Hunting a Soul Ring: Eternal Turtle

Salas stared at the mysterious golden vortex, an equally incredulous expression appearing on his face. "This martial soul is simply too bizarre!"

On Douluo Continent, every known martial soul had a clear source of form and was tangible. Yet Mo Lin's martial soul was something formless—something unheard of.

Moreover, from the moment Mo Lin's martial soul appeared, Salas had sensed an ineffable feeling from it, convincing him that this martial soul was far from simple and that Mo Lin was absolutely worth cultivating.

Salas signaled for Mo Lin to put away his martial soul, then said:

"What are your parents' identities?"

Mo Lin replied, "I've been an orphan since childhood. I've never seen my parents."

Salas stroked his goatee. "An orphan? Could it be that this martial soul truly mutated by chance? But that's even better. With no faction behind him and no relatives to speak of, he can serve Spirit Hall all the better."

After saying that, Salas snapped his fingers. A man who appeared to be in his thirties or forties walked in from outside the hall.

"He is Feng Li, a level fifty-six Soul King. His martial soul is the Mountain-Splitting Axe. Tomorrow, he will take you to Star Dou Great Forest to hunt a soul beast. Afterward, I'll have him escort you to Spirit City, where you will study at Spirit Hall's main hall. Prepare yourself well!"

"Yes!"

After bowing, Mo Lin left the main hall and followed Feng Li to his accommodations.

On the way to his room, Mo Lin took the initiative to ask:

"Uncle Feng, do you know anything about the age limit for the soul beast needed for a first soul ring?"

Knowing that Mo Lin was a genius with innately full soul power who was qualified to study in Spirit City—and whose future achievements could reach the rank of Titled Douluo—Feng Li immediately answered:

"I know a little. Among the soul masters I know, the oldest first soul ring was around three hundred years. Mine was two hundred and ninety years. I consider myself fairly skilled at identifying the species and age of soul beasts, but I'm not very clear on the maximum age for each soul ring a soul master can absorb."

Mo Lin gave a wicked smile and quietly said:

"That's good."

The next day, Feng Li led Mo Lin into Star Dou Great Forest.

While searching 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 extremely unusual."

Mo Lin smiled.

"I'll leave that to fate. My martial soul is too special. If we encounter any hundred-year soul beasts, just keep an eye on them."

Over the next hour, Mo Lin encountered all kinds of soul beasts: hundred-year old turtles, two-hundred-year green snakes, and so on. Soul beasts of that age would already be considered excellent for ordinary soul masters, but neither Feng Li nor Mo Lin was satisfied. They both believed that anything below roughly four hundred years was not worth hunting and did not suit their status.

Mo Lin watched a century-old monkey swing past from the trees and shook his head.

"Uncle Feng, let's go deeper. The soul beasts around here are a little too young."

Feng Li rubbed his chin.

"It seems that's our only option. The soul beasts around the outskirts of Star Dou Great Forest really are too young. It's indeed very difficult to encounter a soul beast over three hundred years old here. But the deeper we go, the more aggressive soul beasts there will be. If they launch a sneak attack, I can't completely guarantee your safety."

"That's fine. We're only hunting my first soul ring, so we won't go too deep. Besides, if I die so easily in Star Dou Great Forest, then it can only be said that it was my fate." Mo Lin's tone was exceptionally calm. As someone who had died once before, he had long since lost his fear of death.

Besides, he had not died suddenly, like someone who dropped dead without warning. For a person who died of illness, death was a lengthy process. If his next death came in an instant, he might even consider himself fortunate.

Seeing Mo Lin speak so calmly about death at such a young age, Feng Li could not help but feel sympathy for him. He was also convinced that someone with such a temperament could not possibly have low achievements in the future. He had to keep Mo Lin safe.

"If that is so, then I'll protect you with all my strength. Let's go!"

Star Dou Great Forest truly was a dangerous place. After only five minutes of venturing inward, they encountered three soul beasts around three hundred years old. However, they were still far below Mo Lin's requirements, so Feng Li drove them away.

Mo Lin currently did not possess twin martial souls, nor did he know what kind of soul skill he might obtain. If he wanted to ensure that he could completely surpass Tang San, there was only one way: the quality of his soul rings. He wanted his first soul ring to be over five hundred years old.

Having focused for six years on the internal cultivation techniques of the Golden Light Incantation and Triple Inverse Life, he believed he could fully withstand a soul ring over five hundred years old. That was why he had previously asked Feng Li whether he knew the age limit for a first soul ring. Since Feng Li did not know, Mo Lin would encounter less resistance when choosing a soul beast.

As they walked, a small river appeared before them. It was only a little over a meter deep. Under normal circumstances, a river of such depth could not possibly contain high-age aquatic soul beasts, and they were about to leave.

But suddenly, Feng Li grabbed Mo Lin, pressed him to the ground, and motioned for him not to make a sound. Then he looked ahead.

Following Feng Li's gaze, Mo Lin saw a brown land turtle about two meters tall and two and a half meters wide drinking by the riverbank. At first glance, it looked much like the land turtles Mo Lin had seen at zoos in his previous life, except it was somewhat larger. He quietly asked:

"Uncle Feng, is that turtle special?"

Feng Li lowered his voice as well.

"That turtle is called an Eternal Turtle. It's an extremely rare type of turtle soul beast. Its appearance is very ordinary, and its only distinguishing feature is the spiraling black patterns on its limbs, so it is easily overlooked. Some soul masters cannot recognize one even when they see it. According to records, even if it goes a thousand years without food or water, this soul beast will not die. Instead, its soul power will continuously grow. That is why it is called an Eternal Turtle."

"So you made me lie down because you were afraid it would attack us?" Mo Lin asked.

Feng Li shook his head.

"No. This soul beast has another trait: before reaching a thousand years, it is extremely timid. Whenever another soul beast or a human approaches, it immediately retracts into its shell. Therefore, to protect itself, the increase in the hardness of its shell before a thousand years is terrifying. This one looks to be around six hundred years old. They say it would take the full-force strike of a peak Soul King to break its shell. Although I'm level fifty-six, I can't guarantee that I could seriously injure it and give you a chance to kill it after it retracts."

Mo Lin stared at the turtle before him and thought for a moment.

"Uncle Feng, is the body inside its shell still tough?"

Feng Li thought about it.

"Probably not. Since its outer shell is so hard, it naturally exists to protect the body, which has no defensive ability."

Mo Lin smiled, as though the words Plan successful were written across his face.

"Then there's no problem. Uncle Feng, just get ready to protect me while I absorb the ring!"