Composing himself, Lin Fan reached out. The Poké Ball instantly took shape from Soul Power and floated in his hand.
Buzz—
The Soul Ring formed from the Demon Eye Magic Tree seemed to be drawn by something. In an instant, it floated above the Poké Ball, then began circling around it.
He felt no pain. On the contrary, it was as if a spring breeze caressed his skin, or a beautiful young woman were giving him a massage. A tingling sensation shot straight to his head.
"Ah!"
Lin Fan couldn't help moaning. His body trembled slightly, startling Lin Qingfeng. If he hadn't seen the smile on Lin Fan's face, he might have interrupted Lin Fan's absorption of the Soul Ring.
"Hmm?"
"Absorbing a Soul Ring is extremely painful. How can this kid still be smiling?"
Lin Qingfeng was full of doubts, but since Lin Fan didn't seem to be having any problems, he wouldn't interrupt him rashly.
As time passed, the Soul Ring formed from the Demon Eye Magic Tree gradually flowed into the Poké Ball.
[Host: Lin Fan] [Soul Power: Level 15] [Martial Soul: Poké Ball] [Soul Ring: Demon Eye Magic Tree (405 years)] [Soul Skill: First Soul Skill, Mental Shock (Unleashes a mental assault over an area, striking the souls of all hostile targets and invigorating all allied targets, allowing them to unleash greater strength)] [Second Martial Soul: Evolution Light] [Soul Ring: None] [Current Pets: Five Spirit Divine Tiger, Lone Bamboo, Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, Diamond Wolf...] [Requirements for Evolution: Capture 100 Hundred-Year Soul Beasts and 10 Thousand-Year Soul Beasts] [Pets Captured So Far: 97 Hundred-Year Soul Beasts, 17 Thousand-Year Soul Beasts]
After successfully absorbing the Soul Ring, Lin Fan looked at the panel that appeared before him and nodded slightly.
His hunch had been right. The Demon Eye Magic Tree really was suitable for him. It could not only strengthen his pets in battle but also weaken his enemies.
It even had an area-of-effect!
Its effect was no worse than that of some Thousand-Year Soul Rings, and it had given Lin Fan a considerable boost in Soul Power, taking him straight to Level 15. If he remembered correctly, that was a greater increase than the protagonist's in the original novel.
He only needed to capture four more Hundred-Year Soul Beasts for the Poké Ball to evolve. He wondered if it would gain any new functions.
"Fan'er, how did it go?"
Lin Qingfeng asked urgently. In his mind, Tool-type Martial Souls and Plant-type Soul Beasts were about as related as two things could be. He'd assumed absorbing a Soul Ring from one would be just as incompatible.
"I succeeded."
Lin Fan smiled. "The Soul Skill can inflict a mental attack on enemies and increase the combat strength of allies. It's excellent."
"Good!"
Lin Qingfeng was thrilled. He then said excitedly, "Rest for a while first. Once you're rested, we'll keep hunting Soul Beasts."
"But we should leave before too long."
"We're almost out of provisions. We should head back and see if your mother's returned."
"After that, we'll have to decide where you should go to study."
At this, Lin Qingfeng couldn't help sighing.
At this time, Soul Masters generally had three paths to choose from: Spirit Hall, an academy, or a sect.
His cultivation was fairly good, but he had no experience teaching. Lin Fan's talent, meanwhile, was frighteningly high. Naturally, he wanted to give him the best instruction possible.
"Okay."
Lin Fan wasn't disappointed. With his current Soul Power, he couldn't catch especially powerful Soul Beasts. But the ones he could catch and control were ones his pets could beat.
He could catch more on his own later!
When no one was following him around, Lin Fan would be able to relax more, too.
Although Lin Fan hadn't suffered any pain while absorbing the Soul Ring, the increase in Soul Power still needed time to consolidate.
While he was at it, he planned to try turning some of the Soul Beasts he'd captured into Martial Souls and Soul Rings.
That would use up Soul Power, and recovering it afterward would help refine it.
Sitting cross-legged, Lin Fan pretended to cultivate. With a thought, he chose an Earth-Splitting Bear to turn into a Martial Soul.
[The Earth-Splitting Bear has been made into a Martial Soul. Use the Martial Soul Book to store the Martial Soul. When someone injects Soul Power into it, they can replace their own Martial Soul with the Earth-Splitting Bear.] [The Martial Soul Book can only be created after the Poké Ball evolves. It has been stored in a special space for now.]
"..."
As expected, making a Martial Soul required some kind of tool. Fortunately, he'd be able to get one after the Poké Ball evolved.
The effect didn't disappoint Lin Fan, either. It could directly let someone replace their Martial Soul.
That meant he could sell them at a high price to Soul Masters who had decent cultivation talent but couldn't set foot on the path of cultivation because their Martial Souls were too weak.
If he caught powerful Soul Beasts, he might even be able to sell them to experts who had reached a bottleneck in their Soul Power and couldn't break through.
That would be a fast way to make money!
But to make money, Lin Fan also needed to increase his own strength. Otherwise, what if someone bought the goods and then refused to pay?
In a world where strength reigned supreme, one's own strength was always the most important thing!
The only thing that left Lin Fan speechless was that Martial Souls could be stored in a special space after he made them. Why couldn't the Poké Ball do the same?
Unfortunately, the panel was as lifeless as a corpse. Unlike the sentient systems in the novels he'd read, it couldn't answer questions. He could only let it go.
Once I'm strong enough, I'm definitely giving this thing a spirit, then turning it into a spirit girl. I'll give her a good spanking!
Making a secret vow, Lin Fan turned his attention to creating Soul Rings.
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully created a 1,200-year Soul Ring: Diamond Tiger. After absorbing it, a Soul Master can improve their physique and comprehend the Soul Skill Diamond Body!] [Congratulations, Host. You have successfully created a 900-year Soul Ring: Shadow Leopard. After absorbing it, a Soul Master can improve their agility and comprehend the Soul Skill Shadow Step!] [Congratulations, Host. You have successfully created an 1,100-year Soul Ring: Shadow Leopard. After absorbing it, a Soul Master can improve their mental strength and comprehend the Soul Skill Shadow Metamorphosis!] [...] [Congratulations, Host. You have successfully created an 1,800-year Soul Ring: Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent. After absorbing it, a Soul Master can improve their speed and comprehend the Soul Skill Instant Shadow Slash!]
Lin Fan had captured quite a lot of Soul Beasts, including several of the same species. After turning them into Soul Rings, he found that the improvements they granted and the Soul Skills they imparted could be different.
The differences had nothing to do with their age. Some were weak, while others were extremely powerful.
It wasn't that they were weak, exactly. They just needed to be paired with a specific Martial Soul.
So the quality of a Soul Ring is random after it's created. If I want to get powerful Soul Rings that are broadly useful, I'll have to capture more Soul Beasts of the same species.
Nodding slightly, Lin Fan had already made up his mind to hunt more Soul Beasts!
If he wanted to grow stronger and make money, Soul Beasts were the key.
Whatever the forest, whatever the secret realm, as long as there were Soul Beasts, they were all mine!
The stars shifted and the moon waned as time passed, with Lin Fan continually creating Soul Rings.
As his Soul Power was repeatedly spent and restored, it grew not only more vigorous but also stronger.
Only when Lin Fan began to feel mentally exhausted did he stop creating Martial Souls and recover his Soul Power.
After some time, once Lin Fan had fully recovered, he opened his eyes.
Cultivation was over!
"Done?"
Lin Qingfeng carefully sensed his condition, then nodded. "Good. Your Soul Power is more refined now, and you should be around Level 15. After we get home, you can cultivate for a while, and you'll soon break through to Level 20."
"Let's go. While we still have some provisions, we should catch a few more Soul Beasts."
Lin Qingfeng knew Lin Fan's strength was tied to the Soul Beasts he captured, so he was especially attentive. As soon as they'd rested, they set out on another frantic Soul Beast hunt.
As notifications from the panel flashed by, the last four Hundred-Year Soul Beasts were soon captured, and the Poké Ball Martial Soul successfully evolved.
[Congratulations, Host. Your Poké Ball Martial Soul has evolved into a High-Tier Ball. Your physical abilities have been comprehensively improved, your chance of successfully capturing Soul Beasts has increased by 10%, the Soul Power required to control Soul Beasts has decreased by 5%, and you have comprehended the special talent skill, Spirit Heal.] [Pets required for the next evolution: 100 Thousand-Year Soul Beasts and 10 Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts] [Spirit Heal: Consume 50% of your Soul Power to restore all injuries and mental strength of one Soul Beast, returning it to perfect condition]
Amazing!
Lin Fan's eyes lit up, and he nearly shouted aloud.
Although this evolution hadn't increased his Soul Power, the overall improvement to his physical abilities was far better.
And the reduction in Soul Power needed to control Soul Beasts was no small thing. It might seem minor at just 5%, but it would add up as the number of Soul Beasts grew.
Besides, the Poké Ball could keep evolving. The percentage would rise in the future, too.
What delighted Lin Fan most was the talent skill, Spirit Heal!
It could restore all injuries and even bring back a Soul Beast's mental strength. That was practically a divine skill!
Just imagine: your Soul Beast was fighting someone, and both sides were battered and near defeat. Then it suddenly returned to full health. Wouldn't the other guy's mind collapse?
That was a perfect skill for utterly crushing someone's spirit!
Catch!
Keep hunting Thousand-Year Soul Beasts!
"Hmm?!"
"There's a disturbance in Soul Power ahead, and it's quite strong. Be careful."
Just as Lin Fan's ambitions were soaring, Lin Qingfeng suddenly stopped. He looked into the distance, and a smile appeared on his face.
Before you continue