First Soul Ring Selection (Seeking Follow-up Reads, Seeking Collections)

"Once the opening ceremony concludes the day after tomorrow, I will personally take you to hunt a soul beast."

Having said this, Dean Ding offered a reminder, "By the way, during this time, you should properly plan which soul beast you intend to obtain your Torchic's first soul ring from. After all, without the theoretical guidance of a Grandmaster, you will have to explore the direction of your future soul ring acquisition on your own."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen was delighted and hurriedly bowed to Dean Ding, "Dean, thank you for your willingness to help me. I will definitely cultivate diligently and will never let you down."

Dean Ding waved his hand, "Alright, it is getting late, you should return to the dormitory to rest. Ye Chen, you must never mention your sparring match with the Grandmaster today to Wang Sheng and the others, do you understand? Otherwise, the Grandmaster will be very embarrassed."

"Rest assured, Dean, I won't say a word," Ye Chen said with some concern, "However, what if an outsider witnessed the entire process of the Grandmaster and me sparring, and then spread the news that the Grandmaster was defeated by me?"

"Hmm... I will handle that when the time comes. Go now." After speaking, Dean Ding turned and walked toward the dean's office.

"Dean, wait a moment," Ye Chen asked tentatively, "Could you lend me a book on soul beasts? I want to learn more about them to prepare for obtaining my first soul ring."

Hearing this request, Dean Ding thought for a moment before taking a book from the low-quality soul tool at his waist, explaining, "This soul beast manual records information on the soul beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest outside Nuoding City."

"When I take you to obtain your soul ring in a while, we will definitely be going to the Soul Hunting Forest. You may borrow this manual for now, but remember, you must return it after you finish reading it."

"Alright, thank you, Dean." After responding, Ye Chen hurried over to take the manual.

He flipped it open and found that it indeed contained a wealth of knowledge about soul beasts, including their names, illustrations, habits, and other basic information.

With this manual, it would be much easier to scout for a first soul ring for his Torchic.

The next day, at noon.

Nuoding Academy, Dormitory Seven.

Today was still a day for students to report for the new semester; the opening ceremony was not until tomorrow.

After a morning of meditation and cultivation, Ye Chen, Wang Sheng, and the other roommates were still sitting cross-legged on their respective beds, with no one having finished their meditation yet.

At this moment, Ye Chen felt a surge of warm soul power flowing wildly through his body, his meridians tingling with a slight sense of swelling, and the aura of soul power around him grew quietly denser—this was a sign of a breakthrough in soul power.

After a morning of focused meditation, his soul power, which had been stuck at the peak of level seventeen, finally broke through the bottleneck and rose steadily to level eighteen!

"Torchic—" Torchic, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, suddenly let out a soft cry, and a white light gradually began to emanate from its body.

Ye Chen ended his meditation and turned his head to look, only to see the white light enveloping Torchic becoming increasingly dazzling.

Torchic's figure was constantly expanding and growing larger, its short wings spreading out like two long arms; this was clearly a sign of evolution!

Ye Chen felt a surge of joy in his heart, subconsciously holding his breath as he stared intently at the changes occurring in Torchic.

Regrettably, the layer of white light lasted only a few seconds before slowly dissipating, and the changes in Torchic ceased; it had ultimately failed to complete its evolution.

"Torchic, Torchic." Torchic shook its small head in frustration, its eyes filled with disappointment, its crest drooping slightly, and its youthful cry turning into a pitiful whimper.

Witnessing the entire process of the failed evolution, Ye Chen understood; it seemed that no matter how heaven-defying his cheat was, under the assimilation of the rules of the Douluo World, it would still be restricted by soul rings.

Without a soul ring to facilitate the advancement, even if Torchic possessed the potential for infinite evolution, it would never be able to break through its shackles.

Confirming this, Ye Chen gently stroked Torchic's head and comforted it in a gentle tone, "Torchic, endure a little longer. After the opening ceremony tomorrow, Dean Ding will take us to obtain a soul ring. I believe that with your first soul ring, you will definitely be able to evolve successfully."

"Torchic!" Torchic nodded, its disappointment quickly fading as it cheered up.

As a martial soul, it naturally hoped to possess a more powerful evolved form, as that would provide enough strength to protect its host.

And as a special life form with independent consciousness, Torchic itself longed to become stronger; influenced by the philosophy of martial arts, its ultimate pursuit was to become a grandmaster of combat.

Watching Torchic close its eyes to meditate again, Ye Chen began to ponder his first soul ring.

Whether it was the first, second, or third soul ring, they would certainly have to be obtained from fire-attribute soul beasts.

This was because Torchic's primary attribute was fire. Only after evolving into a Combusken would it gain the fighting attribute.

The fighting attribute did not require a specific attribute soul ring for reinforcement; as long as Torchic's physical fitness was strong enough, the fighting attribute would naturally become stronger.

Therefore, the acquisition of Torchic's soul rings should be concentrated entirely on fire-attribute soul beasts, and he should choose, as much as possible, fire-attribute avian soul beasts with high-grade or even top-grade bloodlines.

As for the type of soul skill each ring would provide, he should prioritize enhancement-type skills.

Only then could he maximize the advantage of Torchic's self-learned skills and its exquisite combat techniques.

While pondering, Ye Chen also flipped through the soul beast manual he had borrowed from Dean Ding the night before; the information recorded within was all from the Soul Hunting Forest.

It was said that the Soul Hunting Forest was a man-made enclosure for soul beasts, containing a dormant volcano. The surrounding area had been modified to become a hotbed for fire-attribute soul beasts, and there was no shortage of fire-attribute avian soul beasts with high-grade bloodlines residing there.

Creatures like the Blazing Bird and the Red-headed Sparrow were excellent choices for Torchic's first soul ring.

The Blazing Bird, in particular, resembled a giant ostrich; although it was not adept at flying, it possessed outstanding running speed, formidable leg strength, and fire-enhancement capabilities.

While flipping through the manual, Ye Chen engaged in a brainstorming session.

Just then, a knock on the door of Dormitory Seven interrupted everyone's thoughts.

Wang Sheng and the other roommates finished their meditation one after another and looked toward the dormitory entrance.

Ye Chen's attention also shifted away from the manual, and he stared at the door, where a six-year-old child appeared in his line of sight.

The child had an ordinary appearance, but his eyes revealed a maturity and calmness that did not belong to a six-year-old.

Upon seeing the child, Ye Chen recognized him immediately; this was Tang San, whom he hadn't seen for a month.

Tang San scanned the dormitory, his gaze sweeping past Wang Sheng and the others before finally locking firmly onto Ye Chen.

Seeing the opponent who had defeated him three times, Tang San's originally calm eyes suddenly narrowed, his fingers curled slightly, and his entire body entered a state of high alert. The Mysterious Heaven Skill within him began to circulate on its own, for fear that he might be knocked unconscious by Ye Chen or Torchic if he let his guard down for even a second.