"Third Brother, Third Brother, where are you?" Xiao Wu's voice rang out in the distance as she searched for Tang San.
Before long, Xiao Wu noticed Tang San and Lin Hui standing off against each other on the training grounds.
As soon as Xiao Wu appeared, Tang San slid the Sleeve Arrow back into his sleeve.
"Lin Hui, the teacher is taking me to hunt for my First Soul Ring today. Once I get it, I'll challenge you."
"I'll defeat you fair and square. If you lose, you'll apologize to the teacher in front of the entire school."
Tang San spoke with such righteous conviction.
Lin Hui found it rather amusing and asked in return:
"What if I win?"
Tang San said, "Then you can do whatever you want with me, as long as it doesn't go against what's right."
"Deal." Lin Hui turned his gaze toward Xiao Wu, who was trotting over.
Seeing Xiao Wu bounding along so cheerfully, Lin Hui thought of something else.
That's right, she was also a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!
And she'd be Tang San's future lover!
Lin Hui had already decided what this thing that didn't go against what was right would be.
But given the situation, anyone would have thought Tang San would soon obtain his First Soul Ring. They were both at level ten, but the difference of a single Soul Skill meant their fighting strength would be worlds apart.
Tang San was a little surprised that Lin Hui had agreed so readily.
"Hmph. When I deal with you, I won't go easy."
Xiao Wu reached Tang San's side. She had also heard their agreement.
Ever since Lin Hui had talked back to Yu Xiaogang during class, Xiao Wu's opinion of him had changed somewhat.
After all, as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, she knew Lin Hui had been right about everything he'd said in class.
Yu Xiaogang, on the other hand, had just been stubbornly putting on a brave front.
Seeing the two of them about to fight over Yu Xiaogang, Xiao Wu truly felt it wasn't worth it.
"Third Brother, do you really think everything Grandmaster says is right?" Xiao Wu asked Tang San with a smile.
"Since I've already taken Grandmaster as my teacher, I should believe what he says," Tang San replied firmly. "Unless facts later prove that he was wrong."
"That's good, then. I hope Grandmaster finds you a Soul Ring that suits you perfectly." Lin Hui smiled too. He had no interest in hanging around any longer.
Just wait until Gangzi leads you into a world of trouble. You'll regret it then.
That afternoon, Yu Xiaogang took Tang San to the Soul Hunting Forest.
Watching the two of them leave through the school gate, Lin Hui knew his chance to capture Ah Yin had arrived.
The cave behind Holy Soul Village where Ah Yin had been planted wouldn't be hard to find.
Lin Hui's only concern was Tang Hao.
But Tang Hao would most likely be secretly protecting Tang San on the way to hunt for a Soul Ring. After all, the Soul Beast Forest was full of dangers. And wouldn't he want to know what kind of First Soul Ring his precious son would obtain?
So, once Tang San went to the Soul Hunting Forest and drew Tang Hao away, Lin Hui would have his chance to act.
But to be safe, Lin Hui didn't set out that day. He waited until the next day, then asked Teacher Li Chun for leave and left the school.
After climbing over mountain after mountain and winding along one narrow path after another, Lin Hui finally reached the back mountain of Holy Soul Village.
Holy Soul Village lay nestled among surrounding mountains, where lush greenery spread as far as the eye could see.
Before Lin Hui lay a rippling emerald lake, green as a gemstone. At its far end, a waterfall plunged from the sky to the earth. As the water poured down, it roared against the rocks and the lake.
"So this is the back mountain of Holy Soul Village. According to the original story, that cave should be hidden behind the waterfall."
Lin Hui peered behind the waterfall.
He climbed the mountain and, from beside the waterfall, finally plunged straight into its torrent.
Halfway up the waterfall, there was just the right spot where the rock face recessed. Lin Hui felt around among the stones. It took some effort, but in the end he found the mechanism and pressed a rock inward.
A doorway appeared in the stone.
With a flash, Lin Hui darted inside.
At the end of the passage was a stone chamber about ten square meters in size. It was empty, save for a hole in the ceiling that let in a shaft of light.
Directly beneath the hole was a small mound of earth, where a slender Blue Silver Grass swayed in the breeze.
This Blue Silver Grass was more delicate than ordinary Blue Silver Grass, with unusually fine leaves. Strangest of all, it was etched with golden markings.
"This must be the Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin."
Lin Hui couldn't help sighing. Then he summoned his Martial Soul, the Ultra Ball. He tossed it toward Ah Yin, who was planted in the earth.
"Let's see if it works this time!" Though Lin Hui was already ninety percent sure it would, he still waited in breathless anticipation.
The Ultra Ball opened, and a beam of white light shot out, drawing in the Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin.
Then the Ultra Ball dropped to the ground and rocked back and forth, its red light flashing.
Once.
Twice.
At last, the dot at the very center of the Ultra Ball flashed pale blue, and the ball snapped shut without a gap.
"I... I did it..." Lin Hui was genuinely excited.
Lin Hui withdrew his Martial Soul. He could clearly feel an immense surge of Soul Power inside him.
He immediately sat down and began meditating, feeling the Soul Power merge with his body.
Beads of sweat the size of beans trickled down his cheeks.
At last, a blood-red Soul Ring emerged from Lin Hui's body, but it soon faded to yellow.
"Just as I thought, my Ultra Ball Martial Soul can only grant me a Soul Ring after I capture a Soul Beast."
"And thanks to the Ultra Ball, I can capture even a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast at level ten."
"But because Ah Yin was captured after her sacrifice, her Soul Power hasn't recovered yet, so my First Soul Ring is still yellow for now."
"Still, my First Soul Ring is around eight hundred years old, far beyond the usual limit of four hundred years that Soul Masters can absorb."
"What's more, this yellow Soul Ring conceals the truth that it actually came from a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."
"And as Ah Yin's Soul Power recovers in the future, the Soul Ring will keep evolving. Once she has fully recovered, she'll be able to wield the power of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."
"After all, Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts are exceedingly rare in this era. Having Ah Yin as my First Soul Ring is already an incredible stroke of luck."
Meanwhile, the Soul Power inside Lin Hui began to surge.
One level—
Two levels—
Since Ah Yin had already sacrificed herself, even though she was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Lin Hui's Soul Power hadn't grown all that dramatically. But those two levels were still worth months of hard cultivation.
"Whew, it finally worked." Lin Hui exhaled a breath of stale air, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
At the same time, he could feel that after Ah Yin had been captured by the Ultra Ball, she hadn't resisted. And because of the Poké Ball's special properties, it had begun healing her injuries and restoring her Soul Power.
Ah Yin herself even seemed quite attached to the place.
Lin Hui could feel a Blue Silver Grass inside his Ultra Ball Martial Soul stretching out her long, slender leaves. She was opening up, releasing energy, and drawing in the energy around her.
In the end, because it was so comfortable, Ah Yin even took on the form of a blue-haired, shapely married woman.
She lay on the ground in the inner world of the Martial Soul, utterly defenseless, as if fast asleep. Her skin was snowy white, her figure curvaceous, with only a few scraps of cloth covering the most private places. She radiated the mature allure of a married woman, looking ready for anyone to have their way with her.
Lin Hui had lived two lives, after all, and carried memories of his previous life. Even seeing such a beauty made his blood race.
"Ah Yin, you'll have a much brighter future with me than you would with Tang Hao. I'll treat you well."
Heh heh heh.