"Let's go. I've picked my target too. Let's get my fourth Soul Ring first!"
Lin En stretched, a rare look of seriousness appearing on his face.
This was the moment he had been waiting for when he absorbed the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone. A ten-thousand-year fourth ring-surely that counted as standard equipment for a protagonist?
"All right!"
After obtaining her third Soul Ring, Zhu Zhuqing seemed very happy, and smiles appeared on her face more often.
Then the two flew toward the mountains in the mixed zone.
Judging by the final view, the Blade Thornspine Dragon's territory should have been there.
A little over ten minutes later.
Lin En and Zhu Zhuqing descended from the sky, landing where Lin En had last seen the Blade Thornspine Dragon.
Looking at the enormous footprints on the ground, Lin En raised his head and gazed into the distance, determining which direction it had gone.
Zhu Zhuqing sank into thought.
The footprints were so large, and judging by their shape, they should have belonged to a dragon-type Soul Beast.
The two headed deeper in, finding the ten-thousand-year Blade Thornspine Dragon beneath a cliff at the end of the mountain range!
"Wait, Lin En, you're not joking, are you?"
"This is a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. It's your target? You'll explode and die if you absorb its ring!"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes widened as she looked at Lin En in shock.
"That's right, it's the one. I have a way to absorb it, so you don't need to worry about that. I know the risks of absorbing a ring beyond my level better than you do!"
Lin En nodded slightly, but his expression remained calm.
"Oh, and don't tell anyone whatever you see in a moment. This is my secret."
"You still have secrets?"
Zhu Zhuqing froze.
"Mm... just a hundred million little ones. Really, only a hundred million little ones!"
She looked rather speechless, but still nodded.
"I won't tell."
Lin En chuckled softly. "You've been hidden away for so long. Come out and stretch a little, Ingkaros!"
"Ingar-"
"Sageross, Ingkaros, attack together! Let me see the power of the twin mantis terrors!"
Lin En commanded the two to attack together. At the same time, his three Soul Rings-one yellow and two purple-appeared, and the third blazed with dazzling purple light.
"Sageross, Blade Storm!"
"Ingkaros, Vacuum Thousand-Strikes Break!"
In a flash of lightning, the twin mantis terrors launched a surprise attack on the Blade Thornspine Dragon together. Terrifying surges of energy instantly leveled the entire bottom of the cliff.
However, the ten-thousand-year Blade Thornspine Dragon had formidable defenses. Even working together, the two could only suppress it briefly.
Lin En was not surprised at all. After all, the ten-thousand-year Thornspine Dragon ranked among the finest Soul Beasts in both attack and defense. This fight would probably drag on to the final showdown.
"Twin Martial Souls?"
Zhu Zhuqing looked stunned. She glanced at the newly appeared Ingkaros, then at Lin En, and fell silent.
In just a few dozen seconds, the twin mantis terrors slashed dozens of wounds across the Blade Thornspine Dragon's body. Blood poured out in streams, forming puddles of dragon blood in the uneven ground in the blink of an eye.
"Roar-"
The Blade Thornspine Dragon roared furiously. Dozens of blade-like scales flew backward off its back, then attacked the twin mantis terrors under its control.
"Sageross, Shadow Clone! Ingkaros, Fighting Spirit Protection!"
Lin En's expression remained unchanged as he calmly directed the battle.
Under his command, the twin mantis terrors reacted swiftly. Sageross split into four, immediately depriving the blades of their target.
Ingkaros took an even simpler approach, directly creating a layer of energy barrier to withstand the stabbing blades head-on.
After blocking the attack, Lin En gave the opponent no chance to catch its breath. The twin mantis terrors struck relentlessly, suppressing the Blade Thornspine Dragon until it could barely breathe.
Several minutes later.
Relying on a revolving-door battle, Lin En finally cut down the ten-thousand-year Blade Thornspine Dragon through repeated attacks.
"Stand guard for me. I'm going to absorb its ring."
Lin En brought himself into the proper condition, then drew the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring hovering in the air onto his body.
The absorption officially began!
Zhu Zhuqing sat cross-legged beside Lin En, propping her chin on her palm as she quietly gazed at his calm, focused face.
Twin Martial Souls, Soul Rings beyond the limit... just what other secrets was he hiding?
Zhu Zhuqing sighed softly, suddenly realizing that although Lin En was sometimes frivolous and shameless, he never dropped the ball at a critical moment.
Becoming friends with him seemed like a good thing too.
A blush spread across Zhu Zhuqing's face, and her eyes held a little more anticipation for the future.
It took Lin En two full days and nights to absorb the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
The energy of a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring was on a completely different scale from that of a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
Fortunately, he had absorbed the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone beforehand, strengthening his body and meridians severalfold, and completed the absorption safely.
Lin En slowly opened his eyes and examined his body.
Aside from some soreness and swelling in his muscles and meridians, he felt no discomfort. It was just that, after his explosive increase in strength, he would need quite some time to regain control of his bodily functions.
"How are you feeling? Is there any discomfort?"
Seeing Lin En wake up, Zhu Zhuqing immediately came closer and asked with concern.
"I'm fine. My body just feels inflated like a balloon. Other than that, there's no problem."
"By the way, do you have a crystal ball for testing Soul Power?"
Lin En asked.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, then took a crystal ball out of her Storage Ring.
"This crystal ball can test Soul Power below rank fifty. I tested mine earlier. It's rank thirty-two and a half."
Lin En nodded, then placed his hand on it.
"Hum-"
The crystal ball immediately shone with brilliant light.
"Rank forty-five?"
Zhu Zhuqing froze. Was the crystal ball broken?
Or could absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring beyond one's level provide five ranks of Soul Power in itself?
"Rank forty-five? Not bad!"
Lin En was stunned too, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
After all, before absorbing the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, he had absorbed a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
At the time of that absorption, his Soul Power had already been at rank thirty-nine. A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone clearly could not have raised his Soul Power by only one rank.
With the absorption of his fourth Soul Ring, that accumulated Soul Power had erupted as well. Together with the energy absorbed from the ten-thousand-year Blade Thornspine Dragon's Soul Ring, it drove his breakthrough, finally stopping at rank forty-five.
Zhu Zhuqing's worldview completely collapsed. One Soul Ring had sent him straight to rank forty-five. Wait...
Wasn't successfully absorbing a ten-thousand-year ring as his fourth Soul Ring already incredible in itself?
Zhu Zhuqing could only silently console herself that Lin En's talent was already a rarity in this world. There was no need to compare herself to him.
She just needed to do her best. There was no need to chase a goal she could never reach.
"Let's go. Since I've finished absorbing the Soul Ring, it's time for the next step of our plan!"
Lin En brushed off the dust and spoke calmly.
"The next step? What is it?"
Zhu Zhuqing walked up and looked into his eyes.
Lin En smiled.
A mysterious smile appeared on his face.
"Challenging a dojo!"
Hearing his words, Zhu Zhuqing froze, her eyes full of confusion and bewilderment.
PS:
Since all three chapters were about Soul Hunting, here's an extra chapter.
I'm begging you, dear readers, please, please don't stockpile chapters. Even taking a moment to flip to the last page would be fine!
Please~~~ORZ~
Before you continue