Deep within the Hunting Soul Forest.
That two-thousand-year-old Void Bamboo turned into specks of starlight and merged into Lin Chuan's body.
A vast and strange spatial energy instantly swept through his entire body.
Lin Chuan sat cross-legged; this time it was unusually easy.
Half an hour later.
He had completed the absorption.
"Phew—"
He exhaled a breath of turbid air, feeling the surging soul power within his body.
"This is level 24 already?"
Lin Chuan stood up and clenched his fist slightly; faint explosive sounds could be heard in the air.
Tang San and the Grandmaster beside him were already dumbfounded.
One had to know, Tang San had only barely reached level 22 after absorbing that 700-year Ghost Vine.
But Lin Chuan, after absorbing his second soul ring, had his soul power surge by a huge margin, that heavy and solid feeling was far beyond that of someone who had just entered the Soul Grandmaster stage.
"Level 24?"
Yu Xiaogang swallowed, his voice dry.
"Jumping several levels immediately after obtaining the second soul ring—this kind of accumulation of soul power is simply unheard of!"
Tang San had originally felt a bit proud, but now looking at Lin Chuan, he suddenly felt powerless.
"I've fallen behind again…"
Tang San smiled bitterly and thought to himself:
"Big brother is like an insurmountable mountain."
"Every time I feel like I've climbed a little higher, when I look up, he's already standing among the clouds."
"Lin Chuan, try your soul skill."
The Grandmaster suppressed his shock and asked eagerly:
"The ability granted by the Void Bamboo is definitely extraordinary."
Lin Chuan nodded, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Second soul skill: Spatial Teleportation."
As his thoughts moved, the purple soul ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up.
The next second, without any warning, Lin Chuan's figure vanished into thin air.
It wasn't an afterimage caused by extreme speed.
It was true physical disappearance.
Almost at the same time, on the top of a towering tree fifty meters away.
Lin Chuan's figure appeared out of nowhere, casually picking a wild fruit.
"Crunch."
He took a bite of the fruit, and his figure flickered again.
He instantly returned to Tang San and the Grandmaster, as if he had never left.
"So fast! There was no sign of soul power fluctuation at all!"
Tang San activated his Purple Demon Eye to the fullest, yet he could only catch a slight ripple in space.
While chewing the fruit, Lin Chuan analyzed the skill in his mind.
"It's somewhat like Xiao Wu's 100,000-year soul bone skill, a junior version—or rather, a potential version."
He knew clearly that in the original story, Xiao Wu's teleportation allowed continuous displacement within a hundred meters without delay.
His own [Spatial Teleportation], for now, had a standard range of fifty meters.
Within this range, teleportation was as easy as breathing, consuming very little soul power.
"If soul power is like stamina, then teleporting within fifty meters is like lifting a very light dumbbell—I can do it frequently and repeatedly."
"I can even chain several teleports, forming a ghost-like combat style."
However, the upper limit of this skill was far beyond that.
Lin Chuan closed his eyes, sensing the connection between his Void Bamboo martial soul and space itself.
"If I disregard the consequences and compress all my soul power into an instant burst…"
A realization surfaced in his mind.
Regular teleportation was technique, while burst teleportation was power.
As long as he had enough soul power, he could cross extremely long distances in a single leap.
"Tang San, Grandmaster, you two walk slowly. I'll go ahead and scout the path."
Lin Chuan suddenly grinned mischievously.
Before the two could react, Lin Chuan's soul power exploded.
His entire body turned into a distorted silver light, instantly piercing through layers of dense forest.
At that moment, Lin Chuan felt as if he were traveling through a spatial tunnel.
In just a few breaths.
While Tang San and the Grandmaster were still at the edge of the forest's core area.
Lin Chuan had already appeared at the gate of Notting Soul Master Academy!
The speed of this distance traversal was simply unbelievable.
"After all, the Void Bamboo is a pure spatial-type plant soul beast—specialized in its field."
Lin Chuan patted the leaves off his clothes in satisfaction.
"Although Xiao Wu is a 100,000-year soul beast, she doesn't specialize in space."
"When my soul power increases later, this skill will become godlike."
Thinking of this, Lin Chuan felt very pleased.
"This isn't cheating, it's just rational use of resources."
"A little cheat doesn't count as cheating."
…
Not long after Lin Chuan and Tang San returned from obtaining their soul rings, Xiao Wu also took leave and went back home.
A few days later, when that pink little rabbit came bouncing back to the academy.
She also had a bright hundred-year soul ring.
"I also got my second soul ring!"
Xiao Wu proudly showed off to Tang San:
"And I was super lucky! Not long after entering the forest, I found a fainted hundred-year soul beast, so I just finished it off."
Tang San: "…"
Looking at the relaxed Xiao Wu, and thinking about Lin Chuan who could casually pick up a Void Bamboo while taking a walk.
A deep sense of frustration rose within him.
"Is this what they call luck?"
Tang San looked down at his hands, full of calluses.
Those were marks left by years of blacksmithing and practicing hidden weapons.
"Big brother is the chosen one—he can pick up top-tier soul beasts just by walking, and gain soul power while sleeping."
"Xiao Wu is also the chosen one—she can just stroll around and get lucky finds."
"So I'm the only ordinary person? The only one playing on hell difficulty?"
Tang San did not become jealous; instead, it ignited the resilience deep in his bones.
"If I don't have that heaven-defying luck, then I'll use ten times, a hundred times the effort to bridge this gap!"
From that day on, the students of Notting Academy noticed.
Tang San, who was already hardworking, had turned into a cultivation maniac.
Classes during the day, blacksmithing at noon, sparring in the afternoon, cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Technique at night.
Even while walking, he was pondering the footwork of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
Lying on the dormitory rooftop basking in the sun, Lin Chuan looked at Tang San sweating below and scratched his head.
"Strange, I've been busy slacking off lately, didn't even push him."
"Why did this kid suddenly motivate himself?"
Lin Chuan turned over, adjusting into a more comfortable position.
"Well, it's a good thing that a kid loves studying."
"I won't disturb his progress. I should also work hard… work hard to take this nap properly."
…
Time passed quickly.
Six years at Notting Academy came to an end amidst calmness and shock.
Tang San, twelve years old, level 30 Soul Grandmaster, with overflowing soul power, yet to attach his third soul ring.
Xiao Wu, twelve years old, level 29 Soul Grandmaster, close behind.
As for Lin Chuan, he outwardly displayed level 30.
But Tang San knew that beneath Lin Chuan's unfathomable aura lay terrifying strength.
Regarding the third soul ring, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang had his own considerations.
"We can't go to the Hunting Soul Forest anymore."
Looking at the three little monsters, the Grandmaster said earnestly:
"The Hunting Soul Forest is just a low-level soul beast forest raised by the empire. The appearance of the Void Bamboo was luck accumulated over several lifetimes by Lin Chuan."
...
Please send power stone to motivate me!...