First Battle, the Divine Might of the Five Elements

Watching Lin Qingchen slowly open his eyes, Lei Nuo breathed a sigh of relief and put away the Thunderous Spear.

When he had seen Lin Qingchen's presence suddenly grow faint, he had thought something had gone wrong. But Lin Qingchen had quickly recovered, so Lei Nuo had not interrupted his fusion.

The five-colored light gradually faded from Lin Qingchen's eyes. He let out a long breath of turbid air, traces of blood still unwiped from the corner of his mouth.

"Qingchen, you... what was that five-colored light just now?"

Lei Nuo's voice was filled with a shock he could not contain.

He had been a Soul Master for decades and taught eighty students, if not a hundred, but he had never seen such a phenomenon when someone absorbed a Soul Ring.

He had never seen a sight like that, five-colored light shooting into the sky and the surrounding elements of heaven and earth trembling in resonance with it, even from a Soul Saint.

Lin Qingchen wiped the corner of his mouth and stood up. Though his face was still a little pale, his eyes were clear.

"Dean, my Martial Soul mutated and gained the five elemental attributes. The power of the five elements resonated when I absorbed the Soul Ring. It should be... because of those Soul Rings I absorbed before but failed to fuse with?"

He spoke uncertainly, even wearing a hint of "I don't know why either" bewilderment. His acting was worthy of an Oscar.

But for the moment, Lei Nuo really could not seem to find a reason to refute him.

After all, Martial Soul Mutation was fairly common in the Soul Master World, though it had not been studied in depth. If Lin Qingchen's Martial Soul really had mutated, it was indeed possible.

Still, for the mutation to produce such a powerful phenomenon, one could only say that Lin Qingchen's luck was so good it put others to shame.

But this made Lei Nuo feel even more certain that his decision had been right. It seemed Lin Qingchen really might become a powerful Soul Master, perhaps even strive for the Titled Douluo realm.

At the mere thought of the words "Titled Douluo," Lei Nuo's heart suddenly stirred with excitement. Though he might never break through the Soul King realm in this lifetime, it would still be wonderful to befriend such a future Titled Douluo.

"...You were trembling badly just now. You didn't suffer any hidden injuries, did you? You should get a thorough examination when we return to the academy." Lei Nuo thought for a moment and voiced his concern.

"I'm fine. The power of the five elements came on fiercely, and I just suffered a bit of a shock. I'll be fine after some rest." Lin Qingchen shook his head.

Tang San stepped forward from the side, a complicated expression in his eyes.

He had watched the five-colored divine light shoot from between Lin Qingchen's brows, and even with all he had learned in the Tang Sect in his previous life, he could not say what kind of method it was.

"Brother Chen... what exactly is the origin of your Martial Soul?"

"I don't know either." Lin Qingchen patted him on the shoulder and offered no further explanation.

The fewer people who knew about some things, the better.

Tang San also realized he had misspoken and said no more. How could such a secret be shared with an outsider?

Lei Nuo did not linger either. Once the three were ready, they followed the path they had taken back toward the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest.

After they had walked for about half an hour, a piercing howl suddenly rang out from the woods.

"Careful." Lei Nuo stopped in his tracks, the Thunderous Spear appearing in his hand in an instant as he stepped in front of Lin Qingchen and Tang San.

A Soul Beast sprang out of the bushes ahead. It resembled a wolf, but was a size larger than an ordinary wild wolf, with short crimson fur covering its body. Most striking of all were the three tails growing behind it. Two were wreathed in cyan currents of air like wind blades, while crimson flames danced at the tip of the third.

"It's a Three-Tailed Wind Flame Wolf. Judging by its presence, I'm afraid it's nearly two hundred years old." Lei Nuo glanced at it, his brows furrowing slightly. "What makes this kind of Soul Beast troublesome is that it can control both wind and fire attacks. Qingchen, Little San, get back-"

"Dean, let me handle it."

Lin Qingchen stepped forward, moving in front of Lei Nuo.

Lei Nuo was startled. "You just finished fusing with your Soul Ring, and your body hasn't recovered yet. This Soul Beast may only be two hundred years old, but its wind and fire attributes are extremely troublesome when used together. It's very difficult for a low-level Soul Master to deal with."

"That's exactly why I need to try it out." Lin Qingchen looked back and smiled at him. "I can't go back to the academy without knowing what my Soul Skill actually does, can I?"

Lei Nuo hesitated for a moment before finally relenting. "All right, then. Be careful. Little San, pay close attention too. If you can help, don't hesitate to step in."

Tang San immediately focused, his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul quietly possessing him as he prepared to provide support at any moment.

He had long wanted to see what his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul was like in actual combat, too.

When the Three-Tailed Wind Flame Wolf saw the three of them, its tails lashed in unison. With a low growl, it charged.

It was extremely fast. Its two attributes gave it not only strength but also speed far beyond that of an ordinary Soul Beast.

Lin Qingchen neither dodged nor retreated. He simply stood where he was and let the Five Elements Qilin Martial Soul possess him.

This time, his transformation was far more dramatic. From his forehead grew a pair of lustrous qilin horns, curved like crescent moons and radiating five-colored light, giving him an almost divine bearing.

His First Soul Ring, infused with the power of the five elements, also rose behind him.

Compared with other Soul Beasts, the Three-Tailed Wind Flame Wolf excelled at attacking through a combination of its two attributes. By contrast, it was much weaker in close combat.

And as it happened, Lin Qingchen's abilities directly countered that method of attack.

With a thought from Lin Qingchen, the power of the five elements manifested as five spheres of different-colored light, circling his body. Their radiance combined, finally becoming a dense five-colored halo.

It was the Great Five Elements Divine Light!

By then, the Wind Flame Wolf had charged within two zhang of him. Its third, fiery tail suddenly lashed out, sending a crimson fireball howling straight at Lin Qingchen's face, trailing a scorching wave of heat.

Lin Qingchen thrust out his palm, sending the five-colored divine light to meet the fireball.

The instant the fireball touched the five-colored curtain of light, it vanished.

Like a drop of ink falling into the sea, the fireball, powerful enough to severely injure an ordinary Soul Master, was reduced to nothing the moment it touched the five-colored divine light, not leaving so much as a spark behind.

This was the Great Five Elements Divine Light, capable of extinguishing all energy!

The Wind Flame Wolf visibly froze, all three tails standing on end. It seemed unable to understand why its attack had evaporated into thin air.

But it did not retreat. It slammed its forepaws into the ground and abruptly lashed out with its second, wind-wreathed tail. Three cyan wind blades slashed out in succession, cutting through the air with piercing shrieks.

Lin Qingchen showed no fear. He struck out with one hand, and the five-colored divine light surged, instantly dispersing the first wind blade.

The wind-attribute Soul Power that formed the blade was directly broken down by the power of the five elements and returned to heaven and earth.

The second and third wind blades followed close behind. Unhurried, Lin Qingchen swept out with the five-colored divine light. The two blades entered the halo one after the other, and both vanished without exception.