Time has passed gently, and six years have quietly gone by.
The sycamore leaves at Notting College have fallen and grown back again. The once naive boys have long since shed their childishness and grown into tall and upright figures.
At this moment, two figures were facing each other from a distance in the sparring arena, their auras tense. They were Lin Chen and Tang San.
In six years, Tang San had broken through to level 29, a control-type Soul Master, just one step away from level 30, a Soul Grandmaster. His dual-Soul talent was on full display; his control over the Blue Silver Grass was becoming increasingly refined, and the power of his Clear Sky Hammer was also deeply hidden. He was the undisputed number one genius of the entire Notting Academy, enjoying immense prestige and surrounded by Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang and Xiao Wu, truly a star surrounded by admirers. His face had become increasingly handsome, his temperament calm and reserved, yet a hint of barely perceptible ruthlessness and pride lurked in his eyes. Over the years, he had tried to harm Lin Chen several times, but each time Lin Chen had thwarted his attempts with ease, making Lin Chen a thorn in his side.
Lin Chen, who stood opposite him, had a soul power level of only 19, not even a level 20 Great Soul Master.
The word "waste" is still branded onto him like a mark.
Nobody knows the truth.
Everyone thought that Lin Chen's victory over Tang San in one move back then was just luck, and now that his talent had been exhausted, he had become mediocre. But only Lin Chen himself knew that he was not cultivating slowly, nor was he being lazy—he had already cultivated to the peak of level 20, but he deliberately suppressed his soul power and delayed acquiring his second soul ring.
He is waiting.
Once the Blue Silver Emperor's natal soul ring is condensed and the second awakening of the martial soul is completed, a complete transformation will occur, changing both appearance and identity.
But for the past five years, he has found it difficult to move an inch.
Tang Hao, like a persistent shadow, remained by Tang San's side, openly protecting him while secretly watching Lin Chen at all times. His Title Douluo-level senses covered every corner of Notting City. Lin Chen had tried to secretly leave the academy and infiltrate the Star Dou Great Forest to complete his awakening, but each time, he could clearly sense—
Tang Hao followed not far behind him in the darkness.
Without moving, without disturbing, without showing themselves, they firmly blocked his escape route.
Lin Chen was extremely distressed.
Tang Hao had become extremely suspicious of him.
As long as he dares to leave Notting Academy's sight, dares to condense his natal spirit ring, exposes the aura of the Blue Silver Emperor, and dares to undergo a second awakening...
Tang Hao will definitely make a sudden move in a deserted place.
Exposing your identity = death.
Without a second awakening, one is forever branded as a useless martial spirit, trapped in Notting Academy, unable to make any progress in cultivation.
Caught between a rock and a hard place.
On the sparring field, Tang San's spirit rings lit up, the combination of two yellow and one purple spirit rings was dazzling, and the Blue Silver Grass swept out like a venomous snake, with a fierce momentum.
"Lin Chen, it's been five years, and you're still stuck at level 19. You're such a waste." Tang San's tone was calm, but it carried a condescending contempt. "Today, I'll show you that the gap between us is already an insurmountable chasm."
Lin Chen raised his eyes, his gaze deep and calm.
The level 19 soul power fluctuations may seem weak, but the physical body has already been tempered to the point of being indestructible, and the mental power far surpasses that of a titled Douluo. The Northern Darkness Divine Art is as deep as an abyss, and the divine foundation of the three martial souls is deeply hidden.
He was still the same boy who pretended to be weak to deceive others, but now his eyes held a coldness and patience that had accumulated over the past five years.
The gust of wind in the sparring arena subsided, and Tang San staggered back several steps, his chest heaving violently, his face filled with disbelief, frustration, and anger.
He lost again.
Five years, a full five years, from age twelve to seventeen. He was level 29, and Lin Chen was level 19, a difference of ten levels, yet he still couldn't beat the person in front of him who was considered trash.
Lin Chen withdrew his fist and stood still, his aura so calm it was as if he had just taken a stroll, without even a trace of soul power fluctuation leaking out. He didn't even activate his soul rings, relying solely on his physical strength, the power absorption of the Northern Darkness Divine Art, and his thorough understanding and prediction of Tang San's moves to easily defeat him.
The surrounding students were in an uproar again, but the direction of the discussion was still as Lin Chen had hoped.
"They won again? But Lin Chen is only level 19!"
"It's probably because his level is low, and the difference in his soul skills isn't obvious. Once Tang San reaches the Soul Master level, he can kill him in one move!"
"That's right, low-level players rely on skill, while high-level players rely on soul power. In the end, he still has a useless martial soul!"
Perfect.
The disguise was flawless.
Even though Lin Chen won countless times, in everyone's eyes he was still just an opportunistic good-for-nothing, not a true strongman.
Lin Chen closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed the turbulent thoughts in his heart.
Tang San's anger, Yu Xiaogang's suspicion, Tang Hao's faint yet icy gaze from the shadows... everything was still under control, but that one thing made it impossible for him to move an inch.
Second awakening of the martial spirit.
This is his biggest problem.
With his current strength, going head-to-head with Tang Hao would be like an egg hitting a rock; the power of a Title Douluo is simply beyond his current capabilities.
He thought about sneaking away before graduation, finding a secluded place to hide, and awakening his Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul after Tang Hao left with Tang San. However, he knew that if he used the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul in the future, Tang Hao would definitely recognize him instantly.
As for Black Iron Hammer and Luo Sanpao?
His current foundation is insufficient; even if he unleashes his full power, it won't be enough for him to establish himself in the world of Soul Masters. Without pursuing the path of a second awakening, he'll forever remain a level 19 nobody, unable to truly break through his cultivation barrier.
Taking this path is tantamount to revealing one's identity to Tang Hao.
To advance is to die, to retreat is to be imprisoned.
Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.
Six years of forbearance were not meant to keep me trapped in this small Notting College forever.
He must undergo a second awakening of his martial soul. He must change his appearance, gain sufficient strength to evolve his martial soul into the Black Iron Hammer, Luo Sanpao, by adding spirit rings.
Lin Chen stood at the edge of the sparring arena, letting Tang San's roar behind him and the surrounding chatter gradually fade away. The last trace of hesitation in his eyes completely transformed into a cold, resolute determination at that moment.
Revealing your identity isn't suicide, it's breaking the deadlock.
He had been trapped in this small space by Tang Hao for five years. If he waited any longer, he would only miss the best window of opportunity for growth. Since Tang Hao insisted on keeping an eye on him, he might as well tear off the disguise and stir up the waters completely.
What bothered him most during those five years was not Tang Hao's surveillance, nor Tang San's malice, but Yu Xiaogang's incessant chatter.
For the past six years, Yu Xiaogang has made "comparison" a daily routine.
Every time Tang San broke through, he would loudly proclaim in class, in the cafeteria, and even when Lin Chen passed by: "Look at Tang San, this is a true genius, dual martial souls, level 29, my disciple! And look at Lin Chen, level 19, a useless martial soul, hopeless!"
He doesn't hurt people, but he specializes in making people feel disgusted.
It's as if stepping on Lin Chen would prove the greatness of his theory.
Lin Chen's lips curled into a chilling smile as he thought to himself, "Yu Xiaogang, I originally planned to keep you around to slowly reap the rewards later, considering that your Holy Dragon bloodline was still useful. But you just had to keep coming up to me and disgust this old man... So don't blame me for being ruthless and settling the score ahead of time."
Without stopping, he went straight back to the single room where he had lived for six years.
Pushing open the door, Lin Chen found that Xiao Wu, who had grown into a graceful young woman, was not there; she had probably gone to comfort Tang San, who had lost the competition. Lin Chen didn't care at all and went straight to his desk to sit down.
He picked up his quill pen, ground the ink, laid out the paper, and with the quill pen hovering, the ink flowed onto the paper, leaving a powerful and vigorous title—
The State of Soul Power
This time, he will not write about the ultimate martial spirit, nor about the ten ferocious beasts.
What he wants to write about is a realm that even the strongest experts in the Douluo Continent today have never touched—the Soul Core.
Of course, he wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal the complete cultivation method of the three soul cores to the public.
He only wrote a little bit of the basics.
It merely explains that soul power is not only about quantity, but also about quality compression through special meditation methods, forming a "solid prototype" in the dantian. Soul masters in this state are invincible within their level, and can challenge those of higher levels as easily as drinking water or eating.
This article is like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.
For ordinary Soul Masters, this is an unheard-of fantasy.
But for those powerful figures standing at the pinnacle of the continent, for those Title Douluos stuck in their bottlenecks and yearning for a breakthrough, and even for those enshrined members of the Spirit Hall who are obsessed with researching ultimate power—
This is the key to a higher level.
Lin Chen put down his pen, blew on the ink to dry it, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.
He's gambling.
I'm betting this article will attract the higher-ups of the Spirit Hall, and I'm betting it will attract those old monsters who covet even greater power.
Once these people are drawn to Nottingham, the chaos will present him with his best opportunity.
"Yu Xiaogang, Tang Hao, Tang San..."
Lin Chen folded the manuscript neatly and tucked it into his robes. He tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, his voice low and cold. "Five years' worth of debt, it's time to start collecting it with interest. Let's see if this little bit of 'soul power state' can attract some sufficiently powerful figures." From the moment Lin Chen sent the manuscript into the Martial Soul Branch Hall, he entered a state of outward calm but inward tension as he waited.
He still attended classes on time every day, "sparred" with Tang San as usual, was ridiculed in public by Yu Xiaogang as usual, and remained unmoved despite being called a level 19 waste. But only he knew that every minute and every second, his mental energy was frantically scanning his surroundings, staring intently at Tang Hao's aura in the shadows, and waiting for any slight movement from the Spirit Hall.
He was actually very panicked.
After all, he was throwing out a rudimentary theory of soul cores, a field that even titled Douluo in this world had never touched. Would those high-ranking figures really lower themselves to read something written by a "useless martial soul student from Notting Academy"? Would they just toss it into the trash heap? Would they think it was just another sensationalist, fake theory?
What Lin Chen didn't know was that his previous article, "The Ten Ferocious Beasts," had already stirred up undercurrents within the circle of humanity's top combat power.
Ordinary Soul Masters simply dismissed it as a strange tale, but the Pope, Elders, and Venerables of the Spirit Hall were utterly astonished when they saw the article that accurately described the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest, the cultivation level of the Soul Beasts, and their locations.
During that period, the Spirit Hall secretly dispatched a large number of spies and Soul Douluos to the Star Dou Great Forest, and even some Title Douluos secretly infiltrated to investigate. The entire continent could feel the Spirit Hall's high level of surveillance and unusual activity over the Star Dou Great Forest. They truly believed it and were really looking for those so-called "100,000-year-old ferocious beasts."
only...
As time passed, the scouts searched the outer and middle layers of the Starry Sky, but they couldn't even find a trace of a soul beast that was close to 100,000 years old, let alone the terrifying ferocious beasts in the text that were often 200,000 or 300,000 years old.
Over time, the higher-ups at the Spirit Hall gradually relaxed their efforts and reclassified the "Ten Ferocious Beasts"—
It's just a fantasy story created by a teenager with a wildly imaginative mind.
Fake.
It's a lie.
To pander to the crowd.
This conclusion caused the Spirit Hall to completely lower its guard, and also made Lin Chen unaware that a piece he had casually written had almost prematurely ignited a war between the Spirit Hall and the Star Dou Great Forest.
And now, his new work, "The State of Soul Power," lies on the desk of the Spirit Hall's Doctrine Department, waiting to be opened.
Lin Chen continued to act as if nothing was wrong every day, but only he knew the cold sweat on his fingertips.
He was gambling on a chaotic situation, gambling on a chance to escape, gambling on a future where he could stand at the pinnacle of the continent in front of Tang Hao.
Unbeknownst to him, the gears of fate had already quietly veered off course because of his few "fake master articles."
(End of Chapter)