Breakthrough

Besides that, he also needed some time and space to consider his feelings for Xiao Wu.

He was no fool.

Over the past few months, Xiao Wu's trust in and reliance on him had been plain to see, and perhaps there had been some romantic feelings mixed in as well.

Lin Yang had never shied away from feelings, just as he hadn't when facing the Kocho Sisters back then.

But considering Xiao Wu's loneliness in the human world, Lin Yang felt that the two of them needed to spend some time apart.

Only then could they truly see their own thoughts clearly.

If they really did have each other in their hearts, Lin Yang wouldn't run away.

If not, being close friends was perfectly fine too.

All of the above were plans Lin Yang had made for the future on the assumption that Xiao Wu hadn't mastered the Transparent World-preparing for rain before it fell.

If she mastered the Transparent World, that would be another matter.

Raising her himself... had its own pleasures too!

After returning to the courtyard, Lin Yang greeted Ah Yin, then went back to his room and rearranged the furniture and daily necessities.

Seeing that Xiao Wu was still cultivating, Lin Yang didn't disturb her and simply took out the plate crystal.

Back at the shop, he hadn't had time to examine this piece of plate crystal closely.

Now that he looked carefully, sure enough, countless tiny golden threads lay inside this seemingly cloudy crystal full of impurities.

They seemed tangled without order, but they were the true essence within the plate crystal-hair gold!

Taking out a hammer, Lin Yang swung down hard at the plate crystal with all his strength.

Bang!

With a tremendous crash, the head-sized plate crystal was instantly smashed to powder, and countless fine golden granules scattered everywhere under the enormous impact.

The tremendous noise woke Xiao Wu from her meditation, and she stormed out of her room.

"What are you doing now?"

Lin Yang hurriedly waved a hand. "I'll explain in a moment. Help me collect these golden granules first."

Curious, Xiao Wu picked up a golden granule and examined it, then squeezed it, discovering that it was extremely springy but wouldn't break.

"What is this?"

"Don't talk yet. Hurry and help me look."

"Oh!"

It took the two of them quite some time to collect all the golden granules.

Although there were many of these golden granules, each was tiny, and all of them together amounted to only a small handful.

"Can you tell me now?" Xiao Wu asked, fiddling with the few golden granules in her palm, her face full of curiosity.

"Watch closely, then."

Lin Yang picked up a golden granule and infused it with Soul Power.

In an instant, the originally spherical golden granule slowly unfurled, becoming a golden thread as fine as a hair.

Although extremely fine, it was quite long-a full three inches.

Thus, Xiao Wu could easily see the golden thread in its entirety.

"Wow!" Xiao Wu exclaimed.

"How amazing! But what can this thing do?"

Lin Yang smiled, then flicked the golden thread from his hand.

He didn't know any hidden weapon techniques, but he could still shoot this golden thread out.

A barely perceptible golden gleam flashed and vanished. Before Xiao Wu could react, a cabinet not far from them suddenly let out a series of creaks as it twisted.

Then, under their gazes, a head-sized hole burst open in it.

"This... this is..."

Xiao Wu stared dumbfounded at the golden granules in her hand. She hadn't expected such a tiny thing to have so much power.

"These golden granules are actually the hair gold inside the crystal," Lin Yang explained.

"Hair gold is extremely tough and astonishingly elastic. As long as you infuse it with Soul Power, you can restore it to this fine thread state. Withdraw the Soul Power, and it curls up again."

"If this thing is shot into someone's body, the only way to remove it is to dig out the flesh."

Seemingly imagining the scene Lin Yang described, Xiao Wu gave a violent shudder.

"That's terrifying."

"That's right." Lin Yang nodded.

"This really is a deadly weapon. A moment's carelessness, and you'll suffer badly."

This thing couldn't have been better suited to catching people off guard.

Just as Lin Yang was about to put away the hair gold granules, Xiao Wu suddenly spoke.

"Could you give me a few?"

Lin Yang raised an eyebrow. Without asking why, he gave her three.

He was afraid she would cause trouble if he gave her too many.

Three wasn't many, but it was enough, and they could serve as a small trump card.

Just as Xiao Wu was about to take them, Lin Yang solemnly pressed down on her hand and said in a low voice,

"Xiao Wu, you've seen how vicious this thing is."

"I want you to promise me you won't use it to bully those weaker than you."

Xiao Wu rolled her eyes and huffed. "What kind of person do you take me for?"

Lin Yang didn't let go of Xiao Wu. Instead, he solemnly repeated,

"Will you remember that?"

"I will. Don't worry, I won't use these things carelessly." Xiao Wu nodded.

She might be playful, but she had always taken Lin Yang's instructions to heart.

"Good. I trust you!"

Looking into Lin Yang's pure black eyes, without a trace of any other color, Xiao Wu unconsciously averted her gaze, a faint blush tinting both cheeks.

Suddenly, she sprang to her feet, put the three pieces of hair gold into her Storage Ring, and pointed at the cabinet that had already burst open.

"I... am going back to cultivate. That... clean it up yourself."

With that, she fled back to her room.

Looking at the cabinet that had burst open right through the middle, Lin Yang couldn't help giving a helpless smile and slapping his own hand.

That'll teach you to fiddle around. Now you have to replace it yourself.

Lin Yang made another trip to the market and bought a new cabinet. Only then was the matter settled.

What happened that day was merely a small interlude in an ordinary day. Life went on.

Since the two hadn't appeared at the Great Soul Arena for some time, the buzz surrounding "Blade Ghost" and "Charming Rabbit" gradually faded.

Everyone began watching for the birth of a new legend instead.

That was the Great Soul Arena-there was never a shortage of new things.

A month later, the little rabbit, who had become the "queen of grinding," broke through first, successfully reaching rank twenty.

Moreover, thanks to consuming whale rubber, the little rabbit's constitution could now withstand a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, but Lin Yang still had her set her second Soul Ring at the limit of nine hundred and ninety-nine years.

The Douluo Continent of this era was not yet like it would be tens of thousands of years later, when all kinds of overpowered Soul Ring configurations were everywhere and Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings were worth less than dogs.

A thousand-year second Soul Ring would have a revolutionary impact, even more far-reaching than that of Tang San's ten-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring.

Many people would wonder: if the second Soul Ring could be a thousand years old, couldn't the first Soul Ring also be a thousand years old, or even older?

Pushing Xiao Wu into the eye of the storm for one over-limit Soul Ring was clearly unwise.

So a nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine-year Soul Ring was just right. They were all yellow anyway, so they could explain it however they liked.

As for Lin Yang choosing over-limit Soul Rings, he truly had no other choice.

Due to the unique nature of the Demon God Body Martial Soul, he couldn't actively attach Soul Rings to it.

He could only draw power from the Soul Rings or Soul Bones he absorbed, then condense Soul Rings himself.

It was equivalent to using one Soul Ring to nourish two Martial Souls.

If he absorbed Soul Rings of normal ages while also maintaining his Soul Power level, the Demon God Body Martial Soul would very likely end up with nothing but Hundred-Year Soul Rings.

And the worst sort at that.

That way, not only would his second Martial Soul become mere decoration, but the Demon God Body's potential would also remain untapped.

If he wanted to increase his Soul Rings' ages later, who knew how many Soul Bones he would have to absorb to make up for that loss?

So, taking everything into account, absorbing over-limit Soul Rings became the best option available.

Nichirin Blade: So all the pressure falls on me, is that it?

This was also part of why he hadn't attended any Soul Master Academy after obtaining his second Soul Ring.

But since absorbing over-limit Soul Rings was already an established fact, Lin Yang could only steel himself and keep going.

Fortunately, only the little rabbit knew that he had twin Martial Souls and over-limit Soul Rings.

Next, as long as he found a way to conceal his Soul Rings' colors, there would basically be no problem.

And Lin Yang's method was simple.

When absorbing his third Soul Ring, he would raise the age of the Demon God Body's first Soul Ring as much as possible.

Only then could he rely on the "Invisibility" Soul Skill to cross the sea under heaven's very eyes.

Invisibility: You still need me to carry!