The aftershocks of the collision between the Dragon Devourer Cannon and Bronze Purgatory surged with scorching heat, silver flames and blue-green fire raining down to paint an apocalyptic scene.
The Bronze Hellfire Dragon gnashed its teeth. A trace of grievance was even visible on its hideous face. The very nature of ultimate metal already countered it mercilessly-who could have imagined that bastard Lin Qing had been hiding an ability to turn intangible, too!
Although the Gold Luring Device had nearly wiped out the Lin Family back then, it had indeed allowed Lin Qing to choose the very best of his many options. It was perfect for catching Soul Masters or Soul Beasts off guard in their first encounter and deciding the outcome with a single strike.
Using elemental transformation to negate eighty percent of energy attacks, Lin Qing burst out of the explosion's aftershocks. Machine element swept away the flames like a raging tide, then gathered in his right hand to form a sword.
The silver-white blade was long, narrow, and razor-sharp. Lin Qing had unconsciously modeled it after the gray longsword in his Sea of Consciousness, except that the sword in his hand consisted of pure ultimate metal.
The metal attribute was famed throughout the continent for its sharpness. That heaven-piercing edge sent chills through the Bronze Hellfire Dragon, drawing a shrill roar from it.
Its wings beat frantically. The Bronze Hellfire Dragon abandoned all draconic arrogance, its sole thought to climb higher and flee farther, escaping deep into the clouds and away from the silver longsword pursuing it.
Twilight spread across the sky as the wind howled. The blue-black dragon pierced the shattered clouds, and the gale stretched the crimson blood seeping from its grievous wounds into a thin trail, fluttering behind it like a tattered banner.
The Bronze Hellfire Dragon firmly believed this was the fastest it had ever flown-even faster than that spring when it had slipped into the Hell Demon Dragon King's territory, caught a glimpse of the Ferocious Beast's peerless beauty, and fled at breakneck speed with its face covered.
Zi JI had stood there utterly bewildered. Even after killing thirty-six thousand brain cells trying to figure it out, she could not understand why the Bronze Hellfire Dragon had come neither to pay its respects to its ancestor nor to seek protection, but had instead taken one distant look at her Soul Beast form and bolted. What on earth was that supposed to mean?
Whoosh-
The Flying Soul Tool's exhaust flames turned blazing white as its Soul Power output shot to the limit in an instant. How could Lin Qing let prey already within his grasp escape? A silver streak hurtled forward, and the Bronze Hellfire Dragon's back, covered in blue-black scales, grew increasingly clear in his vision.
Sword light flashed, and one dragon wing was severed at the root, the cut as smooth as tofu sliced with a sharp knife.
In close combat, ultimate metal was no less powerful than any top-tier tool Martial Soul on the continent. The Bronze Hellfire Dragon barely felt any pain. That strike had been too fast-before its nerves could transmit the pain to its brain, its wing was already spinning away from its body.
"Aooow-"
Its scream shook heaven and earth. With its wing destroyed, the Bronze Hellfire Dragon's escape ended in failure. Unable to maintain its balance, its body rolled sideways, fully exposing its relatively soft belly.
"Elemental convergence, Mechanical Power Revolving Slash."
Like the god of death, Lin Qing pronounced the end of the dragon of bronze and fire. Every bit of machine element within the Steel Machinery Domain surged into a single point. A piercing, high-frequency sword hum rang through the sky as metal's sharpness was compressed to its utmost limit.
The silver longsword sliced diagonally through the Bronze Hellfire Dragon's flank. Faced with absolute attribute suppression, the bronze scales that could withstand most attacks of the same level buckled under the strain. Machine element needed no shower of sparks to prove itself. It simply cut through, slicing apart everything obstructing its path. That was all.
Where the sword's edge passed, all things yielded. Flesh parted naturally to either side. The Bronze Hellfire Dragon merely felt a sudden chill somewhere in its lower abdomen, then lowered its head and saw the glaring cut stretching across half its body.
Blood showered from the sky. For an instant, a desperate, heart-rending dragon cry drowned out the ringing sword. The two figures flashed past each other, and the blazing light in the dragon's eyes dimmed. It could only let machine element transform into silver-white pincers that seized its body like a claw machine grabbing a toy.
Lin Qing looked down at the ground. Across the devastated outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, red light washed over the upturned faces of the Tang Sect trio.
Exhaling a faint white breath, Lin Qing dismissed his elemental sword and left the Star Dou Great Forest with the barely living Bronze Hellfire Dragon. He had deliberately spared the Soul Beast for one simple reason: he did not intend to absorb its Soul Ring in front of outsiders.
The Tang Sect master and disciples exchanged looks. They had witnessed an exceptionally thrilling battle to the death and thoroughly put themselves in the victor's shoes. Their fists clenched in excitement, and the flush on their faces lingered.
"Bei Bei, I suddenly want to study Soul Tools again!" Tang Ya declared solemnly.
We're all human, with hands, feet, and brains. Why shouldn't I be able to learn it?
"Sure. I'll study with you." Bei Bei smiled encouragingly.
"Aaah! I let a top-notch Soul Engineer prospect get away..." Tang Ya shrieked, filled with regret. "If only I'd been more enthusiastic earlier! If we could get Lin Qing into the sect, why would we ever have to worry about failing to revive the Tang Sect..."
"Look on the bright side. The three of us together couldn't beat him. If we'd said the wrong thing and angered him, the Tang Sect would officially have been wiped out," Bei Bei said, revealing his scheming side.
"...Fair point."
Two different sorts of people did not share the same bed. Tang Ya was successfully persuaded by her lover. With the Tang Sect in decline, even a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor was an insurmountable chasm!
"Come on, let's go! We were so busy watching Lin Qing slay a dragon that we still haven't found my third Soul Ring!"
Tang Ya grabbed Bei Bei with one hand and Huo Yuhao with the other. With some time still left before nightfall, the master and her two disciples continued searching for their sect leader's third Soul Ring.
Huo Yuhao remained silent throughout, casting one final sidelong glance in the direction where Lin Qing had vanished.
The killing of the Bronze Hellfire Dragon had opened the inexperienced boy's eyes. The seamless coordination of Soul Skills and Soul Tools had truly planted the seed of becoming a Soul Engineer in Huo Yuhao's heart, making him look forward all the more to the bright life awaiting him at Shrek Academy.
Boom-
Several hundred meters outside the Star Dou Great Forest, the massive dragon crashed to the ground. The tremendous recoil was the final straw that broke the camel's back. A deep, dark radiance bloomed from the Bronze Hellfire Dragon's body, and an ink-black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring floated silently above it.
For a lone traveler, staying alive came before everything else. Lin Qing did not rush to absorb the Soul Ring. He first surveyed his surroundings and laid a perimeter of trigger-activated, high-explosive Soul Tool bombs. Only then did he sit cross-legged, mobilize his Soul Power, and draw the Bronze Hellfire Dragon's Soul Ring toward him.
Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings were an entirely different matter from Thousand-Year Soul Rings. Once a Soul Beast's cultivation surpassed ten thousand years, its resentment would hide inside its Soul Ring after death, launching a surprise attack when a Soul Master absorbed it. The Soul Master World called this Soul Shock.
Under normal circumstances, only after a Soul Master's Soul Power passed rank fifty, when both body and spiritual power approached maturity, could they withstand Soul Shock.
Some Soul Masters had attempted to break that limit by absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring early. Most had died as their bodies exploded. Even those lucky enough to survive suffered the collapse of their Seas of Consciousness and spent the rest of their lives as idiots.
Of course, sufficiently gifted Soul Masters could transcend that limit-such as Sea God Tang San ten thousand years ago, the current Sea God Pavilion Master, Dragon God Douluo Mu En, and Lin Qing at this very moment.
Perhaps the Bronze Hellfire Dragon had been beaten into submission, but Lin Qing did not find Soul Shock nearly as terrifying as the legends claimed. The Soul Ring's fusion could only be described as smooth.
Yellow, purple, purple, black.
Two and a half hours later, rings of differently colored light rose around Lin Qing. The deep, dark Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring occupied the final position, its pressure noticeably exceeding that of the first three and displaying the Bronze Hellfire Dragon's domineering strength.
Reviewing the skill granted by his fourth Soul Ring, Lin Qing nodded slightly. Naturally, the Soul Skill provided by the Bronze Hellfire Dragon was excellent. No wonder dragon-type Soul Beasts had always been so sought after by the continent's Soul Masters.
Feeling refreshed, he stretched luxuriously. As usual, Lin Qing checked for a Soul Bone, and as usual, he came up empty-handed.
He showed no disappointment, however, and calmly began carving up the Bronze Hellfire Dragon. Every part of a dragon-type Soul Beast was a treasure. Its teeth, blood, meat, and bones all had their uses and could fetch a considerable sum of Gold Soul Coins.
After resting in the wilderness overnight, Lin Qing set off early the next morning on the long flight to Shrek City. Before leaving, he reluctantly bade farewell to the Star Dou Great Forest, still fiercely obsessed with the dark gold terrorclaw bear.
The dark gold terrorclaw bear got lucky this time. The Bronze Hellfire Dragon delivered itself to my doorstep first.
Machine element can still absorb at least five more Soul Rings. I'll haunt that dark gold terrorclaw bear like Sadako!
Little bear, I'll definitely be back!
Shrek City stood on the Lima Plain, where three countries met. Renowned for housing the continent's foremost Soul Master Academy, it had a permanent population of roughly five million. Alongside the capitals of the four great empires, it ranked among the Douluo Continent's five most prosperous megacities.
People could freely enter and leave through the southern, western, and northern gates. Only the eastern gate was reserved for Shrek Academy's use.
More than five thousand people crowded outside the eastern gate, their voices forming a deafening hubbub. Countless merchants had already caught wind of the opportunity and set up stalls at the entrance.
It was the annual admissions season, effectively an open house for the continent's foremost academy. Everywhere in Shrek Academy were innocent youngsters arriving to apply, along with parents accompanying their children to enroll.
One requirement for admission to Shrek was a recommendation letter from a major city. Consequently, ninety-nine percent of the academy's students were nobles from the three countries.
To avoid becoming laughingstocks, the nobles had all brought out their finest clothes. The men looked handsome and distinguished, the ladies elegant and opulent, and the prospective students radiant with youthful vigor.
The new-student registration office was set up in a small white building. Five veteran Outer Court teachers each occupied a classroom to oversee this year's entrance assessments. The academy expected to admit a thousand students, divided evenly into ten classes.
Behind the desk in the central classroom sat a tall, middle-aged man. His dark face was clean-shaven, his stern expression warned strangers away, and the nameplate on his chest bore his name and position.
Du Weilun, director of studies for the Outer Court's Martial Soul Department.
An Eight-Ring Soul Douluo, he was the third-highest authority in the Outer Court's Martial Soul Department, second only to the dean and vice dean. Despite his lofty position, Du Weilun insisted on personally handling admissions in one classroom every year.
"Hello, Director Du."
The clear voice was like a spring breeze against his face. Du Weilun looked up at the greeting as a silver-gray-haired boy walked slowly into the classroom.
"A rather handsome lad. Let me see your recommendation letter. Hold out your left hand for a bone-age test and place your right hand on the Soul Power testing device.
"Let me remind you that Shrek Academy only nurtures monsters, not ordinary people. You must be under twelve years old and have Soul Power above rank fifteen.
"Tuition for one academic year in the Shrek Outer Court is ten Gold Soul Coins, excluding meals. Tuition is nonrefundable if you withdraw midway. After passing the entrance assessment and registering, Shrek students can collect a monthly stipend of one Gold Soul Coin provided by the three great empires."
Every year brought bizarre specimens who imagined they could fish in muddy waters and slip through. Du Weilun certainly would not become so captivated by the boy's heaven-defying looks that he bent the rules for him.
"Director Du, I'm not here to enroll," Lin Qing said directly.
"Oh?"
"I'm looking for the Inner Court student Lin Lan. She's my older sister."
Shrek Academy, Sea God Island.
Sea God Lake shimmered, reflecting the rainbow radiance of sunlight across its surface. The island was peaceful and quiet, as though nobody lived there. Everything felt languid and serene, like a paradise beyond the mortal world.
Elegant pavilions and buildings hid among towering vegetation. Ancient trees on either side blotted out the sun, vines hung down, and moss carpeted the steps. The air carried the faint fragrance of old trees mingled with flowers.
At the heart of Sea God Island stood a small, three-story building. The wooden structure was simple and timeworn, its silence just right. Directly above the first-floor entrance hung a black plaque bearing three large gilded characters that proclaimed its identity.
Sea God Pavilion.
A slender figure knelt on the bluestone ground before the pavilion.
The woman's back was straight, her hands folded over her thighs. Sunlight shone from behind her, enveloping her graceful body in a pale golden halo. Against the light, her breathtaking, picture-perfect face looked soft and indistinct. Her long lashes rested closed, with a few tiny dewdrops faintly visible at their tips.
A breeze on Sea God Island passed through the ancient trees' branches and leaves, stirring the long black hair that fell to her waist. The strands rose gently and slowly settled again. Her lashes suddenly trembled, and she opened eyes as dark as a deep spring in a cold pool. Her voice chimed like flowing springwater:
"Director Du, why are you in such a hurry?"
A moment later, Du Weilun appeared before Sea God Pavilion. He was not at all surprised that the woman had identified him without moving from her kneeling position.
"Lin Lan's younger brother has come looking for her," Du Weilun said bitterly. "The Outer Court's beast-fighting arena urgently needs more Soul Beasts. Today, Elder Gong invited Dean Yan and Dean Cai to join him in the Star Dou Great Forest to capture some. This concerns an Inner Court student, so none of the Outer Court teachers can make the decision.
"I took the boy to the room next to the admissions office to sit for a while, using the excuse that I would fetch Lin Lan for him. But paper cannot conceal fire forever. I could only come to Sea God Pavilion to ask the elders for guidance."
"Little Lan's younger brother... I remember his name is Lin Qing. She used to talk about him every day. Whenever she mentioned her younger brother, Little Lan always wore such a proud smile." The woman bit her red lip lightly.
Du Weilun gave a string of bitter smiles. Looking toward the lush Golden Tree, he asked cautiously:
"Lexuan, I heard from Dean Yan that ever since you recovered and came out of seclusion, you've knelt outside Sea God Pavilion for seven full days. Is Xuan Zi still suffering so much that he refuses to forgive himself and leave the Golden Tree?"
"The Inner Court has fewer than a hundred disciples. Eight dead and four grievously wounded was far too heavy a price. Xuan Zi blames himself deeply and insists on never stepping outside Sea God Pavilion again. Even the wine and meat he usually loves are delivered to him."
At that, Du Weilun's face twisted. This little life Xuan Zi was leading...
Zhang Lexuan sighed deeply and slowly stood upright. The weakness of having only just recovered from her injuries, compounded by seven days kneeling without a drop of water, suddenly assailed her. Her gentle, lovely face was sickly pale, but she paid it no mind and spoke softly yet firmly:
"Director Du, there is no need to disturb the Sea God Pavilion Elders over this.
"I am the Inner Court's eldest senior sister, and I was involved in the Star Dou tragedy. By rights, I should bear this blame..."
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