"A Soul King, and this is all the money he has?"
After dealing with the Fire Leopard Soul Master, Lin Mu quickly looted the body. Besides a money bag containing a few hundred Gold Soul Coins, all that remained was a token symbolizing his status in the sect.
For a Soul King of the Fire Leopard Sect to be so poor, not even having a storage soul tool was truly pathetic.
Just as Lin Mu was looting, Ye Miaoyun pulled Ye Lingling over.
"Thank you for saving us, benefactor."
Upon closer inspection, Ye Miaoyun realized her benefactor was surprisingly young, not at least twenty years old as she had imagined.
He had short, dark brown hair, neatly styled, with bangs naturally swept to one side, giving him a clean and energetic look.
His face was sharply defined, with a high nose bridge and bright, piercing eyes that could shift between gentle and sharp in an instant.
He looked no more than eighteen or nineteen years old.
To cultivate to the Soul Ancestor level at this age and to kill a Soul King beyond his level... his talent was undoubtedly top-tier.
After storing the spoils in his own storage soul tool, Lin Mu turned to look at Ye Miaoyun.
Dressed in a white palace gown, her beauty was breathtaking. Her temperament was gentle and ethereal, like a fairy stepping out of a painting, making one unable to resist taking a second look.
Facing a man more than ten years her junior, and being stared at so intently, a hint of shyness flashed in Ye Miaoyun's eyes.
After a moment, Lin Mu withdrew his gaze and chuckled. "No need for verbal thanks. Let's have something practical."
"My benefactor, I only have these Gold Soul Coins on me. Please don't think it's too little."
Ye Miaoyun took out a heavy money pouch from her storage soul tool and placed it in Lin Mu's hand; it was noticeably twice as heavy as the Fire Leopard Soul Master's pouch.
"This is so kind of you."
While saying this, his hands moved without hesitation, instantly placing the item into his storage soul tool.
Lin Mu's storage soul tool was a simple wristband with a capacity of less than five cubic meters, but it was currently the most valuable item he possessed.
Seeing this smooth and effortless movement, both Ye Miaoyun and Ye Lingling were astonished.
Ye Miaoyun stepped forward and asked, "Benefactor, you look to be under twenty years old, yet you are already a Soul Ancestor. Are you from some powerful family?"
Not only was his talent far beyond ordinary people, but he could also defeat Soul King-level experts. This was not the capability of a commoner Soul Master.
Although his Martial Soul was somewhat strange, not like the inherited Martial Soul of any known powerful family, the possibility of a mutated Martial Soul could not be ruled out.
Even if an ordinary Martial Soul mutates, it is rare to become so powerful.
Judging from his performance in the battle just now, this mutated Martial Soul was definitely top-tier, in no way inferior to the Clear Sky Hammer or the Seven Kill Sword.
There was also a crucial point: knowing that the opponent came from a major sect like the Fire Leopard Sect, he still dared to attack without hesitation, obviously possessing some confidence or backing.
"I'm just an ordinary Soul Master. I don't have any family," Lin Mu said calmly.
Hearing this, Ye Miaoyun's eyes flashed with shock; this was completely beyond her expectations.
Ye Lingling suddenly peeked out from behind her mother, her face shy, and said, "My benefactor brother is so powerful, how could he be an ordinary Soul Master?"
Lin Mu paused, his gaze shifting to Ye Lingling. She was about 1.5 meters tall, with a youthful and pretty face. Although only about ten years old, she already looked like a blossoming young girl.
This wasn't surprising; Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent tended to develop quickly. Ma Hongjun, for instance, was already a regular at brothels at a similar age.
"My name is Lin Mu. You don't need to call me 'benefactor' all the time; it sounds a little strange."
"Brother Lin Mu~"
Ye Lingling called out sweetly, her voice soft and melodious.
Hearing this address, Lin Mu felt a strange sense of guilt. After all, he had just extorted a large sum of money from them.
"My benefactor, I am Ye Miaoyun, the head of the Ye family of the Nine-Heart Begonia clan, and this is my daughter, Ye Lingling."
Ye Miaoyun still didn't change her address; calling her benefactor by his name felt somewhat inappropriate, and she couldn't call him "brother" like her daughter did.
Hearing this, a knowing glint flashed in Lin Mu's eyes; this was almost exactly what he had guessed.
"You must be here to hunt for Soul Rings, right?"
At this point, Lin Mu suddenly remembered something, his disciple was still hanging in the tree.
Without waiting for Ye Miaoyun and Ye Lingling to reply, Lin Mu jumped back to the treetop and brought Tang San down.
"Master, I thought you'd forgotten about me."
"How could I? I did this all to train you, to show you how your Master deals with enemies," Lin Mu said seriously.
Although this explanation was somewhat perfunctory, Tang San didn't care. From the battle just now, he had indeed felt his Master's formidable power.
Most importantly, his Master was ruthless towards enemies, a trait Tang San deeply respected and shared.
"This is your disciple?"
Ye Miaoyun asked incredulously upon hearing their conversation.
It was unheard of for someone as young as Lin Mu to take on disciples. While his strength was sufficient, he was too young. He himself was still in his prime cultivation years; how could he possibly have the time and energy to teach a disciple?
Without a cheat system, Lin Mu certainly wouldn't have done this.
At his current cultivation speed, he could only increase his Soul Power by about three levels a year, and that rate would likely slow down further as he advanced.
At this rate, he would only reach the Soul Emperor level in six years at most.
Although this speed seemed absurdly fast to ordinary people, it was still insufficient for Lin Mu's ambitions.
To reach the Soul Saint level within six years, he would have to rely on his system.
Unless a Divine Inheritance was delivered to his door, although the gods of this world were somewhat weak compared to other universes, the Soul Power rewards were substantial. One level of divine Soul Power could save months or even years of bitter cultivation.
The only publicly known Divine Inheritances were those of the Sea God and the Angel God.
The Sea God was thousands of miles away. Leaving aside the dangers of the journey and the difficulty of the assessment, just looking at his fire attribute, he had no chance of gaining the Sea God's approval. At most, he'd pass a Red-level assessment.
To put it nicely, he would become the successor to the High Priest of Sea God Island. In reality, he would just be a puppet guardian for the true heir.
The Angel God's inheritance was even more out of the question; this inheritance was practically a one-lineage transmission. Only those with the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul could receive it.
"That's right, this is my disciple, Tang San. I brought him here specifically to hunt for his first Soul Ring."
Hearing this, a strange light flashed in Ye Miaoyun's eyes. This child looked like he had only awakened his Martial Soul a few months ago, yet he already needed a ring? His Innate Soul Power must be at least Level 8.
With proper training, he would at least become a Soul Douluo in the future.
"A few days ago, Lingling broke through to Level 20. To hunt for a Soul Ring, she not only brought several servants but also specially invited a Soul King expert for protection. Unexpectedly, she almost met a fatal end."
Saying this, Ye Miaoyun's eyes dimmed.
Other Support-type Soul Masters possess some self-defense capabilities, but the Nine-Heart Begonia Soul Master can only heal. Even with high cultivation, they still require close protection at all times.
Hearing this, Lin Mu suddenly understood why the Fire Leopard Soul Master had so much blood on his clothes. He had likely killed the servants first.