Dugu Bo stared at the five golden lines, his eyes filled with shock, and hurriedly asked, "Little monster, what exactly are these golden lines?"
Lin Chen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly explained, "The golden patterns on a spirit ring represent a transformation in quality. Two golden patterns indicate a 200,000-year level; five golden patterns mean that the power of this spirit ring is comparable to a 500,000-year level. As for a million-year spirit ring, its entire body will turn into pure gold."
"Five...five hundred thousand years?!"
Dugu Bo's hand trembled, nearly spilling the tea. He gasped, staring at Lin Chen in disbelief: "What kind of heaven-defying opportunity did you get? You actually upgraded every single soul ring to the level of 500,000 years! You're an absolute freak!"
Lin Chen smiled and said calmly, "So, old monster, you don't need to worry about me. You just need to protect Yan Yan and my sister. I plan to lure those four from the Spirit Hall away. They can't do anything to me, and they might take their anger out on you."
Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo snorted coldly, a fierce glint flashing in his emerald eyes: "Taking it out on me? Do you think they haven't come looking for trouble with me before?"
"Oh?" Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Tell me about it."
The two moved to the tea table and sat down, each pouring themselves a cup of hot tea. Dugu Bo took a sip and slowly said, "In the few days you were gone, Yue Guan and Gui Mei, along with two other Title Douluos, stormed into my residence, demanding that I hand over the person. Hmph, do they really think this old monster is easy to bully?"
"I directly activated the Crimson Swan Kiss, combined with the three 100,000-year soul rings, and the poison spread, forcibly repelling the four of them! Although I also suffered some minor injuries, they are not qualified to take people from me!"
By the end, Dugu Bo's face was full of pride.
Lin Chen understood and nodded, "I see, I was overthinking it."
Dugu Bo put down his teacup, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "Next time you deal with those four, go all out! Especially those two old bastards, Yue Guan and Gui Mei, I've had my eye on them for a long time!"
"Don't worry." A cold glint flashed in Lin Chen's eyes. "I've got it. But now I need to let them know that I'm back. Although the plan went a little off track, it's not a big problem."
Lin Chen leaned close to Dugu Bo's ear and whispered a few words.
A glint flashed in Dugu Bo's eyes, and he nodded heavily: "Don't worry, I understand!"
The two walked side by side to the gate of the Dugu Mansion. Lin Chen pushed open the gate and stepped out.
Dugu Bo stood at the door and deliberately raised his voice, "Lin Yuan, go and get what you need. Come back soon!"
"Understood." Lin Chen replied without turning his head and left.
This scene was witnessed by the ghost lurking in the shadows of the street corner.
Ghost Leopard Douluo and Spirit Kite Douluo had already split up to search, but Ghostly Demon kept a close eye on the Dugu Manor. He stared at the almost demonically handsome figure, first stunned, then his face filled with astonishment: "This kid... is that Lin Yuan? How did he become so handsome?"
A strong intuition told him that this was the target! Without further hesitation, Ghostly darted away and silently pursued them like a phantom.
With his extraordinary mental strength, Lin Chen had already sensed the person following him. He remained calm and deliberately turned into a secluded, deserted alley, stopping in his tracks.
He turned around and spoke calmly to the empty space behind him: "Senior Ghost Douluo, now that you're here, there's no need to hide anymore, is there?"
The air distorted, and a ghostly figure slowly emerged, his black robes fluttering, his ghostly eyes fixed on Lin Chen, his tone icy: "Are you Lin Yuan?"
Lin Chen chuckled and shrugged, "That's right. It's just that some fortuitous circumstances changed my appearance, which is why you didn't recognize me, senior."
"Appearance can be changed, but a martial spirit cannot be faked."
Before he finished speaking, lightning surged in Lin Chen's palm, and the Thor's Hammer appeared with a thunderous roar, wreathed in purple-gold lightning, exuding divine might.
Upon seeing that unique giant hammer, Ghost's eyes narrowed, and he finally confirmed: the person in front of him was Lin Yuan, whom he had met a couple of days ago!
Ghost Douluo stared at Lin Chen for a long time, then asked in a strange tone, "How come you've become so much more handsome?"
In his eyes, Lin Chen was already handsome, and now he just had a bit more dragon-like might and heroic spirit, and his temperament was even stronger, so it was not a dramatic change.
Lin Chen chuckled and shook his head: "It was just a matter of chance. I wonder why you've been following me all this way? I remember you made it very clear before that if you wanted to see me, you should have His Holiness the Pope come in person."
"Insolence!" Ghostly's face darkened, and he sneered, "Boy, you truly don't know your place! You think His Holiness the Pope will come to invite you personally? You're not qualified! Be smart and obediently come back to the Papal Palace with me, and I might spare your life!"
Lin Chen curled his lip, his face full of disdain. The next second, purple-gold lightning suddenly erupted, and the Thunder God Battle Armor instantly covered him, with lightning patterns flowing around him, exuding awe-inspiring divine power.
"You alone are probably no match for me. Don't bother me."
"You!" Ghostly was trembling with rage, pointing at Lin Chen but unable to speak for a long time. He could clearly sense that the boy in front of him was much stronger than before, and he himself was not confident of victory.
Lin Chen raised an eyebrow impatiently: "What do you mean, 'you'? Can you beat me? How about we have a spar?" With that, he took a step forward, as if to make a move.
Ghostly's expression changed drastically. Knowing that a wise man doesn't fight a losing battle, he could only grit his teeth in resentment: "You just wait!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he blurred into a black shadow and turned to flee in a disheveled state.
Watching the ghostly figure flee in panic, Lin Chen's lips curled into a cold smile.
The fish has taken the bait.
After Ghost Douluo left in a sorry state, Lin Chen walked straight out of the alley and headed towards the center of Heaven Dou City. Before long, a magnificent and vast giant workshop came into view.
This place is less a blacksmith shop and more a gigantic arsenal. High walls surround it, and inside stand rows of chimneys. Dozens of enormous forging furnaces burn day and night, their flames soaring into the sky, and the sound of hammers striking the metal deafeningly. The air is thick with the scent of metal and charcoal. Rows of sophisticated forging instruments are neatly arranged, and dozens of skilled blacksmiths are working methodically at work. It is a hundred times larger than an ordinary blacksmith shop.
As soon as Lin Chen stopped, the workshop owner rushed forward with a beaming smile and bowed, saying, "Young Master Lin, you've finally arrived! We've finished forging all the items you ordered, and they're all in the warehouse. Please come with me!"
As Lin Chen followed the boss into the warehouse, his eyes lit up.
The warehouse was neatly stacked with a large number of dark silver precision metal components, which were the outer shell and mechanism parts of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow. They had sharp edges, fine textures, and gleamed with a cold, sharp light. Next to them were piles of armor-piercing triangular crossbow bolts, numbering in the tens of thousands. These were all hidden weapons that he had customized using the Tang Clan blueprints left behind by the system.
Lin Chen nodded in satisfaction. With a thought, he unleashed his spatial power, storing all the parts and crossbow bolts into his spatial ring. Fortunately, he had mainly customized the crossbow bolts, which resembled ammunition; the Zhuge Divine Crossbow itself was not numerous. Otherwise, assembling it back home would have been quite a task.
He casually took out a heavy bag of gold soul coins and handed it to the boss: "This is 300,000 as payment. Please count it."
The shopkeeper accepted the gift with both hands, weighed it in his hand, and beamed from ear to ear: "Thank you so much, Mr. Lin! Thank you so much, Mr. Lin! Welcome to come again next time!"
Lin Chen waved his hand, turned and left the arsenal, heading straight back to Dugu Bo's residence.
As he approached the gate of the mansion, he keenly sensed that at least four powerful auras were watching from the shadows; they were none other than the four Title Douluos from the Spirit Hall.
Before Lin Chen could make a move, Dugu Bo's icy, piercing voice rang out from inside the mansion, carrying with it immense poisonous power: "Get out!"
A furious roar, like a thunderclap, instantly silenced the few pairs of eyes that had been watching from the shadows. Their auras dissipated, clearly intimidated by Dugu Bo's imposing presence, and they dared not act recklessly any longer.
At this moment, Dugu Bo was not alone in his courtyard.
Beside the stone table, Dugu Yan was idly fiddling with her teacup, while Xiao Wu sat quietly to the side, her bright eyes scanning the courtyard outside warily, clearly also sensing the unusual oppressive atmosphere in the air.
All of this was part of Lin Chen's plan.
Even before his return, Lin Chen had secretly communicated with Dugu Bo. Dugu Bo also stated frankly that there had been a Title Douluo-level aura lurking outside the manor, which coincided with Lin Chen's guess. With Dugu Bo's current strength, ordinary Soul Masters would not be able to get close at all; the only ones who could so openly monitor him were the four Title Douluos from the Spirit Hall.
Lin Chen's initial plan was to deliberately reveal himself to lure away the pursuers. He just hadn't expected that the Dragon God's evolution would slightly change his appearance, but this little incident was harmless.
His loud conversation with Dugu Bo in front of the mansion was deliberately staged for the ghosts and others hiding in the shadows to hear, so that they would be able to confirm his identity and follow him without fear.
The next steps were even simpler and clearer—he left the Dugu Mansion, lured all four Title Douluos away, and left Tiandou City far away.
As for Dugu Yan and Xiao Wu, they were naturally a backup plan specially arranged by Lin Chen. After Ghost Douluo caught up with him, Dugu Bo also left the mansion to bring the two here for protection. With Dugu Bo, a Title Douluo, in charge, it was enough to keep out all villains, ensure their safety, and not give the Spirit Hall any opportunity to take advantage of them.
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Wu rushed into Lin Chen's arms, her eyes slightly red and her voice choked with sobs: "Brother, please don't go on that adventure! It's too dangerous!"
Dugu Bo had already told Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan the whole story. At this moment, Dugu Yan also grabbed Lin Chen's arm and said urgently, "Brother Lin Yuan, this is really too risky! Why don't you let my grandfather hold off those four Title Douluos for you, and then you can take the opportunity to escape?"
Dugu Bo spat out the tea he had just drunk upon hearing this, glaring at her angrily: "You brat, I'm your own grandfather! Whose side are you taking?"
Dugu Yan shook the old man's arm playfully, and said matter-of-factly, "Grandpa is a level 96 Title Douluo, and he has three 100,000-year soul rings. What are those four guys? They're easy targets!"
Dugu Bo's face twitched, then his expression softened. He glanced at Lin Chen smugly and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, alright, don't worry about that kid. With his current strength, dealing with those four is as easy as eating and drinking. Besides, that kid is full of tricks, so he definitely won't fight head-on; his main goal is to escape."
Lin Chen gently patted Xiao Wu's hand, his eyes smiling warmly yet firmly: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. But before I leave, I need to make one last preparation. Old monster, protect me."
"No problem!" Dugu Bo agreed solemnly and stood guard at the door.
Lin Chen turned and stepped into the cultivation room, the stone door slamming shut behind him. He closed his eyes, his soul power surging around him, and with a sudden wave of his hand, a majestic nine-colored holy dragon appeared, its dragon might resounding – it was the Dragon God Martial Soul.
Immediately afterwards, Lin Chen opened his palm, and a pill that exuded overwhelming pressure, was as white as jade, and was surrounded by wisps of purple-gold lightning slowly appeared—it was the Thunder Dragon King's Dragon Pill!
A surge of extremely violent lightning energy instantly swept through the entire training room, seemingly about to tear space apart. Lin Chen took a deep breath, unleashing his full power, preparing to embark on this earth-shattering refining journey.
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