Lin Xing waved a hand and summoned the three little ones again, then had them carry him as they flew swiftly into the distance.
"Huh?"
Fufu froze within the sea of consciousness. She had never imagined the three little ones could be used like this.
Lin Xing swung the Splendor of Tranquil Waters, clearing every obstacle ahead with a single slash.
Then he turned to look behind him.
He discovered two enormous creatures fighting in the air. Besides the eagle Soul Beast, there was now another Soul Beast covered in silver scales, with a pair of wings and a pair of ferocious-looking, enormous horns.
Of course, that was not the most important part. The most important part was that these two things were drawing closer to him as they fought.
Lin Xing's eyelid twitched, and he swung the Splendor of Tranquil Waters again, clearing the obstacles that had appeared before him once more.
"Seriously, bad luck, bad luck, bad luck!"
Judging by the strength of the two Soul Beasts, they were probably thousand-year Soul Beasts at the very least. For a noob like him, who had power but lacked sufficient combat awareness, staying here was far too risky.
Unless the two Soul Beasts both suffered serious injuries. In that case, he could consider turning back to pick up the scraps with the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale. But judging by their fight, neither would come out on top anytime soon.
"Vile beasts!"
"Cease your insolence!"
The cold rebukes came from afar. Lin Xing's heart remained in his throat, and instead he urged the three little ones to go even faster.
A sharp, silver-blue sword gleam tore through the sky, cutting down both battling Soul Beasts on the spot and leaving two deep-purple Soul Rings.
Feeling that terrifying presence drawing ever closer, Lin Xing did not even want to look back. He swung the Splendor of Tranquil Waters and once again cleared the obstacles ahead.
"Little fellow, I've been watching you for a while. Stop running. I mean you no harm."
A clear voice rang out from afar. Lin Xing decisively chose selective deafness. Whether he could escape was one thing; whether he tried was another.
There was still some distance between them. At the three little ones' speed, as long as this was not some flying Soul Saint or Soul Douluo, he probably should not be able to catch up.
"Say, little fellow, what are you running for? Do I look that much like a bad person?"
The voice abruptly sounded beside his ear, startling Lin Xing into instinctively swinging the sword in his hand toward his side.
Unexpectedly, the other man caught the tip of the Splendor of Tranquil Waters directly in his hand.
"Oh...?"
"This is a Martial Soul?!"
Lin Xing also came to his senses and looked toward the voice.
He saw a handsome old man in moon-white brocade robes, his long white hair flying, standing on a flying sword as he reached out to pinch the Splendor of Tranquil Waters.
I'm done for!
The moment he saw this old man, Lin Xing knew he could not escape.
The Seven Kill Sword, that attire, that bearing, those looks-it was unquestionably Chen Xin.
Moreover, based on what the man had just said, he now strongly suspected that the man had deliberately provoked the battle between those two Soul Beasts. But why would a child like him, who looked soft-skinned and harmless to man and beast alike, have attracted his attention?
Chen Xin looked down at the three little ones carrying Lin Xing, then at the Splendor of Tranquil Waters in Lin Xing's hand.
"Twin Martial Souls?!"
Now that things had reached this point, escaping was naturally impossible.
Lin Xing simply took the initiative to stop fleeing. But Chen Xin seemed to have been startled by the Twin Martial Souls and did not stop with him, instead flying straight on down the path.
Still, he reacted quickly and flew back in the blink of an eye.
"Ahem."
Chen Xin coughed twice to hide his embarrassment.
The Seven Kill Sword stopped before Lin Xing, and Chen Xin stepped down from its blade.
The handsome old man before him, who should be Chen Xin, put Lin Xing under considerable pressure.
Although Chen Xin was unlikely to attack him, he still could not help doing some calculations.
If he used the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, he could pull Chen Xin straight into the trial space. And as long as he did not end the trial and actually attack, force would be absolutely forbidden within the courtroom.
If the man dared to attack before he did, the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale would naturally summon the Chief Justice to act, so he still had a chance of surviving.
With that thought, Lin Xing felt a little more settled.
"Little fellow, is that cane in your hand a Martial Soul?"
Cane?
Lin Xing glanced at the Splendor of Tranquil Waters in his hand. He had to admit that it really did look like a cane, but he still corrected him solemnly.
"This isn't a cane. It's a sword."
"Its name is the Splendor of Tranquil Waters."
Chen Xin did not care about those details. He then pointed at the three little ones circling Lin Xing.
"Is this also a Martial Soul?"
"Yes."
Chen Xin grew even more interested.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sword Douluo Chen Xin. You should have heard my name."
With that, all nine Soul Rings appeared-yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black-and a terrifying pressure swept over him.
"My apologies, Senior. Please forgive my earlier offenses."
"Don't worry. I told you I wouldn't blame you."
Chen Xin paid little mind to these things and instead returned to their earlier topic.
"You have Twin Martial Souls?"
"No."
Lin Xing decisively denied it. Strictly speaking, he truly was not lying, because in theory, the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale was his Martial Soul, while Fufu was merely an extra that came with it.
"You may have been mistaken, Senior. These are merely traits of my Martial Soul."
As he spoke, Lin Xing recalled the three little ones and put away the Splendor of Tranquil Waters as well, though he did not leave his Fufu form.
By his calculations, if he left his Fufu form now, he would most likely pass out immediately.
There was a hint of disappointment on Chen Xin's face. Lin Xing keenly caught that trace of disappointment, and his heart could not help brightening. He genuinely did not want the slightest involvement with these great sects and clans.
If all else failed, he could start a trial right now and pull Chen Xin inside. After all, as long as he did not end the trial, the man absolutely could not touch him. At worst, he would just keep dragging it out.
When he was close to dying, he would use Fufu to heal himself. In short, it all came down to one word: stall.
With that thought, Lin Xing continued.
"Moreover, Soul Rings cannot be added to my Martial Soul. If you intend to recruit me, Senior, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
"Soul Rings cannot be added to it?!"
"There's actually a Martial Soul like that!"
This time, Chen Xin was genuinely stunned. He had thought that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul limiting its wielders to rank seventy-nine was already the worst of them.
He had not expected something even harsher than the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. This one could not even have Soul Rings added to it.
"Then what you just..."
Chen Xin still wanted to ask further.
"Those were merely the purest attacks unleashed through my Martial Soul's own traits and the Soul Power within my body. Did you ever see me display any Soul Rings, Senior?"
That was indeed true. Chen Xin really had not seen Lin Xing display any Soul Rings.
To make it more convincing, Lin Xing even put on a dejected expression.
"For a cripple like me, who can't even have Soul Rings added, I'm afraid this is all my life will ever amount to..."