Yu Tianheng frowned at his teacher's words, confused. "Teacher Qin, what do you mean?"
Oslo's face was also grim as he muttered, "Yeah, we lost—and badly at that."
Qin Ming's voice remained calm. "The truth is, things have always gone a little too smoothly for you all. You've never experienced real setbacks. But this time, you lost—defeated by opponents with seemingly inferior strength. That's why I want to give you these words: failure is nothing to fear. It's only through failure that you can truly grow stronger and achieve greater heights."
The members of the Emperor Team repeated the phrase softly under their breath: "Grow through failure…"
Qin Ming waved his hand. "Go and rest. I still have some matters to attend to." With that, he turned and walked away.
In contrast to the dejected Emperor Team, the Shrek Seven Demons were riding high. And no one was more elated than Flender, who had just pocketed a hefty sum from his wager.
Yu Xiaogang looked around at the cheering group and nodded. "This victory was hard-earned and well-deserved. You didn't just defeat your enemies—you surpassed yourselves. I hereby declare that all of you have officially passed the second stage of your training with distinction."
Later, Qin Ming came to speak with Flender and the others briefly before everyone returned to the hotel.
Upon returning, Flender and Yu Xiaogang made an announcement: two months from now, the group would head to the imperial capital to enroll at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. Lin Jie, however, approached Flender separately and requested a leave of absence—something Flender agreed to without hesitation. He knew full well that Lin Jie had already outgrown what Shrek Academy could offer.
That night, Lin Jie strolled through the bustling streets of Suotuo City. Under the cover of darkness, the city seemed even more lively. He purchased a number of high-quality jade boxes and other necessary supplies, storing them in his spatial ring—everything he would need to harvest the immortal herbs from the Sunset Forest.
The next morning, Lin Jie began his journey to the Sunset Forest, located roughly a hundred kilometers from Heaven Dou City. Before departing, he said his goodbyes to Zhu Zhuqing. The two spent nearly an hour together, acting like a pair of love-struck teens before he finally left her room. He also went to speak to Ning Rongrong—and was nearly scared out of his wits when she suddenly confessed to him. That's right—it was Ning Rongrong who confessed, not the other way around. Lin Jie responded vaguely, telling her he needed time to cultivate and that he would give her an answer when he returned.
The journey was long. Lin Jie kept up a fast pace, only pausing when his Spirit Power dipped too low—just enough to maintain reserves for emergencies. After more than a week, he finally arrived at the outskirts of the Sunset Forest.
Inside the forest, Lin Jie moved swiftly, weaving through trees like a shadow. If anyone were watching closely, they'd realize his movements weren't random. His path carefully avoided the more dangerous areas.
Thanks to the range of his Mind Web—now capable of scanning up to ten kilometers—he was able to sense threats well in advance and navigate around them. That said, maintaining the web consumed Spirit Power and taxed his mental strength, so he had to use it sparingly.
Eventually, Lin Jie arrived at the edge of a region blanketed in thick, green miasma—the poisonous fog barrier set up by Dugu Bo.
Within that fog, Lin Jie sensed a terrifying presence. The moment he detected it, he immediately retracted his Mind Web. He couldn't be sure whether Dugu Bo had noticed the scan or not.
Inside the toxic zone, roughly eight or nine kilometers in, stood a tall, thin man who resembled a javelin. His beard and hair were dark green, and his eyes sparkled like emeralds. His expression was stiff, almost lifeless, as if carved from stone. His sunken cheeks and messy green hair gave him a ghostly air. He wore a simple gray robe and stood silently by the side of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, staring at the surrounding herbs, lost in thought.
Just moments ago, Dugu Bo had distinctly sensed someone probing him—but the feeling vanished as quickly as it came.
Lin Jie had barely withdrawn in time. Still cautious, he retreated several kilometers, then concealed his aura completely and went still, hiding in place for two days just to be sure he hadn't been discovered.
Two days passed. Lin Jie finally relaxed. Though he had his Railgun—his so-called "ultimate weapon"—a Title Douluo wasn't going to just stand there and let himself get shot. Caution was still the key to survival.
He lingered around the outskirts of the toxic zone for a full week, never finding a window to approach the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. But Lin Jie wasn't in a rush. The immortal herbs were worth the wait. They could drastically boost his strength and even help his mother and younger sister. It had been half a year since he left home—he wondered how they were doing. But soon, when he returned to Heaven Dou City, he would go back to see them.
Two months passed in a flash.
During this time, Lin Jie battled various powerful Spirit Beasts and trained rigorously. Dugu Bo left the area a few times, but Lin Jie, ever vigilant, still didn't risk entering the toxic zone. Every time, Dugu Bo returned quickly.
What was shocking, though, was Lin Jie's cultivation speed. In just two months of fighting and training, he had broken through to level 40. Only thirteen years old in another month—and already ready to become a Spirit Ancestor.
Eventually, Lin Jie found a Spirit Beast he deemed worthy: a Spotted-Eye Giant Lizard with over 19,000 years of cultivation. A rare ancient variant.
Despite lacking lightning attributes, Lin Jie still chose it for his fourth Spirit Ring.
The lizard was covered in tough, patterned scales that resembled countless staring eyes—its namesake feature. Though it moved slowly at rest, its sprint speed was incredible—up to 80 kilometers per hour—and it could maintain high speeds over long distances. It even had a unique gland that allowed it to continue intense respiration while running. Atop all that, the gem-like eye on its forehead could fire a devastating beam of energy.
Lin Jie made up his mind.
He pulled out the electromagnetic railgun he'd stored away long ago, loaded a special alloy bullet into the chamber, and channeled his Spirit Power—specifically lightning energy—into the barrel. A bluish-white glow pulsed through the weapon. The moment the lizard noticed danger and tried to move, the Railgun fired.
BOOM!
The beam of energy pierced clean through its skull and detonated behind it. The Spotted-Eye Giant Lizard collapsed instantly—lifeless.
Lin Jie stared at his weapon and sighed in admiration. "This thing's power really is insane…"
A jet-black Spirit Ring rose from the corpse. After confirming the area was safe, Lin Jie sat beside it and began absorbing the ring.
As the ring fused into his body, his Spirit Power surged.
Level 41… Level 42… Peak of Level 42.
He stopped himself there—intentionally holding back from another breakthrough. Advancing too fast wasn't always a good thing.
He focused on the ability granted by the new Spirit Ring, and a grin spread across his face.
As expected. Exactly what I hoped for.
Fourth Spirit Ability: Laser Eye.
"Unleashes a powerful laser beam from the user's eyes. High penetration, high damage."
But there was more—an unexpected bonus.
Passive Skill: Immunity to Snake Poison.
Yes. Full immunity.
It had to be a racial trait of the Spotted-Eye Giant Lizard, now transferred to him. With this, even Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison would be useless against him.
That realization brought Lin Jie a rush of excitement—but he calmed quickly. Dugu Bo was still a Title Douluo, and poison wasn't his only weapon. His sheer Spirit Power and explosive combat ability remained terrifying.
Lin Jie cleaned up the area and began moving back toward the outskirts of the toxic zone.
He used his Mind Web to scan again—Dugu Bo was still there. Lin Jie once again hid himself.
Later, he tested the poisonous fog created by the Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul.
Just as he'd hoped—it had no effect on him.
The smile on his face deepened.
Two more weeks passed.
Lin Jie still found no safe chance to enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, but during that time, he kept hunting ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts and sparring with them. His raw combat strength skyrocketed.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin