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**
"Whew!"
After a long while, Tang San finally recovered from that terrifying pressure and let out a deep breath of turbid air.
At that moment, he hadn't even dared to breathe too loudly, fearing he might draw the attention of the Titan Giant Ape. It was in this moment that Tang San realized both Xiao Lin and Xiao Wu were significantly more capable than him.
Although Xiao Lin had been shaken, he recovered quickly, whereas Tang San had needed a long time to steady himself. As for Xiao Wu, Tang San didn't have much to say—that girl had always been heartless and carefree.
"So a Titan Giant Ape appeared. No wonder we didn't encounter any soul beasts earlier," Xiao Lin remarked, providing a convenient excuse for Xiao Wu.
While he had been keeping an eye on Xiao Wu, he had noticed her secretive movements—whether it was her stealthily scattering that mysterious powder or the conspicuous storage Soul Tool on her hand.
"By the way, Brother Lin, shouldn't a 'King of the Forest' like the Titan Giant Ape stay in the Core Zone?" Tang San asked, a hint of lingering fear still visible in his eyes.
"Who knows? Maybe it just came out for some fun," Xiao Lin replied nonchalantly.
"Alright, alright! Since a Titan Giant Ape has passed through here, there won't be any other powerful soul beasts around. Why don't we head further in and take a look?" Xiao Wu interjected, feigning intense interest as she skipped around the two of them.
If they kept talking, the Lightning Leopard would get away. Without waiting for a response, Xiao Wu charged ahead with a sudden burst of "adventurous spirit."
"Oh no, Xiao Wu is in danger!" Seeing her dash off, Tang San's heart nearly stopped.
He immediately gave chase, hoping to make her be more cautious.
"Terrible acting, mediocre script," Xiao Lin muttered under his breath before following after them.
After a short while, Xiao Lin slowed his pace. He saw Tang San and Xiao Wu stopped ahead, staring at the "corpse" of a soul beast with horrified expressions.
Xiao Lin walked up to join them.
"Brother Lin, look! It's the Lightning Leopard you were looking for!" Xiao Wu pointed excitedly at a leopard on the ground marked with blue patterns.
Xiao Lin frowned as he surveyed the beast.
The leopard was over two meters long—a massive predator. Looking at its slender frame and muscles packed with explosive power, Xiao Lin didn't doubt it was a top-tier hunter. Unfortunately, most of the leopard's body had been crushed.
Its bones and muscles were flattened in several places as if a steamroller had passed over it. It could only glare fiercely, trying to intimidate Xiao Lin and the others with its eyes alone.
Blood seeped from various wounds, mixing with mangled flesh and obscuring much of its fur. However, Xiao Lin could still make out the numerous blue, cloud-like fine lines across its black coat.
"Brother Lin, what are you hesitating for? Kill this Lightning Leopard quickly, or it's going to die on its own!" Tang San was confused.
Why was Xiao Lin dallying?
"This isn't a Lightning Leopard," Xiao Lin said flatly.
"Eh? How is that possible?" Xiao Wu acted shocked.
Did Er Ming catch the wrong one?
"Look at the patterns on its body. Those blue, cloud-like markings with faint flickers of electricity do look very much like a Lightning Leopard."
"However, a Lightning Leopard doesn't have that many lightning patterns. They store electricity through running to accelerate; their fur isn't a natural power-generating organ. Furthermore, the rest of a Lightning Leopard's fur should be brownish-yellow."
"Brother Lin, are you saying it has too many lightning markings? But couldn't that be a mutation?" Tang San immediately thought of the mutated Evil Eye Demon Tree back in Holy Soul Village, which could change the eyes on its trunk at will.
"No, it's not a mutation. It's a hybrid."
Seeing their disbelief at his choice of words, Xiao Lin quickly clarified.
"I mean, it likely possesses the bloodline of a Lightning Leopard, but it also has the bloodline of another leopard."
Xiao Lin cursed himself inwardly for the slip of the tongue—he had technically insulted Tang San and Xiao Wu too. One was the child of a human and a soul beast, and the other was the offspring of a Soft-Boned Rabbit and a Lightning Rabbit.
(At least, that seemed to be the setting in the manhua)
"Aside from the blue lightning patterns, its fur is black. I suspect it has the Shadow Leopard bloodline. For now, let's call it a Thunder-Shadow Leopard."
Once Xiao Lin finished, Tang San and Xiao Wu understood his hesitation.
Although the Shadow Leopard was also a speed-type, it was better suited for ambushing from the shadows. Generally speaking, its pure speed couldn't compare to a Lightning Leopard.
While a Lightning Leopard might hunt weak Soft-Boned Rabbits, it was exceptionally fast and had no need for concealment. Xiao Lin was worried about inheriting a soul ring that leaned too heavily into the Shadow Leopard's traits.
However, he knew such an opportunity wouldn't come again easily, and he wasn't about to let this two-thousand-year-old Thunder-Shadow Leopard go to waste.
Summoning his Horned Dragon Staff, Xiao Lin struck the Thunder-Shadow Leopard's head directly.
"Relax, it's normal to find it hard to breathe."
Xiao Lin chose to end the leopard's life swiftly to end its suffering.
More importantly, since he knew his Horned Dragon Staff could store the consciousness of soul beasts, he made sure to use it for the finishing blow.
If the club produced the same effect as before, Xiao Lin believed that even without a new External Soul Bone, his soul ring would be strengthened by the Thunder-Shadow Leopard's consciousness. Blood splattered, causing Tang San and Xiao Wu to jump back.
Only Xiao Lin remained indifferent, quietly waiting for the soul ring to rise.
Two powerful soul beast lineages... surely the hybrid isn't a total waste, Xiao Lin thought.
A moment later, a deep purple soul ring floated into the air.
Xiao Lin blinked, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him; the dense, dark purple ring seemed to be flickering with faint arcs of lightning.
Planting the Horned Dragon Staff in front of him, Xiao Lin sat cross-legged and began using the club to draw in the soul ring.
Horned Dragon Staff, I'm counting on you.
Xiao Lin focused his mind and pulled the soul ring into his martial soul.
In the next instant, a violent surge of soul power, carrying a numbing electrical discharge, swept through his body. His muscles began to twitch uncontrollably, and intense pain radiated through every fiber of his being.
Facing the impact of the soul ring, Xiao Lin could only sink his consciousness inward and endure. Simultaneously, he began to visualize the heaven-propping Horned Dragon Staff.
After a short while, the pressure on Xiao Lin's body lightened significantly.
In his sea of consciousness, the divine pillar of the Horned Dragon Staff suppressed the Thunder-Shadow Leopard, shrinking its consciousness until it was only the size of a soybean.
Good!
Overjoyed, Xiao Lin began to concentrate his soul power to clear his meridians. The wild, ferocious energy hammered against his pathways, but Xiao Lin remained unmoved. His Vajra Imperishable soul power was fearless against the impact.
However, a moment later, a small section of his meridians—those formed purely from soul power—was overwhelmed by the massive influx of energy.
The lightning-laced soul power tore through those spiritual meridians and began to spread like wildfire.
Gradually, a new, simplified system of meridians and a simplified Dantian, forged from a fusion of lightning and Vajra Imperishable soul power, began to take shape within Xiao Lin's body.
**
Hello everyone,
Thank you for your support! If you enjoy my work, you can check out my Patreon—there are 80+ early access and exclusive content. I update 5 advanced chapter from Monday-Saturday
www.patreon.com/c/FanficTranslator
I truly appreciate it!