Thinking About the Future
The next morning, at dawn.
Mu Ci woke up in the water barrel.
The pleasant feeling coursing through his muscles and bones intoxicated him. It was like the relief of someone who had trained under heavy weights for years finally taking them off for the first time, as though he had been reborn.
But before he could savor it for long, the maid's voice came from outside the door.
"Young Master, are you awake? The master has prepared the carriage and is waiting at the entrance."
Mu Ci abruptly snapped awake, remembering that he was going to obtain his first Soul Ring today. He hurriedly began packing while calling back, "Got it. I'll be right there."
He directly put everything he needed into his Storage Soul Tool. Previously, because he had no Soul Power, some of the things he had prepared had to be left in the corner of his room. Things were much more convenient now. Once he had finished packing, he hurried toward the entrance.
Outside Mu Mansion.
From far away, Mu Ci spotted his grandfather standing before the carriage with his hands clasped behind his back.
Jogging over to Mu Changsheng, Mu Ci scratched his head and said apologetically, "I went to bed a little late last night and kept you waiting, Grandpa."
"Didn't Grandma and Father and Mother come?"
He looked around and found that, apart from the coachman, only his grandfather was there. He could not help feeling curious.
"It's only a first Soul Ring. Your grandfather alone is enough. Do you think that a dignified Spirit Douluo like me can't even handle a Hundred-Year Soul Beast?"
"Or do you think your grandfather is like that dead man Tang Gu?"
Mu Changsheng pretended to be angry.
"No, no. Everyone was there yesterday, so I thought we'd all be going together today."
Only then did Mu Ci understand. Everyone had been present yesterday because he was undergoing Martial Soul Awakening.
Today, however, they were merely hunting a Hundred-Year Soul Beast. Having a Spirit Douluo-level powerhouse like his grandfather lead him was already more than enough.
As for something like Tang Gu's methods, normal people could not pull that off. Who would temper a disciple before they had even obtained a Soul Ring?
Mu Changsheng was a top-tier control-type Spirit Master renowned throughout Heaven Dou, not one of those reckless brutes from the Clear Sky Sect who only knew how to swing hammers.
"It's fine. Get in first. The journey is rather long, so we can talk on the way." Mu Changsheng returned to his kindly demeanor, looking at Mu Ci as he pointed to the carriage beside them.
Mu Ci nodded and climbed aboard.
The carriage was extremely spacious, like a small bedroom. It had everything from a desk to sofas, and the floor of the cabin was even covered in the fur of some unknown Soul Beast, soft beneath his feet.
This kind of carriage was basically exclusive to the noble Spirit Master circles of Heaven Dou, specially used for long-distance travel. Its body was equipped with many civilian Soul Tools passed down from ancient Soul Tool civilization.
The methods for making proper Soul Tools had rarely been recorded and could no longer be reproduced.
However, the patterns of these civilian Soul Tools were simple, and replicating them was not too difficult. The major merchant associations made them specifically for the Imperial Family and great Spirit Master clans.
After sitting down beside Mu Changsheng, Mu Ci curiously asked his grandfather, "Aren't we going to the Soul Hunting Forest near Godwood City? Why did we bring out this carriage?"
Mu Changsheng calmly picked up a cup of tea from the table and took a sip. "The Soul Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest aren't of particularly high quality, and there are even fewer high-grade Soul Beasts suitable for plant Martial Souls."
"This time, we're going to the Star Dou Forest. Our family once discovered a patch of Azure Vine Forest there.
"As a Martial Soul, the Azure Vine is a top-tier control-type Martial Soul. As a Soul Beast, its bloodline is also extremely high.
"It's highly compatible with our family's inherited Martial Soul. Although your Abundant World Tree is a mutated Martial Soul,
"it is still a plant. Absorbing an Azure Vine for your first Soul Ring definitely can't go wrong."
Listening to his grandfather's analysis, Mu Ci nodded in agreement.
Although his Martial Soul was not the original Abundance Divine Miracle, and had changed somewhat due to the laws of another universe, it still far surpassed ordinary plant Martial Souls. The Blue Silver Empress was not even fit to carry its shoes.
He could certainly absorb beast-type Soul Rings like Tang San, and the powerful origin of the Abundant World Tree would not be greatly affected. But if there were plant Soul Rings that suited him better, why choose an inferior option?
Apart from walking the Path, improving Abundance Power also required comprehending the Law of Life in the world.
Compared to plant Soul Beasts like the Ghost Vine, the Azure Vine's vitality was more than a level higher. Choosing it for his first Soul Ring would also help him comprehend Abundance Power in the early stages.
As for beast-type Soul Rings, an Emerald Swan would undoubtedly be the best choice.
Among all the Soul Rings on Douluo Planet suited to the Abundant World Tree, aside from that Golden Tree, the next best was the Star Dou Fierce Beast, Bi Ji, the Emerald Swan.
But Bi Ji was currently accompanying the Silver Dragon Fish in the small space beneath the lake, so there was no need to even consider it. Furthermore, under the protection of Bi Ji, the clan leader, the Emerald Swan Clan never left the Core Circle.
If he had the chance in the future, he could try making a deal with the Silver Dragon Fish.
After all, apart from lying at the bottom of the lake to heal, she could not do anything else. Once his Abundance Power reached the middle or high levels, healing part of her injuries should not be difficult.
Even Mu Ci did not know whether his Martial Soul would gain the ability to transform companion spirit beasts after reaching the middle or high levels.
If it could, then transforming Bi Ji into an existence like the Abundance Mystic Deer would allow her to evade Heavenly Tribulation and gain immortality. He doubted many Soul Beasts could refuse that.
Mu Ci's thoughts had long since drifted beyond the skies, leaping from his first Soul Ring to his ninth. After all, this was the Douluo One timeline. God King Tang had not yet taken his lofty seat in the God Realm, and there would not be a pair of eyes constantly watching from above.
All opportunities had yet to be exhausted. The vast world held limitless possibilities.
"Getting from Godwood City to the entrance of the Star Dou Forest will take at least several days. During that time, I'll teach you our family's advanced meditation method, as well as some things Spirit Masters need to watch out for when traveling the world." Mu Changsheng looked at Mu Ci, who was sitting upright beside him, took a small booklet from his Storage Soul Tool, and handed it over.
"Read it yourself first. Ask me if there's anything you don't understand." With that, Mu Changsheng rose from the sofa, walked to a reclining chair off to the side, lay down, and slowly closed his eyes.
Mu Ci opened his family's advanced meditation method and began reading it with great concentration.
After all, he was now a person of Douluo, not one of those Path lunatics from the Honkai: Star Rail Universe who could rely on sheer idealism, achieve enlightenment in a single moment, and shatter stars in an instant.
His strength now had to be cultivated bit by bit, so practicing a meditation method was extremely important.
Before long, he had finished reading the meditation method in his hands.
Yet Mu Ci was deeply troubled after finishing it—not because it was difficult, but because it was far too simple.
The meditation methods of Douluo Continent were almost all abstract, focused on concepts like harmonizing oneself with the heart of heaven, making them difficult to describe with concrete language.
He compared it in his mind to the basic meditation methods he had once read in the study and found that this so-called advanced meditation method merely included a few insights from high-level Spirit Masters.
It could indeed help beginners get started to a certain extent, but whether it could actually speed up cultivation was questionable.
"No wonder God King Tang's Mysterious Heaven Skill could dominate Douluo history for tens of thousands of years.
"These people are purely dependent on talent. Those with good talent can cultivate to higher realms, while those with poor talent can only muddle through life and wait to die. They don't even think of finding ways to overtake others on the curve.
"No. Only by being one step ahead can I stay ahead at every step. I must create a true cultivation method that belongs to me."
Looking at the meditation method in his hands, Mu Ci felt sorry for the cultivators of Douluo Planet and firmly resolved not to follow their old path.
Once he obtained his first Soul Ring and unlocked true Abundance Power, he would begin exploring his own cultivation method using the meridian diagrams from his previous life as a foundation. After all, Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill could be used here and could even help Tang Hao open his Eight Extraordinary Meridians, proving that there was no real difference in the meridians of Douluo people.
Abundance Power was the greatest backing for his bold idea. While the Path of Abundance was not as devastatingly destructive as Hunt or Destruction, it was absolutely number one in recovery.
Mu Ci closed his eyes and began meditating according to the method described in the book.
Soul Power had to be accumulated bit by bit. If he wanted to safely weather future crises, he absolutely could not slack off in his daily cultivation.
Encounter Outside Star Dou
Five days later, at dusk, at the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.
A luxurious carriage slowly entered the bustling town.
The town's crude walls were covered in scars, with undried beast blood still staining many places. Most of the pedestrians coming and going bore wounds of varying age. Seeing the carriage enter the town, most of them revealed respectful and fearful expressions.
Everyone in the town made their living around Spirit Masters, so they had seen plenty. They immediately recognized this kind of carriage as exclusive to nobles and hurriedly avoided it.
After all, no one knew what kind of temperament the Lord Soul Master inside the carriage had. If they offended one by accident, they might not even know how they died.
The carriage traveled through the town for a while before stopping in front of the finest inn.
"Master, Young Master, we've arrived," the coachman respectfully said to the two inside.
Mu Changsheng led Mu Ci out of the carriage and then instructed the coachman to park it properly.
"Xiao Ci, it's getting late. We'll rest at this inn for the night and obtain your Soul Ring first thing tomorrow morning." Mu Changsheng spoke as he led his grandson inside.
As soon as they entered the inn's main hall, an attendant came over to guide them to a booth.
There were only two or three sparsely occupied tables in the inn. Most of them were Spirit Master teams who specialized in helping nobles in need capture common Hundred-Year Soul Beasts.
The two had only just sat down and had yet to give the attendant any further instructions when a loud greeting sounded beside them.
"Elder Mu, I never expected to see you here."
The two turned toward the source of the voice and saw three figures, one adult and two children, all dressed in golden-red clothing.
The speaker was a strapping man nearly two meters tall, with a stern face and crimson hair and pupils. His entire aura was scorching and explosive, like a humanoid tyrannosaur.
A boy and a girl who looked eight or nine years old stood behind him on either side. Their features resembled the man's by five or six parts, though the girl's lines were softer. Her exposed skin was as flawless as fine jade, fair and delicate. Her snow-white chin was slightly raised with a hint of arrogance, and her gaze occasionally swept over Mu Ci.
"Huo Kuang, it truly has been a long time. Judging by your aura, you're about to break through to Spirit Saint. Not bad, not bad. You haven't slacked off these past years. That old brute Huo has a worthy successor!" Mu Changsheng looked at the three of them, carefully examined Huo Kuang, and said with some surprise.
"You flatter me. Brother Mu Sheng has always been ahead of me. With you constantly guiding him at his side, I'm sure he won't be far from becoming a Spirit Saint. When that happens, I must find Brother Mu Sheng for a drink."
After speaking, he reached out and introduced the two little ones behind him to Mu Changsheng.
"It's quite a coincidence. My son and daughter have just obtained their first Soul Rings, and we ran into you as soon as we came out."
"This must be your nephew, right? I even held him when he was born. I never expected him to be this grown already. By my calculations, it should be time for his Martial Soul Awakening. Since he's come to the Star Dou Forest to hunt Souls now, could he have Innate Full Soul Power?"
Huo Kuang modestly exchanged a few words with Mu Changsheng before looking at Mu Ci seated opposite him. Surprise appeared on his face as he suddenly thought of something and asked tentatively.
Mu Changsheng stroked his beard and smiled faintly at Huo Kuang. "Not at all. Xiao Ci's Martial Soul underwent a beneficial mutation, making it much stronger than his father's. He has Innate Soul Power at rank nine and just reached rank ten these past two days. Still, he can't compare to that boy from the Feng Family."
"A Martial Soul Mutation, Innate Soul Power at rank nine!" Huo Kuang and his son looked Mu Ci up and down, crying out in surprise.
However, the little girl beside them stared straight at Mu Ci with her large red eyes. Her pale chin lifted even higher, her lips pouted fiercely, and her exquisite little face was full of defiance.
With Innate Soul Power at rank nine, he had an extremely high chance of becoming a Title Douluo in the future.
Generally speaking, a Spirit Master's limit was their Innate Soul Power plus one. For example, someone with Innate Soul Power at rank seven had a high chance of becoming a Spirit Saint and a small chance of becoming a Spirit Douluo, and so on.
Among this generation's Martial Soul Awakenings within the circles of Heaven Dou Advanced Soul Master Academy,
apart from Feng Xiaotian of the Feng Family from Godwind Academy, who had awakened the mutated Martial Soul Gale Two-Headed Wolf and possessed Innate Full Soul Power, no one else could stand shoulder to shoulder with Mu Ci.
But when Huo Kuang thought of Feng Xiaotian, he could not help sighing. That boy had excellent talent and Martial Soul in every respect, except that he did not care much for cultivation.
Instead, he was interested in Self-Created Soul Skills. At twelve years old, his Soul Power was only rank twenty-six. Huo Kuang had heard that his grandfather and father had lectured him countless times over it, but he refused to change. Because of this, many people at Godwind Academy felt it was a pity to see such talent wasted.
"Hmph, so what if his talent is a little better? Who can say for sure what the future holds!" The bright-eyed, white-toothed little girl felt deeply uncomfortable upon hearing that someone her age had better talent than her. She turned her head aside and stopped looking at Mu Ci, muttering with her little lips pouted.
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