Chapter 7: Eldest Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan
As the dust settled, the sight that met the eyes was no longer a verdant forest, but a massive crater dozens of meters wide and nearly ten meters deep.
The Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger had long since vanished, leaving only a black Soul Ring floating at the bottom of the pit, with a circular Dharma Wheel lying beside it.
"..."
Watching all this, Lin Xuan said nothing, but he felt as if his heart were bleeding.
He had spent four or five years preparing those massive amounts of explosives, investing countless sums of money, only for it all to result in a single ten-thousand-year Soul Ring.
"Sigh, forget it. Out with the old, in with the new. I'll just have to plan for high-level spirit tools later."
Lin Xuan shook his head and jumped down to the bottom of the crater, tossing Mahoraga's Dharma Wheel into his Shadow Space.
"Um... kid Lin Xuan..." Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's voice echoed in his mind, sounding a bit embarrassed.
"This time... this bro dragged you into this, haha. If this bro hadn't been chased so blindly by that star of disaster, you wouldn't have had to play it so big..."
It now fully understood that this host it had chosen "out of desperation" was not a "genius" in the conventional sense at all.
Especially with that scene in his Mental Sea, which was even more sinister than an evil Soul Beast, and those Shikigami outside, each more ridiculous than the last.
How was this a normal Soul Master? He was simply a monster in human skin!
No, he was a monster with unimaginable potential, possessing the posture of a Divinity!
Aside from lacking the mental attribute it had originally desired, he was perfect in every other way.
"But don't worry! This bro hasn't been idling around! I've already used a bit of my origin power to raise the age of your first and second Soul Rings to about six thousand years! I've also boosted your third Soul Ring to the ten-thousand-year level!"
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm proudly raised its round, chubby head.
"And this! The Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger's Soul Ring! Its quality is absolutely top-tier! If you want to absorb it now, this bro can use mental force to protect you! I guarantee there won't be a single problem!"
Hearing this, Lin Xuan's brows quirked slightly, and the gloom in his heart dissipated quite a bit.
He then looked toward that pitch-black Soul Ring.
The value of a Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger's Soul Ring was far beyond that of an ordinary ten-thousand-year Soul Ring. If he didn't absorb it, today's losses would truly be irrecoverable.
Lin Xuan did not hesitate further. He immediately walked up to the pitch-black Soul Ring and sat down cross-legged.
Beneath the skin of his face, the pitch-black Sukuna cursed markings surfaced once more, and beneath his eyes, a second pair of eyes slowly opened.
An evil and powerful aura permeated the air, rivaling that of the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger.
He adjusted his breathing and circulated his Soul Power.
Lin Xuan guided the pitch-black Soul Ring to slowly descend upon him.
The moment the Soul Ring settled, Soul Power as vast as the sea surged in frantically!
This power was far more domineering than that of the Silver Moon Wolf King, as if it wanted to tear all his meridians to shreds.
However, Lin Xuan was well-prepared.
His experiences in his previous life meant he wasn't some Xiao Bai who knew nothing about power.
Although the systems of Cursed Energy and Soul Power were different, they shared striking similarities in many aspects.
He did not merely passively endure the scouring of Soul Power and the expansion of his meridians like an ordinary Soul Master.
Instead, he controlled it with perfect ease, directing the Soul Power through unique routes to constantly strengthen his limbs, bones, and internal organs to accommodate even more power.
As for the intense resentment and soul shock from the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger within the Soul Ring... when Lin Xuan's consciousness entered his Mental Sea, he saw a sight that left him somewhat speechless.
The sea of blood and mountain of corpses remained, and the Cursed Shrine stood tall and majestic.
Meanwhile, the pitch-black resentment belonging to the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger was currently tied up tightly by countless dazzling golden threads of mental force, suspended over the sea of blood like a giant black zongzi.
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm sat leisurely atop the zongzi.
"What's all the racket! Quiet down! Can't you see I'm busy here?"
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm grumbled dissatisfiedly.
"You've already been blown to ash and you're still so unruly. Kid Lin Xuan, you can absorb the Soul Power in peace. This bro has handled this unlucky tiger's lingering will for you! I guarantee it's clean and won't interfere with you at all!"
As it spoke, those golden threads suddenly tightened, bursting with even more dazzling light.
The Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger's resentment couldn't even let out a proper roar before it rapidly became thin and transparent.
Eventually, it dissipated completely, turning into nourishment for the Mental Sea and merging into the base of the massive mountain of corpses beneath them.
Soul shock? It didn't even exist.
"It's fine as long as you've handled it."
Lin Xuan was about to leave the Mental Sea when he finished speaking, but Tianmeng Ice Silkworm wasn't having it, looking at him with a plaintive gaze like a neglected wife.
"Don't go, Lin Xuan! I could understand you ignoring this bro earlier because there was danger, but now that the danger is gone, don't you have anything you want to ask me?"
"Like why this bro is a Million-year Spirit Beast, why I was being chased by the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger, or how I'm going to train you to become a Divinity?"
Lin Xuan opened his mouth, really wanting to say: I probably know your background better than you do—from sleeping in the Extreme North to the Star Dou Great Forest, being used as a 'power bank' by a group of hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts, and finally fleeing for your life... I can almost recite the whole process.
But on second thought, considering he would likely be tied to this clown for a long time, it wasn't wise to make the relationship too strained.
He thought for a moment and changed his tone.
"You're right, those are all things I want to ask. Go ahead, Tianmeng."
"Hehe."
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm immediately beamed with joy. "Since you've asked so sincerely, then this bro shall show mercy and tell you! Back in the day, this bro fought from the east to the west, from the south to the north in the Extreme North..."
As if a switch had been flipped, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm began to chatter incessantly in Lin Xuan's mind.
Lin Xuan's eyelid twitched as he focused on absorbing the Soul Ring.
He never expected to be bound to Tianmeng Ice Silkworm by emotion; as long as they shared common goals and mutual interests, it was enough... Five hours later, Lin Xuan slowly opened his eyes, the black ten-thousand-year Soul Ring pulsing rhythmically beneath his feet.
The Soul Ring absorption was complete.
His Soul Power, which had just broken through to level thirty-two, had surged through three more levels to reach level thirty-five, and he was only one step away from level thirty-six.
The speed was nothing short of terrifying.
But all that was secondary; what truly made Lin Xuan feel the effort was worth it was the Soul skills granted by this Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger Soul Ring.
"Should I try it out?"
Lin Xuan thought about it and decided against it. The explosion had caused too much of a commotion, and there was no telling when someone might come to investigate. It was better to leave quickly.
However, just as he leaped out of the deep pit and landed on the surface, he looked up to see a woman descending from the sky.
"..."
Lin Xuan was speechless. Speak of the devil, right? Luckily he hadn't tried his Soul skills just now, otherwise he might have had to get into another fight.
The woman looked to be in her early twenties and was extremely beautiful.
Her waterfall-like long black hair fell softly to her waist, making her complexion look even fairer.
Her black eyes were bright and clear, and her temperament was gentle and elegant. Her exquisite features combined to give a soft, non-aggressive feeling that was nonetheless unforgettable.
Seeing Lin Xuan standing by the pit, the woman was also momentarily stunned. Then, she took a small step back and a gentle smile appeared on her face, indicating she had no hostile intent.
"Hello, my name is Zhang Lexuan. I am an Inner Court Disciple of Shrek Academy. I heard from some students that a large explosion occurred here, so I came to take a look."
Zhang Lexuan?
Hearing that name, Lin Xuan immediately breathed a sigh of relief, though he also felt a bit of lingering fear.
If Zhang Lexuan had seen what he looked like just now, that would have been a real problem. He probably would have had to consider summoning Mahoraga to save the day.
Lin Xuan immediately dropped his defensive stance and put on a surprised expression.
"You're also a senior sister from Shrek Academy?"
"Hello, senior sister. My name is Lin Xuan. I'm... well, I suppose a Freshman of Shrek Academy this year."
Zhang Lexuan was observant and keenly caught the word "also" in Lin Xuan's sentence. Her eyes brightened slightly as she followed up with a question.
"Also? Junior Lin, do you mean that you've encountered other people from Shrek Academy here?"