Xiao Lin and Tang San had once discussed Thunder Canyon before.
Now that the winds from Thunder Canyon were blowing across the plains, both of them could feel the surge of spiritual energy in the gathering formation. Instantly, they realized that Thunder Canyon might hold a divine inheritance.
Of course, declaring outright that there was a god's legacy would be too hasty.
The truth was, both Xiao Lin and Tang San simply placed too much importance on such divine inheritances.
"Divine inheritance?"
Tang Ni's heart skipped a beat upon hearing their words.
Could there really be one?
"Brother Lin, according to your reasoning," Tang San began calmly, having already composed himself, "Thunder Canyon isn't large enough for a hundred-thousand-year soul beast to appear—unless it's a truly gifted one, of course."
He analyzed further, "But the sudden surge in spirit energy proves that there must be quite a few high-age soul beasts in that area. If it's not a divine inheritance, then there must be a supreme treasure there."
Hearing Tang San's logical deduction, Xiao Lin only shook his head. He no longer held out hope for any godly inheritance.
"It shouldn't be a divine inheritance. No god would release their spirit energy like this," he said flatly.
His reasoning came from what he knew about divine trials in the original story.
The Sea God, for instance, was extremely stingy—unless one passed the test, they'd never receive a single benefit.
And the idea that the Sea God would casually release spiritual energy for others to absorb? Impossible.
Besides, Xiao Lin suddenly remembered something important—
The God of Thunder had perished long ago during the battle with the Dragon God. His divine position might have been destroyed entirely.
Perhaps even his godhood had shattered.
That thought, strangely enough, made Xiao Lin's mood improve.
If the God of Thunder was truly dead, then the divine power he left behind could have dissolved into spiritual energy, constantly releasing lightning throughout Thunder Canyon.
And that was preferable, in Xiao Lin's eyes—better than being under a god's watchful eye.
He wanted to control his own destiny.
It was like how he often thought about "milking" the Sea God for benefits—but never once did he desire to become the Sea God himself.
Of course, part of that was because he didn't want to steal Tang San's destiny—but more importantly, Xiao Lin had higher ambitions (not to mention help from the Dragon Kings).
"No god, huh? Then that means there's a treasure!"
Xiao Wu finally caught on, her eyes sparkling—after all, a lightning-attribute treasure would benefit her too.
"If we can get our hands on such a treasure, that might be our chance to become gods," Xiao Lin replied noncommittally.
But he wasn't naive—did they really have the strength to claim such a treasure now?
Would the high-level soul beasts in Thunder Canyon just sit idly by and let them take it?
He didn't blindly trust his soul-gathering formation. He knew there were definitely other creatures—likely sensitive soul beasts—who could sense the same spiritual pulse of a treasure.
"No wonder, Brother Lin," Tang San said suddenly, "you only ever mention the most fearsome beasts when talking about ideal soul rings. The quality of soul beasts in Thunder Canyon must be incredible."
He had been puzzled before—why did Thunder Canyon seem to give off an even more dangerous aura than the Star Dou Great Forest?
At this moment, Tang Ni stayed silent, her pretty face unnervingly calm.
She too wanted to become a god—but the divine inheritance of Thunder Canyon was the one thing she had no interest in.
Others might not know, not even Xiao Wu, but she knew very well—
Thunder Canyon housed a terrifying being:
Lei Huang, the Thunder Emperor Dragon—nearly 300,000 years of cultivation, with both Azure Dragon and Yinglong bloodlines coursing through its veins.
Its combat power was said to rival even Chi Wang, the Red King.
Any soul beast that could survive multiple heavenly tribulations was already a supreme genius—and Lei Huang not only had a dragon's body but also wielded the most destructive force of all: the Ultimate Lightning.
Within Thunder Canyon, it could even manipulate the skies themselves to attack—its strikes were on par with heavenly tribulation lightning.
Even Di Tian wouldn't dare take such an attack head-on.
Thus, the journey to Thunder Canyon was as much a chance as it was a deadly gamble.
Tang Ni thought this silently—and Xiao Lin, too, came to the same conclusion.
For everyone's safety, he decided to give up on his most coveted goal: the hundred-thousand-year Thunder Emperor Dragon soul ring.
He would settle for a suitable soul beast, absorb its ring, and leave as soon as possible.
Of course, if he could find a soul beast with true dragon blood, that would be ideal—then the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings could enhance the ring's age with their dragon aura.
Because of Thunder Canyon's unusual spiritual energy, Xiao Lin carefully explained the potential dangers to the others.
Hearing those risks, Tang San and the others wisely decided to abandon the idea of venturing deep into Thunder Canyon for now.
As for the so-called treasure—That could wait for the future.
For the rest of the month-long journey, Xiao Lin's group continued toward Dragon City without incident.
Perhaps because the caravan was experienced, they didn't encounter any soul beast hordes along the way.
At last, they arrived safely at Dragon City.
After half a month of travel, everyone was exhausted.
So, Xiao Lin decided they would rest for a full day in a luxurious hotel before heading to Thunder Canyon the next morning.
In front of Rose Hotel, Tang San's face darkened as he stared at a young nobleman surrounded by two women.
The problem? Rose Hotel had only one room left.
Tang San was about to leave when the arrogant playboy insulted him.
Now, Tang San wanted an explanation—and for soul masters, "an explanation" usually meant a duel.
To Xiao Lin, however, it was pointless. If Tang San accidentally revealed his true strength here, it would cause unnecessary trouble.
But Tang San didn't care—because that playboy had insulted Xiao Wu, the girl he loved.
"Brother Lin, this won't take long—just a few seconds," Tang San said confidently.
Surely, he could defeat some pampered weakling whose body looked half-ruined by indulgence.
The pale-faced youth before him looked so feeble that Tang San doubted he even needed to use a soul skill.
And yet, the man continued leering shamelessly at Xiao Wu and Tang Ni, refusing to let them leave.
"Heh, your girlfriends are gorgeous. Why not let me take care of them instead? Hahaha—"
Before he could finish laughing, Xiao Lin moved in a flash—Smack!
His palm connected solidly with the young man's face.
The immense impact cut off the man's laughter as his body flew through the air like a rag doll.
A few blood-stained teeth spun in the air, tracing an arc before landing on the ground with a dull clatter.
"Thud!"
A second later, the playboy crashed to the floor, eyes rolled back, completely unconscious.
The two girls at his side, stunned for a second, suddenly realized what had happened.
Their blank stares turned to terror—they shrieked and bolted away without looking back, not sparing even a glance at the fallen man.
"All right, let's go."
Xiao Lin didn't want Tang San to risk revealing his Blue Silver Emperor, so he settled the matter himself.
In truth, he was even more worried about Tang Ni—if she had struck, the fool might've died on the spot.
And killing a local noble's son would mean endless trouble.
After all, anyone who could act like that had powerful backing.
Xiao Lin had merely infused his strike with Ultimate Ice soul power, leaving a hidden mark—
From now on, whenever that playboy tried to use soul power, his limbs would go numb and freeze. He would never fight again—a cripple for life.
After Xiao Lin's group departed, the bystanders around Rose Hotel finally stopped gossiping and dispersed.