Douluo Jueshi: I Don't Want to Be an Evil Soul Master

Chapter 283 Embrace of the Styx
Whether Jing Hongchen ultimately convinced Xu Tianran, and whether the level-nine soul-guided cannonballs stored in Mingdu were actually moved, Lin Xiao didn't know, but that was all he could do.

In contrast, he was more concerned about his own affairs.

The two years he spent in the far north allowed him to make great progress in cultivating his martial spirit. Not only did his physical strength increase significantly, but he also acquired the Snow Empress's spirit ring and condensed a unique "spirit core" in the world.

However, he hadn't made much progress in soul tools. In the six months since returning to Mingde Hall, he had devoted a lot of time to soul tools, and fortunately, the results were satisfactory.

"Tuk-tuk-tuk-"

"Who?"

"I am the head of the hall."

Lin Xiao paused slightly, but still responded. Soon, a clear voice came from inside, "Come in."

As Lin Xiao swiped his ID card past the metal door in front of him, the door slowly opened to both sides, revealing that Jing Hongchen was not in his room.

A young girl was sitting in his seat, leaning over the table as if busy with something. When she saw Lin Xiao come in, she quickly stood up, looking slightly flustered.

"Grandpa hasn't come back yet."

Lin Xiao wasn't too surprised to see this.

It's probably because Meng Hongchen went to Shrek Academy as an exchange student for the past two years, and they haven't seen each other for too long. In the past six months, Lin Xiao has often seen Meng Hongchen when he comes to Jing Hongchen's place.

"I don't know when the hall master will return. If it will take a while, I'll go outside first."

“No, no need.” Meng Hongchen looked at Lin Xiao. “Grandpa said it’s fine for you to stay here if you come over.”

As Meng Hongchen spoke, her gaze towards Lin Xiao revealed no undisguised curiosity.

She remembered that Jing Hongchen had told her not to get too close to Lin Xiao, but when she came back from a trip to Shrek Academy, he was allowed to stay in Jing Hongchen's room.

You should know that this place holds many secrets of Mingde Hall, and even some teachers would not wait here when Jing Hongchen is not around.

Lin Xiao simply smiled, letting Meng Hongchen watch, then sat down to the side and closed her eyes slightly, her aura seemingly blending into her surroundings.

Although he focused most of his attention on the soul tool, he did not slack off in cultivating his soul power. He had become completely familiar with the new "soul core" in his body. Just like the previous soul core, it could automatically convert the elemental energy of heaven and earth without his control.

"Oh, and thank you too."

Lin Xiao had just sat down when she heard Meng Hongchen suddenly speak. Turning her head, she saw Meng Hongchen looking down at the table.

"Grandpa said that you were the first to suggest this material. My martial spirit is the Crimson Ice Toad, and its poison is produced by the interaction of ice and fire attributes."

“Grandpa wanted to make me a suitable soul tool, but there were no materials in the Sun Moon Empire that possessed both ice and fire attributes at the same time, until your idea was verified.”

"Then you should thank the Hall Master." Lin Xiao still smiled. "Ideas aren't worth much. Even if it wasn't me, someone else would have come up with them sooner or later. It's the Hall Master who must have put in a lot of effort to try and create this material."

"But Grandpa said that anyone who is a Soul Master can make Soul Tools, but not everyone has new ideas."

“I…” Lin Xiao paused slightly, “Alright, even so, you don’t need to thank me, after all, I am also a member of Mingde Hall.”

Meng Hongchen didn't speak upon hearing this, but stared at Lin Xiao with some suspicion. "It seems you two are having a good chat. What are you talking about?" The door suddenly opened, and Lin Xiao turned around to see the cheerful Meng Hongchen standing in the doorway.

"Hall Master."

"It's alright, sit down, sit down." Jing Hongchen waved his hand, and Meng Hongchen, who was standing next to him, hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed his arm.

"Alright, this isn't the first time you've met Lin Xiao in the past six months, so there's no need to be so formal." Jing Hongchen said, sitting down at the table and letting out a soft sigh. "It's finished."

This seemingly random sentence made Lin Xiao's eyes light up slightly.

"Meng, you go out first. I have something to say to Lin Xiao."

Meng Hongchen glanced at Lin Xiao, but still obediently walked out the door.

Lin Xiao glanced at the closed door, then quickly looked away. "Master, what you're saying is..."

“That’s right, it’s the humanoid soul tool that was made for you.” Jing Hongchen smiled. “I just went to a soul master to retrieve it.”

Jing Hongchen didn't reveal the identity of the Soul Master directly, but Lin Xiao knew that there was no one else in Mingde Hall that Jing Hongchen would willingly conceal.

"This humanoid soul tool was designed by me personally, with the participation of several level-nine soul masters. It took half a year to complete, and we have only just finished the last little design. You will know what the specific effects are after you use it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the light of the storage soul tool in Jing Hongchen's hand flashed, and Lin Xiao stood up and took two steps forward.

What appeared in Jing Hongchen's hand did not resemble a soul tool; rather, it looked like a soft "robe." Indeed, it was clearly made of metal, but it gave people a soft touch.

The overall black base is adorned with dark red lines, and under the illumination of the soul tool, the entire soul tool seems to ripple slightly like the surface of water.

Lin Xiao gently reached out, and the dark red lines on it seemed to come alive, approaching and kissing Lin Xiao's fingertips.

Jing Hongchen stared at it for a long time without looking away.

“You came with me to receive those students and saw my flying soul tool. In my opinion, if you can forge hard metal into this state, you can make a soul tool of extremely high quality.”

"But this is the first time I've used this technology throughout an entire soul tool. To be honest, I'm really a little reluctant to part with it."

Lin Xiao raised her head slightly and glanced at Jing Hongchen. "Thank you for your kindness, Hall Master. I never expected to receive such a soul tool."

At this point, Jing Hongchen sighed softly, her expression changing slightly. "I'm not entirely without ulterior motives either. Although this isn't the first time I've brought it up, I still want to ask you one more time: do you want to formally join Mingde Hall?"

"Hall Master..."

"No need to rush to refuse." Jing Hongchen raised his hand to interrupt Lin Xiao. "I'm only saying this here."

“Although you are a disciple of the Holy Spirit Cult, I can tell that you don’t care about your cult. Otherwise, the technology for smelting alloys would have been in the hands of the Holy Spirit Cult long ago, instead of being used to trade for the resources of Mingde Hall.”

Seeing Jing Hongchen staring intently at him, Lin Xiao sighed softly and lowered his head slightly. "Master, I still have some things to finish."

(End of this chapter)