Chapter 113: Ah Yin's Choice, The Third Soul Ring
Lin Yuan crouched down and gently brushed his fingers across the cool, delicate leaves. A trace of warmth flickered through his eyes.
"Ah Yin."
He spoke softly, his voice echoing clearly through the quiet valley.
"I'm leaving."
"Do you want to stay here and continue cultivating, using this treasured land to regain your human form sooner?"
"Or… would you rather return to the academy with me?"
It was a choice.
If she stayed, her cultivation would undoubtedly recover faster. In three to five years, she might even be able to reconstruct her human form.
But that would also mean loneliness.
Dugu Bo, who had been watching from the side, finally stepped forward with a puzzled look.
He stared at the unusual Blue Silver Grass for a long moment, brows knitting slightly.
"Lin Yuan, I've been meaning to ask, what exactly is this plant?"
"It looks like the common Blue Silver Grass you see everywhere, but this aura… Even among the plant-type soul beasts I've encountered, none carried such noble patterns."
"And it seems to understand what you're saying?"
Lin Yuan did not turn around. His gaze remained fixed on Ah Yin as he replied calmly,
"She's no ordinary Blue Silver Grass. She's the ruler of the Blue Silver lineage, the Blue Silver Emperor. I discovered her by chance. We felt connected, so I've kept her by my side and nurtured her. I call her Ah Yin."
"The Blue Silver Emperor?!"
Dugu Bo's pupils contracted slightly.
Though he wasn't deeply versed in plant-type soul beasts, anything bearing the title "Emperor" was unquestionably a top-tier existence.
"No wonder…"
He stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"I don't know why you're going to such lengths to cultivate a plant."
"But I'll admit, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well truly is paradise for plant-type soul beasts."
"If you leave her here, it would greatly benefit her growth."
However, the moment Dugu Bo finished speaking—
The previously still Blue Silver Emperor suddenly moved.
Several slender, supple blue vines extended outward like the shy arms of a maiden.
Without hesitation, they wrapped gently around Lin Yuan's fingers, then traced up to his wrist, brushing softly against his palm.
The sensation was filled with deep attachment, almost coquettish in its tenderness.
Ah Yin had given her answer.
She wanted to leave.
She wanted to go with Lin Yuan.
Yes, remaining here would allow her to regain her human form and strength faster.
But she had had enough of that day-after-day loneliness, accompanied only by the sound of the wind and the spring water.
Even if it meant returning to Lin Yuan's small apartment balcony.
Even if she still couldn't speak or truly converse with him.
Every morning, Lin Yuan would water her, talk to her casually, and tease her leaves with his fingers.
That warmth of being cared for and needed was what she craved most right now.
She wanted to stay by Lin Yuan's side.
It was an emotional decision, perhaps even foolishly sentimental. She hadn't considered system rewards or diary mentions.
Right now, she was simply a blade of grass.
She only wanted to remain beside the boy who had carried her out of that dark cave.
Even if it meant being nothing more than a quiet potted plant.
Feeling the firm attachment at his fingertips, Lin Yuan's lips curved into a gentle smile.
"Alright. Then come with me."
With a flick of his hand, light flashed as he stored Ah Yin back into his soul tool.
Beside him—
Dugu Yan watched silently, a peculiar glint passing through her emerald eyes.
A woman's intuition told her that Ah Yin's feelings toward Lin Yuan were far from simple.
The way she entwined around him. The depth of that attachment…
"Hmph."
Dugu Yan snorted softly but said nothing.
She touched her lips unconsciously, as though they still retained the lingering warmth from her earlier kiss with Lin Yuan.
During this time, she had been "lurking" in the chat group.
Even though Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, and Ye Lingling were frantically tagging her in the group, asking where she and Lin Yuan had gone and when they would be back.
She simply replied, "Soon."
She wasn't about to reveal her martial soul evolution and explosive soul power increase in advance.
She would wait until they returned to the academy and shock everyone during practical combat class!
…
After finishing preparations, the three departed from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, once again stepping into the dense thickets of the Sunset Forest.
Walking ahead, Lin Yuan glanced at the sky before speaking to Dugu Bo behind him.
"Senior, since we're already out, there's no need to rush back to the academy."
"Before returning, I'd like to settle my third soul ring."
Dugu Bo paused, then quickly reacted.
"Right!"
"You took those pills earlier. Your soul power must have broken through Rank 30, hasn't it?"
Lin Yuan nodded.
He had refined two pills for himself.
One was the Purple Extreme Bright Eye Pill, using the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew as its primary ingredient, specifically to enhance spiritual power.
After consuming it, the origin power of his dual pupils was greatly nourished.
More importantly—
He successfully opened his Spiritual Sea.
This meant his spiritual power capacity and resilience had far surpassed soul masters of the same rank, comparable to that of a Soul King.
The second pill was a Yuan-Enhancing Pill, focused on raising soul power.
Its medicinal force was overbearing, directly pushing his soul power from Rank 26 past the Rank 30 bottleneck in one surge.
Once he obtained his third soul ring, he would officially become a Soul Elder.
"So," Dugu Bo asked, "have you decided what kind of soul beast you want to hunt?"
"Your God-Killing Spear is an extreme attack-type martial soul. The third soul ring is crucial."
Lin Yuan replied calmly,
"I've decided. I need a soul skill that purely amplifies attack power."
Dugu Bo frowned thoughtfully.
"A thousand-year soul beast with pure offensive amplification… That's not easy to find in Sunset Forest."
Lin Yuan smiled faintly and stopped walking.
"Senior Dugu Bo, you've misunderstood one thing."
"For my third soul ring, I won't be absorbing a thousand-year soul beast, but a ten-thousand-year soul beast!"
"And I've already locked onto my target. There just happens to be a soul beast in Sunset Forest that suits me perfectly."
Silence fell like death itself.
"W-What did you say?!"
Dugu Bo thought he'd misheard.
"How many years did you say you want to absorb?"
"T-Ten thousand years?!"
"Nonsense! Absolute nonsense!"
He nearly exploded on the spot.
"Brat! Have you refined pills until your brain melted?!"
"A third soul ring absorbing ten thousand years? Impossible!"
"The theoretical limit in the soul master world is around 1,760 years for the third soul ring!"
"Even if you tempered your body with the Ice and Fire spring water, at best you could handle three to five thousand years!"
"A ten-thousand-year soul beast produces a soul shock after death, which directly attacks the spiritual sea!"
"You're only Rank 30! How could your spiritual power possibly withstand it?"
"This is a matter of life and death!"
Dugu Bo might be eccentric at times, but on this matter, he refused to yield an inch.
Lin Yuan was his benefactor and his granddaughter's future husband.
How could he possibly stand by and watch him court death?
—
End of Chapter