Salas looked at the mysterious golden vortex, his face equally incredulous. "This Martial Soul is truly bizarre!"
On the Douluo Continent, all known Martial Souls had clear, tangible forms. But Mo Lin's Martial Soul was something formless—something unheard of.
Moreover, from the moment Mo Lin's Martial Soul appeared, Salas had felt something profound about it. He was convinced that this Martial Soul was no ordinary one and that Mo Lin was absolutely worth investing in.
Salas motioned for Mo Lin to put away his Martial Soul, then asked,
"What sort of people were your parents?"
Mo Lin replied, "I've been an orphan since I was little. I've never seen my parents."
Salas stroked his goatee. "An orphan? Could this Martial Soul really have come about through nothing more than a chance mutation? Still, that's even better. With no faction behind you and no family ties, you'll be able to serve Spirit Hall all the better."
After he spoke, Salas snapped his fingers. A man who looked to be in his thirties or forties entered the main hall.
"He's Feng Li, a level fifty-six Soul King. His Martial Soul is the Mountain-Splitting Axe. Tomorrow, he'll take you to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt a Soul Beast. Afterward, I'll have him escort you to Spirit City, where you'll study in Spirit Hall's main temple. Get ready."
"Yes!"
Mo Lin bowed, left the main hall, and followed Feng Li to the place where he would be staying.
On the way to his room, Mo Lin spoke up first.
"Uncle Feng, do you know how old a Soul Beast should be for a First Soul Ring?"
Feng Li knew that Mo Lin was a genius with Innate Full Soul Power, one who would be sent to Spirit City to study. His future achievements could reach the level of a Titled Douluo, so he answered at once.
"I know a little. Among the Soul Masters I've met, the oldest First Soul Ring was around three hundred years old. Mine was two hundred and ninety. I'd say I'm pretty good at identifying Soul Beast species and their ages, but I'm not sure what the maximum age is for each of a Soul Master's Soul Rings."
Mo Lin flashed a sly smile and murmured,
"Good."
The next day, Feng Li took Mo Lin into the Star Dou Great Forest.
As they searched for Soul Beasts, Feng Li suddenly asked,
"By the way, do you have any requirements for the Soul Beast you want to hunt? I heard your Martial Soul is very unusual."
Mo Lin smiled.
"We'll see what fate brings. My Martial Soul is too unusual. If we come across any century-old Soul Beasts, just keep an eye on them."
Over the next hour, Mo Lin encountered all sorts of Soul Beasts: a hundred-year-old turtle, a two-hundred-year-old green snake, and so on. Soul Beasts of that age were already excellent choices for ordinary Soul Masters, but neither Feng Li nor Mo Lin was satisfied. They both felt that anything less than around four hundred years old wasn't worth hunting and wouldn't live up to Mo Lin's standing.
Mo Lin watched a century-old Chinese Boy swing past in the trees and shook his head.
"Uncle Feng, we should go deeper. The Soul Beasts around here are much too young."
Feng Li rubbed his chin.
"Looks like that's our only option. The Soul Beasts around the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest really are too young. It's extremely difficult to find one older than three hundred years here. But the farther in we go, the more aggressive Soul Beasts we'll encounter. If they ambush us, I can't guarantee your safety completely."
"That's fine. I'm only hunting for a First Soul Ring, so we won't go too far in. Besides, if I die this easily in the Star Dou Great Forest, then I suppose it was simply my fate." Mo Lin's tone was utterly calm. As someone who had already died once, he had long since lost his fear of death.
And it wasn't as if he had died suddenly, losing consciousness in an instant. He had died of illness; for him, death had been a long process. If the next time he died happened in an instant, he might even feel lucky.
Seeing Mo Lin speak so calmly about death at such a young age, Feng Li couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. He was also convinced that someone with such a temperament would achieve great things in the future. He had to keep Mo Lin safe.
"If that's the case, I'll do everything I can to protect you. Let's go!"
The Star Dou Great Forest really was a dangerous place. They had explored only five minutes farther in before encountering three Soul Beasts around three hundred years old. But they were still far short of Mo Lin's requirements, so Feng Li drove them away.
Mo Lin didn't have twin Martial Souls, and he had no idea what kind of Soul Skill he might obtain. There was only one way to ensure he could completely surpass Tang San: the quality of his Soul Rings. He hoped his First Soul Ring would be over five hundred years old.
After six years of focusing on the Golden Light Incantation and Triple Inverse Life, two internal cultivation techniques, he believed he could withstand a Soul Ring over five hundred years old. That was why he had asked Feng Li whether he knew the maximum age for a First Soul Ring. Since Feng Li didn't know, Mo Lin would face less resistance when choosing a Soul Beast.
As they walked, a small river appeared in front of them. It was only a little over a meter deep. Under normal circumstances, a river this shallow couldn't possibly contain an old aquatic Soul Beast, so they were about to leave.
But Feng Li suddenly grabbed Mo Lin, pressed him to the ground, and gestured for him to stay quiet. Then he pointed ahead.
Following Feng Li's gaze, Mo Lin saw a brown land tortoise about two meters tall and two and a half meters wide drinking by the river. At first glance, it looked much like the land tortoises Mo Lin had seen at the zoo in his previous life, only larger. He asked softly,
"Uncle Feng, is there something special about that turtle?"
Feng Li lowered his voice too.
"That kind of turtle is called an Eternal Turtle. It's an extremely rare kind of turtle Soul Beast. Because it looks so ordinary, it's easily overlooked. Its only distinguishing feature is the spiral-shaped black markings on its limbs. Some Soul Masters might even see one and fail to recognize it. According to the records, this Soul Beast won't die even after a thousand years without food or water. Instead, its Soul Power keeps growing. That's why it's called an Eternal Turtle."
"So you had me duck down because you were afraid it would attack us?" Mo Lin asked.
Feng Li shook his head.
"No. This Soul Beast has another characteristic: before it reaches a thousand years old, it's extremely timid. Whenever another Soul Beast or a human approaches, it immediately retreats into its shell. To protect itself, its shell grows at a frightening rate before it reaches a thousand years old. This one looks to be around six hundred years old. They say it takes a top-level Soul King's full-force strike just to break its shell. I'm level fifty-six, but I can't guarantee that once it pulls into its shell, I'll be able to badly injure it and give you a chance to kill it."
Mo Lin stared at the turtle and thought for a moment.
"Uncle Feng, is the body inside its shell just as hard?"
Feng Li considered the question.
"Probably not. If its outer shell is that hard, then it must be there to protect a body with no defenses."
A smile spread across Mo Lin's face. The words "plan successful" might as well have been written all over it.
"Then there's no problem. Uncle Feng, just get ready to protect me!"
Before you continue