" Lin Yan! You're back!" Han Shuirou's face lit up with a bright smile when she saw him. She rushed over in a few steps, her clear eyes filled with surprise and concern. "Are you alright? Did you get your Soul Ring smoothly? Your teacher and I were so worried about you after you left that day!"
Seeing her undisguised concern, Lin Yan felt a warmth in her heart and smiled, "Everything went smoothly, thank you for your concern."
"That's good! Come in quickly, your teacher will be so happy to know you're back!" Han Shuirou familiarly pulled Lin Yan's arm and led him inside, chattering as they went, "Even after you left, the academy is still talking about your performance on the Soul Fighting Arena that day! So many people want to see your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul again!"
They arrived at Su Wanqing's office.
"Greetings, Dean Su." Lin Yan bowed.
" Lin Yan, it's been a month since I last saw you. You seem to have gotten stronger. Have you already obtained your Fourth Soul Ring?" Su Wanqing asked.
"Thanks to the Dean's good fortune, I've managed to contact you and obtain the Soul Ring. I've come here specifically to thank you."
"What kind of Soul Beast's Soul Ring did you acquire? Can I take a look?"
"Of course!"
Then, he released his Martial Soul and Soul Ring tonight, though he still used his First Soul Skill to conceal the color of the Soul Ring.
"What I obtained was the Soul Ring of the Tree of Eternity."
"What? You obtained Soul Ring from the Tree of Eternity?" Su Wanqing was shocked. "That place is extremely dangerous. How did you get there and obtain Soul Ring?"
"Thanks to my teacher's help, I had the chance to enter that dangerous place; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to."
"Your teacher?"
"My junior teacher is none other than Dugu Bo, whose title is Poison."
"Is Poison Douluo your teacher?"
"Exactly!"
"No wonder. With Titled Douluo accompanying you, you certainly have a chance to enter that place. May I ask if it's convenient to tell you what your Soul Skill will be after obtaining the Soul Ring?"
Lin Yan had no intention of hiding anything from Su Wanqing, so he frankly said, "I was fortunate enough to successfully absorb the Tree of Eternity and obtain my Fourth Soul Skill, the Living Spirit Domain."
Afterwards, he briefly described the effects of the Soul Skill again.
After listening, Su Wanqing remained silent for Jiujiu, finally letting out a long sigh filled with emotion, " The Living Spirit Domain... Connection and symbiosis... This is precisely the manifestation of the power in the legend of the Tree of Eternity! I never imagined that someone could actually touch upon such power at the Soul Ancestor level! Lin Yan, your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, after this incident, can no longer be judged by ordinary standards; its potential probably far exceeds our imagination!"
Her gaze toward Lin Yan was full of expectation, as if she were looking at a peerless gem being carefully sculpted, destined to shine brightly in the world.
Han Shuirou listened with admiration in her beautiful eyes. Although she didn't fully understand, she knew that Lin Yan had gained a tremendous benefit, making her even happier than if she had advanced herself. She couldn't help but tug at Lin Yan's sleeve. " Lin Yan, Lin Yan, your new Soul Skill sounds amazing! Can I see it?"
Su Wanqing also showed interest. "I've been wanting to broaden my horizons too."
Lin Yan readily agreed, and the three of them arrived at a dedicated Soul Skill testing ground within the academy.
Faced with a hard testing stone, Lin Yan did not launch an attack directly. He first activated the " Living Spirit Domain," and the invisible power of the domain enveloped the testing stone. Instantly, the cold stone seemed to have gained a trace of "life," and the faint energy flow in its internal structure was clearly perceptible to Lin Yan.
" First Soul Skill, Illusory Color Concealment!" Lin Yan's figure blurred for a moment in place, but did not completely disappear. However, due to the interference and refraction of the spiritual threads within the domain, his presence became extremely weak, and his aura became erratic.
" Second Soul Skill, Scale-Leaf Light Rain!" Countless sharp blades shot out. Within the domain, the speed and penetrating power of these blades were significantly amplified, and their trajectories became even more unpredictable. As if pulled by invisible threads, they shot at the testing stone from various tricky angles, leaving deeper and denser marks.
" Third Soul Skill, Blue Silver · Sword Leaf!" A deep blue longsword materialized. Lin Yan did not use the Tai Chi Sword Technique, but simply thrust it. However, with the blessing of the Living Spirit Sword Domain, this sword was as fast as lightning. The tip of the sword seemed to tear through the air, carrying a contradictory aura of condensed vitality and deathly stillness, and easily pierced deep into the Sword Testing Stone!
Finally, Lin Yan's mind stirred, and the power of his domain changed. Instead of drawing life force from the surrounding plants, he focused the domain's main effects on "perception" and "interference." He signaled one of the Plant Academy students accompanying him to attack him.
The student released Vine Entanglement, but once the vines entered the range of the Living Spirit Sword Domain, their speed noticeably slowed down, as if they were stuck in an invisible quagmire, and their Soul Power circulation also became slightly obscured. Lin Yan didn't even need to move much; he simply relied on his control over the domain to guide the spiritual threads with a slight flick, causing the vines to Entanglement with each other, and the attack missed.
"This is amazing!" Han Shuirou exclaimed in disbelief. "This isn't just a simple Soul Skill; it's like... like you've created your own little world!"
Su Wanqing nodded repeatedly, praising, "Amplifying oneself, weakening and interfering with enemies, and even aiding in sensory recovery... this Living Spirit Domain is truly a nascent divine skill! Lin Yan, you must nurture and comprehend it carefully. As your Soul Power increases and your understanding of the rules deepens, the power and range of this domain will undoubtedly increase further!"
Having received high praise from Su Wanqing, Lin Yan felt even more confident about the future of his Fourth Soul Skill.
After spending another half day at the Plant Academy, exchanging some insights with Su Wanqing about cultivating Plant-type Martial Soul and domain-type abilities, and thanking her again, Lin Yan politely declined Han Shuirou's invitation to stay for dinner and took his leave.
Back at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Lin Yan's life returned to its peaceful and fulfilling rhythm. However, with his Fourth Soul Ring and the Living Spirit Domain, his focus and methods of cultivation had changed.
He spent most of his time immersed in a deeper exploration of the " Living Spirit Domain." He discovered that this domain could not only connect with plants, but also have a more significant impact on Soul Master with Plant-type Martial Soul. He even began to experiment with whether he could attach the power of the domain to the Blue Silver Grass and throw them outwards to form small, temporary domain nodes, or whether he could weave more offensive or defensive structures within the domain using spirit threads.
At the same time, he did not neglect the cultivation of his Soul Power and the honing of his Tai Chi Sword Technique. After reaching level forty, the Supreme Purity Breathing Technique operated even more powerfully, and with each cycle, he could feel his strength steadily increasing. The combination of Tai Chi Sword Technique and the Living Spirit Domain allowed him to find a unique path. His sword technique was no longer limited to moves, but also incorporated the "momentum" and "principle" of the domain. The sword moved with his body, and the domain moved with the sword, multiplying its power.
Occasionally, he would visit Dugu Bo's residence, partly to ask him questions about cultivation.
Of course, spending time with Ye Lingling on a daily basis is also essential.
Days passed by, and the day of the Continental Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academy was fast approaching.