"Senior!" Lin Kong walked up to Sword Douluo and bowed respectfully.
Sword Douluo's gaze did not immediately rise, but remained fixed on the yellow Soul Ring around Lin Kong's body. It was a hundred-year-old spirit ring, but this... was truly beyond common sense.
He remained silent for a long time before slowly raising his eyes, his voice filled with undisguised astonishment and doubt. "Your Soul Ring... what exactly is this...?"
Lin Kong had already prepared his explanation, and a bitter and reminiscing expression appeared on his face at the opportune moment. "Back then, I entered the Soul Hunting Forest alone to hunt Soul Beast, and I was seriously injured, almost to the point of death. In desperation, I had no choice but to turn my attention to a Blue Silver Grass that was only ten years old... I thought that even if it was only the lowest age Soul Ring, I might be able to use the Soul Power fluctuations during absorption to barely stabilize my injuries and fight for a sliver of life."
"Entering the Soul Hunting Forest alone?" Sword Douluo raised an eyebrow, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. The danger and determination involved were beyond what an ordinary youth could bear.
He gave Lin Kong a deep look, but didn't press him about the "pain of the past," instead saying in a deep voice, "Go on."
Lin Kong took a deep breath, his tone tinged with a fitting mix of disbelief and disbelief. "Just as I was about to finish off that Blue Silver Grass... a strange change occurred. It spontaneously emitted light, transferring its essence to me without reservation—it was Sacrifice. I obtained this Soul Ring, and thus survived."
" Sacrifice?!" Sword Douluo's usually impassive face finally showed a hint of shock. "I only know that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast might Sacrifice under special circumstances, but I've never heard of... Ten-Year Soul Beast doing the same!"
"If I hadn't experienced it myself, I wouldn't have believed it either." Lin Kong shook his head, his gaze falling on the Dark Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul that had quietly appeared in his hand. "That's why I'm so eager to find the Blue Silver Grass Soul Beast clan. Senior, please look—"
Sword Douluo focused intently on the observation. The almost invisible golden patterns were now clearly discernible. Although still subtle, they were no longer easy to ignore. Even more striking were the glittering spots on the surface of the leaves, like stardust embedded within them. They were much more concentrated than before, shimmering with an almost jewel-like light under the light.
Sword Douluo's heart suddenly stirred: If this trend continues, wouldn't the leaves of this Martial Soul transform into truly translucent and dazzling gemstones? A Blue Silver Grass with leaves as crystalline as gemstones...
This imagery gave him a strange, vague sense of familiarity, but the thought was fleeting, like smoke and mist, and he couldn't quite grasp it.
He collected his thoughts and returned to the main topic. "What are your plans after this?"
Lin Kong withdrew his Martial Soul and gazed at the tranquil Blue Silver Grass deep in the valley. "I want to stay here for a while longer."
Sword Douluo pondered for a moment, "I will stay for five more days at most."
As a pillar of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he naturally has important duties to attend to, and it is already quite remarkable that he can spare these days.
"That's enough." Lin Kong smiled slightly, his expression calm. "This place is very secluded; other Soul Beast and Soul Master won't come here. The Blue Silver Grass Soul Beast clan is also non-aggressive, so I'm safe."
He had his own plan: at the very least, he would wait until this Second Soul Ring absorbed enough source energy to reach a level of over nine hundred years. As for the thousand-year limit... he was unwilling to touch it for the time being.
Once Soul Ring turns purple, the change becomes too conspicuous and inevitably leads to complications.
It's better to let it stabilize and climb at the yellow level first. Even if those close to it are surprised, to outsiders it will just be an ordinary Soul Ring with decent talent.
Seeing his resolute expression, Sword Douluo didn't say much, only nodding slightly. "Be careful in everything."
Two and a half months later.
Lin Kong's Soul Power increased from level 26 to level 27. The growth of Soul Power was steady and solid. However, the bloodline power in his body, which originated from the Blue Silver Emperor, seemed to have touched some invisible limit. No matter how much he absorbed the rich grass and wood fragrance in the valley, he could hardly make any further progress.
However, the special " Blue Silver Clan " Soul Ring, through daily nurturing, has become increasingly rich in energy, reaching a level of over nine hundred years.
"I should go now," Lin Kong said softly, waving to the Blue Silver Grass swaying in the breeze throughout the valley.
As if understanding the farewell, the entire swarm of Blue Silver Grass Soul Beast turned towards him, their leaves rustling softly, like a silent send-off. This gentle expanse of green waves remained still for Jiujiu.
After leaving the valley, Lin Kong went straight back to Heaven Dou City and returned to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
A familiar scene came into view, and he spotted the members of the Imperial Fighting Team in the distance.
" Yanyan! Lingling!" Lin Kong stopped and called out from a distance, even standing on tiptoe to wave.
Dugu Yan, who was talking quietly with Ye Lingling, was startled by the sound. Then, a bright smile bloomed on her face, and her eyes sparkled. She almost ran to Lin Kong and stood in front of him. Her chest rose and fell slightly with her rapid breathing. A thousand words welled up on her lips, but they only turned into a deep smile on her lips and an unyielding tenderness in her eyes. For a moment, she did not know where to begin.
" Yanyan." Lin Kong looked at her, his voice gentle.
"Mmm," Dugu Yan responded softly, her meaning unspoken.
The two exchanged a smile; their unspoken understanding was evident. They walked side by side naturally toward the waiting crowd.
Ye Lingling stepped forward to greet him, her delicate face displaying her usual calm and gentle smile, polite yet aloof. " Lin Kong."
Their eyes were clear, revealing nothing unusual, as if the secret encounter and agreement between the two of them had never Ye Clan, and that matter had been tacitly sealed away as a shared secret.
" Lingling." Lin Kong nodded to her, everything as usual.
"Oh dear!" Yu Tianheng deliberately dragged out his words. He had now truly let go of his feelings for Dugu Yan and was instead amused by the teasing. "Tsk tsk, some people only have eyes for Yanzi when they come back, and then for Lingling. What about us brothers? Can't we even remember our own names?"
Yu Feng immediately chimed in with a grin, "I think so! This is clearly prioritizing romance over friendship!"
Osler crossed his arms and nodded in agreement, feigning displeasure. "Yes, yes, it's too obvious."
Although the two brothers, Shi Mo and Shi Mo, did not speak, their honest faces showed a deep sense of agreement.
Dugu Yan blushed at the words and turned her head away somewhat embarrassedly.
Lin Kong awkwardly touched his nose, looked up at the sky, and pretended to be studying the shapes of the clouds.
"Alright, enough fooling around." Yu Tianheng waved his hand with a smile and got back to business. "You're back just in time; we were just about to set off."
"Departure? Where to?" Lin Kong asked, turning his gaze away.
Yu Tianheng explained, " Yanzi is already level 39, not far from level 40. Once she breaks through, according to the Great Soul Arena's matching rules, our Imperial Fighting Team might face a team full of Soul Ancestor." He imagined the scene and couldn't help but grin, "Being surrounded and beaten by seven Soul Ancestor won't be pleasant. So Teacher Qin Ming's idea is that we should take advantage of this time to train more in the Great Soul Arena and accumulate practical experience. Our previous goal was to obtain the Silver Soul Badge, and we've already achieved that."
Lin Kong skipped a beat. Silver Soul Badge? This requirement was similar to the Shrek Academy's style.
Yu Tianheng continued, "However, Teacher Qin Ming has given us a new mission. We're going to the Great Soul Arena in other main cities to broaden our horizons and fight against Soul Master from different regions and with different styles. How about it, shall we go?"
Go to another major city? Go to Suotuo City!
The place name flashed through Lin Kong's mind, and then he thought of Qin Ming, who had assigned this task, and he understood. He nodded and readily agreed, "Okay, let's go together."