Lin Beiya didn't want to waste his own blood, so he quickly summoned his Martial Soul to catch it. Then he hurried to find the first-aid kit, bandaged the wound, and waited to see if his Martial Soul would change.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
As time passed, Lin Beiya's heart sank. It seemed his blood didn't contain any of Athena's divinity.
"If it can't be activated and turned into Athena Cloth, then what exactly is this Martial Soul good for?"
After a moment of disappointment, Lin Beiya thought of one of the distinctive features of the Douluo Continent: Soul Rings.
"Maybe I should wait until I've obtained my First Soul Ring before figuring out how to use my Martial Soul. With Innate Full Soul Power, it can't possibly be a Trash Martial Soul that's completely unusable!"
Once he'd thought it through, Lin Beiya stopped dwelling on it. He decided to look through the Soul Beast Illustrated Guide tomorrow.
The orphanage did have a few picture books about Soul Beasts for the children to read, but how could they possibly be more comprehensive than the records in the Spirit Hall's Library Pavilion, a holy site for Soul Masters?
Little did he know that some shameless fellow had earned the title of Grandmaster simply by passing off other people's knowledge as his own.
Young people slept well. Lin Beiya, who'd gone to bed and slept straight through until dawn, suddenly jolted awake.
"Crap, I promised the little blondie I'd go to the Library Pavilion with her! Did I oversleep?"
After a quick wash, Lin Beiya hurried toward the Central Garden while getting dressed in the clothes the servants had prepared.
Sure enough, when he neared the garden, Qian Renxue was already in the pavilion. Judging by her expression, she'd been waiting for a while.
Before Lin Beiya could even greet her, the little girl launched into a scolding.
"Hey, what's the matter with you?"
"Didn't we agree yesterday that we'd meet in the morning and I'd take you to the Library Pavilion? It's almost noon!"
Lin Beiya scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed, but his mind raced and he came up with an excuse.
"It's just that I'm not used to living here yet. I kept tossing and turning and couldn't fall asleep. Then, when I finally did, I slept a little too deeply!"
Sure enough, after hearing Lin Beiya's explanation, Qian Renxue's expression softened considerably.
"Hmph, I'll forgive you this time. Come on. We still have to come back for lunch, so you don't have much time to look through the books."
"All right. Thanks."
After thanking her, Lin Beiya hurried to catch up with Qian Renxue. He wasn't sure if it was because she'd absorbed a Soul Ring, but Qian Renxue was quite a bit taller than he was, even though they were the same age. It stung a little.
After leaving Douluo Hall, Qian Renxue led him to an ancient-looking building not far from Pope Hall.
They showed their tokens to the guards, then slowly entered the library.
"What are you looking for? A complete guide to Martial Souls, or the history of the continent?"
Lin Beiya rolled his eyes. His Martial Soul was one of a kind, so what use would a complete guide to Martial Souls be?
And he was even less interested in the history of the continent. It could develop however it liked; it had nothing to do with him.
"I want to look at the Soul Beast Encyclopedia and find out which Soul Rings might suit my Martial Soul."
"Hmm, then follow me."
Qian Renxue didn't object. In fact, what Soul Masters who'd reached a bottleneck wanted most was a Soul Ring.
She led Lin Beiya to a desk in a side hall, then left. When she returned, she was carrying two thick books in her delicate hands. She set them on the desk and clapped the dust from her palms.
"That's all they have. There's quite a lot, so just read as much as you can today."
"Sorry for the trouble."
"Don't mention it. Didn't I say I'd look after you in Douluo Hall?"
Qian Renxue smiled sweetly, seeming very happy to have made a friend like Lin Beiya.
After a brief exchange of courtesies, Lin Beiya got down to business. He skimmed the outlines of a few books, then started with the one about Soul Rings suitable for tool-type Martial Souls.
After reading for a while, Lin Beiya confirmed once again that a certain Grandmaster had made a career out of passing off other people's ideas. The book clearly stated that tool-type Martial Souls could also absorb plant-type Soul Beasts for Soul Rings.
By the same logic, Plant-type Martial Souls absorbing beast-type Soul Rings should be perfectly viable too.
The ridiculous part was that, in the future, when Grandmaster took God King Tang to hunt for his First Soul Ring, he'd claim it was his own deduction.
Lin Beiya glanced pityingly at Qian Renxue, who sat with her chin resting in her hands, then shook off his wandering thoughts and slowly turned to the information he needed.
"Blade Mantis. Suitable for sword- and blade-type tool Martial Souls. Grants a ranged Soul Skill."
"Thick Earth Turtle. Suitable for shield-type tool Martial Souls. Grants..."
After searching for a while, Lin Beiya still hadn't found a Soul Beast that suited him.
The only similar Martial Soul belonged to someone who'd awakened a stone-type tool Martial Soul. After absorbing a Light Tiger's Soul Ring, he'd gained a skill called Holy Light Throw. But that Soul Skill clearly wouldn't suit Lin Beiya's Martial Soul. Was he supposed to toss Athena Cloth like a brick and smash people with it?
At a loss, Lin Beiya could only keep reading. He didn't even notice that lunchtime had passed.
"Hey, how much longer are you going to read? It's been three hours."
"Uh... Has it really been that long?"
At her words, Lin Beiya looked up and rubbed his stiff, aching neck. He slowly closed the book, and Qian Renxue immediately brightened.
"Well, Lin Beiya? Did you find a Soul Beast that suits you?"
He shook his head and said helplessly:
"No. My Martial Soul is too unique. The books don't mention any similar type that I can use as a reference."
"I see. Then what are you going to do? With Innate Full Soul Power, you'll need to go hunt for a Soul Ring soon, right?"
"Yeah. I'll just have to see if I come across a suitable Soul Beast when the time comes."
"Hmm, it's okay. I'm sure you'll find a suitable Soul Ring. Let's go eat first. I'm starving."
"All right. Sorry for making you wait with me for so long!"
After they finally had lunch, Qian Renxue was called away again to practice the basics of Sword Art. As Lin Beiya was about to head back to his room, Qian Daoliu stopped him.
"Greetings, Grand Pontiff."
"Mm. Have you decided what kind of Soul Beast you'll hunt for your Soul Ring?"
"No. The books didn't seem to mention any Martial Souls like mine, so I can only go by instinct when I absorb a Soul Ring."
Qian Daoliu furrowed his brows, but then slowly relaxed them.
"We have no other choice. We know nothing about the direction your Martial Soul will develop in or what it will specialize in. We can only use your first Soul Skill to decide which path you should take next."
"Mm, I was thinking the same thing. If my first Soul Skill is for support, I'll become a support Soul Master. If it's an offensive skill, I'll go down the Power Attack System route."
"Good. Since you've already made up your mind, I'll have someone take you to Star Dou Forest tomorrow to hunt for your First Soul Ring."
"Star Dou Forest?"
At Qian Daoliu's words, Lin Beiya looked a little surprised. Spirit City wasn't far from Soul Hunting Forest, and most people chose to hunt for their First Soul Ring there. Why travel farther to Star Dou Forest?
As if he'd seen what Lin Beiya was thinking, Qian Daoliu smiled.
"The Soul Beasts in Soul Hunting Forest are mostly common ones. There's less chance of finding one that suits your Martial Soul than in Star Dou Forest. For the sake of your future, you should go there to hunt for your First Soul Ring."
"Yes. Thank you, Grand Pontiff!"
Before you continue