Douluo: Martial Soul of Lightning

As the two remaining Shadow Nether Panther clones were enveloped in a swirl of dark aura, their strength visibly increased. Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance, then shot forward simultaneously, aiming their attacks at the remaining figures.

Their earlier success in destroying one clone so easily had come from a perfectly timed strike.

Now, however, with these two clones significantly stronger, Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu quickly found themselves locked in a grueling battle.

Not far away, Lin Jie deftly dodged a flurry of attacks from three Shadow Nether Panther clones, a faint smile forming on his lips. With a flick of his hand, the lightning in his palm suddenly extended into a whip of pure electricity, lashing out at the three incoming panthers.

Surprisingly, the clones didn't attempt to dodge. Instead, they charged directly toward Lin Jie.

As they came at him all at once, Lin Jie narrowed his eyes. His spirit power surged as he called out quietly,

"Third Spirit Ability: Thunder Spider Web."

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Crackling arcs of lightning shot out, forming a web-like trap aimed at the incoming Shadow Nether Panthers. Yet again, the clones didn't retreat—they plunged straight into the Thunder Spider Web.

The moment they touched it, the trap erupted—stunning shocks, paralytic venom, and jolts of raw lightning surged through their bodies. All three clones froze up and collapsed to the ground.

In a flash, Lin Jie closed the distance to the nearest fallen clone. He reached out, his voice steady as he declared,

"One Million Volts."

Three thick bolts of lightning, each as wide as a grown man's thigh, exploded from his hand, crashing down on the paralyzed clones. With his current strength, this ability was far more powerful than when he first acquired it.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The three Shadow Panther clones were instantly blasted apart, their bodies shattering into drifting wisps of dark shadow energy. Those remnants then floated toward the remaining clones, merging into their bodies.

Watching the shadows being absorbed, Lin Jie's expression turned grim.

So that's how it works...

The Shadow Nether Panther's ability was terrifying.

Originally a single spirit beast, it had split itself into nine clones. There had to be one true body among them—and unless that original was defeated, none of this would end. Worse, any destroyed clone would turn into shadow essence, which would then be absorbed by the others, strengthening them further.

Elsewhere, under Ning Rongrong's buffs, Oscar's sausages, and Tang San's tactical support, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun had finally managed to take down one clone after a long struggle. But to their shock, the remaining two clones only grew stronger.

Lin Jie glanced at their side of the battlefield—Mubai and Fatty were visibly struggling. On the other side, Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu were doing better; only one clone remained for them, and they still seemed capable of handling it.

"I'll give Dai Mubai a hand," Lin Jie muttered to himself before vanishing in a burst of speed.

Boom! Boom!

Dai Mubai's spirit power was running low, and to his dismay, the Shadow Nether Panther clone he was fighting had grown stronger than ever. He and Ma Hongjun had gone from holding their own to being steadily overwhelmed.

Suddenly, Lin Jie appeared beside him.

"This one's almost as strong as the original. Let's finish it together," Lin Jie said.

"Alright," Dai Mubai replied without hesitation. He knew full well he couldn't handle this thing alone anymore.

With Lin Jie's addition to their formation, and Ning Rongrong's buffs holding strong, the trio quickly brought down the last two Shadow Nether Panther clones. As Lin Jie delivered the final blow, the remaining clone on Zhu Zhuqing's side suddenly vanished, dissolving into black mist.

Gazing at the collapsed Shadow Nether Panther, Dai Mubai could hardly believe it—they had actually taken down a nine-thousand-year-old spirit beast.

At that moment, Flender walked over from a distance, clapping as he approached. "Haha! What did I tell you, Xiaogang? I knew they could do it." He patted Dai Mubai's shoulder proudly. "You're all improving. Very good."

Oscar handed out recovery sausages, which everyone ate without complaint. After a short rest, their energy began to return.

Just then, Yu Xiaogang spoke up, "This Shadow Nether Panther would be an excellent fit for Zhu Zhuqing's Martial Soul. The only issue is its age—nine thousand years is simply too high."

Flender nodded regretfully at the comment.

Zhu Zhuqing had heard him clearly. She remained silent for a moment, then looked toward Lin Jie.

Meeting her gaze, Lin Jie instantly understood—she wanted to absorb the Shadow Nether Panther as her fourth spirit ring.

He gave her a slight nod.

Zhu Zhuqing turned back toward the others, her tone firm:

"I want to absorb this spirit beast as my fourth spirit ring."

Everyone turned to look at her.

"Zhuqing, this is a nine-thousand-year-old spirit beast," Dai Mubai said seriously. "According to Grandmaster's theory, your fourth ring should be somewhere between three and five thousand years."

"Yeah, it's dangerous," Oscar added.

Yu Xiaogang furrowed his brow. "Zhuqing, I understand your eagerness to obtain your fourth ring, but haven't I made it clear in class? The optimal age range for the fourth spirit ring is between three and five thousand years. This one's almost double that. Weren't you paying attention?"

His voice grew stern toward the end.

But Lin Jie stepped forward and said calmly, "Grandmaster, I think this spirit beast suits Zhuqing perfectly. I fully support her decision."

Yu Xiaogang's expression darkened. "Lin Jie, don't tell me you're encouraging this nonsense? Have you been ignoring everything I've taught you as well?"

Before the tension could rise further, Liu Erlong interjected, "Xiao Jie, do you have something in mind?" She knew Lin Jie well enough to tell when he was serious—he wouldn't speak up unless he had a reason.

Lin Jie nodded. "Grandmaster, I've always taken your lessons seriously. And I agree—three to five thousand years is the ideal range… for ordinary spirit beasts. But we're not ordinary Spirit Masters, are we?"

"We're monsters. And monsters don't follow the rules that bind others."

That drew a reaction. Tang San, who had always revered Grandmaster, couldn't stay silent.

"Lin Jie, what exactly do you mean by that?"

The others—Ning Rongrong, Oscar, even Ma Hongjun—looked toward Lin Jie with curiosity.

Lin Jie smiled. "Hasn't the dean always said we're little monsters? Then let me show you what that really means."

As he finished speaking, spirit rings rose from his body—two yellow, one deep purple, and finally… a pitch-black ring shimmered into view.

Four spirit rings in total.

Two yellow, one purple—and one black.

"Ten-thousand-year spirit ring?!"

Gasps rang out. The black ring pulsed rhythmically around him, confirming the impossible.

They had all known Lin Jie had reached the Spirit Ancestor level, but none of them—not even Tang San—had known the age of his fourth spirit ring. The only one who'd known was Zhu Zhuqing.

"Impossible… That's a ten-thousand-year ring! The fourth ring can't possibly be at that level," Yu Xiaogang muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

Oscar and Ma Hongjun were slack-jawed.

"Lin Jie's fourth spirit ring is really ten thousand years old… How did he do it?" Ning Rongrong asked, stunned.

Even Flender and Zhao Wuji were wide-eyed. They'd never even heard of someone gaining a ten-thousand-year ring as their fourth.

Liu Erlong, on the other hand, smiled slightly. Her little foster brother always managed to surprise her. But this time… it was a surprise that bordered on shocking.

PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin