NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 128: A Small Show of Skill
Facing Dugu Bo's firm "impossible," Long Yin did not react with anger or irritation. Instead, neither Jiang Yuan, Li Zhishu, Zhang Mufeng, nor Qingqiu Xin could conceal an odd smile on their faces, as if they all relished seeing skeptics of Ling Yi's abilities getting a reality check.
Did you think Jiang Yuan, a captain from the Cold Wind Camp, or Li Zhishu, the chief of the provisions unit, would travel thousands of miles only because of a close relation with Ling Yi? Despite their camaraderie, they are members of the military system of [Shuimu Princedom]. Could they leave their posts so easily?
In fact, when "Marquis of Cedar" Song Yao, the commander of Cold Wind Camp, learned that Ling Yi needed a skilled escort to the [Heaven Dou Empire], he immediately assigned Jiang Yuan to a protective mission, emphasizing the need to safeguard their 'Great Physician' Ling Yi from [Shuimu Princedom].
After all, Ling Yi served as a military doctor there, saving thousands of comrades. His reputation as the youngest blacksmith in the history of Douluo Continent, now a divine craftsman acknowledged by Lou Gao, was another reason for their cooperation at the camp. Otherwise, Jiang Yuan might have mobilized two thousand cavalrymen to accompany him to the [Heaven Dou Empire].
Similarly, to ensure enough combat strength, besides Ling Yi, who was as capable as a Soul Ancestor healer, Li Zhishu, a food-type Soul Elder, was invited as support. Marquis Song Yao had no qualms about accepting this arrangement.
Seeing the peculiar smiles of Long Yin and others, Dugu Bo squinted slightly, instinctively sensing something was amiss, yet he maintained his cold demeanor. “Kid, your story is getting more outrageous!”
“If you say this Ling Yi kid's two spirit rings are centurial, with excellent martial soul and skill quality, surpassing Soul Elders with third centurial spirit rings still, I'd believe it a bit.”
“But!” Dugu Bo's tone turned sharp as he barked, "Do you really understand the difference between a millennium soul ring and a century-old soul ring?! Hmm—?!”
The last word left his lips accompanied by a surge of powerful aura that pressed down heavily on everyone inside the box.
"Elder~"*2
Just as Long Yin and the others felt overwhelmed by the pressure like a mountain bearing down on them, both Ling Yi and Jiang Yuan managed to call out simultaneously.
“Hmm… hmm?!”
Hearing the voices, Dugu Bo turned to look, expecting only Jiang Yuan, a Soul King, to be able to speak freely. Yet, he also saw Ling Yi, though flushed and clearly struggling, still able to withstand the pressure and speak up. It was surprising enough to make Dugu Bo's imposing demeanor falter momentarily.
Dugu Bo's mind raced; several thoughts flashed through his mind as he retracted his overwhelming aura. He fixed his gaze on Ling Yi and Jiang Yuan, eventually focusing on Ling Yi's youthful face, chuckling darkly, "I am quite surprised, you can actually manage this much under my pressure. I'm starting to somewhat believe the nonsense this fool was talking about—"
These words from Dugu Bo seemed like an admission of surprise, yet they weren't self-contradictory.
Although the gap between millennium soul techniques and century-old ones is fundamentally significant, it doesn't mean there is no hope of surpassing it.
But such hope is exceedingly slim!
Because if the quality of the martial soul reaches a certain level, it is possible to achieve a result where the soul technique's effectiveness becomes greater than the sum of its parts, even exceeding it.
For instance, the legendary healing martial soul "Nine-Hearted Begonia," even if inherited by a Grand Spirit Master level descendant, its healing effect could rival some fourth soul techniques from Soul Sects with average soul ring configurations and martial soul qualities.
So, this kid named Ling Yi, is he a lucky one whose martial soul mutated, making its quality comparable to top-tier martial souls like the "Nine Heart Begonia"?
Or perhaps, is he an inheritor of a top-tier martial soul lineage?
“Zi—”
While Dugu Bo was lost in various speculations, Li Zhishu suddenly pushed back his chair and stood up directly.
This act immediately caught the attention of Dugu Bo and made Jiang Yuan sitting beside him feel a bit weary.
Jiang Yuan felt that the more these young people in the small team spent time with Ling Yi, the more their way of thinking became out of place with the rest of Douluo Continent.
Li Zhishu clasped his hands in a salute towards Dugu Bo, and after saying his piece, he walked out the door with a confident stride, shaking his now considerably stronger, yet still slightly plump body out of the compartment.
In just a dozen or so breaths, with the strength of a Soul Elder, Li Zhishu returned to the compartment.
This time, Li Zhishu wasn’t carrying a dish but was instead holding a fish bare-handed.
A fish that had just been gutted!
Li Zhishu grabbed the fish in one hand, picked up a nearly empty plate from his seat with the other, placed the fish on the plate, and presented it in front of Dugu Bo, saying:
“Senior, with your strength, you should be able to easily perceive that this fish is practically on the brink of death—”
"Dead as a doornail?"
Dugu Bo glanced at the fish about two palms in size. With a twitch of his eye, he thought, "The damn thing looks gutted and half its innards are out. It's merely a leftover twitch from the carcass of a fish that's been long dead!"
Before Dugu Bo could comment further, Li Zhishu placed the plate with the fish in front of Ling Yi. He glanced at Dugu Bo's furrowed brow and whispered to Ling Yi, "Brother Yi, show them what you can do."
"You..." Ling Yi cast a glance at Li Zhishu, then at Dugu Bo across the table, as well as Long Yin, Zhang Mufeng, and other eager onlookers beside him, before helplessly shaking his head.
Though he shook his head, his actions were decisive. Ling Yi spread his right hand, and with a bright blue soul power glow, his vine-like martial soul, "Blue Silver Grass," appeared.
Seeing this, Dugu Bo at last understood Li Zhishu’s intention—he was going to demonstrate right here, just to prove they weren't exaggerating?
To Dugu Bo's surprise, Ling Yi didn’t immediately unleash his soul skill. Instead, he placed a hand on the fish and began to sense it.
After a few breaths, Ling Yi's soul power flowed from his palm to cover the fish.
In the next moment, something astounding happened.
Ling Yi's soul power seemed alive, causing the dead fish’s organs to twitch. In mere seconds, the limp, sagging remains contracted back into the abdomen. In Dugu Bo's perception, the fish's intestines, heart, and other organs magically rearranged as if by some internal logic.
Dugu Bo swore he had never seen soul power perform such delicate work!
And that wasn't all!
Ling Yi, having just completed his previous moves, concentrated his soul power. His martial soul, minutely compacted on his right wrist, subtly revealed its second soul ring from beneath the dining table, casting a faint deep yellow glow. This light coalesced into a bright greenish hue at Ling Yi's fingertips.
In the next instant, as though coated with glue, Ling Yi's hand brushed over the large gash on the fish's belly, sealing it shut completely.
Under Dugu Bo's keen senses, the wound utterly vanished—not in the manner of a healing soul technique where wounds quickly regenerate through the life energies of light, water, or wood elements—but as if two pieces of paper, previously torn apart, suddenly fused seamlessly.
Immediately following, a vibrant green light, brimming with vitality, illuminated Ling Yi's hand.
"Clap!"
Ling Yi's palm landed on the previously lifeless fish's body, and to everyone's astonishment, the once-dead fish leapt up from the pristine white platter.
It seemed as though the fish had never been gutted and was only momentarily stunned.
Indeed, before the fish was cut open, it had been knocked out with a firm strike to induce fainting.
Witnessing this spectacle, Dugu Bo—who had yet to become the world-renowned Poison Douluo, untouched by tribulations such as poison torment or the wounds of losing a child—stared wide-eyed and through clenched teeth, uttered two words:
"Holy—!!!"
(End of Chapter)
