A ten-thousand-year-old soul bone and it must be of the gemstone type.
This time, Tian Lin was truly asking for a lot. Gemstone-type soul bones generally enhance spiritual power, making them highly suitable for auxiliary-type soul masters or battle soul masters who excel in mental attacks, charm, or illusion.
Compared to ordinary soul bones, these are undoubtedly much rarer.
"Fine, let's bet. A gemstone-type soul bone—we can provide one!" Before Gui Mei could speak, Hu Liena interrupted decisively.
She happened to excel in charm techniques, and Bibi Dong had long prepared several gemstone-type soul bones for her.
"Nana, isn't this wager too risky?" This time, it was Gui Mei who hesitated.
Hu Liena, however, responded confidently, "Elder Gui, you've fallen for that boy's trick. He deliberately asked for something outrageous to make you hesitate and not dare to accept the bet."
Her words immediately enlightened Gui Mei. With the strength of Hu Liena and her two companions, it was almost impossible for anyone of their generation to be their match. Moreover, Hu Liena and Xie Yue had a trump card: their martial soul fusion skill. Once unleashed, even a Soul King wouldn't stand a chance against them.
"Fine, kid, we accept your terms. But I want to add one condition: your team members cannot be over sixteen years old!" To be cautious, Gui Mei added this condition.
Xie Yue and the others were between fifteen and sixteen years old. At their age, finding someone who could rival them was nearly impossible.
"Agreed. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan doesn't need to stoop to bullying the younger generation," Tian Lin replied calmly. He had no intention of sending anyone else. Turning to Ning Fengzhi, Tian Lin clasped his fists and said, "Uncle Ning, please trust me. This time, I will uphold the honor of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and bring back the ten-thousand-year soul bone."
Ning Fengzhi patted Tian Lin's shoulder. "Go ahead. I trust you."
When Ning Fengzhi was younger, he too had been hot-blooded. It was only after taking over as clan leader that he became more calculating. Seeing the spirited Tian Lin now brought him back to his younger days. Today, he was willing to place his faith in Tian Lin.
The only thing that worried him was Tian Lin's acceptance of a life-and-death duel. If the Spirit Hall killed him in the arena, there would be no way to immediately avenge him without giving the Spirit Hall a legitimate excuse to annihilate the entire clan. He was well aware that, aside from the Pope, the Spirit Hall had another figure they absolutely couldn't afford to provoke.
"Xiao Tian, the Spirit Hall has gone too far. I'll fight alongside you," Yu Tianheng said, stepping up beside Tian Lin.
"Tianheng, you are not part of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. If you fight, it won't reflect the strength of our clan," Tian Lin said with a smile. Spreading his arms, he addressed everyone, "Honored guests, please take your seats and watch how the younger generation of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan defends against formidable enemies."
"Rong Rong, Gu Ran, join me in battle!"
"Understood, Sword Brother!"
"Yes, Boss!"
Ning Rongrong and Gu Ran stepped resolutely behind Tian Lin.
Tian Lin's choice shocked everyone. He himself was only a nine-year-old child, and his chosen teammates were a nine-year-old girl and a slightly older thirteen-year-old boy.
Wasn't this underestimating the enemy? After all, their opponents weren't random nobodies—they were the Spirit Hall's Golden Generation!
Only Chen Xin and Dugu Bo showed unwavering trust in him.
"Go, Xiao Tian. It's time for your sword to show the world its brilliance."
"Heh, the little monster is finally baring his fangs. Spirit Hall, this time you're in trouble!"
On the battle stage, the Golden Generation looked at the three children approaching, but instead of being pleased, they were furious. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan sending three kids of such a young age was a blatant insult to them.
"What arrogance from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan! Today, I'll slaughter these brats," Yan, the most hot-tempered of the group, said with killing intent radiating from him.
"Rong Rong, don't use any soul skills until I give the order. And Gu Ran, focus solely on protecting Rong Rong—nothing else," Tian Lin instructed his teammates.
Ning Rongrong and Gu Ran nodded. Although they didn't know Tian Lin's plan, they trusted him completely.
"Alright, unleash your martial souls!" Tian Lin commanded.
The three immediately summoned their martial souls and entered their martial soul states. Tian Lin's Demon Sword, Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, and Gu Ran's Skeletal Warhorse all appeared.
"A thousand-year second ring!" The sight of Tian Lin's second soul ring shocked everyone present.
Even Gui Mei and the Spirit Hall's Golden Generation were stunned. Even as geniuses, they wouldn't dare to absorb a thousand-year soul ring for their second ring. Yet this nine-year-old boy had not only done so but also reached over level 30 in soul power. His talent exceeded theirs by far.
"This guy is indeed a peerless genius. If he were the same age as us, we wouldn't stand a chance against him," Hu Liena admitted. Though she was proud, she didn't deny the truth.
Hearing Hu Liena praise another man, Yan, who had always admired her, was immediately displeased. "Hmph, so what if he's a genius? Without the time to grow, he's just trash. Two Soul Elders and one Soul Grandmaster—I'll crush them today!"
With that, Yan's muscles bulged, and a massive shadow appeared behind him. It exuded both the violent power of fire and the steadfastness of earth. This was the dual-attribute martial soul of fire and earth: the Flame Lord, one of the strongest ancient martial souls.
At the same time, Hu Liena completed her martial soul possession, revealing her top-tier martial soul: the Demon Fox.
Xie Yue wielded two sharp moon blades, another top-tier tool martial soul.
The Spirit Hall trio's aura was far stronger than Tian Lin's team, with all three possessing the optimal two yellow and two purple soul ring configurations.
Gui Mei sneered coldly. A thousand-year second ring? So what? The gap in strength was so immense that he couldn't see how Tian Lin's side had any chance of winning.
"First Soul Skill: Charm!" Hu Liena immediately used her signature move, aiming to mesmerize her opponents and leave them at her mercy.
As usual, she targeted the core of the opposing team—Tian Lin. But to her shock, Tian Lin smiled faintly, meeting her gaze without flinching. She found her spiritual attack blocked by what felt like a sturdy shield, completely unable to invade his mind.
"Sorry, but I'm immune to charm—I have a strict little wife!" Tian Lin gestured toward Ning Rongrong behind him. Her jealous glare at Hu Liena's seductive demeanor was evident.
Claiming that his strict little wife made him immune to charm was just an excuse. The truth was that Tian Lin's spiritual power far surpassed Hu Liena's, rendering him immune to her charm ability.
"A nine-year-old child with such powerful spiritual strength?" Gui Mei was deeply puzzled.
What he couldn't have imagined was that Tian Lin possessed the spiritual foundation of two lifetimes. Combined with the Nuwa Emperor Meditation Method, a divine-level cultivation method that trained both soul power and spiritual power, his spiritual strength was unparalleled. Moreover, his eyes were a soul bone ability, granting him an edge even over Tang San. While Tang San's Eight Spider Lances were formidable, they were far too conspicuous.
Tian Lin's Golden Flame Eyes, on the other hand, were subtle yet devastating.
"Golden Flame Soul Burn!"
Mental attacks were incredibly dangerous. When one's spirit was open to attack, their spirit was also vulnerable. A counterattack could cause severe damage, far worse than physical injuries.
"Ah!"
In an instant, Hu Liena's spirit was critically wounded, and she fell to the ground, screaming in agony.
Her soul was being burned by the ultimate flame, a pain no one could endure.