The Undisputed Number One Genius (II)

Xiao Wu sat down cross-legged and guided the Yellow Soul Ring slowly over her body.

The four-hundred-and-ninety-year-old Soul Ring's energy was gentle and rich, flowing through her meridians. The Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul was highly compatible with the Soul Ring's attributes, and the absorption went exceptionally smoothly, with almost no resistance.

A soft pink halo enveloped her figure, and her long scorpion braid swayed gently, giving her a lively air.

Lin Chen stood guard beside her, watching her with a gentle gaze.

In the original story, Xiao Wu's First Soul Skill was Waist Bow, which could instantly boost the strength and explosive power of her waist and abdomen. Combined with her soft techniques, it was extremely powerful. In this life, the Soul Ring was older, so the Soul Skill would naturally be more powerful as well.

After about half an hour, Xiao Wu opened her eyes. A Yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath her feet, and her Soul Power fluctuations had clearly reached level thirteen.

"Brother Lin Chen! I did it!" Xiao Wu jumped up excitedly. "I can feel my new Soul Skill. It's called Waist Bow! It makes me a lot stronger, and I can jump higher too!"

With that, she activated her First Soul Skill.

The Yellow Soul Ring lit up, and Xiao Wu shot into the air, leaping more than three meters high. She performed a nimble somersault in midair and landed steadily.

She then punched a small tree beside her. Her fist cut through the air with a whistle, striking the trunk hard enough to make it shake violently and send leaves rustling to the ground.

"It's even stronger than I expected." Lin Chen nodded. "With Waist Bow, even Power Attack System Soul Masters at the same level might not be a match for you."

Xiao Wu's eyes curved with her smile as she came over and took his arm. "It's all thanks to your help, Brother Lin Chen!"

"All right, we should head back." Lin Chen glanced at the sky. "We've been out for most of the day. If we stay any longer, the academy will send someone to look for us."

The two gathered their things and headed back the way they had come.

With the Chaos Pearl concealing their presence, their journey passed without incident.

But when they were still several li from the outer camp, they heard panicked shouts ahead, mixed with the roars of a Soul Beast.

Lin Chen frowned and pulled Xiao Wu along as he quickened his pace.

Passing through a thicket, they saw three Nuoding Academy freshmen huddled behind a large tree, their faces deathly pale and their bodies trembling. Across from them, a gigantic black wolf more than two meters tall bared its teeth, its eyes gleaming with ferocity. It was a Hundred-Year Soul Beast, a Black Wind Wolf.

The three freshmen didn't even have Soul Rings. They were no match for a Hundred-Year Soul Beast, and the wolf was about to make a meal of them.

"Help!"

"Teacher Wang! Help!"

The Black Wind Wolf let out a low growl and lunged.

Just then, a gray figure flashed past.

Lin Chen darted forward and blocked its path in front of the three freshmen. Without releasing his Martial Soul, he raised a hand and punched, the force of his blow carrying Chaos Soul Power as it slammed into the Black Wind Wolf's head.

Bang!

After the muffled impact, the Black Wind Wolf's massive body flew backward like a kite with its string cut. It hit the ground hard, twitched twice, and stopped breathing.

One punch had killed a Hundred-Year Soul Beast in an instant.

The three freshmen stared dumbstruck, their mouths hanging open. For a long time, they couldn't speak.

Only when they recognized Lin Chen's face did they come to their senses and stammer, "L-Lin Chen!"

They were all freshmen, so of course they recognized the Innate Full Soul Power genius who had caused a sensation throughout the academy. But killing a Hundred-Year Black Wind Wolf with one punch was simply outrageous. Wasn't he only level ten?

"How did you end up here?" Lin Chen asked calmly.

"W-we were chasing a Hundred-Year Soul Beast and accidentally went too deep..." one of the boys said, still shaken. "Thank you for saving us!"

"The camp's just ahead. Hurry back, and don't go running off again." Lin Chen said no more and waved them on.

As if granted a pardon, the three freshmen hurriedly thanked him and ran toward the camp in a panic.

Xiao Wu hopped over to Lin Chen's side and said with a smile, "Brother Lin Chen, you looked so impressive just now."

"It was nothing." Lin Chen smiled. "Come on, let's get back to camp."

By the time the two returned to camp, dusk had fallen. The main group had long since returned, and Yu Xiaogang and Tang San were there too. Tang San had finished absorbing his Soul Ring, and his presence had grown much steadier. The Soul Power fluctuations around his waist clearly showed that he was at level thirteen, and he was standing beside Yu Xiaogang, listening to his guidance.

When Yu Xiaogang saw Lin Chen and Xiao Wu return safe and sound, his face instantly darkened.

He had assumed that the two children had ventured deep into the forest on their own and most likely ended up in the mouths of Soul Beasts. He hadn't expected them to come back completely unscathed.

"Lin Chen! Xiao Wu!" Teacher Wang, who was leading the group, strode over with a stern expression. "Where did you two go? Do you know how dangerous it was to leave the group on your own?"

"Teacher, we looked around nearby, found suitable Soul Beasts, and finished absorbing the rings," Lin Chen replied evenly.

"Finished absorbing them?" Teacher Wang paused and looked the two over. "You... both obtained Soul Rings?"

"Yes." Lin Chen nodded. A pale purple Soul Ring lit up beneath his feet, and his Soul Power fluctuations held steady at level seventeen.

Xiao Wu also revealed a Yellow Soul Ring, her level-thirteen presence clearly apparent.

The students around them instantly erupted.

"A purple Soul Ring?! Is that a Thousand-Year Soul Ring?!"

"Heavens! He absorbed a Thousand-Year Soul Ring at level ten? How is that possible?!"

"Lin Chen actually did it? He's only six!"

Cries of astonishment rose one after another as everyone stared at Lin Chen in disbelief.

Yu Xiaogang's expression changed completely. He shot to his feet and stared fixedly at the purple Soul Ring beneath Lin Chen's feet, his pupils contracting sharply.

A Thousand-Year Soul Ring?! How is that possible!

How could a level-ten Soul Master absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring? That completely contradicted his Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul!

He staggered half a step back, muttering to himself, "Impossible... absolutely impossible... The upper limit on a Soul Ring's age is an iron law..."

Tang San also clenched his fists tightly, his eyes full of shock and gravity.

He had absorbed a four-hundred-year-old Mandala Snake and thought that was already the limit, yet Lin Chen had absorbed a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

Just how many secrets was this person hiding?

Lin Chen glanced at the deathly pale Yu Xiaogang, then at Tang San, whose expression was complicated. The corners of his mouth lifted in a nearly imperceptible curve.

Life at Nuoding Academy had only just begun, and the real show was yet to come.

News of the Thousand-Year First Soul Ring swept through Nuoding Academy like a storm.

From the dean to the ordinary students, everyone was talking about the name Lin Chen.

Six years old, Innate Full Soul Power, and a Thousand-Year Soul Ring absorbed at level ten, breaking through to level seventeen in one leap-such an achievement had not only never been seen since Nuoding Academy's founding, but was also without equal in all of Fasinuo Province.

The dean personally summoned Lin Chen and not only waived all his tuition, but also granted him the highest level of cultivation resources by special approval, gave him an additional monthly allowance of ten gold coins, and even set aside a private cultivation room for his use.

In no time, Lin Chen became Nuoding Academy's undisputed number one genius, drawing awed looks wherever he went.