The academy's practice field lay quiet in the early morning mist.
Lin Chen stood alone at its center, hands relaxed at his sides, eyes half-lidded. To any passerby, he looked like an ordinary child preparing for routine cultivation.
Only he knew the truth.
System. Partial release.
The blue interface unfolded silently.
[First Soul Skill Detected][Abyss Devouring Domain — Sealed State][Current Release Permission: 3%][Warning: Excessive output may trigger continental detection]
Lin Chen exhaled slowly.
"Three percent," he murmured. "That'll do."
The black soul ring beneath his feet flickered into existence—momentarily visible before the system masked it into a faint, false yellow glow.
The instant the skill activated—
The world changed.
The mist froze midair.
Sound vanished.
A circular domain spread outward silently, ten meters in radius. Within it, all soul power slowed, as if sinking into deep water. The ground darkened, veins of abyssal energy crawling like living things.
Lin Chen felt it clearly.
Soul power… being eaten.
Not absorbed.
Devoured.
At the edge of the field, hidden behind a tree, Yu Xiaogang stiffened.
His notebook slipped from his hand.
"This isn't enhancement," he whispered in horror. "This is a law."
Within the domain, Lin Chen raised his hand. A small stone lifted from the ground—and dissolved into black motes before touching his palm.
He frowned slightly.
"So even matter is affected…"
He closed his hand.
The domain collapsed instantly, the world snapping back into motion as if nothing had happened.
Birds resumed chirping.
Mist drifted again.
Lin Chen stood there quietly, heart steady.
Three percent is already this efficient…
Behind the tree, Yu Xiaogang staggered backward.
"A first soul skill…" he muttered. "That suppresses, corrodes, and rewrites interaction rules…"
His breath trembled.
"This breaks every theory I've ever written."
Later that morning, during class—
Xiao Wu leaned over, eyes narrowed. "You disappeared early."
Lin Chen smiled lightly. "Couldn't sleep."
She snorted. "Liar."
Tang San glanced up from his notes. "You used your ring."
It wasn't a question.
Lin Chen met Tang San's gaze.
"A little."
Tang San's fingers tightened.
"I couldn't feel it," he said quietly. "But my soul power… reacted."
Xiao Wu froze.
"…Reacted how?"
Tang San hesitated. "Like it wanted to run."
The classroom felt suddenly smaller.
Lin Chen leaned back in his chair, tone casual.
"Instinct," he said. "Some spirits know when they're outmatched."
Xiao Wu laughed loudly, breaking the tension. "Ha! As if anyone here could scare us."
She said it boldly—
But her eyes flicked away.
That pressure this morning…If he wanted to…
That night, within the Star Dou Forest—
Deep, far deeper than any human had ever tread—
An ancient presence stirred.
A colossal silver eye opened in the darkness.
"Abyssal authority…" a voice echoed slowly. "Has returned."
Roots trembled.
Beasts knelt.
And the forest whispered a single name—one it had not spoken in countless eras.
Back in Notting City, Lin Chen lay on his bed, hands folded behind his head.
The system chimed softly.
[Soul Skill Compatibility: Extreme][Future Unlock: True Abyss Devouring Domain — God-Tier]
Lin Chen smiled faintly.
Good. Let the world stay ignorant… for now.
Because when this skill fully awakened—
No domain in Douluo Dalu would remain uncontested.