Before the First Soul Ring

When Yan returned to Martial Soul City, he still felt a bit awkward.

It wasn't that anything had gone wrong in Notting City.

On the contrary, the Public Lecture had gone very smoothly.

The children listened attentively.

Su Yuntao had also been cooperative.

Tang San, Xiao Wu, Wang Sheng, and that group of Work-Study Students had all reacted quite well.

The problem was that Yan still hadn't recovered from the title of "Teacher Yan."

He, a dignified possessor of the Flame Lord martial soul and a member of the Martial Soul Hall Golden Generation.

Had actually gone to Notting City to lecture a group of beginners on Soul Master Ethics and Martial Soul Hall Statutes.

And he had even lectured quite earnestly.

It was simply absurd.

What was even more absurd was that after he finished, he actually felt it hadn't been that bad.

When Yan walked into the Pope's Palace, Meow Meow was lying on a prayer mat, yawning.

Hu Liena and Xie Yue followed behind Yan.

The moment the three of them finished their salutes, Meow Meow lifted its head.

"Back?"

"Reporting to Lord Holy Cat, we have returned."

Hu Liena said softly.

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

"Not bad."

"The trip wasn't in vain."

Yan couldn't help but say, "Lord Holy Cat, can you please not make me lecture on the statutes again?"

"No."

Meow Meow answered quickly.

Yan: "..."

Hu Liena lowered her head to suppress a laugh.

Xie Yue, however, remained calm.

Meow Meow stood up slowly, its tail giving a light flick.

"The three of you, this trip to Notting City wasn't just for lecturing."

"It was to let you see clearly what ordinary civilian soul masters look like when they first begin their cultivation."

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

"Many of them don't even know how to sit for meditation."

"That is why you cannot only know how to fight."

Hu Liena nodded earnestly.

Xie Yue also gave a slight nod.

Although Yan was a bit unconvinced, he did not retort this time.

He recalled the look on Wang Sheng's face when he asked, "If I bullied people before, is it still too late to change?" and felt a genuine stir in his heart.

Meow Meow glanced at him.

"Yan."

"Present."

"Earth Fire Insight, for you."

Yan was stunned.

The next moment, a dark red light of fire flew from beneath Meow Meow's paw and sank into the center of Yan's brow.

Everything went black before Yan's eyes.

When he opened them again, he felt as if he were standing in the midst of an underground sea of fire.

The fire did not surge upward.

Instead, it flowed slowly deep within the earth's veins.

Heavy, stable, and scorching.

Unassuming.

It was more terrifying than any surface-level flame.

Yan heard a sound emanating from the deep recesses of the earth.

It was not a human voice.

It sounded more like churning magma.

He suddenly understood that the Flame Lord did not merely spew fire outward.

A true lord must first be able to suppress its own fire.

In reality, Yan's body shuddered, and he fell completely silent.

Meow Meow then looked toward Xie Yue.

"Moon Phase Blade Intent, for you."

A cold, clear moonlight descended.

A moon appeared before Xie Yue's eyes.

The moon had its phases: full, waning, crescent, and waxing.

His Moon Blade should not be defined by sharpness alone.

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

It could be complete, and it could be broken.

A blade was not meant solely to cut down an enemy.

It could also force an enemy into the position one desired.

Xie Yue lowered his head, a flash of realization crossing his eyes.

Finally, it was Hu Liena's turn.

When Meow Meow looked at her, his tone softened slightly.

"Heart Shadow Dreamscape, for you."

Before Hu Liena's eyes, the Notting City schoolhouse emerged.

Wang Sheng's shame.

Xiao Wu's vigilance.

Tang San's caution.

And the confusion and hope that sprouted in the eyes of those commoner children when they heard that "a Soul Master should not bully the weak."

She suddenly understood that a spirit-type Soul Master did not merely charm others.

The true path of the heart and mind was to perceive the shadows within others.

It was not about forcibly shoving one's own shadow into them.

When Hu Liena opened her eyes, her expression was quieter than before.

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

"Digest what you have learned over these next few days."

"Afterward, your advanced training will continue."

The three of them responded in unison.

Yan had intended to ask if there would be more Public Lectures.

But the moment he saw Meow Meow's pale golden cat eyes, he immediately swallowed his words.

Asking would be useless.

Lord Holy Cat would certainly say yes.

And he might even make him lecture on the second volume of the Statutes next time.

Thinking of this, Yan suddenly felt that the magma within his Earth Fire Insight was not so hot after all.

Notting Academy.

Tang San's First Soul Ring had finally been put on the agenda.

His Innate Full Soul Power meant that as long as he obtained a soul ring, he could officially become a Soul Master.

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

The page was turned to the chapter on serpentine soul beasts.

Grandmaster took a glance and spoke, "You are looking at the Datura Serpent?"

Tang San looked up.

"Yes."

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

Grandmaster sat down opposite him.

"What do you think?"

Tang San did not answer immediately.

Instead, he closed the book and said earnestly, "The Datura Serpent is indeed suitable for the Blue Silver Grass to take a control-oriented path."

"It is venomous, possesses great physical resilience, and its attack methods can compensate for the shortcomings of the Blue Silver Grass's Entanglement."

A flicker of gratification crossed Grandmaster's eyes.

Tang San continued, "However, the Datura Serpent is highly aggressive, and its age is not easy to judge."

"If one chooses incorrectly, it is very dangerous."

Grandmaster was silent for a moment.

In the past, words like these were usually spoken by him to his disciples.

Now, Tang San was already capable of discerning these things himself.

"Not bad."

Grandmaster nodded.

"Therefore, one must be well-prepared before soul hunting."

Tang San asked, "Are there any alternative choices?"

Grandmaster was slightly taken aback.

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

"It's not that."

Tang San shook his head.

"I just feel that one cannot prepare for only one target."

"If we cannot encounter a Datura Serpent of a suitable age, we cannot simply force a hunt on an unsuitable one."

Grandmaster looked at Tang San, his mood somewhat complex.

This child was indeed cautious.

And indeed intelligent.

Moreover, because of the Martial Soul Hall textbooks, he had not relied entirely on any one person's judgment from the very beginning.

Grandmaster said, "There are also Ghost Vines, Silk-Entangling Grass type soul beasts, and some low-age Poison Vine soul beasts that can also serve as backups."

Tang San nodded and noted these names down.

"Is Grandmaster willing to accompany me to hunt for a soul ring?"

Grandmaster's eyes brightened slightly.

"Of course."

Tang San added, "However, before we depart, I would like to go to the Martial Soul Hall branch to register."

Grandmaster's expression paused.

"Register?"

"The Soul Hunting Safety Regulations state that before a Low-Rank Soul Master hunts for their First Soul Ring, it is best to first register the target type and estimated age."

"If an accident occurs, the Martial Soul Hall branch can keep a record."

Tang San's expression was calm.

"I think this rule makes sense."

Grandmaster was silent for a moment.

"Very well."

He did not object.

Nor could he object.

This rule was indeed meant to protect Low-Rank Soul Masters.

It was just that Grandmaster had an indescribable feeling in his heart.

Martial Soul Hall was appearing bit by bit at every node along Tang San's cultivation path.

It was not coercion.

Nor was it a command.

Rather, it stood there in a way so reasonable that it could not be refused.

This was more troublesome than directly poaching someone.

Notting City Martial Soul Hall.

Su Yuntao was not surprised to see Tang San arrive with Grandmaster.

The branch hall had long since received special instructions issued by the Pope's Palace.

Tang San: register normally, do not disturb.

Xiao Wu: register normally, do not investigate.

Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang: observe his theories, do not interfere.

Although Su Yuntao did not understand why these three specific points were written, he was very clear about one thing.

When those above give such instructions, one simply follows them.

Tang San handed over his soul hunting registration.

Target: Datura Serpent.

Alternatives: Ghost Vine, Silk-Entangling Grass type soul beasts, low-level Poison Vine soul beasts.

Age: Under four hundred years.

After reading it, Su Yuntao nodded.

"Well prepared."

Grandmaster frowned slightly.

Under four hundred years.

He had originally intended to get as close to the limit of a first Soul Ring as possible.

Yet, Tang San had written under four hundred years himself.

This range was safer.

Tang San explained, "For the first soul hunt, there is no need to force the limit."

Su Yuntao praised, "That is a very good mindset."

"A Soul Ring stays with you for a lifetime; suitability is more important than the limit."

Grandmaster fell silent for a moment, not refuting him.

Su Yuntao took out a Temporary Soul Hunting Registration Tag.

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

"It is not a Soul Hunting Order, merely a registration certificate."

"If you encounter a soul beast beyond your capabilities, Retreat immediately."

Tang San took it.

"Many thanks, Deacon."

Su Yuntao looked at Tang San and could not help but add one more reminder.

"Also, do not hunt unrelated soul beasts at will."

Tang San nodded.

"I will remember."

Hearing this, Grandmaster felt a sense of helplessness in his heart.

Martial Soul Hall's set of rules had already begun to influence Tang San.

But from another perspective, this influence was not necessarily bad.

At the very least, Tang San was more steady now.

After leaving the Martial Soul Hall, Xiao Wu was waiting at the entrance.

Seeing the registration tag in Tang San's hand, her expression turned complex.

"Are you really going to hunt for a soul?"

Tang San nodded.

"Yes."

Xiao Wu lowered her head and kicked at the ground.

"Then will you kill soul beasts?"

Tang San was silent for a moment.

"If it is necessary to obtain a Soul Ring, I will."

Xiao Wu looked up at him.

Tang San continued, "But I will not kill indiscriminately."

"I will only choose a suitable target."

"If there is a way to break through without killing, I am willing to try."

Xiao Wu was stunned.

She had not expected him to say that.

Tang San looked at her.

"The Martial Soul Hall Public Lecture mentioned that there might be a Soul Pact in the future."

"I don't know if that path will ever succeed."

"But if it truly can, it should be a good thing."

Xiao Wu did not speak.

After a while, she let out a soft huff.

"Then you remember what you said."

Tang San nodded.

"I remember."

Xiao Wu looked at him, her mood improving slightly.

"Then be careful."

"Mn."

Grandmaster stood to the side, watching their exchange, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Soul Pact.

Martial Soul Hall had once again influenced Tang San's judgment.

It was not that Tang San refused to hunt soul beasts.

But he had already begun to consider possibilities beyond hunting.

For a Soul Master, this was not necessarily a bad thing.

But for Grandmaster, it meant that Tang San's thinking was increasingly unlikely to follow his own theories alone.

Martial Soul City.

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

"Not bad."

"He hasn't even obtained his First Soul Ring yet, but his mindset has already stabilized quite a bit."

Bibi Dong sat to the side.

"He will still go to hunt the Datura Serpent."

"That is normal."

Meow Meow said.

"The Douluo Continent has no way to completely bypass the soul ring rules yet."

"Expecting a child who has just started to give up soul hunting is unrealistic."

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

"That is enough."

Bibi Dong looked at him.

"You seem not to want him to turn evil."

Meow Meow thought for a moment.

"This Meow does not want anyone who has the chance to be good to turn evil by following their original path."

"Whether Tang San will become an enemy of Martial Soul Hall in the future is hard to say."

"But at least for now, he is just a child preparing to hunt for his First Soul Ring."

"This Meow will not swat him to death for things that haven't happened yet."

Bibi Dong was silent for a moment.

"Are you soft-hearted toward enemies as well?"

Meow Meow shook his head.

"It is not soft-heartedness."

"It is about making distinctions."

"A future enemy is not the same as a present sinner."

"But if he truly strikes against Martial Soul Hall later on, this Meow will not be polite."

Bibi Dong nodded slightly.

That was something she could accept.

Meow Meow stretched his body.

"However, Yu Xiaogang should be having a bit of a headache right now."

Bibi Dong's gaze paused.

Meow Meow immediately added, "This Meow didn't bring him up on purpose."

"It's just that he really is having a headache."

Bibi Dong was not angry.

She simply looked at Grandmaster in the projection, her expression fading slightly.

"He has always wanted to prove himself."

"Mm."

Meow Meow nodded.

"That is why Tang San is very important to him."

"But there is nothing wrong with wanting to prove oneself."

"Using others as tools for that proof, however, is not quite right."

Bibi Dong did not speak.

Meow Meow did not say anything more either.

The thread involving Yu Xiaogang still needed to be unraveled slowly.

It could not be yanked out by force.

Yanking it too hard would only draw blood.

Inside the projection of the Soul-Calming Bell, Tang San and Grandmaster were already prepared to depart.

Xiao Wu stood at the academy gate, watching Tang San leave.

The wind blew through the streets of Notting City.

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

Watching the scene, Meow Meow suddenly felt a sense of subtlety.

The original plot was still unfolding.

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

Grandmaster was still recommending the Datura Serpent.

Xiao Wu was still concerned about Tang San.

Yet, many of the details had changed.

Tang San carried the Martial Soul Hall Soul Hunting Registration.

He carried the Soul Hunting Safety Regulations.

He carried the promise to "not kill soul beasts indiscriminately."

These things seemed small.

But small seeds would eventually grow into great trees in the future.

"Let's go."

Meow Meow said softly.

"The First Soul Ring."

"This Meow shall see what will be different this time."