Star Luo City
In a laboratory, Ji Lin lifted his head from the console and let out a long breath.
"It's done."
Looking at the first-level soul tool in his hand, Ji Lin was filled with frustration.
It had been a full year since he obtained his first soul ring and bonded with the divine beast's attributes.
Back then, Di Tian had brought a hundred-thousand-year soul bone to exchange for the divine beast. Di Tian was so straightforward because he sensed the immense power of the Scarlet King.
The exchange was completed smoothly, and Ji Lin returned to the Star Luo Empire with the Scarlet King and the soul bone.
A year had passed, and Ji Lin was now 7 years old.
At 7, Ji Lin had already become a level-20 quasi-soul master. The 800-year Sunfire Dragon soul ring he obtained a year ago had instantly raised his soul power to level 13.
Along with the Body Tempering Pill from his fifth treasure chest and the bonus from the Void Sword Qi, Ji Lin had managed to advance 7 levels in just a year.
Even Xu Jiujiu exclaimed in amazement at this "little monster."
The Body Tempering Pill, commonly seen in many martial arts and fantasy novels, was a fictional medicine capable of increasing one's physique, strength, and endurance.
Throughout the year, Ji Lin spent most of his time cultivating to improve his soul power, while the rest was devoted to theoretical studies and soul tool crafting knowledge.
Since most of his time was focused on cultivation, Ji Lin only managed to become a first-level soul engineer through sheer mental strength over the course of the year.
His instructor in soul tool theory was a fifth-level soul engineer that Xu Jiujiu had specifically requested from Xu Jiawei on Ji Lin's behalf.
In the original Douluo Three Kingdoms, soul tools were frowned upon. High-level soul engineers were extremely rare, and even in a nation like the Star Luo Empire that valued soul tools, advanced engineers were scarce. Those who did exist were typically tied up with their own projects and had no time to teach a child the basics.
Being able to secure a fifth-level soul engineer was already a favor extended because of Ji Lin's talent and his mentor, Scarlet King Douluo.
Over the year, Cheng Gang—once knocked out by a single punch from Scarlet King—came back for a rematch out of defiance. But after getting beaten black and blue again, he never dared challenge her.
Whether it was probing or something else, other powerful figures like the Mighty Hammer Douluo and even the Starshatter Douluo also came to spar with Scarlet King—though none went all out.
Since then, no one else challenged Scarlet King, and the Star Luo Empire began channeling more resources toward Ji Lin.
Various grades of soul beast meat, natural treasures, and side-effect-free elixirs were provided in abundance.
Ji Lin's rapid level-up of 7 ranks in a year could not have happened without those resources.
It's known that the golden age of soul master cultivation lies between 12 and 30 years old. After 30, as the body stabilizes and gene improvement ceases, cultivation slows significantly. Nearly all Titled Douluo-level powerhouses had laid their foundation before 30. The most elite even reached eight soul rings or became Titled Douluo before that age.
So for Ji Lin to rise 7 levels in a single year before even turning 12 wasn't something pure hard work could achieve.
From here on, level-ups wouldn't come as fast. All the best elixirs and treasures had already been used, and repeating their use wouldn't yield the same results.
Even the best medicine had diminishing returns.
Ji Lin's treasure chest system had produced a 7th treasure on his 7th birthday—a feather from Yu Du Chen again. His reaction upon seeing another identical feather was priceless.
Both his third and seventh treasure chests yielded Yu Du Chen feathers. He had used one during the divine beast bonding and still had one left.
The rules behind the treasure chest's contents remained a mystery. Apparently, duplicates could happen.
Today was the day Scarlet King would accompany him to hunt for his second soul ring—their destination: Star Dou Great Forest.
Leaving the lab, Ji Lin knocked on Scarlet King's door and said, "Teacher Scarlet King, I'm ready. Let's go."
The door creaked open, revealing soft outside light. Her face was expressionless, but there was a trace of a smile in her eyes.
Looking at Ji Lin, fully equipped and standing at the door—
She didn't speak. She simply picked Ji Lin up and soared into the sky, turning into a red streak and vanishing into the horizon.
This time, Ji Lin had learned his lesson. His storage soul tool was packed with cookware, food ingredients, spices, a portable tent, and other survival gear.
He was clearly prepared for a long expedition.
Fortunately, luck was on their side. As soon as they reached the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest, they spotted a fire-type soul beast with about 3,000 years of cultivation: a Two-Winged Fire Dragon. Like the Sunfire Dragon, it was a sub-dragon species, though its bloodline wasn't as strong. But its age made it perfect as Ji Lin's second soul ring.
A 3,000-year sub-dragon beast was clearly not something Ji Lin could take on. Scarlet King handled it.
In a flash, she appeared above the dragon, broke through space, knocked it unconscious with a single punch, and took it away in one clean move.
Ji Lin ended the beast with Judgment of Shamash and sat cross-legged to begin absorbing the soul ring. This one was far harder than his first—after all, it was a 3,000-year ring. Ji Lin needed a full hour to absorb it.
He summoned Judgment of Shamash, and one yellow, one purple soul ring floated around him with impressive presence.
Suddenly, a pair of flaming wings sprouted from Ji Lin's back. They resembled the blazing wings of a phoenix—shining brilliantly, radiating blinding light. As they flapped gently in the air, they stirred up waves of heat, igniting the surrounding air and creating distorted thermal currents.
These flame wings were not just beautiful—they brimmed with power. Each flap churned the flames into firestorms.
Ji Lin flapped his wings, generating strong airflow and slowly ascending into the sky, as if shedding the shackles of gravity. As he climbed higher, the landscape shrank below, and his heartbeat began to sync with the rhythm of his wings. In flight, Ji Lin felt a profound sense of freedom and serenity—as if he was the sovereign of the skies, the master of his destiny.
After soaring for a while, Ji Lin gently descended and calmed his racing emotions.
Watching Ji Lin land, Scarlet King asked with a smile in her eyes, "Is your second soul skill flight-related?"
Ji Lin awkwardly scratched his nose with his finger.
"My second soul skill is called Fire Element Manipulation. It enhances my control and affinity with fire. I condensed the wings using fire elements—they provide flight speed rivaling the Two-Winged Fire Dragon's, and can also unleash flame storms to attack enemies. With my Ultimate Fire, the damage is quite formidable."
"As expected of a true-dragon bloodline 3,000-year soul ring—that's an excellent skill," Scarlet King praised with arms crossed.
"Now that your soul ring is absorbed, it's time to go. This Two-Winged Fire Dragon didn't produce a soul bone. I thought we were on a lucky streak since we found such a good target so quickly."
Looking at the dissected dragon, Ji Lin sighed helplessly.