Xueling Province, outside Dragon City.
Before a wide, deserted river channel.
Kulin and Chen San were swimming for their lives down the river, chased by a five-hundred-year-old Crackle Carp.
The Crackle Carp's entire body carried electricity. Once it got close, its shocks would paralyze their muscles, turning them into its next meal.
At this moment, Xiao Lin was reading the latest Spirit Hall Martial Soul Bulletin, only occasionally glancing at Kulin and Chen San.
"Their physical fitness is decent, but their mindset still needs work."
Xiao Lin quietly evaluated the pair's progress over the past ten days, then shifted his attention back to the Martial Soul Bulletin.
What surprised Xiao Lin was that Yu Xiaogang, that guy, had actually published some articles worthy of being called the work of a "master."
Immediately, Xiao Lin began writing his own papers.
His papers were the result of years of research:
Research on Spirit Masters Self-Congealing Soul Rings
On the Manufacturing of Soul Tools
The Future Impact of Soul Tools on the Spirit Master World
Seven-in-One Fusion Technique …
Xiao Lin planned to publish them all together — once his self-congealing soul ring experiments were complete.
Suddenly, Kulin let out a loud cry, splashing a huge wave in the river.
Xiao Lin turned his head and saw that Kulin had probably cramped up.
Now, with a cramp in his calf, Kulin's speed was far slower than Chen San's.
In an instant, the Crackle Carp turned toward Kulin, charging at him even faster than before.
Without thinking, Xiao Lin focused his soul power into his fingers — icy blue energy condensed.
Whoosh!
A streak of ice-blue shot out, striking the Crackle Carp directly.
The powerful piercing ray went straight through its body. The extreme cold froze the carp, along with the surrounding river water, into solid ice.
Xiao Lin's control was precise — Kulin, less than two meters from the carp, only felt an intense chill, but suffered no frostbite or freezing from the beam's extreme cold.
"Alright, the ten days are up. You've trained enough. Get out of the water."
Xiao Lin checked the time, then stopped their training.
Not long later.
After changing into clean clothes, Kulin and Chen San stood before Xiao Lin.
Unlike Kulin, who was excited, Chen San's face was full of anger.
She was very displeased with Xiao Lin's reckless training — Kulin had nearly died.
Wouldn't it have been better to spend some money hunting a soul beast for a soul ring?
"Teacher Turtle-Hermit Lin, where are we going next to get a soul ring?"
At that moment, Kulin was already so excited by the thought of obtaining a soul ring that he'd completely forgotten the recent brush with death.
"Where? Here, of course."
Xiao Lin pointed at the ground around them and began explaining the purpose of this experiment.
But after hearing Xiao Lin's plan for them to self-congeal soul rings, Chen San's expression turned even angrier.
"What?! Self-congeal a soul ring? You're insane — a total lunatic!"
Chen San, like an angry little beast, snapped fiercely at him.
"Kulin, we're leaving! Don't pay any attention to this madman."
With that, Chen San grabbed Kulin's hand and turned to leave.
Xiao Lin didn't argue. He simply said quietly:
"If you want to leave, then leave."
To Xiao Lin, it didn't matter. While he had hoped to collect some experimental data from the two, that was all it was — data.
With the Ice-Fire Dragon King personally teaching him the key elements of self-congealing soul rings, how could Xiao Lin himself not know how to do it?
He was merely curious whether ordinary spirit masters could defy fate by self-congealing soul rings.
"Chen San, if you want to go, then go. I don't have money to hire anyone to hunt a soul beast."
Suddenly, Kulin shook off Chen San's hand, speaking heavily.
"My family's poor. The little money we have — it's all my mom's hard-earned savings. If I spend that to hire someone to hunt a soul beast, it'll only get me a ten-year ring at best. I might as well condense one myself, then my mom could live a bit better."
"Besides, after these ten days, I feel like I've been reborn."
After saying this, Kulin walked straight over to Xiao Lin's side.
The meaning behind his words was simple — he'd already gained huge benefits, and he didn't believe Xiao Lin would harm him now.
He'd had nothing to begin with.
Hearing Kulin's words, Chen San fell silent.
She had gone through the same training — the mountain chase drills, the soul power carving exercises, and so on.
Of course she understood she too had been reborn in a way.
Her spiritual power, willpower, soul power control, and physical strength had all improved significantly.
But still — self-congealing a soul ring was far too outrageous.
"Looks like only Kulin wants to self-congeal a soul ring with me?"
Xiao Lin looked at the two and finally asked.
"Count me in!"
At that moment, Chen San raised her hand and shouted.
She still didn't fully trust Xiao Lin — but she didn't want Kulin to do it alone. She was worried he might be in danger.
So she decided she'd complete the self-congealing first, then warn Kulin about the risks.
After all, she was just a useless Blue Silver Grass.
Kulin's potential was far greater than hers.
Looking at Chen San's unwilling yet determined gaze, Xiao Lin smiled casually — one more data point wouldn't hurt.
"Alright then. I'll explain the principle of self-congealing a soul ring."
"First, you must unify your essence, qi, and spirit. 'Essence' refers to physical constitution — the body's energy; 'qi' is soul power; 'spirit' is mental strength."
"Your training these past days was meant to strengthen all three."
"Next comes the actual self-congealing. You'll use your own soul power to condense the ring, so the age won't be high. But I'll help from the outside, so at the very least, you'll get a hundred-year ring."
"Finally, about the soul ring's technique — since you two know nothing about soul skill structures, I've prepared two soul skills for you to copy as templates."
As he spoke, Xiao Lin retrieved a police baton and a light-emitting soul tool from his storage device.
"These are both soul tools. The baton's internal formation is a hundred-year vibration-attack skill, and the other is a lighting tool — also a hundred-year array."
"When the time comes, you'll use your martial souls to draw in the formations' soul power and mimic a similar soul ring."
As Xiao Lin finished speaking, the two each took their soul tools, sat cross-legged, and summoned their martial souls to connect with the soul tools' formations.
"Focus your minds. Let your martial souls touch the soul tool formations, then copy their structure into a soul ring."
Xiao Lin placed his hands on both of their shoulders, speaking with great seriousness.
In the next second, soul power of ultimate ice and ultimate fire flowed from Xiao Lin's hands, injecting into the forming soul rings of the two.
(End of Chapter)