Chapter 142: Refinement Complete — The Hundred-Thousand-Year Whistling Gale Wolf Right Leg Bone

More than a year passed in a flash. Now, within the academy, Tianlin was once again being ostracized by some people. This was because what he had done to Xue Beng had been spread throughout the academy by those with ulterior motives. Most believed Tianlin was challenging the prestige of the nobles and the soul master class. Commoners, they felt, were supposed to be tools for the nobles and soul masters to use at will; standing up for them was tantamount to betraying one's class.

Yet, due to Tianlin's identity as Sword Douluo's disciple, and the fact that he hadn't harmed Xue Beng, the matter ultimately fizzled out.

Besides, Tianlin was simply too strong. Though they wanted to cause trouble for him, no one dared. Thus, ostracizing Tianlin was all they could do. Tianlin himself didn't care in the slightest, or rather, he preferred it this way—he never wanted too much to do with these spoiled heirs anyway.

Instead, Tianlin was willing to befriend the small minority of nobles who thought he'd done the right thing.

It seemed the saying "there are no good nobles" wasn't entirely true. Every class had both good and evil; there were bullies among commoners, and there could be kindness among nobles.

His teammates in the Empeor Battle Team all supported him wholeheartedly. Because of this, Tianlin gained a group of genuine friends at the academy.

The time for the academy tournament was drawing ever closer. Although Skydream Ice Silkworm had always hoped Tianlin would go into seclusion to cultivate, Tianlin still refused.

After all, he wasn't alone—he had teammates. Refining the soul bone could be left for the evenings; during the day, he could practice tactics with his team, and afterward visit Rongrong or Qian Renxue. This lifestyle suited him better at this stage—a balance of work and rest.

Now, with less than a month left before the tournament began, Tianlin finally completed the refinement of the Whistling Gale Wolf's right leg bone. The soul power constantly spilling from the million-year soul ring was now fully, efficiently absorbed.

Late at night, Tianlin opened his eyes and instantly teleported from his dormitory to the foot of Heaven Dou Mountain.

"Xiao Tian, your Whistling Gale Wolf right leg bone has finally reached the hundred-thousand-year level! Your teleportation distance has increased dramatically. I didn't expect you could travel here from the academy in one leap!" Skydream Ice Silkworm exclaimed excitedly.

With such long-distance teleportation, Tianlin's survival ability had greatly improved.

Tianlin agreed, "Yes, and I have to thank your million-year soul ring, as well as the cultivation technique Uncle Ning taught me. Moreover, because this right leg bone has advanced to a hundred thousand years, I've gained a new soul skill—but it's a bit special. It's called Hurricane Vacuum Slash. You could call it a restricting skill, but it's also a powerful offensive skill."

"How so?" Skydream Ice Silkworm was puzzled.

Not knowing how to explain, Tianlin simply leaped up and drew a large arc with his foot. A crescent-shaped wind blade shot out, leaving a deep scar on the cliff face.

"The attack power is good, but isn't this just an attack skill? Where's the restriction?" Skydream Ice Silkworm still didn't see it.

Just then, Tianlin pointed to where the wind blade had passed—a little rabbit was there. Though the blade hadn't hit it, the rabbit now looked as if it were suffocating, clearly distressed. "That's the restrictive effect of this attack, the meaning behind 'vacuum.' Everywhere the wind blade passes, it forms a small vacuum field. For a short time, all the air is sucked out, causing suffocation."

With that, Tianlin waved his hand, breaking his barrier. Air rushed in, and the rabbit immediately revived, though startled—it ran straight into the forest without looking back.

"Sorry to scare you, little rabbit!" Tianlin smiled, waving an apology at the rabbit.

"That's quite something. Even a Title Douluo can't survive long in a vacuum—this could be useful!" Skydream Ice Silkworm commented but wasn't overly impressed.

After all, the vacuum field was very small, and with Title Douluo's speed, they could escape instantly. The stronger the opponent, the weaker the restricting effect; even against a Title Douluo, just a fraction of a second would be good enough.

Still, for a soul skill gained postnatally, this was impressive enough—Tianlin wasn't disappointed.

Teleporting back to the academy, Tianlin resumed meditation after a long break. This past year, he had focused on refining the soul bone daily, so his soul power progress had lagged behind. Fortunately, with the power of Heavenly Snow Power and the boost from the soul bone's advancement, he had now reached level 58—more than enough for the upcoming Soul Master Tournament.

At dawn, a burst of excited knocking startled Tianlin from his meditation.

Even in the sect, and certainly at the academy, he never entered deep meditation, always keeping some awareness of the outside world.

Tianlin opened the door—it was Gu Ran. "What is it, Gu Ran, so early in the morning?"

"Boss, I did it! I broke through last night—I finally reached the forty-eighth level you wanted!" Gu Ran excitedly announced.

Tianlin's sleepiness vanished with the good news. "Well done, Gu an! Come, let's go find Teacher Qin and ask for leave. As I promised, I have a big gift for you."

He was genuinely happy for his little follower—this year's effort hadn't been in vain. Lately, Gu Ran's soul power progress was no slower than Tianheng's or Dugu Yan's, both of whom had much better innate talent. Gu Ran had focused on nothing but cultivation, taking Tianlin's advice to heart.

Currently, among the Emperor Team, aside from Tianlin, the highest levels were Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan at forty-nine—just shy of fifty. But with Gu Ran's breakthrough, Tianlin would soon make him the second Soul King on the team.

Tianlin took Gu Ran straight to the training grounds—their team's daily meeting spot.

Teacher Qin Ming was already there, smiling when he saw them arrive. "Not bad, Xiao Tian, and Gu Ran—you two are the first here today."

"Teacher, we'd like to ask for leave," Tianlin said. "Our masters told us we must return to the sect a month before the tournament starts—they have some special skills to teach us."

"Oh, so the two elders want to give you secret training? Go ahead, I approve," Qin Ming nodded. "I wasn't planning to arrange more tactical drills for you. The last month is always for personal cultivation. As long as you're back before the tournament, it's fine."

"Don't worry, teacher—we'll be back on time!" Tianlin promised.

With that, he and Gu Ran temporarily left Heaven Dou Royal Academy.