NOVEL NEXT Chapter 81: Chapter 82: Six Months Later, The Unrest
Inside the tavern, as Lin Ye's figure disappeared out the door, Skinny Monkey sidled up to his boss, Violent Tiger, whispering cautiously.
"Boss, that kid ruined our plans. When are we gonna teach him a lesson?"
"Teach him? Are you an idiot!"
Hearing Skinny Monkey's suggestion, Violent Tiger's expression turned incredulous, as if looking at a fool. He raised his hand and slapped Skinny Monkey hard across the head.
"Ouch!"
While Skinny Monkey yelped in pain, Violent Tiger grabbed him by the collar and gave a signal to the rest of the team. With that, everyone left the Blood Rose Tavern.
"Boss, why'd you hit me?"
Outside the tavern, walking down the street, Skinny Monkey grumbled.
"For being a fool!" Violent Tiger shot him a fierce glare. "Do you have any idea what it means that kid beat Black Rhino in arm-wrestling?"
"What does it mean?"
Skinny Monkey looked blankly back at him, just as the rest of the gang leaned in, faces full of curiosity, save for Black Rhino, who wore a blank, defeated expression.
"Sigh! You all... how can you be this dense?" Violent Tiger sighed, rubbing his forehead in exasperation. They might all have brawn, but why was he the only one with a brain?
"Think carefully," Violent Tiger went on. "Black Rhino is a Soul Elder with defensive and strength-enhancing abilities. Yet, a kid who looks no older than ten—a mere Soul Master at best—managed to beat him in sheer strength alone."
"Sure, he didn't use his martial soul, but that still tells us one of two things: either he's gifted with an extraordinary martial soul, or he has someone powerful backing him up, using special means. Either way, he's not someone we should mess with."
"Our Violent Tiger Soul-Hunting Squad might have a reputation in Evernight City, but in the grand scheme of the Douluo Continent, we're nothing compared to the real Soul Master families. Besides, Madam Blood Rose has made it clear she's favoring this kid. She practically said she'd protect him!"
"Do you really think, after all that, it'd be wise for us to provoke him? Are you not worried that the day after we mess with him, we'd all be strung up at the city gate as a warning by Madam Blood Rose?"
Violent Tiger sighed, resignation clear on his face.
"So, Boss, you're just gonna hand over the storage soul tool to the Bear Squad?" one of the team members asked, still a bit unwilling to let it go.
"What else can we do? Madam Blood Rose already made her position clear; we can only accept it!"
Violent Tiger shook his head with a heavy sigh.
"But time is on our side. That Lin Ye kid may be out of our reach, but as for the Bear Soul-Hunting Squad, I doubt they'll stick with him forever. Our chance will come!" Violent Tiger's eyes gleamed with a cold, vengeful glint.
...
Following the clash between the Violent Tiger and Bear Soul-Hunting Squads at the Blood Rose Tavern, Lin Ye's days in Evernight City passed smoothly.
His life settled into a steady rhythm, commuting between Evernight City and the Evernight Forest. He trained in the forest, then returned to the city to rest.
With Tang Yuan's treasure-seeking abilities by his side, Lin Ye never lacked medicinal herbs in the Evernight Forest. Additionally, with powerful soul beasts as opponents, he was able to break through the first level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Art in just six months.
As for the Nine Yang Divine Art, he progressed to the peak of the second level, roughly equivalent to level twenty in soul power.
In other words, Lin Ye was now ready to hunt his second soul beast, absorb its ring, and advance to the rank of Grand Soul Master!
Besides his progress in the Dragon Elephant Prajna Art and the Nine Yang Divine Art, Lin Ye's mastery of the Phoenix Dance Six Illusions and the Solitary Nine Swords had also reached new heights thanks to his diligent practice.
Whereas he used to produce only faint afterimages with the Phoenix Dance Six Illusions, he could now generate two solid phantoms while moving!
For the Solitary Nine Swords, what had once been merely proficient execution had now become second nature—he could summon any of the nine forms at will, achieving complete mastery.
As for his external soul bone, the Dual Pupils, he hadn't managed to evolve it into new abilities yet, leaving him slightly frustrated.
However, soul bones naturally evolve with a Soul Master's cultivation level; they can't be trained like martial arts. Accepting this, Lin Ye let it go.
Over these six months, though he had clashed with the Violent Tiger Soul-Hunting Squad, Lin Ye hadn't faced any further trouble. According to Shi Yue, the Violent Tiger members were known to be vindictive, but Lin Ye felt their leader, Violent Tiger, was a smart man.
If he had only defeated Black Rhino, he might have faced some retaliation from them. However, with the Blood Rose Tavern's owner, Madam Blood Rose, showing him favor, Lin Ye felt certain Violent Tiger wouldn't act foolishly. And the outcome indeed matched his expectations.
With a Soul Saint-level powerhouse backing him, Lin Ye knew he had luck on his side. He took advantage of this and frequently visited Blood Rose Tavern to deepen his connection with Madam Blood Rose.
Whether she genuinely wished to befriend him, found him endearing (and strikingly handsome, no less), or both, Lin Ye was uncertain.
But one thing was clear—he was more than welcome in the Blood Rose Tavern, feeling almost as comfortable as if it were his own home.
However, despite Lin Ye's peaceful six months in Evernight City, not everything in the city remained tranquil.
Starting a few months ago, several Soul-Hunting Squads in Evernight City began to vanish mysteriously.
And when they vanished, they left no trace. Entire teams would disappear without a sign of life or death.
To be fair, team annihilation wasn't unheard of among Soul-Hunting Squads; sometimes they'd encounter soul beasts too powerful to handle. But the Evernight Forest wasn't the Star Dou Great Forest.
The most powerful soul beasts in Evernight Forest's depths, according to experienced Soul Masters, were around fifty thousand years old.
That's in the deepest part, mind you. The inner, mid, and outer rings were home to ten-thousand-year, five-thousand-year, and thousand-year soul beasts, while the outermost areas had only hundred-year and ten-year beasts.
Most Soul-Hunting Squads would venture no further than the mid-ring during missions.
While encountering an unbeatable soul beast was still possible, the odds of an entire team perishing were slim!
What's more, a squad led by a Soul King had also gone missing.
Typically, a squad with a Soul King could handle a ten-thousand-year soul beast and escape unscathed.
Yet, since the strongest soul beasts in the mid-ring were only ten-thousand-year creatures, there was no reason for a Soul King-led squad to suffer a total wipeout there!
Initially, everyone assumed a ferocious ten-thousand-year soul beast had wandered from the forest depths into the mid-ring.
Then, one day, a Soul-Hunting Squad on a mission stumbled upon several withered corpses among the bushes.
From their clothes, it was obvious that these bodies belonged to the missing Soul-Hunting Squad members.
Suddenly, the disappearances made sense.
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