From Xiao Lin's perspective, the Shi brothers' third soul skill had locked onto the Ice Gale.
The next second, the Ice Gale, as if it had lost its mind, charged toward the two at high speed.
"Xiao Lin, attack quickly! Our taunt only lasts two seconds!"
Seeing they had successfully provoked the enemy, the brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo felt a surge of urgency.
Against human soul masters of the same level, they could only control them for two seconds. Against soul beasts of the same level but with more abundant soul power, they might not even last one second.
At that moment, Xiao Lin snapped out of his daze from the brothers' near-perfect soul skill.
In the next instant, Xiao Lin summoned the Jiu Long Staff, then instantly unleashed Heaven and Earth Throw and Flowing Shadow Lightning Flash.
With a burst of powerful blue lightning exploding from him, Xiao Lin's figure had already appeared before the Ice Gale.
Knowing its weak spot, Xiao Lin's hands didn't slow for a moment. Taking advantage of the beast still being dazed by the taunt, he brought his staff crashing down.
Crack!
In an instant, the tremendous destructive force of the Jiu Long Staff broke through the whirlwinds surrounding the Ice Gale's body, striking directly at its vital core.
A sound of something breaking deep within made the Ice Gale jolt back to awareness.
It immediately let out a shrill hurricane-like roar, erupting with an endless storm that blasted Xiao Lin ten meters away.
"Damn, did I hold back too much?"
As he was blown back, Xiao Lin couldn't help but think this.
Though unharmed, he was still quite frustrated.
Compared to Xiao Lin's combat experience, however, Donny's year of life-and-death battles in the Star Dou Forest was far richer.
The moment she saw Xiao Lin's hesitant strike, she immediately moved to the Ice Gale's rear.
Her Golden Dragon Spear shot out like a dragon, shattering the remaining two cores in the Ice Gale's body and drastically weakening it.
Then, with a sweeping strike, she sent the beast flying right toward the Shi brothers.
The flawless teamwork even stunned Xiao Lin for a moment—making him feel even more ashamed.
It wasn't that he lacked combat experience entirely—his destructive power had always been strong—but in this kind of situation, he truly didn't know how much force to use.
The Shi brothers then struck with their first soul skill, landing a blow on the Ice Gale's final core.
Crack!
The core was already on the verge of breaking.
The Black Tortoise Shield wasn't just about strong defense—it also had a powerful shield bash. While such attacks didn't pierce like a blade, their concussive force could severely weaken an enemy.
"Lingling, do it now!"
Donny's sharp cry jolted Ye Lingling, who wasn't skilled at combat, into focus.
The next second, Ye Lingling took out the vibration rod Xiao Lin had given her and channeled her soul power into it.
Boom!
With a light tap, she shattered the Ice Gale's now-helpless core.
Moments later, a deep purple soul ring slowly floated before Ye Lingling.
"Ye Lingling, quickly absorb it—we'll guard you," Xiao Lin urged as he rushed back to the team.
Though a beast like the Ice Gale wasn't food for other soul beasts, in a place with so many of them, there was no telling what might happen.
Ye Lingling nodded solemnly.
A seven-thousand-year soul ring was already at her absorption limit—two thousand years beyond her original maximum—so she was extremely serious, her expression grave beneath her veil.
Summoning her Nine-Heart Begonia martial soul, she began drawing in the Ice Gale's soul ring, while Xiao Lin and the others grew even more alert.
They formed a back-to-back defensive circle, each guarding a direction, scanning the surroundings for danger.
Xiao Lin, in particular, even reached out to the Ice Dragon King in his consciousness—ready to ask it to release some aura to scare away nearby beasts if trouble arose.
While Xiao Lin and the Shi brothers wore tense expressions, Donny looked far more relaxed—because she could see that Ye Lingling's line of fortune had grown thicker.
About an hour later, under the group's protection, Ye Lingling safely absorbed her fourth soul ring, bringing her soul power level to forty-five.
This boost came from both the limit-breaking soul ring and the medicinal effects of the spirit herb she'd consumed. Even so, some of the herb's energy remained in her body, yet to be fully absorbed.
When she opened her eyes, there was a trace of delight deep in them.
"Thank you, everyone, for guarding me," she said politely, before eagerly telling the group about her new fourth soul skill.
The moment they heard her excitement, they realized—it wasn't just a group healing skill.
Once she explained, they were truly happy for her.
Ye Lingling's fourth soul skill still had the original group healing effect, but now also provided a speed boost and a 20% faster healing rate.
The speed boost was simply the physical enhancement granted by the soul ring, with a notable increase in her movement speed.
But the 20% healing speed increase for the whole group was the special part—it could be combined with her other skills, making her healing significantly faster.
For the Nine-Heart Begonia martial soul, this was the first ability distinct from pure group healing.
While it still fell under the umbrella of healing, it meant that at her maximum healing output, she could now heal 20% faster—enough to make her overjoyed.
If her martial soul continued to evolve like this, she could hardly imagine how powerful it would become.
Xiao Lin was also surprised. Could it be that just by casually giving her a spirit herb—not even an immortal one—her soul skill had truly changed?
But if he knew her thoughts, he would have shaken his head.
Without an immortal herb, divine power, or a hundred-thousand-year soul bone, it was almost impossible to completely fix the martial soul's flaws.
"Congratulations, Lingling. Next, it's my turn," Donny said, her desire for her own fourth soul skill growing after seeing Ye Lingling's.
She then turned her eyes toward the three soul beasts still locked in battle nearby.
What had Xiao Lin done to make them keep fighting like this?
In truth, his Extreme Ice Fake Ice Block had long since lost effect—but the other two beasts still suspected that the Ice Frost Giant Bear had stolen some great treasure infused with extreme ice.
After such a long fight, they were burning with real fury.
At this point, the Giant Bear had been fighting two at once for nearly an hour, its body covered in wounds—yet its innate ability had allowed it to grow into a six-meter-tall colossus, making it look even more fearsome.
And even more desirable.
Donny's heart stirred.