The Wang Family had never been a major family. It had only grown because it had produced Wang Xin.
But the Wang Family's own inheritance was poor, and aside from Wang Xin, it could not produce another pillar worthy of its current status anytime soon.
With the other four factions tacitly working together to suppress the family, even Wang Xin, a Level 8 Soul Engineer, found himself struggling to cope.
Wang Xin had considered developing elsewhere, but he could not even gain a firm foothold in South Abyss City. Anywhere else, he would only be stumbling around even more in the dark.
So, little by little, he had put it off.
Wang Xin had burst onto the scene and astonished everyone with a single feat, becoming the hope of countless people. In the beginning, his edge had been sharp, but after enduring pressure over the past few years, he had grown much steadier.
The title of Chess God Douluo was still quite famous in the Sun Moon Empire.
After all, he had become a nine-ring Titled Douluo at the mere age of twenty.
He had shattered the Soul Master record held by the Douluo Three Kingdoms, becoming the pride of Sun Moon.
Unfortunately, Qichen Douluo had not joined any academy or taken part in any Soul Master Tournament, leaving countless people regretful.
"Your Majesty Chess God, what would you have me do?"
Wang Xin still did not agree outright, asking his purpose first instead.
Lin Yi gave Wang Xin a long look.
"There are some matters I cannot handle openly. I need a few people to put forward in public, people who can influence certain situations in the empire at critical moments."
At those words, Wang Xin's expression changed slightly.
Lin Yi had put it very tactfully, but Wang Xin's heart still pounded as he listened.
He felt that what Lin Yi was describing sounded a little like rebellion.
He isn't really planning a rebellion, is he?
Alarm flashed in Wang Xin's eyes, and he carefully studied Lin Yi's expression.
But Lin Yi's expression was calm, revealing nothing.
Wang Xin took a deep breath and quickly weighed the pros and cons.
Since he had led the Wang Family in vying for standing in South Abyss City, he was naturally ambitious.
But Wang Xin's ambitions went no further than that. Mainly, when he was young, he had felt that South Abyss City alone was a whole world.
If he could dominate South Abyss City, he could put to rest the many obsessions he had harbored as a child.
Now that Lin Yi had come to him, he was very likely preparing for a rebellion. Wang Xin hesitated.
He was not hesitating over whether to refuse, but whether to agree.
Lin Yi noticed the changes in Wang Xin's expression and found them somewhat puzzling.
Why is he jumping at every little thing?
"Your Majesty Chess God, do you have some deeper purpose in influencing the empire's affairs?"
After wrestling with the question for a long time, Wang Xin finally asked outright, feeling that something like this had to be discussed openly.
Lin Yi made no attempt to hide it. "In the future, the Sun Moon Empire will start a war to unify the entire continent. I intend to control its pace."
Wang Xin froze.
That's it?
Control the pace of the war, rather than seize power and usurp the throne.
Wang Xin did not know whether to laugh or cry.
He had overthought it.
"I'm only a Level 8 Soul Engineer. I can't influence the course of a war at all," Wang Xin said.
"It's simple. I'll help you become a Level 9 Soul Engineer. Even if a Level 9 Soul Engineer still doesn't have enough say in a real war, I'll train a few more of them." Lin Yi's voice was utterly calm, as though training a few Level 9 Soul Engineers were not difficult.
Wang Yan watched Lin Yi with a skeptical expression.
"Your Majesty, you can't train a Level 9 Soul Engineer just because you want to. Even I don't know whether I have the talent to break through to Level 9."
The talent Wang Xin spoke of did not include his talent as a Soul Master.
Even if he had more than enough Soul Power, Wang Xin still could not guarantee that he could make a Level 9 Soul Tool.
Lin Yi, however, did not care.
"It doesn't matter. I'll help you break through to nine rings first. If you really can't make a Level 9 Soul Tool by then, you can simply be a nine-ring Level 8 Soul Engineer."
Wang Xin said, "My Soul Power has already stalled at level 85. No matter how many drugs I take, I can't make any more progress."
"You don't need to worry about that. Starting today, just set aside half your time every day for meditation."
Wang Xin felt that this Chess God Douluo was talking in his sleep.
How could cultivation be so simple? Everyone's talent had its limits.
No matter how many drugs he took, he could no longer improve. It was even less possible for him to progress through meditation alone.
But at that moment, Lin Yi turned to look at him.
Soul Rings emerged one after another around Lin Yi's body.
Red, red, red, red, red, red, red, gold, platinum!
The instant the terrifying Soul Ring Configuration appeared, even the air in the entire secret chamber seemed to congeal.
Fear showed on Wang Xin's face.
"How is this possible?"
Did such a Soul Ring Configuration really exist in this world?
Wang Xin knew that Lin Yi was an unparalleled genius in Soul Master cultivation, having reached heights that even those of the Martial Soul system in the Douluo Three Kingdoms could not reach, despite living in the Sun Moon Empire.
But he had never imagined Lin Yi could be this monstrous!
Lin Yi ignored Wang Xin's fear. A chessboard appeared behind him.
Black and white intertwined on the board, shifting unpredictably.
A force of intertwined black and white flew out from the board and gathered before the two fingers Lin Yi extended.
Lin Yi studied the force.
It was connected to his chess game.
Under Wang Xin's horrified gaze, Lin Yi sent the black and white Qi into his body.
"This is a medium formed with my Soul Power as its guide. You may have taken many drugs before, leaving your foundation unstable, but with my Soul Power as a medium, you can go back and strengthen your foundation anew."
"Medicinal toxins have accumulated in your body and refuse to budge. Even I can't help you with that."
"You can only rely on your own meditation to expel those toxins bit by bit."
"A Mutated Martial Soul and Innate Full Soul Power-if you cultivated in the true Martial Soul system, you would have the makings of a Titled Douluo, and might even become a Super Douluo."
"I hope you won't squander your talent again."
After giving those instructions, Lin Yi vanished from the secret chamber.
He did not need to ensure Wang Xin's loyalty.
The Black and White Energies had already bound Wang Xin to him.
As the master of the Heaven and Earth Chess Game, Lin Yi could kill Wang Xin at once if he truly betrayed him.
Of course, the Black and White Energies also marked Lin Yi's status as a chess piece.
With it as a guide, even someone with many medicinal toxins in their body could continue to refine their Soul Power.
For the many Soul Engineers whose Soul Power could no longer improve because of medicinal toxins, Lin Yi's method was undoubtedly a heaven-sent opportunity.
Wang Xin gazed at the empty secret chamber, his eyes flickering.
The Black and White Energies gathered in his dantian and slowly revolved, taking root there.
After turning it over again and again, Wang Xin decided to try meditating.
A moment later, Wang Xin opened his eyes, a look of shock flashing through them.
"I really can continue cultivating!"
"And not only that, with the Black and White Energies as a support, the quality of my Soul Power improves faster than with normal meditation!"
If his Soul Power could continue to be refined, then it could continue to grow.
At the same time, Wang Xin could feel his Soul Power being tempered by the Black and White Energies. Although the medicinal toxins within it had not been expelled directly from his body, they had been filtered out.
From now on, his Soul Power would be pure Soul Power!