After leaving the room where his spiritual power had been tested, the Spirit Master didn't take Tang Wulin back the way they'd come. Instead, he turned and led him through a small door into an adjacent room.
Inside stood a massive machine resembling an enormous incubator, over five meters tall. It was filled with an unknown liquid, and dozens of differently colored orbs floated up and down inside it, as though they were alive.
"Our Spirit Pagoda offers seventy-three types of ten-year white Soul Spirits. They cover the vast majority of Martial Souls. Here's an introduction booklet; take a look and see what you'd like to absorb."
As he spoke, the Spirit Master picked up a thick booklet from beside him and handed it to Tang Wulin.
Tang Wulin opened it. It introduced various Soul Beasts, including their habits and the Soul Skills they might grant, along with their advantages and disadvantages and the Spirit Pagoda's recommendations.
The Spirit Pagoda certainly treated its customers well.
With this booklet, anyone who could read could find a decent choice.
But the more Tang Wulin read, the more difficult he found it to decide. He seemed to have developed a serious case of indecision.
Every description sounded so impressive. He wanted them all.
"Teacher, could you recommend something for me? All these Soul Skills sound amazing."
Long Yuan had been waiting for him to ask.
[No problem. I'll introduce a few to you. Take another look through the booklet.]
Tang Wulin flipped through it quickly. Long Yuan's thoughts raced, and he soon settled on several good choices.
[The first is the Ghost Vine, number three. It's a classic Plant-type Soul Beast, with a certain amount of paralyzing poison and decent parasitic abilities. If you choose it, your control abilities will get a nice boost.]
[The second is the Azure Vine, number sixteen. It isn't poisonous and can't parasitize like the Ghost Vine, but it's very tough and has a powerful life force. Absorbing this Soul Spirit would probably strengthen the life force of both your body and your Martial Soul. Most plant-type Martial Souls grow stronger as their life force increases, so this is a versatile, well-rounded choice.]
[The third is the Blood-Exploding Snake, number forty-nine. Its gallbladder can make the blood of whoever consumes it boil, greatly increasing their strength for a short time. It also has a Soul Skill that enhances physical fitness. If you absorb it, you'll get a boosting-type Soul Skill.]
[The fourth is the Earth Scale Beast, number seventy. I didn't expect them to have an earth dragon-type Soul Spirit here. It's known for its defensive strength. It isn't as suited to you as the others, but it's part of the Dragon Clan, so it has greater potential for growth. You could consider it.]
[Those are the four. You can think them over yourself.]
Long Yuan introduced all four Soul Spirits to Tang Wulin in one go. There weren't many plant-type Soul Spirits to choose from here. What surprised him most was that an Earth Scale Beast was available.
"Let me think. The Earth Scale Beast seems to be descended from the Golden Sacred Dragon bloodline. Though it's evolved far from its origins, it's still one of the strongest among the many earth dragons that only serve to make up the numbers."
When the Dragon God created the Nine Great Dragon Kings, their bloodlines became the foundation from which the first dragons evolved.
They were the Golden Holy Dragon King, Mountain Dragon King, Water Dragon King, Fire Dragon King, Earth Dragon King, Wind Dragon King, Light Dragon King, Dark Dragon King, and Emerald Dragon King.
The Golden Holy Dragon King represented ultimate strength and possessed the noblest bloodline of all. The so-called golden-blooded Soul Beasts were proof enough; they often possessed astonishing talent.
The Mountain Dragon King's lineage commanded stability. Its body was as heavy as a mountain, its defense the strongest among dragons, and its strength second only to the Golden Holy Dragon.
One could say the Golden Dragon King, aside from possessing the Dragon God's power of Destruction, was essentially a combination of the Golden Holy Dragon King and the Mountain Dragon King—a creature defined by sheer, overwhelming stats.
The other seven Dragon Kings represented the seven elements controlled by the Dragon God: water, fire, earth, wind, light, darkness, and space. Among them, the Light Dragon King stood at the head.
The Light Dragon King was also known as the Sacred Dragon King. He wielded the Dragon Slaying Blade and oversaw the Dragon Clan's reproduction and punishment.
The Mountain Dragon was the most unusual of the nine dragon bloodlines. By the Dragon God's decree, every pure-blooded Mountain Dragon who reached adulthood could claim the title of king. The other eight titles referred only to the chieftains of their respective lineages.
While Long Yuan was thinking about his own affairs, Tang Wulin was thinking too. But after hearing the explanations, he was even more confused.
"Teacher, which one do you recommend most? They all sound so good."
[Which one do I recommend?]
Long Yuan didn't know either. They all seemed like rubbish to him, but would saying so hurt the boy's feelings?
[Choose that Blood-Exploding Snake. I happen to be good at that sort of thing, so I'll be able to teach you later.]
"I understand."
Tang Wulin shut the booklet and said to the Spirit Master, "Sir, I've decided. I want the Blood-Exploding Snake."
"The Blood-Exploding Snake, huh? All right, wait a moment." The Spirit Master wasn't quite sure why he'd chosen it, but he operated the soul-guidance screen in front of him.
When he pressed the last green button, a series of lights came on inside the machine. Finally, a pure white Soul Spirit ball rolled out along a track.
The Spirit Master walked over, picked up the Soul Spirit ball, and handed it to him.
"Let's go outside and take a look."
Tang Wulin hugged the Soul Spirit he'd dreamed of having close to his chest. This was the first step on his path to becoming a Soul Master.
Back in the lobby, the Spirit Master handed them an oval-shaped device.
All they needed to do was press a button and shine the light it emitted onto the Soul Spirit ball to hatch the Soul Spirit.
Following the instructions, Tang Wulin activated the device. Its gentle white light fell upon the Soul Spirit ball, and the translucent shell slowly dissolved. At last, it vanished completely.
Tang Ziran and Tang Wulin watched expectantly. Only after the light had faded away did they get a clear look at the little creature lying in Tang Wulin's palm.
It was a little snake about thirty centimeters long, curled up and watching Tang Wulin warily as it flicked its tongue in and out.
Its scales were red, diamond-shaped, and its tail tapered sharply to a point. The short, stout snake looked powerful, its constantly undulating body making its scales rub together with a hissing sound.
Tang Wulin cautiously reached out a finger to touch it, but the snake suddenly sprang at him and bit down on his finger.
[Naughty.]
Watching the little snake writhe furiously despite being unable to break through Tang Wulin's defenses, Long Yuan released the faintest hint of Dragon Might.
"Hiss—"
The Blood-Exploding Snake immediately stopped moving. Its whole body went rigid, then it curled back up and trembled on its own.
"Haha, the little guy's quite lively. You can fuse with your Soul Spirit here at the Spirit Pagoda before you leave."