Doulou Dalu 9

Lin Fan nodded and said, "Yes, the Blazing White Tiger has always been my primary martial spirit, inherited directly from my family."

Tang Yin's eyes lit up with excitement. "A Heaven's Chosen One! No wonder Brother Tang recruited you personally. Remember, before reaching the Titled Douluo level, do not attach any spirit rings to your second martial soul. Focus on cultivating your first martial soul to the Titled Douluo level first. Once that happens, you'll be able to attach only ten-thousand-year spirit rings to your second martial soul. At that point, even among Titled Douluo, few will be your match."

"Understood, Teacher." Lin Fan nodded and retracted his martial spirit.

He had heard similar advice before—Grandmaster had once given Tang San the same suggestion.

However, Lin Fan had no intention of following that path. His goal was to upgrade his Divine Stroke into a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skill and bind it to the Shadow Battle Axe. If he attached it to his Blazing White Tiger instead, even with a ten-thousand-year soul ring, it wouldn't be able to unleash the full power of the Divine Stroke.

Waiting to reach the Titled Douluo stage would take too long. Besides, the usual issue of martial soul rejection didn't apply to him. His Shadow Blade and other equipment came from his system, not from his martial souls. As a result, they wouldn't interfere with his Blazing White Tiger.

Lin Fan had already made his decision: once he reached level 30 and began searching for his third soul ring, he would also seek a ten-thousand-year soul ring suitable for his Shadow Blade.

Tang Yiran, unaware of Lin Fan's inner thoughts, nodded and said, "Alright, Xiaofan, I'll have someone arrange your accommodation. Starting tomorrow, you'll train with the outer disciples. I will personally oversee your training."

"Outer disciple?" Lin Fan was momentarily puzzled but chose not to question it.

Sensing his confusion, Tang Yiran explained coolly, "The Haotian Sect has branches in other regions, but this is the headquarters. Many soul masters aspire to join us, but we don't accept just anyone. Every applicant must undergo a rigorous screening process. Only the most promising among them qualify as outer disciples."

She continued, "Only the best of the outer disciples are promoted to inner disciples, who receive direct training in the sect's martial spirit lineage. As an inner disciple, one gains access to the best cultivation resources. Even though Brother Tang Hao brought you here personally, if you cannot pass the outer disciple test, I will not allow you to enter the inner sect."

Lin Fan smiled confidently. "Don't worry, Teacher Yiran. I will follow the sect's rules."

That night, Lin Fan was assigned a private room in the outer disciple dormitory. This was a privilege; most outer disciples had to share rooms. Clearly, Tang Yiran was looking out for him to some extent.

Breakthrough and the System's Reward

As night fell, Lin Fan sat in meditation. After his battle with Qian Xunji, he had reached level 29 and was only a step away from level 30.

Two hours later, his eyes snapped open.

Level 30—he had finally broken through.

Now, all he needed was a suitable third soul ring to become a full-fledged Soul Master.

"It's a shame my original martial spirit is a little underwhelming," Lin Fan muttered to himself.

Just then, a familiar mechanical voice rang in his mind.

"Ding! Congratulations on leveling up! You've earned a chance to draw a lottery. Would you like to proceed now?"

Excited, Lin Fan immediately responded, "Yes!"

"Ding! Congratulations! You have obtained a King's Crystal."

Lin Fan frowned. "A King's Crystal? Not a Glory Crystal?"

Could he use this to acquire Han Xin's abilities?

"King's Crystals originate from Honor of Kings. They can be used to upgrade martial souls, equipment, and exchange for skills or attributes. You can check the King's Shop."

Opening the shop, Lin Fan was surprised to see that Han Xin's entire skill set was available for redemption—including his passive skill, as well as his first, second, and third active skills.

Additionally, there were skills from other legendary figures like Guiguzi, Taiyi, and Nezha.

"So many choices…" Lin Fan realized that a single King's Crystal could be exchanged for two ordinary skills or one ultimate skill.

Han Xin's first and second skills were available for just one crystal, while his third skill required another. The same applied to other characters.

However, before making his choice, a thought struck him: could the King's Crystal upgrade his Shadow Blade instead?

He quickly summoned the Shadow Axe, but a prompt appeared.

"Upgrading equipment requires a Glory Crystal. One for the first upgrade, five for the second, twenty for the third. After three upgrades, Heavenly Dao Awakening will be enabled."

"So, I need a Glory Crystal for my weapon… But can the King's Crystal upgrade my martial soul?"

Curious, Lin Fan summoned his Blazing White Tiger. A powerful tiger's roar filled the room.

At that moment, the system's voice chimed in again.

"Master, the King's Crystal can upgrade your martial soul, the Blazing White Tiger. Glory Crystals are required for high-level martial souls and equipment, but King's Crystals work on ordinary martial souls. Do you wish to proceed?"

Lin Fan hesitated. He could always acquire more skills in future draws, but his martial soul was permanent. Upgrading it now would be a wise investment.

"Proceed with the upgrade."

Suddenly, his martial spirit transformed. The small white tiger evolved into a majestic beast with glowing purple fur and razor-sharp fangs.

"Congratulations! Your martial soul has advanced to the second stage: Purple Flame Tiger. Further upgrades require five King's Crystals. At the third stage, it will evolve into the Ice Flame White Tiger. Subsequent advancements will require Glory Crystals. Your martial soul is unique—each evolution grants it a new flame."

Lin Fan's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Flames… Could they be similar to the Strange Flames from other worlds?"

His newly evolved martial soul radiated an imposing aura, the purple fire giving it an awe-inspiring presence.

Just then, the system voice returned.

"As a first-time reward, Ling'er grants you a bonus skill: Ruthless Charge."

"Hey, wait—give me more!" Lin Fan called out in his mind, but the system had already gone silent.

Sighing, he checked his new ability.

Ruthless Charge:

A skill from Han Xin in Honor of Kings.

Charges toward a designated area, dealing damage and knocking enemies back for two seconds.

A second charge can be executed within five seconds, though knock-back duration reduces to 0.8 seconds.

Speed increases tenfold during the charge.

Lin Fan was pleased. This skill would be invaluable in combat.

Arrival at the Outer Sect

The next morning, Lin Fan arrived at the training grounds, where a few hundred disciples had gathered. The Haotian Sect's standards were clearly strict—only a select few were admitted.

Feeling slightly out of place, he scanned the crowd. Suddenly, a burly youth sneered at him.

"Hey, kid. I've never seen you before. Where are you from?"

Several other disciples gathered around. They appeared to be troublemakers.

Lin Fan remained calm. "I just joined the Haotian Sect as an outer disciple. My name is Lin Fan."

"Oh, fresh meat," the leader scoffed, grabbing Lin Fan's collar. "My name is Niu Shuai, which means 'Awesome and Handsome.' I run things around here. If you want to survive, you better show some respect."

Lin Fan smirked. "Is that so?"

Before Niu Shuai could react, Lin Fan's fist connected with his face. The larger boy crashed to the ground, groaning in pain.

Lin Fan casually sat on his back. "There's no place to sit around here. Hope you don't mind being my cushion."

The other disciples looked on in shock. Lin Fan had just made a powerful first impression.