After putting him through some hands-on tests, Flender gave his own assessment.
Yu Xiaogang's judgment hadn't just been accurate—it had even understated the truth.
Lin Mo's physical strength had long since reached the same level as that of most three-ring Power Attack System Beast Martial Soul Battle Soul Masters.
And among others of the same rank, two-ring Soul Grandmasters, he was practically invincible.
What surprised Flender most—and left him impressed—was Lin Mo's ability to react in the moment.
Flender had just tested him with an extremely fast strike. An ordinary two-ring Soul Grandmaster wouldn't have had time to react.
He would have been hit squarely in the chest by Flender's palm, without a doubt.
But Lin Mo's reactions were remarkably quick.
Almost the instant Flender struck, Lin Mo instinctively raised his fist to block.
He truly was a rare piece of uncarved jade, the likes of which appeared only once in ten thousand years.
Flender sighed with emotion, reining in his excitement before turning to Lin Mo and speaking again:
"Release your First Soul Skill. Let me see it."
He had long been curious about Lin Mo's "special Martial Soul Possession state," and at last he had the chance to examine it up close.
He could hardly wait to figure out exactly what Lin Mo's First Soul Skill did.
"All right."
Lin Mo nodded without hesitation.
With a thought, a Hundred-Year Soul Ring, glowing pale yellow all over, appeared at his feet and slowly rose until it hovered around him.
The moment the Soul Ring lit up, a transparent, invisible layer of Body-Protecting Qi silently gathered, covering the surface of Lin Mo's entire body.
The shield formed by this Body-Protecting Qi was so thin and clear that it was almost impossible to see with the naked eye. Without a careful sense of it, one might not even notice it was there.
Flender's eyes narrowed at the sight, and he fell silent. Then, in a flash, his figure suddenly swayed.
From Lin Mo's perspective, Flender's form blurred and flickered, moving so fast that only afterimages remained.
At the same time, a faint blue glow of Soul Power appeared over Flender's fingertips.
In the next instant, Flender's fingers darted out one after another, swift as lightning, tapping the Body-Protecting Qi around Lin Mo several times in quick succession.
Sss! Sss! Sss!
The Body-Protecting Qi, which no Soul Master of the same rank had ever managed to break, was as flimsy as a sheet of paper before Flender. In an instant, his fingers poked several tiny holes through it.
The shield of qi over Lin Mo's body was damaged at once, the gaps plain to see.
A trace of helplessness flashed through Lin Mo's eyes.
This was the stark difference in their cultivation, something talent alone could hardly make up for.
He was only a level-twenty quasi-Soul Grandmaster, not yet a true Soul Grandmaster.
Flender, meanwhile, was a level-seventy Soul Saint who had spent a long time consolidating his cultivation at this stage.
There were five major ranks between them—a gulf as vast as heaven and earth.
Against an overwhelming difference in strength, Lin Mo's defense was ultimately insignificant.
It was only natural that Flender could break through it with ease.
Lin Mo wasn't discouraged in the slightest.
He was only eight years old, with boundless potential for growth. The gap before him was merely temporary.
Before long, he would steadily catch up to Flender, then surpass him.
Flender withdrew his fingers and looked at the Body-Protecting Qi around Lin Mo, which had already returned to normal.
After a moment, he spoke slowly. "An exceptionally well-rounded First Soul Skill. Very rare."
"If I sensed it correctly, your Soul Skill can not only condense Body-Protecting Qi and form a shield around your entire body, but also strengthen your physical defense.
"Most importantly, the shield also seems to have some ability to reflect damage."
Lin Mo admitted frankly, "The dean is exactly right."
Flender's examination had been extremely thorough. He had nearly seen through every trait of Lin Mo's First Soul Skill.
But there was still one thing he had missed.
Or rather, because the difference in their cultivation was so great, Flender had no way of sensing it.
Besides forming a shield, strengthening his defense, and reflecting damage, Lin Mo's Body-Protecting Qi also had the extremely precious effect of Dominant Body.
But Flender's cultivation was simply too high. Every strike he made was an absolute crushing blow.
Against such a vast difference in strength, the Dominant Body effect attached to the shield had no chance to activate. Naturally, Flender had no way of discovering it.
After learning all the details about Lin Mo, Flender finally put his doubts to rest and turned to Yu Xiaogang.
"Xiaogang, I've seen him for myself. He's absolutely a top-tier genius, one you might see only once in ten thousand years. You weren't exaggerating at all.
"This child will be coming with me from now on. I'll give him my wholehearted support!"
As he spoke, Flender turned his gaze back to Lin Mo.
"I can hardly wait to see how powerful the Second Soul Skill you gain after breaking through to the twenty-first level will be!"
"Once you obtain your Second Soul Ring, even those three-ring Soul Elders who broke through long ago might not be your match."
At that, Flender couldn't help but burst into laughter, his voice full of anticipation.
"Shrek Academy has already taken in several students besides you. Dai Mubai, who has a White Tiger Martial Soul, has the highest cultivation among them.
"He's a few years older than you, and he broke through to the Soul Grandmaster realm a long time ago.
"He's always been arrogant and thinks nothing of anyone.
"Now that you're joining us, you'll be just the one to take him down a peg!"
Hearing this, Lin Mo looked up at Flender and asked, "Dean, are we still going to the Soul Hunting Forest to obtain my Second Soul Ring?"
Flender gently shook his head. "The Soul Hunting Forest? A little place like that isn't worthy of your talent."
"Ordinary Soul Grandmasters go to the Soul Hunting Forest to choose docile, low-rank Soul Beasts raised in captivity because they prioritize safety.
"But you're different. You're a genius rarely seen in a hundred years. How could those tame Soul Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest be worthy of you?"
"This time, I'm taking you straight to the Star Dou Great Forest!"
"Even when they're both thousand-year Soul Beasts, the ones raised in captivity in the Soul Hunting Forest have long since lost their wildness. Their bloodlines are weak, and their potential has long been exhausted.
"Those thousand-year Soul Beasts aren't even fit to tie the shoes of the thousand-year Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest!"
"Only the powerful-bloodlined thousand-year Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest are worthy of your talent. Only they can give you the best Second Soul Ring!"
The moment he heard the words "Star Dou Great Forest," Lin Mo's heart stirred.
The Star Dou Great Forest.
Douluo Continent's undisputed largest gathering place for Soul Beasts. It was home to an enormous variety of powerful Soul Beasts, almost enough to meet the needs of every Soul Master.
Given the choice, almost any Soul Master would want to hunt Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain their Soul Rings.
The reason was simple: Soul Rings produced by the Star Dou Great Forest were far more powerful than those from other Soul Beast forests.
Lin Mo was no exception. He had been looking forward to the Star Dou Great Forest for a long time.