different paths of genius finally crossed head-on for the first time at that moment!
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