As Xiao Lin absorbed the soul power of the Vajra Giant Ox, which was nearly eight hundred years old, the soul power within his body surged like a boiling cauldron, becoming almost unbearable.
Xiao Lin shut his eyes tight, circulating his Vajra Imperishable Divine Skill with all his might. Yet, even so, the violent soul power of the Vajra Giant Ox continued to batter his most fragile meridians.
The human body has too many meridians, and they are far too delicate; at his current level, Xiao Lin simply couldn't protect them all. Just shielding the most vital ones had already exhausted most of his mental energy.
Crack!
Suddenly, the rampaging soul power burst through a section of his meridians. Having found an outlet, the soul power acted like a reservoir opening its floodgates, pressing down directly toward Xiao Lin's physical body.
Dammit!
Xiao Lin didn't dare imagine the consequences; he refused to accept a fate of dying from body-bursting.
"Horned Dragon Staff!"
In the moment of crisis, Xiao Lin immediately summoned his Martial Soul.
As the Horned Dragon Staff manifested and stood before him, the air around Xiao Lin seemed to stagnate. Not only that, but the soul power within his body became exceptionally dense and indestructible.
Even the Soul Ring being absorbed was forcibly suppressed. The vast ocean of soul power turned thick and viscous like paste; though the volume remained massive, the danger was far less than before.
Crack! Crack!
Soon, as Xiao Lin's bones emitted soft, crisp popping sounds, the bright yellow Soul Ring of the Vajra Giant Ox moved to the top of his head. Before he could react, the yellow ring began to shrink, sliding down to encircle the Horned Dragon Staff.
A golden ring, exactly the thickness of the staff, embedded itself right in the middle of the weapon.
Instantly, Xiao Lin felt a surge of soul power even more violent than before.
It was like a volcanic eruption, charging recklessly through his meridians. However, in the next second, Xiao Lin's consciousness brightened. He felt as if he were submerged in a vast ocean, and before him stood a pillar that reached the heavens.
Isn't this just a giant version of the Horned Dragon Staff?
Xiao Lin was overjoyed.
He found that no matter how the surrounding soul power crashed against it, the Horned Dragon Staff didn't budge an inch.
Like the "Sea-Fixing Needle," it remained perfectly still.
Soon, under Xiao Lin's incredulous gaze, a silver-white wisp of soul power floated off the giant staff. This wisp merged directly into Xiao Lin's body, entering his meridians and his Dantian.
To his great surprise, the meridian that had been ruptured earlier had already been repaired by the soul power of the Horned Dragon Staff. Now, his entire meridian system glowed with a bright silver hue, its strength vastly enhanced.
Wait, something's wrong.
Looking at the meridians inside his body, Xiao Lin noticed an anomaly.
The ruptured meridian hadn't been "healed" in the traditional sense. Instead, the soul power of the Horned Dragon Staff had simulated a bright silver meridian with a metallic luster. This wasn't a meridian made of flesh and blood, but one constructed entirely of soul power.
Xiao Lin frowned, his face full of doubt.
He didn't know if this was good or bad. Fortunately, at least for now, it was harmless.
Boom!
The next moment, countless wisps of soul power from the Horned Dragon Staff flooded his system.
Xiao Lin felt the soul power in his Dantian become more abundant and stronger. The original winding stream had turned into a surging river. The pressure and agony caused by the violent energy vanished, replaced only by an adrenaline-fueled drive and raw power.
I succeeded!
Xiao Lin was ecstatic.
Not only had he performed a limit-breaking absorption of his first Soul Ring, but the age of this ring was even higher than the standard for a second ring. Furthermore, his "Vajra Imperishable" soul power had been reinforced once again.
This time, Xiao Lin could clearly perceive that his soul power was becoming closer and closer to the nature of the Horned Dragon Staff itself.
Even its hardness was approaching that of the staff.
Beyond that, he could feel that the consumption of using his first Soul Skill would be very low. It was similar to a high-level Soul Master using their Martial Soul Avatar—once active, the initial skills cost almost nothing, with the only real drain being the maintenance of the Avatar itself.
This was his talent: the Innate Tool Soul Avatar Physique.
With almost zero soul power consumption, just how terrifying would he become?
Finally, Xiao Lin discovered that he could continue practicing his Vajra Imperishable Divine Skill. Much like Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill, Xiao Lin's technique had broken through its original shackles.
His soul power level had even jumped to Rank 13.
Although the level increase wasn't massive, he found that his soul power had been passively condensed, as if it had been hammered and compressed by the gravity and weight of the Horned Dragon Staff.
He could guarantee that even if his soul power wasn't as "endless" as Tang San's, it certainly wouldn't be less in total volume.
With compressed soul power and near-zero consumption when using his weapon, Xiao Lin was confident he wouldn't fall behind even the future Sea God Tang San. Moreover, he planned to continue compressing his soul power and eventually condense a Soul Core.
Xiao Lin was satisfied.
With a slight curl of his lips, he slowly opened his eyes.
"Uncle Hao, I succeeded!" Xiao Lin took a greedy breath of fresh air and spoke to Tang Hao with a smile.
His success wasn't just a personal victory; it proved that the established standards for a Soul Master's limit-absorption age were wrong. By now, Tang Hao was so shocked he was speechless. He simply nodded in silence and prepared to lead Xiao Lin out of the Soul Hunting Forest.
After storing the carcass of the Vajra Giant Ox into his storage Soul Tool, he spoke:
"Xiao Lin, from now on, I'll leave Little San in your care."
"Alright."
Xiao Lin knew Tang Hao would leave sooner or later, so he agreed decisively.
However, he was a bit confused—why was Tang Hao saying this so early? In the original story, didn't he wait until Tang San went to school, took Yu Xiaogang as a teacher, and appeared before the "Grandmaster" before leaving?
Could it be that Tang Hao had some major business he had to attend to right now?
Xiao Lin thought for a moment but decided to stop pondering.
Why should a kid worry about the affairs of a Titled Douluo?
On the way out of the forest, Xiao Lin noticed earth-shattering changes in his body.
His face, which had still held a bit of baby fat, had become resolute, and his soft physique was beginning to show defined muscles. Finally, he had grown taller; he was taller than Tang San again.
Not only that, but he noticed a faint luster on his skin.
Every movement felt as light as if he had just removed heavy training weights from his limbs. This feeling of lightness was apparent even without using soul power. It was a pure physical strength buff; every bodily function had been significantly enhanced.
I wonder what my Soul Skill is?
Could it be that it didn't increase my attack power, but just boosted my raw strength?
Xiao Lin couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious. He had been subconsciously suggesting an "attack amplification" skill to himself throughout the entire process. If that wasn't it, where did this monstrous strength come from?
Just as he was doubting himself, the Horned Dragon Staff seemed to send a response to his mind.
Heaven and Earth Toss!
"Heaven and Earth Toss! My first Soul Skill is Heaven and Earth Toss!" Xiao Lin was mentally jolted, utterly shocked by his own skill.