[Check Out My P4treon For +100 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! And get chapters before publishing them here for free on my p4treon][https://p4treon.com/roooaaa]

  ===

  The crowd froze in shock as they realized someone had arrived. It wasn't until the vilgers got a closer look that they recognized the figure—it was Lin Yongming, the blind boy.

  "It's the blind kid! Are we saved?"

  "Not necessarily. These bandits have soul masters among them."

  Yingn, who hadn't seen her son in over ten days, immediately stood up and called out, "Ming'er!"

  "Father, Mother, are you alright? Are you hurt?" Lin Yongming quickly approached his parents, checking them over. They had no visible wounds or bloodstains, though their clothes were dirty.

  "You're back, but Ming'er, don't act recklessly. Those bandits have soul power. Their leader has four glowing rings—he's a Soul Ancestor, according to the books," Lin Chong said gravely.

  From the books Xu Qing had given him, Lin Chong had learned about the hierarchy of soul masters:

  One ring: Soul Schor

  Two rings: Grand Soul Master

  Three rings: Soul Elder

  Four rings: Soul Ancestor

  Five rings: Soul King

  Six rings: Soul Emperor

  Seven rings: Soul Sage

  Eight rings: Titled Douluo

  Nine rings: Title Douluo

  "Father, I understand," Lin Yongming replied.

  He had already noticed the scar-faced man's four soul rings, indicating he was indeed a Soul Ancestor. However, the rings were of low quality—white, yellow, yellow, and purple—with a soul power level around 43.

  "Tch, I thought it was a soul master from the nearby Spirit Hall. Turns out it's just a brat. Scared me for nothing," the scar-faced man sneered.

  "Hey, kid, since you've got soul power, how about joining me? Serve under me, and I'll spare your family. What do you say?" the bandit leader called out to Lin Yongming.

  "And what's to stop me from cutting your throat while you sleep?" Lin Yongming retorted coldly.

  "Hah! You've got a point. Guess I'll have to wipe you out now to avoid future trouble," the bandit leader said, his tone turning menacing.

  After calming his parents, Lin Yongming turned to face the bandits.

  "Twenty-five of them, but only five have soul power. Fifteen are armed and surrounding the vilgers. If I'm careful, this is doable," Lin Yongming thought, his mind racing.

  "They must be bandits from the mountains near the Liman Pins."

  With his heightened senses, Lin Yongming could clearly perceive the bandits' positions and their auras.

  "Boss, this kid's blind! Haha, did someone gouge his eyes out because he was too weak?" a fat bandit to the leader's left mocked, ughing like a pig.

  "Is he blind because he became a soul master, or did he become a soul master after going blind? A blind soul master in a small vilge—what a rare sight!" a skinny, rat-faced man to the leader's right added, cackling.

  The other bandits joined in, their ughter echoing through the vilge.

  "Sir, Xiao Ming is just a seven-year-old child. If it's money you want, I'll go get it for you. Please, don't harm them," the vilge chief pleaded, bowing low before the bandit leader.

  "Old man, it's too te for that. I gave you a chance, and now you want me to let a soul master go? So he can come after me ter? Do you even know who's in charge here?" The bandit leader shoved the chief to the ground.

  "Chief!" Lin Yongming rushed forward and helped the old man up.

  "Xiao Ming, I'm fine. Don't act rashly. You're the hope of our vilge. As long as you live, our vilge will survive. You're a soul master—you're fast. Find a chance to escape and get to the town," the chief whispered urgently.

  "Chief, I can't. If I lose my parents and my vilge, I'll have no home. How can I abandon you all?" Lin Yongming replied firmly.

  He could feel the bandits' murderous intent and knew he couldn't leave the vilgers to their fate.

  "Hey, are you two whispering about escaping? Kid, if you try to run, I'll kill them all right now," the bandit leader threatened.

  "Chief, step back."

  "Can I fight them?" Lin Yongming took two steps forward, his Thunderbde materializing in his hand.

  "Hmph, this kid's martial soul looks decent, but he's just a child. At most, he's a two-ringed Grand Soul Master," the bandit leader thought, eyeing the faint blue glow of Lin Yongming's Thunderbde.

  "Kid, I'm a Soul Ancestor, and you're just a blind brat. You think you can take me on? Don't make me ugh. You'll have to get through my men first."

  "Second Brother, Third Brother, deal with him," the bandit leader ordered the fat and skinny men beside him.

  "Got it, Boss. I love breaking in fresh little brats," the skinny man said, licking his lips with a sinister grin.

  "Five Venom Rats, manifest!" The skinny man's martial soul was a poisonous rat, with one white and two yellow rings—a Soul Elder.

  "Third Brother, let me handle this. Ironback Boar, manifest!" The fat man's martial soul was a boar-like creature with a dog's head, also a Soul Elder with the same ring configuration.

  "A level 35 Soul Elder and a level 33 Soul Elder. Both are beast-type martial souls. The fat one is a power-type, and the skinny one is an agility-type," Lin Yongming analyzed.

  "Bring it on!" Lin Yongming darted away from the vilgers, ensuring the fight wouldn't harm them.

  "Smart move, kid. Trying to protect your vilgers? It won't matter. Once you're dead, they're next," the skinny man sneered, closing in on Lin Yongming, followed closely by the fat man.

  "Second Brother, Third Brother, hurry up. The sun's setting, and I want to get back for drinks and meat," the bandit leader barked.

  "Kid, the boss said to finish you quickly. Prepare to die! First Soul Skill: Iron Fissure!" The fat man smmed his fists into the ground, sending jagged stone spikes toward Lin Yongming.

  "A earth-attribute martial soul," Lin Yongming noted.

  "Block!" Lin Yongming stood his ground, activating a basic defensive skill.

  Thanks to the power of his hundred- and thousand-year soul rings, his physique and soul power far surpassed that of the two Soul Elders.

  The stone spikes shattered against the semi-circur barrier formed by his block.

  "Not bad. Blocking my attack without even using a soul skill. First Soul Skill: Bck Mist!" The skinny man hurled a cloud of toxic fog at Lin Yongming, breaking through the barrier.

  "Second Soul Skill: Corrosive Venom!" A beam of dark green energy shot toward Lin Yongming.

  "I've seen enough of their strength," Lin Yongming thought, no longer holding back.

  "Wave of Killing Intent!" Lin Yongming unleashed his killing intent, a power he hadn't even used against the Thunderstripe Tiger or the Jungle Wolves.

  His soul rings fred to life, and he moved with lightning speed.

  "First Soul Skill: Thunder Ssh!" In an instant, Lin Yongming appeared before the two bandits. Within the range of his killing intent, their reactions slowed, leaving them vulnerable.

  The Thunder Ssh cut through both of them in one swift motion.

  "So… fast…" The two bandits colpsed, lifeless, their eyes wide with shock.

  They had underestimated Lin Yongming, thinking him just a child. They hadn't expected him to be a level 24 Grand Soul Master with superior soul rings.

  "Second Brother! Third Brother!" The bandit leader roared in fury as his men fell.

  Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 247 on my patreon go take a look