Before the First Soul Ring

When Yan returned to Spirit City, he still felt a little awkward.

It wasn't because anything had happened in Notting City.

On the contrary, the public lecture had gone smoothly.

The children had listened attentively.

Su Yuntao had cooperated, too.

Tang San, Xiao Wu, Wang Sheng, and the other Work-Study Students had all responded pretty well.

The problem was that Yan still hadn't gotten used to being called "Teacher Yan."

He was the dignified owner of the Flame Lord Martial Soul and a member of the Spirit Hall Golden Generation.

And yet he'd gone to Notting City to teach a bunch of newly initiated children Soul Master Ethics and Martial Soul Hall Statutes.

What's more, he'd taken the lecture seriously.

It was ridiculous.

Even more ridiculous was that after the lecture, he actually thought it had gone pretty well.

When Yan entered the Pope's Palace, Meow Meow was lying on a cushion, yawning.

Hu Liena and Xie Yue followed behind Yan.

As soon as the three had finished saluting, Meow Meow lifted her head.

"Back already?"

"We've returned, Lord Holy Cat."

Hu Liena spoke softly.

Meow Meow looked over the three of them and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad."

"At least the trip wasn't wasted."

Yan couldn't help saying, "Lord Holy Cat, could you stop making me teach the Statutes?"

"No."

Meow Meow answered at once.

Yan: "..."

Hu Liena lowered her head to hide a smile.

Xie Yue, however, remained composed.

Meow Meow rose slowly to her feet, her tail swaying lightly.

"You three didn't go to Notting City just to give a lecture."

"I wanted you to see what ordinary civilian Soul Masters are like when they first begin cultivating."

"You have teachers, resources, and training grounds."

"Many of them don't even know how to sit properly to meditate."

"So you can't just know how to fight."

Hu Liena nodded earnestly.

Xie Yue gave a slight nod as well.

Yan was a little unconvinced, but this time he didn't argue.

He remembered Wang Sheng asking whether it was too late to change after having bullied people in the past. The memory had genuinely moved him.

Meow Meow glanced at him.

"Yan."

"Yes."

"Earth Fire Insight. It's yours."

Yan froze.

The next moment, a streak of dark red fire shot from beneath Meow Meow's paw and entered the space between Yan's brows.

Yan's vision went black.

When he opened his eyes again, he seemed to be standing in an underground sea of fire.

The flames didn't surge upward.

They flowed slowly through the depths of the earth.

Heavy, steady, and searing.

Unassuming.

Yet more terrifying than any flame on the surface.

Yan heard a sound coming from deep underground.

It wasn't a human voice.

It was more like roiling magma.

He suddenly understood that the Flame Lord wasn't only about spewing fire.

A true lord first had to master his own flames.

In the real world, Yan's body shuddered, and he fell silent.

Meow Meow turned to Xie Yue.

"Moon Phase Blade Intent. It's yours."

A cool moonlight descended.

A moon appeared before Xie Yue's eyes.

The moon waxed and waned, curved and full.

His Moon Blade shouldn't be only sharp.

Moonlight could illuminate a path, but it could also conceal shadows.

It could be whole, or it could be incomplete.

A blade wasn't only meant to cut down an enemy.

It could also force an enemy into the position he wanted.

Xie Yue lowered his head, a flicker of understanding in his eyes.

Last came Hu Liena.

When Meow Meow looked at her, her voice softened a little.

"Heart Shadow Dreamscape. It's yours."

A classroom in Notting City appeared before Hu Liena's eyes.

Wang Sheng's shame.

Xiao Wu's wariness.

Tang San's caution.

And the bewilderment and hope in the eyes of the civilian children when they heard that "Soul Masters shouldn't bully the weak."

She suddenly understood that a Soul Master who specialized in mental powers didn't merely know how to Charm others.

The true way of the mind was to see the shadows in other people's hearts.

Not to force one's own shadow into them.

When Hu Liena opened her eyes, she was calmer than before.

Bibi Dong sat behind her desk, her gaze sweeping over the three of them.

"Take the next few days to absorb what you've learned."

"Then continue your studies."

The three answered in unison.

Yan had wanted to ask if there would be any more public lectures.

But the moment he saw those pale golden cat eyes, he swallowed the question.

There was no point asking.

Lord Holy Cat would definitely say yes.

And next time, she might even make him teach Statutes, Volume Two.

Thinking of that, Yan suddenly felt that the magma in his Earth Fire Insight wasn't so hot after all.

Notting Academy.

Tang San's First Soul Ring was finally on the agenda.

Innate Full Soul Power meant he could officially become a Soul Master as soon as he obtained a Soul Ring.

When Grandmaster sought him out, Tang San was reading the Low-Level Soul Beast Illustrated Handbook.

The book was open to the chapter on serpent-type Soul Beasts.

Grandmaster glanced at it and asked, "Are you reading about the Datura Serpent?"

Tang San looked up.

"Yes."

"You mentioned the Datura Serpent last time, Grandmaster, so I looked it up."

Grandmaster sat down across from him.

"What do you think?"

Tang San didn't answer right away.

Instead, he closed the book and replied seriously, "The Datura Serpent is indeed suitable if I want Blue Silver Grass to take a control-focused path."

"It is poisonous, its body is resilient, and its attacks could make up for Blue Silver Grass's shortcomings in Entanglement."

A hint of approval flashed in Grandmaster's eyes.

Tang San continued, "But the Datura Serpent is aggressive, and it's not easy to judge its age."

"If we choose the wrong one, it could be dangerous."

Grandmaster fell silent for a moment.

Usually, he was the one who said things like this to his disciples.

Now Tang San had learned to assess things for himself.

"Good."

Grandmaster nodded.

"So we need to prepare properly before Soul Hunting."

Tang San asked, "Are there any alternatives?"

Grandmaster was slightly taken aback.

"You don't want to choose the Datura Serpent?"

"That's not it."

Tang San shook his head.

"I just think we shouldn't prepare only one target."

"If we can't find a Datura Serpent of a suitable age, we can't force ourselves to hunt one that's unsuitable."

Grandmaster looked at Tang San, his feelings complicated.

The child really was cautious.

And he was clever, too.

Moreover, thanks to the Martial Soul Hall textbooks, he hadn't relied entirely on any one person's judgment from the very beginning.

Grandmaster said, "Ghost Vines, Soul Beasts of the Silk-Entangling Grass type, and some low-age Poison Vines could also serve as alternatives."

Tang San nodded and committed the names to memory.

"Grandmaster, would you be willing to accompany me on my Soul Hunting trip?"

Grandmaster's eyes brightened slightly.

"Of course."

Tang San added, "But before we leave, I'd like to register at the Martial Soul Hall Branch."

Grandmaster paused.

"Register?"

"The Soul Hunting Safety Regulations say that before low-rank Soul Masters hunt their First Soul Ring, they should preferably register the target type and estimated age."

"If anything goes wrong, the Martial Soul Hall Branch can keep a record."

Tang San's expression was calm.

"I think it's a sensible rule."

Grandmaster was silent for a moment.

"All right."

He didn't object.

He couldn't, either.

The rule was there to protect low-rank Soul Masters.

Yet Grandmaster had an indescribable feeling.

The Spirit Hall was appearing at every step along Tang San's path of cultivation.

Not by force.

Not by command.

It was simply there in a way so reasonable that it couldn't be refused.

That was more troublesome than simply trying to recruit him by force.

The Notting City Martial Soul Hall.

Su Yuntao wasn't surprised to see Tang San arrive with Grandmaster.

The branch hall had already received a special request from the Pope's Palace.

Record Tang San as usual. Do not disturb him.

Record Xiao Wu as usual. Do not investigate her.

Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang: observe his theories. Do not interfere.

Su Yuntao didn't understand why these three instructions had been singled out, but he knew one thing for certain.

If the higher-ups had given the order, he would follow it.

Tang San handed in his Soul Hunting Registration.

Target: Datura Serpent.

Alternatives: Ghost Vine, Silk-Entangling Grass-type Soul Beasts, low-rank Poison Vine Soul Beasts.

Age: under four hundred years.

After reading it, Su Yuntao nodded.

"You've prepared well."

Grandmaster furrowed his brow slightly.

Under four hundred years.

He had originally planned to get as close as possible to the limit for a First Soul Ring.

But Tang San himself had written "under four hundred years."

That was a safer range.

Tang San explained, "It's my first time Soul Hunting. There's no need to insist on reaching the limit."

Su Yuntao praised him. "That's a good way to think."

"A Soul Ring stays with you for life. Finding one that suits you matters more than reaching the limit."

Grandmaster was silent for a moment, but didn't argue.

Su Yuntao took out another item: a Temporary Soul Hunting Registration Tag.

"If you run into the Martial Soul Hall Patrol Team near the Soul Hunting Forest, show them this tag."

"It isn't a Soul Hunting Order, just proof of registration."

"If you encounter a Soul Beast beyond your abilities, retreat immediately."

Tang San took it.

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

Looking at Tang San, Su Yuntao couldn't help offering one more reminder.

"And don't kill Soul Beasts that have nothing to do with your hunt."

Tang San nodded.

"I'll remember."

Hearing this, Grandmaster felt somewhat helpless.

The rules of Spirit Hall had already started to affect Tang San.

But from another angle, that influence might not be a bad thing.

At least Tang San was more cautious now.

After leaving Spirit Hall, they found Xiao Wu waiting at the entrance.

When she saw the registration tag in Tang San's hand, her expression turned complicated.

"You're really going Soul Hunting?"

Tang San nodded.

"Yeah."

Xiao Wu lowered her head and nudged the ground with her foot.

"Then are you going to kill a Soul Beast?"

Tang San was silent for a moment.

"If I have to get a Soul Ring, then yes."

Xiao Wu looked up at him.

Tang San continued, "But I won't kill indiscriminately."

"I'll only choose a suitable target."

"If there's a way to break through without killing one, I'm willing to try that, too."

Xiao Wu froze.

She hadn't expected him to say that.

Tang San looked at her.

"The Spirit Hall Public Lecture said that Soul Pacts might be possible in the future."

"I don't know if that path will work."

"But if it does, it'd be a good thing."

Xiao Wu didn't say anything.

After a while, she gave a soft huff.

"Then remember what you just said."

Tang San nodded.

"I will."

Xiao Wu looked at him, feeling a little better.

"Then be careful."

"Mm."

Grandmaster stood to one side, watching their conversation with a barely perceptible furrow in his brow.

Soul Pacts.

Spirit Hall had influenced Tang San's judgment once again.

It wasn't that Tang San refused to kill Soul Beasts.

But he had already begun considering possibilities beyond killing them.

For Soul Masters, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

But to Grandmaster, it meant Tang San's thinking was becoming less and less likely to follow only his theories.

Spirit City.

Meow Meow watched the scene transmitted by the Soul-Calming Bell, his tail swaying gently.

"Not bad."

"He hasn't even obtained his First Soul Ring yet, and he's already a lot more level-headed."

Bibi Dong sat nearby.

"He'll still go hunt the Datura Serpent."

"That's only natural," Meow Meow said.

"On the Douluo Continent, there's no way to completely avoid the rules around Soul Rings yet."

"It's not realistic to ask a child who's just starting out to give up Soul Hunting."

"But at least he knows not to kill indiscriminately."

"That's enough."

Bibi Dong looked at him.

"You don't want him to turn bad, do you?"

Meow Meow thought for a moment.

"I don't want anyone who has the chance to become better to end up turning bad along the same old path."

"It's hard to say whether Tang San will become an enemy of Spirit Hall in the future."

"But for now, he's just a kid preparing to hunt his First Soul Ring."

"I won't kill him over something that hasn't happened."

Bibi Dong was silent for a moment.

"You're soft-hearted even toward your enemies?"

Meow Meow shook his head.

"It's not about being soft-hearted."

"You have to tell the difference."

"A future enemy isn't the same as a sinner in the present."

"But if he really does come after Spirit Hall one day, I won't hold back."

Bibi Dong gave a slight nod.

She could accept that.

Meow Meow stretched.

"Still, Yu Xiaogang is probably having a headache right now."

Bibi Dong's expression shifted.

Meow Meow quickly added, "I didn't bring him up on purpose."

"He really is having a headache, though."

Bibi Dong wasn't angry.

She merely looked at Grandmaster in the scene, her expression growing more distant.

"He's always wanted to prove himself."

"Mm." Meow Meow nodded.

"That's why Tang San matters so much to him."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to prove yourself."

"But using someone else as a tool to prove yourself isn't great."

Bibi Dong didn't speak.

Meow Meow said nothing more.

Yu Xiaogang's story still had to be unraveled slowly.

They couldn't rip it away by force.

That would only draw blood.

In the image from the Soul-Calming Bell, Tang San and Grandmaster were already preparing to leave.

Xiao Wu stood at the academy entrance, watching Tang San go.

The wind swept through the streets of Notting City.

The wooden sign at the entrance to the Martial Soul Hall School swayed gently.

Watching the scene, Meow Meow suddenly felt that something was a little strange.

The original story was still unfolding.

Tang San was still going to get his First Soul Ring.

Grandmaster was still recommending the Datura Serpent.

Xiao Wu still cared about Tang San.

But many little details had changed.

Tang San carried Spirit Hall's Soul Hunting Registration.

He carried the Soul Hunting Safety Regulations.

And he carried his promise not to kill Soul Beasts indiscriminately.

These things seemed small.

But even the smallest seed could grow into a mighty tree.

"Let's go," Meow Meow said softly.

"The First Soul Ring."

"Let's see what will be different this time."