The Lake of Life.
A dark, deep spatial passage suddenly opened, and five figures stepped out, each wearing a different expression.
"Ice, Snow — in a few days, you two will come with me on another trip. Ditian, Myriad Demon King — you two can do as you like, handle your own affairs."
After giving the brief instruction, Lin Yun spread his Golden Dragon wings and rose into the sky, flying leisurely toward the distant valley.
Watching his departing figure, Ditian sighed softly."As expected of our Lord, the invincible Golden Dragon King. At first, I thought His Majesty's strength alone was unparalleled, but now I realize even his wisdom is equally awe-inspiring."
Indeed—In this world where even something as simple as "cutting off the enemy's supplies" could be called a brilliant strategy, Lin Yun's mind was practically a cheat. His cunning and unpredictable methods were endless, leaving the Beast God truly astonished.
Yes—
When you think about it, the behavior of humans isn't so different from that of us soul beasts. Both simply strive to survive and live better lives. The combination of "stick and carrot" may not be perfect, but it works astonishingly well for most situations.
Following that logic, the human mind became far easier to read. Once one understood the underlying motive behind their actions, many hidden details that were once impossible to predict became crystal clear.
As rulers of a vast soul beast territory, both Ditian and the Snow Empress were far from brainless. The truth was, they rarely bothered to think strategically simply because they didn't need to — their sheer power was enough to crush everything in their way.
But now, facing the unprecedented threat of the Divine Realm, even their immense power seemed insignificant before the gods' overwhelming might.
They began trying to think like humans—to develop their intelligence further.
If Lin Yun were here, he would probably say that if they had done this sooner—if they had started learning from humanity, experimenting with tools like soul devices—they would have long since reached the pinnacle of power below godhood.
Humans live only a few hundred years—a blink of an eye compared to Ditian and the Snow Empress's lifespans. If they had invested even a fraction of that time studying soul technology, would Ditian have been in such an awkward position in the Legend of the Dragon King era?
If talent isn't enough, then just make up for it with time!
Unfortunately, in the short term, neither of them could achieve major breakthroughs. Lin Yun had never counted on them anyway. From the very beginning, he had planned to face the Divine Realm alone after becoming a god.
Soul beasts that could not ascend to godhood weren't even worthy of being cannon fodder before the gods.
——
While Ditian and the others pondered these thoughts, Lin Yun arrived at the secluded valley.
Three elegant wooden cottages stood there — one for Lin Yun, one for Xixi, and one for Xue Qingci.
At this moment, Xixi was deep in cultivation. A streak of golden lightning flashed rapidly among the trees — to the untrained eye, it looked like a humanoid shadow darting through the forest at incredible speed.
Xixi had just obtained her sixth soul ring. Thanks to the enhancement from her two hundred-thousand-year soul bones, her physique had improved tremendously. Originally, she could only withstand a twenty-thousand-year ring, but now she had successfully absorbed a forty-two-thousand-year soul ring from an Electric Mad Leopard.
Of course, that soul ring came from an aged Electric Mad Leopard that was already nearing death. Along with the ring, it had also dropped a leg bone — completing Xixi's set of leg bones.
A forty-two-thousand-year soul bone — an extraordinary treasure — something Xixi had dreamed of all her life. The Electric Mad Leopard's soul ring and bone had even awakened the medicinal energy of the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid within her, causing her martial spirit to evolve.
Her former martial spirit had been the Lightning Leopard. After evolution, it became the superior soul beast species — the Thunder Shadow Leopard.
Its quality… was likely comparable to the Evil-Eyed White Tiger, definitely ranking among the top martial spirits.
Watching Xixi's body transform into arcs of lightning that danced through the trees, Lin Yun couldn't help but show a hint of regret. It wasn't dissatisfaction with her power — rather, he regretted that she had already surpassed the age limit.
The next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament would most likely allow sects to participate. Lin Yun intended to enter under his sect's name — naturally, the Soul Hall.
But then came the tricky part — the team roster.
He himself could join, of course. Xiaoxiao could count as one, Ning Tian as another, and Xue Qingci was also eligible — she wouldn't yet be over twenty when the tournament began.
But that still left gaps.
Aside from those four, Lin Yun had also placed Di Qiu'er on his candidate list. When he last returned, he had given Xixi the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid — and gifted Di Qiu'er a Ground Dragon Gold Melon to cheer her up, since the girl had been sulking. Once she got the gift, her smile returned immediately.
After consuming the Gold Melon, her strength skyrocketed. She had already reached the high-level Soul King realm, charging toward Soul Emperor. By the time of the tournament, she'd probably reach around level 65.
A golden dragon soul master with an Ultimate Attribute, further refined by the Gold Melon enhancing her dragon bloodline — her power was unquestionable. Lin Yun even suspected that if she joined the competition, she could probably beat Long Aotian, a Soul Sage, into doubting his entire life.
Her soul ring configuration already reached purple, purple, purple, black, black, and by the time she reached Soul Emperor, it might become two purple, four black. Such an Imperial Auspicious Beast-level talent would surely stun the audience.
As for why, in the original story, her soul rings followed a normal progression without advancing their years — Lin Yun guessed she probably didn't want to draw too much attention to herself.
Either way, even with Di Qiu'er included, that made only five team members.
Would he need to recruit a few from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect just to make up the numbers?
That wasn't impossible — the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect surely had qualified disciples. That could serve as a backup plan.
Regardless, Lin Yun was determined to dominate this tournament.
Soul Hall — Activate!
Hehehehe…
And as for why Lin Yun had come back?Honestly, there wasn't any particular reason. He just… kind of missed Xue Qingci.
He wanted to make her happy.
Grinning mischievously at the thought, Lin Yun chuckled and quietly merged into space, leaving Xixi to train outside while he slipped directly into Xue Qingci's room using his soul bone skill. With a casual wave, he set up a soundproof barrier.
Electrolux instantly sensed Lin Yun's return. Without even needing Lin Yun to say a word, the old spirit shut off all his senses and promptly went to "sleep."
"Young man… have some restraint…" came his faint, drifting words.
"Old geezer…" Lin Yun's forehead twitched, a few dark lines appearing, but he quickly pushed the thought aside.
"Hehehehe~ Imprisoning Xue~"
End of Chapter)
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