The winter chill had yet to fade, and ice crystals had formed once more on the lake at the foot of Heaven Dou Academy's mountain. Only a small patch of water at its center remained unfrozen, cradling a pool of silver moonlight.
Two figures, one large and one small, stepped across it like wild geese skimming snow, passed over the dense forest halfway up the mountain, and slowly landed on the summit.
"Kid Fang, cultivate diligently."
With those words, Dugu Bo leaped off the summit again, looking utterly carefree.
Using Soul Power to stay aloft and walk on air was a privilege of the mighty Titled Douluo!
It might not have been a fast way to travel, but it certainly looked cool.
Fang Lin's face was full of envy. "Tsk, tsk, he really is a Titled expert..."
The two had landed on the training ground at the summit, less than a hundred paces from the dormitory area. Fang Lin glanced at everyone's rooms, which were all dark.
I wonder how everyone will react when I show up at the training ground tomorrow?
Fang Lin chuckled, his steps light.
As he passed a set of steps, the window of pale green glazed glass above him lit up, and a black wooden door creaked open.
"It really is you."
Ye Lingling's voice was as cool and distant as ever.
After six months apart, she had grown much taller, and her appearance had become even more ethereal.
Fang Lin froze for a moment, surprise showing on his face. "Oh, I just got here. How did you notice? Even Teacher Qin didn't."
Even Qin Ming, a Soul Emperor, had failed to sense Dugu Bo's arrival, yet Ye Lingling had known at once.
Under the moonlight, the corners of Ye Lingling's lips curved upward.
"I saw you. It's good to have you back. Yu Feng and the others have been looking forward to seeing you for a long time."
With that, Ye Lingling turned and went back inside. The wooden door closed, and the light in the room went out again.
Fang Lin picked at his ear, unsure for a moment what Ye Lingling meant by "saw."
He could only guess that the Nine Heart Begonia had some way of cultivating spiritual power that made Ye Lingling's senses unusually sharp.
The next morning.
Fang Lin appeared at the training ground as usual. Just like six months ago, there were the same familiar bluestone bricks and the same familiar laps.
After training, Fang Lin ran into Yu Feng and the others on his way to the dining hall.
Yu Tianheng and the Shi Brothers had not changed much. Dugu Yan had visited the valley a few times, so Fang Lin had seen her often enough not to notice a difference. Yu Feng, like Ye Lingling, had grown quite a bit taller.
Their expressions varied: surprise, delight, and... teasing.
Yu Feng waggled his eyebrows, his expression exaggerated, and raised both hands over his head.
"Master Fang, what have you been training in? Why did it take you so long to come back? Did you succeed or not?"
"Pfft."
"Hahaha."
Fang Lin froze at first, then his face went from pale to a deep, sauce-like red.
"I bet he succeeded."
"Mm, that's right. Look, he's already changing color."
The onlookers were even more annoying, each chiming in with a remark.
Fang Lin decided to take out the ringleader first. He went over and hooked an arm around Yu Feng's neck.
"You little rascal. Today in training, I'll show you how formidable Master Fang's golden body is."
Yu Feng coughed as Fang Lin held him in a chokehold and slapped at his arm. "Come on, Master Fang! I'm not the only one laughing at you. Look how hard Brother Tian and Sister Yan are laughing!"
Dugu Yan was shaking with laughter, and even Ye Lingling could not help laughing.
As for Yu Tianheng and the Shi Mo Brothers...
It was the first time Fang Lin had realized that those quiet fellows could laugh so hard without a care for appearances.
And then there was Ye Lingling.
Fang Lin gave her a long look. No wonder she had shut the door so quickly yesterday. Even the once-prim ice beauty had picked up bad habits.
Catching Fang Lin's gaze, Ye Lingling pressed her lips together and looked away. A faint blush was visible on her averted profile.
Whatever awkwardness Fang Lin and the others had felt after their long separation vanished entirely in the uproar of their reunion.
Back at the bluestone grounds where they assembled.
Fang Lin stepped into several potholes, and at the far end of his view, a piece of the elm tree's crown had been sheared off at an angle.
"Your training has been pretty intense these past six months," Fang Lin teased Yu Feng. The cut across the crown was smooth; only Yu Feng's Second Soul Skill could have produced that effect.
The bell rang, and Qin Ming approached in his training clothes. He froze briefly when he saw Fang Lin, then smiled.
"It's good to have you back."
Qin Ming patted Fang Lin on the shoulder, noticing at the same time that the Soul Power in his body was at its limit. A trace of surprise appeared in his eyes. "You've reached level thirty too?"
Qin Ming said this because someone else on the team had already broken through to Soul Elder.
It was not Yu Tianheng or Shi Mo, as Fang Lin had expected, but Dugu Yan. She had broken through to Soul Elder a month ago and absorbed a thousand-year Third Soul Ring. Her Soul Power Level had now reached thirty-one.
Yu Tianheng and Shi Mo were still at the peak of level twenty-nine, one final step away from breaking through to Soul Elder.
Yu Feng and Ye Lingling had previously been level twenty-four and had both risen two levels to reach twenty-six.
Can absorbing a Soul Bone raise Soul Power?
Fang Lin was puzzled. Dugu Yan's aptitude was on par with Yu Tianheng's, and she was a few months younger. With normal cultivation, she would only just have reached level twenty-nine at most.
"I'm taking Fang Lin away for a few days, so group training will be suspended. Use the time to rack up some points at the Soul Fighting Arena."
Qin Ming dismissed the team on the spot and left with Fang Lin.
"We're setting out for the Empire Soul Hunting Forest. On the way, you can think about what direction you want to take with your Third Soul Ring."
On the road, Qin Ming handed Fang Lin a book with a black-and-gold cover. Stamped on it were the empire's Swan emblem and Spirit Hall's longsword symbol.
The Soul Beast Management Illustrated Guide for the Empire Soul Hunting Forest recorded the types, ages, characteristics, and possible ranges of the Soul Beasts kept there. Every five years, the empire sent a team of Soul Masters to check the distribution of Soul Beasts, preventing fights and territorial disputes among them from rendering the information inaccurate.
Fang Lin flipped through a few pages and closed the book. "Teacher Qin, I'd like to see the Soul Beast records in the fourth volume."
"The fourth volume? That's for acquiring a Fourth Soul Ring." Qin Ming frowned, but only for a moment. He understood what Fang Lin meant, and surprise crossed his face. "You want to absorb a Soul Ring beyond the limit?"
There were more than ten thousand types of Soul Beasts in the Empire Soul Hunting Forest, far too many for a single book to record in full. Thus, the Soul Beast Management Illustrated Guide was divided by age into five volumes at most.
The first volume covered those under four hundred years old, the second those between four hundred and seven hundred years old, and so on. Each volume roughly corresponded to the age range for one Soul Ring. The fourth volume corresponded to the Fourth Soul Ring and recorded Soul Beasts between eighteen hundred and five thousand years old.
"Theoretically, how difficult it is for a Soul Master to absorb a Soul Ring depends on their physique. Although you're physically strong, this would still be far too risky..." Qin Ming looked thoughtful. As a teacher, he did not approve of what Fang Lin was proposing.
"Teacher Qin, I'm not looking for one that has only just passed the eighteen-hundred-year limit for a Third Soul Ring. I want one that's at least four thousand years old," Fang Lin said, choosing his words carefully. The greatest benefit the ice and fire Immortal Herbs had given him was a physique beyond that of ordinary people. It would be far too wasteful to go only a little beyond the limit.
"Four thousand years?" Qin Ming stopped in his tracks and whipped his head around, looking Fang Lin over with undisguised suspicion. "Did Poison Douluo's poison damage your brain? Do you know what you're saying? You're level thirty, not level forty! Four-thousand-year Soul Rings are for Soul Ancestors. Are you tired of living or what?"
The words poured out of Qin Ming in rapid succession, his tone so fierce that it was a far cry from his usual steady demeanor.
"Teacher Qin, I've kept up my physical training for almost eight years, ever since my Martial Soul awakened when I was six. Even Yu Tianheng can't match me in physical strength alone without Martial Soul Possession. Besides, I received some benefits from Senior Dugu, enough to help me handle a four-thousand-year Soul Ring."
Fang Lin explained with a serious expression. He could not reveal the effects of the Immortal Herbs, but he could attribute them to Dugu Bo, and Qin Ming was unlikely to seek confirmation.
"Poison Douluo?" Qin Ming's expression changed.
Dugu Bo was renowned across the continent for his poison arts and was also skilled in pharmacology. But a method that would allow a Soul Master to absorb a Soul Ring beyond the limit was simply too astonishing. Could it be a special Soul Bone?
As a teacher, he would not harbor ill intentions toward a student over a Soul Bone. Besides, this was a Soul Bone given by Dugu Bo. But why would Dugu Bo give Fang Lin such a precious Soul Bone?
Several thoughts flashed through Qin Ming's mind.
Dugu Yan had deliberately stayed away from the Heaven Dou Tournament, losing to Fang Lin.
After Fang Lin disappeared six months ago, Dugu Yan had also left without a word. When she returned, she told everyone that Fang Lin was cultivating at her grandfather's place.
Putting all of this together, Qin Ming's expression grew a little strange.
"Are you sure you can handle it?" Qin Ming stared intently at Fang Lin's face, his tone somewhat less rigid than before.
There was not a trace of hesitation on Fang Lin's face. "Teacher Qin, I can definitely withstand a four-thousand-year Soul Ring."
Qin Ming said nothing more, instead leading Fang Lin back the way they had come. "Although I don't know where your confidence comes from, there's a more direct way to confirm whether you can do it."