"Barely Becoming a Titled Douluo, and the Counterattack System Arrives

[Congratulations, Host, for completing the task.]

[Rewards: Three levels of Soul Elder-level soul power, enhancement of your third soul ring by 500 years, and the Body Immune to All Poisons.]

"Hah, that was too easy—no challenge at all. But with this Body Immune to All Poisons, I can finally visit the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."

"Even though I have innate full soul power and a second martial soul, the Slaughter Sword, currently the only martial soul I can freely use is the Qingying Sword."

"It's about time I improved the quality of my Qingying Sword Martial Soul."

The Slaughter Sword carried too much killing intent; unless necessary, Lin Fan had no desire to use it.

However, the quality of his Qingying Sword Martial Soul wasn't even considered high—at best, it was mid-high grade.

The quality of a martial soul was crucial—it determined both combat ability and soul skill performance. After all, a martial soul was the foundation of any soul master.

Lin Fan had previously attempted to locate the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well in the Sunset Forest.

Those immortal herbs capable of propelling the Shrek Seven Devils to godhood were highly coveted by him.

But the first time Lin Fan ventured to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he was only a Soul Ancestor at level 46.

Though the Sunset Forest was smaller than the Star Dou Forest, it was still vast. It had taken Lin Fan two whole months to locate the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

However, he had underestimated the toxicity of the Bi-Phosphor Seven-Petal Orchid guarding the place.

Barely a few meters into the poisonous barrier, his soul power was completely drained by the toxins, forcing him to retreat immediately.

That first attempt ended in disappointment.

The second time Lin Fan went there was five years later.

To ensure safety, he had raised his cultivation to the Soul Emperor level before trying again.

However, much to his surprise, by then the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had been occupied by Dugu Bo, an 85th-level Soul Douluo.

Lin Fan had to lie low again. He knew that back then, Dugu Bo was far more ruthless than he would later become after having his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, who gradually softened his temperament.

Besides, even if Lin Fan had told Dugu Bo, "I can cure your poison," the old man likely wouldn't have believed him.

Worse, Dugu Bo might have killed him on the spot just to keep his weaknesses secret.

Lin Fan wasn't willing to gamble with his life—he only had one, after all.

More importantly, Lin Fan knew that Dugu Bo was unaware of the true value of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. So, he kept his presence hidden and bided his time.

At the time, Lin Fan had decided that once he became a Titled Douluo, he would retire to Soto City, wait for Tang San to appear, then apply to Shrek Academy as a teacher to build rapport with Tang San and eventually swipe one of his immortal herbs.

Who would've thought that right after reaching level 91, Titled Douluo, the Counterattack System would suddenly arrive?

Now that he had the system, Lin Fan didn't need to bother befriending Tang San.

With this task completed and the Body Immune to All Poisons in hand, Lin Fan knew it was finally time to seize those herbs.

Previously, Lin Fan had worried that, while he might be able to overpower Dugu Bo, the old man's poisons were too dangerous—one careless mistake could be fatal.

But now, with the Body Immune to All Poisons, he could perfectly counter Dugu Bo's venom.

If he still feared Dugu Bo at this point, Lin Fan felt he might as well uninstall the system and bash his head into a block of tofu.

"System, I'm sure you've already read my mind. Stop giving me these weird tasks. Hurry up and give me a mission related to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!"

Lin Fan solemnly "threatened" the Counterattack System.

[New Task Released: Shortly, due to you publicly contradicting Yu Xiaogang, Tang San will harbor a grudge against you. After obtaining the immortal herbs, Tang San won't share any with you. Host, please arrive at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well ahead of him and steal his chance.]

[Friendly Reminder: Due to the presence of an overwhelmingly powerful guardian, this mission may be abandoned.]

[Rewards: Three levels of Soul Elder-level soul power, a guaranteed fourth 10,000-year soul ring to advance to the Soul Sect rank, and a Compendium of Rare and Exotic Treasures.]

"…Wait a minute. System, are you voice-activated or something? You seriously gave me a mission about the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?!"

"Hey, System! In that case, why don't you go ahead and issue a task for me to become the Supreme Deity or something?"

Lin Fan was dumbfounded by the new task.

This system didn't follow any normal logic.

[Host is still at the rookie soul master level. Please don't set your sights too high.]

"…!"

"System, are you mocking me?! Come out here—I swear I'll fix you up!"

But once again, the system went unresponsive.

Helpless, Lin Fan began packing his belongings to prepare for departure.

For now, he had no reason to stick around Shrek Academy. He had already harvested the most valuable thing from Tang San—the Eight Spider Lances.

As for Xiao Wu, she was still protected by Tang Hao, so there was no chance of killing her.

Thus, there was no point in lingering here any longer.

However, just as Lin Fan was about to finish packing, Zhu Zhuqing arrived.

She had been deeply moved by Lin Fan's words during the training discussion earlier. Her desire to become his disciple had only grown stronger.

She firmly believed that with Lin Fan's guidance, she could make rapid progress.

So, after everyone had dispersed, she came to find Lin Fan at his wooden cabin.

Lin Fan had no choice but to stop what he was doing and open the door.

"Zhu Zhuqing, what can I do for you?" Lin Fan asked calmly.

"Swordshadow Douluo, about what you asked me the other day… I've thought it through. I'm ready to answer your question," Zhu Zhuqing replied, her gaze unwavering.

Lin Fan was momentarily stunned.

"What did I ask her again?" he thought.

After thinking for a moment, it came back to him.

"I believe the traits of the Hell Civet Martial Soul are speed, stealth, and high attack power—among the best of beast-type martial souls."

"And I believe a speed-type soul master should have only one goal: to eliminate their target as quickly as possible."

Zhu Zhuqing finished speaking quickly, then grew visibly nervous as she stared at Lin Fan.

"You've been thinking about how to answer my question all these days?" Lin Fan asked curiously.

"Yes, Your Grace," Zhu Zhuqing nodded firmly. "Is my answer satisfactory?"

Lin Fan hadn't expected that a casual remark of his had stuck with Zhu Zhuqing for so long—and that she would answer so seriously now.

He couldn't help but find her rather endearing and sincere. Her cold exterior was just a defensive facade.

"Hell Civet Martial Soul… surname Zhu… I know a bit about the rules between the Zhu and Dai families in Star Luo."

"You and Dai Mubai showing up here must be because of those rules, right?" Lin Fan said calmly.

"Yes, Your Grace. I knew I couldn't hide it from you," Zhu Zhuqing admitted frankly. "I want to become stronger—I don't want to die."

"Very good. I like people who refuse to bow to fate," Lin Fan said with a satisfied nod. "Then I'll give you a chance. You're at level 27 now, correct? I'll give you three Soul Beads to help you break through to Soul Elder right away."

"One year from now, if I see you in the Heaven Dou Empire and you've reached level 35, I'll agree to take you as my disciple."

Lin Fan then retrieved three Soul Beads from his system inventory—items from the newbie starter pack, which he dubbed "Soul Beads."

Each bead instantly boosted one level of soul power.

"Soul Beads?" Zhu Zhuqing looked puzzled. She had never heard of such a thing in the soul master world.

Lin Fan held out three gray-colored Soul Beads and handed them to her.