I admit it, I never turned the cheats off

"Second Soul Skill, Shadowdash!"

The instant the soul skill activated.

Ji Hongchen's figure immediately grew somewhat translucent. The space around him seemed to distort invisibly, and Shadowstep silently appeared behind him.

With a thought.

Shadowstep instantly merged into a shadow, then flashed toward a nearby tree.

But Shadowstep did not attack the tree.

Instead, it attacked the shadow beneath it.

As the shadow was severed by a single sword strike, the damage was instantly transferred to the tree.

Crack.

The tree snapped at the sound.

"Jinghong's effect lets me keep deepening weaknesses, while Shadowstep's effect lets me attack shadows and transfer the damage to the original body without losing any of it."

Moreover, Shadowstep could benefit from his first soul skill's effect.

In other words, he could directly reduce a shadow's already nonexistent defense by another 50%, dealing 150% true damage to the person's actual body.

I admit it, I never turned the cheats off!

A smile curled at the corner of Ji Hongchen's mouth, and he began studying his second soul skill.

His second soul skill, Shadowdash, was a support soul skill.

Its effect allowed his body to enter a partially intangible state. While intangible, he took 50% less physical damage, dealt 150% more damage to shadows, and dealt 50% more damage to actual bodies. The effect lasted thirty minutes.

Fine! Not only did I leave the cheats on.

I cranked them up even higher!

"Had heaven not brought forth me, Ji Hongchen, the way of the sword would have been an endless night through the ages."

Ji Hongchen burst into a rather smug laugh.

Then he realized his surroundings were somewhat unsafe. With no time left to gloat, he fled straightaway through the night, planning to return to Suotuo City first.

This time, Ji Hongchen did not register.

After all, he had become a level twenty-two Soul Grandmaster at just ten years old. If he rejected the Spirit Hall's recruitment again, he would probably attract other people's attention.

Gambling his future for ten Gold Soul Coins.

He did not think it was worth it.

Ji Hongchen planned to wait another two years. There was no helping it; without anyone backing him, he could only keep a low profile.

Alas.

My life is so hard~

That evening, to earn money to upgrade his newly acquired Shadowstep's martial soul quality, Ji Hongchen could only return to soul fighting matches. They were his sole source of income.

"Tsk? Only four or five hundred Gold Soul Coins per match."

Ji Hongchen fought two matches that day and earned a thousand Gold Soul Coins. It seemed like a lot, but for someone with two gold-devouring beasts on his hands, it was a cup of water against a blazing cartload of firewood.

Still, his name had now gained some recognition in Suotuo City. After all, he had achieved eighty-seven consecutive victories and had not suffered a single defeat in two years.

He could be considered a rising star in Suotuo City.

He made a trip to the smithy.

Ji Hongchen exchanged all one thousand Gold Soul Coins for mithril. Looking at the mithril in his hands and his now-empty wallet, he wanted to cry but had no tears.

My money.

My money!

Ji Hongchen's heart ached. Then he turned his grief and indignation into strength and went straight to practicing his sword.

Next, he needed to consider what he would do after graduation: which academy he should choose for further studies, or whether he should join the Spirit Hall or some other faction.

But before that.

He needed to make plans for the Douluo must-eat list.

The so-called Douluo must-eat list did not refer to ordinary female characters like Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, but rather to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

A place almost every transmigrator predecessor would visit.

Ji Hongchen was naturally no exception.

After all, the immortal herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well truly were good things. If he could obtain them, they would save him considerable resources and time.

But the one damned problem was.

He had a redemption code but no way to resolve Dugu Bo's poison. Besides, he was not sure Dugu Bo was a good person. What if he tied him up and interrogated him?

He did not have a Titled Douluo father.

"Forget it, forget it. At worst, I'll just join some faction. Even if I can't get any immortal herbs, getting my hands on some high-grade medicinal herbs would be good too."

In any case, even if he could not get them.

Tang San could forget about getting them too.

After all, he had already been marked as someone courting death. If he let Tang San obtain the immortal herbs as well, he might as well find a rope and hang himself.

At that thought.

Ji Hongchen gathered his wandering thoughts and prepared to study the Sword Sect Insights, looking for anything useful inside, such as sword forms.

Just then.

Ji Hongchen suddenly paused.

Because he had spotted something unusual.

"A sword pill?"

Ji Hongchen murmured to himself.

Then he examined the introduction to the sword pill. Judging by the description, it served much the same purpose as a soul core and was also called a sword dao soul core, except that it had the additional ability to continuously release sword qi.

But it also contained a method for forming a soul core.

If Dugu Bo used the soul core method to merge all the poison in his body into a soul core, forming a poison dao soul core and using it to store his poison, wouldn't that be perfect?

At that thought, Ji Hongchen's eyes lit up.

He had finally gotten his hands on the complete redemption code. Next, he just needed to find the right opportunity before considering how to redeem it.

"Phew~"

Ji Hongchen breathed a sigh of relief and continued reading the other insights.

"A complete set of sword forms?"

Ji Hongchen's eyes lit up.

At the end of the Sword Sect Insights, there was also a set of Nine Sword Forms. If he mastered them, they might be even more outrageous than a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Skill.

"First of the Nine Sword Forms, Divine Prohibition!"

Ji Hongchen's gaze abruptly sharpened, growing increasingly fierce. With a single thrust of his sword, the surrounding space seemed to freeze. It was utterly domineering.

"This sword strike can actually suppress an opponent!"

Ji Hongchen was secretly astonished. However, he had not actually executed it just now; he had merely scratched the surface. Fully mastering it would still take some time.

After that, Ji Hongchen began a monotonous life of cultivation. Having broken through level twenty, his cultivation speed had now slowed as well.

It took roughly five or six months to advance one level.

With sufficient resources, he could advance one level in four months.

And so, two and a half years later.

Ji Hongchen was now twelve years old, and his soul power had reached level twenty-nine. He was only a step away from level thirty and would soon break through.

"Phew~ It's about time."

Ji Hongchen packed his luggage and prepared to return to Nuoding Academy for a recommendation letter. After all, in the feudal society of the Douluo I era, commoners without a recommendation letter could not even enter the gates of an advanced soul master academy.

Three days later.

Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

The headmaster's office.

"Ji Hongchen, I never expected you to reach level twenty at twelve years old. Very impressive."

The headmaster looked at Ji Hongchen with a gratified expression.

He took a recommendation letter he had prepared long ago from his drawer and handed it to Ji Hongchen.

"You can use this recommendation letter to interview at any advanced soul master academy. After all, we're only a junior soul master academy, so we can't guarantee your admission directly."

"This is more than enough, Headmaster."

Ji Hongchen accepted the recommendation letter.

With this letter, he was eligible to enter any advanced soul master academy to study. After all, the knowledge taught at a junior soul master academy was only superficial. Information about soul beasts such as the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was not mentioned at all.

So, if he wanted to progress further.

He could only attend an advanced soul master academy. But once he went there, his talent would be revealed, so he needed to find someone to back him beforehand.

"Mm. Good luck."

Ji Hongchen left with the recommendation letter and stopped to see Xiao Chenyu along the way. The boy was now level sixteen and was also about to graduate.

According to Xiao Chenyu, his father had pulled some strings and was preparing to send him to the Canghui Advanced Soul Master Academy to study, hoping to nurture him into at least a Soul Ancestor.