Chapter 228: Lin Qingmo's Strength Is Truly Terrifying!
The soul power lamp inside the tent emitted a soft glow, casting shadows of the two onto the canvas, gently swaying with the night breeze.
Lin Qingmo withdrew his thoughts and fixed his gaze on the girl in front of him.
She still had her head lowered, her fingertips trembling from nervousness.
"An over-limit soul ring isn't something you can just endure by force. The prerequisite is that both your body and spirit can withstand the corresponding age impact."
His voice was calm, yet it felt like a bucket of cold water being poured down.
"Your body has been eroded by the toxin of the Jade Phosphor Serpent for years. There are quite a few hidden injuries in your meridians."
"The upper limit of your martial soul is also locked. If you directly absorb a high-year soul ring, you'll only end up exploding and dying."
Dugu Yan's eyelashes trembled.
Her head lowered even further, her fingers twisting until they turned pale, a wave of disappointment rising in her heart.
As expected… something like this wouldn't be that easy. If Zhu Zhuqing and the others could do it, it must be because their talent was better than hers.
She bit her lip, just about to say "I understand," but before the words could leave her mouth—
Lin Qingmo suddenly raised his hand.
Two streams of light shot out from his storage soul tool, hovering in front of her.
One was a milky-white gelatinous substance, about the size of a fist, radiating a gentle luster.
The other was a pink exotic flower, its petals layered like stacked clouds and emitting a faint, elegant fragrance.
Dugu Yan subconsciously took a breath.
The fragrance seeped into her lungs, and the sluggish discomfort caused by the toxin that had lingered in her body for years unexpectedly eased quite a bit.
"This is whale rubber."
Lin Qingmo's voice remained steady.
"It can strengthen your physique and help you withstand the energy impact of higher-year soul rings."
"Take it first, then circulate your soul power and slowly absorb it."
Dugu Yan's breathing halted as she stared blankly at the whale rubber in front of her.
He… not only didn't refuse, but he even directly gave her a treasure?
"Take it."
Lin Qingmo's tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable authority.
"You're my person. If I give it to you, then take it."
You're my person.
These words were like sparks falling into her heart, and Dugu Yan's cheeks instantly flushed hot.
She bit her lip and reached out to take the whale rubber.
Without any hesitation, she tilted her head back and swallowed it.
"Circulate your soul power. Don't get distracted."
Lin Qingmo's voice sounded at the right moment, pulling her back from her brief daze.
Dugu Yan immediately composed herself, sat down cross-legged, and began fully circulating her soul power.
…
Half an hour later.
She slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and opened her eyes.
Her body was filled with an unprecedented sense of strength, and even the meridians that had ached for years now felt relaxed and unobstructed.
She had just been about to speak her thanks when she saw the pink exotic flower slowly float in front of her.
"This one is the Aromatic Silk Beauty, an immortal herb."
Lin Qingmo looked at her and explained, "Eat it, and your martial soul may even evolve."
Martial soul evolution?
Dugu Yan's breathing stopped.
She had dreamed of evolving her Jade Phosphor Serpent martial soul.
Her grandfather's Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor martial soul was one of the top-tier poison-type martial souls on the entire continent, a height she had always looked up to.
And now, Lin Qingmo casually took out an immortal herb and said it could help her achieve martial soul evolution?
She stared in disbelief at the seemingly delicate flower before her, waves surging in her heart.
Carefully, she took the Aromatic Silk Beauty and placed it into her mouth.
…
The moment the immortal herb entered her stomach, a scorching current exploded and surged into her limbs and bones.
Her martial soul was released uncontrollably.
A small emerald-green serpent coiled behind her, flicking its tongue and hissing.
As the medicinal power continued to pour in, the Jade Phosphor Serpent's body began to expand wildly.
Its scales gradually shifted from green to a deep purple-black, faint golden patterns appearing on them like ancient totems.
On the serpent's head, a pair of small jade-colored horns slowly grew out.
The originally cold aura gradually turned majestic and domineering, carrying the pressure unique to a sovereign.
The air inside the tent grew thick with dense poison-type soul power surging, yet it was firmly contained within a soul power barrier set by Lin Qingmo, not leaking out in the slightest.
Dugu Yan's soul power level also broke through its bottleneck at this moment, steadily stepping into rank 40.
She slowly opened her eyes.
Feeling the surging soul power within her body, along with the unprecedented strength of her martial soul, a thought moved—
The giant serpent behind her appeared once more.
Not the Jade Phosphor Serpent.
It was the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor!
Exactly the same as her grandfather's, even with an even purer aura.
She really did it.
Martial soul evolution, bottleneck breakthrough.
The problem that had troubled her for so long had been solved by Lin Qingmo in just a short time.
She turned her head and looked at the young man sitting not far away.
He still wore that calm expression, as if he had merely done something insignificant.
Light streamed through the gaps of the tent, outlining his sharp jawline, and the steadiness in his brows made him seem nothing like a teenager.
"…"
Dugu Yan's heartbeat lost control once again.
An indescribable emotion surged in her heart—gratitude, admiration, and the hidden stirrings of a young girl's affection.
Her mind heated up, and her body moved before her reason.
She quickly walked up to Lin Qingmo, bent down, and left a gentle kiss on his cheek.
The moment her lips touched his slightly cool skin, she suddenly realized what she had done.
Her face instantly turned red as if it would drip blood, and even her ears were burning.
She didn't dare look at Lin Qingmo's reaction. Throwing out a hurried, "Thank you, Young Master!"
She turned and lifted the tent flap, running out into the night, disappearing into the darkness.
Lin Qingmo touched the cheek she had kissed, where a trace of warmth still lingered.
He looked at the now-empty tent entrance, paused for a moment, then shook his head with a chuckle.
"This girl is truly impulsive."
…
Nothing happened through the night.
Early the next morning, just as the sky began to brighten, the camp grew lively.
Everyone came out of their tents one after another, gathering by the campfire, preparing to return to the academy.
Dugu Yan was the last to arrive.
She had changed into a new fitted outfit, her long hair tied into a high ponytail, and her entire aura had changed.
Her brows relaxed, her eyes filled with confidence, and a faint proud aura surrounded her.
She walked to the front of the group, met everyone's gaze, and said, "I've broken through to rank 40. Today's plan might need to change a bit to help me hunt for my fourth soul ring."
With a single sentence, the previously noisy camp instantly fell silent.
Everyone's eyes focused on Dugu Yan, full of astonishment.
The half-eaten carrot in Xiao Wu's hand stopped near her mouth. She blinked, her thoughts turning.
When they set up camp yesterday evening, Dugu Yan had still been complaining about being stuck at rank 39 with no progress. And overnight, she had already broken through to rank 40?
No need to think it must have been Ah Qing's doing.
She bit her carrot and cast Lin Qingmo a meaningful glance.
Last night, when she got up, she had clearly seen Dugu Yan enter Ah Qing's tent.
…
The group headed deeper into the Sunset Forest.
In just half a day, they found their target in a valley.
It was a Jade Phosphor Serpent over six meters long, its entire body deep green, its scales gleaming with a cold light—eight thousand years of cultivation.
A dense toxin emanated from its body, and the surrounding vegetation had already withered and blackened, clearly extremely poisonous.
Lin Qingmo took one look and decided, "This is the one."
"Yanzi, I'll restrain it. You finish it off and absorb the soul ring."
There was no need for Liu Erlong to take action.
As his voice fell, countless Blue Silver Grass vines burst out from the ground, surging toward the eight-thousand-year Jade Phosphor Serpent like a tide.
Leaves churned, and in the blink of an eye, the serpent was tightly bound.
The Jade Phosphor Serpent struggled wildly, opening its mouth to spit dense green venom, sizzling as it splashed onto the Blue Silver Grass.
But the Blue Silver Grass was extremely tough, and it couldn't break free at all.
"Zzzzt!!!"
Suddenly, dozens of the Blue Silver Grass vines wrapped around the serpent erupted with dazzling lightning.
Electric arcs raged, spreading along its body, and the air filled with the smell of something burning.
Before long, the charred Jade Phosphor Serpent, now giving off the scent of roasted meat, lay on the ground, barely alive.
Everyone watched this scene, holding their breath.
An eight-thousand-year soul beast, even a Soul King, would have to expend considerable effort to deal with it.
Yet in Lin Qingmo's hands, it didn't even have the chance to resist.
This… was Lin Qingmo's strength?
The group exchanged glances, shock filling their eyes—simply… terrifying beyond measure!
End of Chapter
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