Immortal Herb Martial Soul, Ink Jade Divine Bamboo

Over an hour later, Mo An felt mentally drained and ended his cultivation. He returned to his little bamboo chair, sat down, and took out the Azure Bamboo clan's Soul Beast Compendium to read. With Innate Full Soul Power, he could obtain his First Soul Ring at any time. Choosing the right Soul Beast was crucial.

After skimming the contents, Mo An found that most of the Soul Beasts recorded in the compendium were plants. Given the Azure Bamboo clan's plant-type Spirit Bamboo Martial Soul, that made sense.

The first plant-type Soul Beast in the main text was Lone Bamboo. Yes, the very Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo Yu Xiaogang had described as "not our first choice for now, but if nothing more suitable turns up, it'll have to do."

Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo was nothing to write home about, but century-old Lone Bamboo had decent offensive power and quite good defense. It could grant the Spirit Bamboo Martial Soul a hardening-type Soul Skill. Choosing it for a Soul Ring would allow a Soul Master to develop along either the Power Attack System or Defense System path.

As he turned the pages, the bewildering variety of Soul Beasts opened Mo An's eyes. Whenever he found one suited to the Power Attack System, he read its entry again and again, using his limited knowledge to judge whether its Soul Skill would suit him.

If Mo An wanted to demand an explanation from Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect, he had to develop along the Power Attack System path. Without formidable combat strength, he could never beat them into submission and make them answer for what they had done.

"Young master, dinner's ready."

Uncle Fu's voice pulled Mo An out of the Soul Beast Compendium. Only then did he feel his stomach protesting and catch the aroma of food drifting over from the distance.

"Coming, Uncle Fu."

At Uncle Fu's call, Mo An put the Soul Beast Compendium back into the Azure Jade Ring and ran to the nearby table. He picked up his bowl and chopsticks and dug in.

"Young master, I made some inquiries today. The City Lord's Mansion can also issue proof of Martial Soul Awakening. Innate Full Soul Power is far too astonishing. Once you can control your Soul Power freely, you can go there to have your Innate Soul Power tested. How much you reveal is up to you. With proof of Martial Soul Awakening, you'll be able to study Soul Master knowledge systematically at a Soul Master Academy."

"Absorbing a Soul Ring requires a strong body. When the Azure Bamboo clan was still around, children who awakened their Martial Souls exercised and took medicinal baths. I still remember the formula. After dinner, move around in the courtyard, and I'll prepare a bath for you."

"As for your Soul Ring, you can decide which Soul Beast to hunt. Once you've grown stronger, you can pay a reliable team of Soul Masters to help you obtain it."

Uncle Fu ate at an unhurried pace as he explained his thoughts. He was only a steward who knew a little more than most; no one had ever taught him about Soul Masters. These few matters were all he could think of.

There were other things he knew only in scattered fragments, but he did not dare mention them. He feared that getting some detail wrong might affect the young master's future.

"Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Fu. The Green Bamboo Compendium records exercises for strengthening the body. I'll follow them in a little while."

"No trouble, no trouble. I've finished eating, so I'll prepare your medicinal bath now."

Older people generally had smaller appetites. Uncle Fu ate only a small bowl of rice before taking his bowl and chopsticks out of the rear courtyard to fetch the ingredients for the bath.

After another two bowls of rice, Mo An took his dishes to the kitchen. Then he went to an open space in the rear courtyard, settled into a stance, and began exercising with punches and sweeping kicks. Since he had only just started, his movements were neither smooth nor precise.

As time passed, though, his punches and kicks grew more precise—and more exhausting. These exercises were nothing like Colorful Sunshine, the Third National Radio Calisthenics Routine for Primary and Secondary School Students that Mo An had used before. The more accurately he performed them, the harder it became to complete a set.

The exercises trained the body to the fullest and increased flexibility. Combined with the medicinal bath to follow, they could strengthen his physique as much as possible and give a newly awakened Soul Master a solid foundation.

Supposedly, the exercises were a reward bestowed by the Clear Sky Sect, intended for children who had just awakened their Martial Souls. The Azure Bamboo clan had developed the medicinal bath themselves.

Over an hour later, an exhausted Mo An lay in the tub of medicinal liquid and closed his eyes in comfort. A pleasant tingling spread through every part of his body. As his Soul Power circulated, his body absorbed as much of the liquid's essence as possible, and he could clearly feel himself growing stronger.

This feels wonderful!

As he soaked in comfort, Mo An thought of Whale Rubber, a heaven-defying treasure that would not be discovered until ten thousand years later.

Compared with slowly exercising to improve his physique, Whale Rubber was clearly more suitable for Mo An and his Innate Full Soul Power. Taking it could strengthen the body quickly, allowing a Soul Master to absorb a Soul Ring of a higher age.

The Azure Bamboo Pharmacy had Whale Rubber, but most of it was dried century-old stock, which was less effective. Mo An planned to look around North Sea City tomorrow and see where he could find fresh Whale Rubber of a higher age.

After his medicinal bath, Mo An returned to his room and lay down on the bed, but he tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

So much had happened today. The moment he lay idle in bed, one jumbled thought after another surfaced in his mind. On top of that, awakening his Martial Soul and gaining Soul Power had left him brimming with energy. How could he possibly fall asleep?

As Mo An tossed and turned, his gaze happened to land on the books piled on a shelf in the corner. He had picked them all up in North Sea City. There were collections of curious tales from across the continent, books on common Soul Master theories, travelogues published by Soul Masters, and other works he had thought might prove useful.

His eyes passed over the books, and a memory suddenly surged up from deep within his mind. Mo An sprang out of bed, hurried to the shelf, and pulled down a badly damaged ancient tome. He remembered where he had seen that kind of bamboo: in the last few pages of this very book.

He had found the ancient herbal tome at a secondhand market in North Sea City. He flipped quickly to the final section on rare herbs, studied its descriptions and illustrations, then summoned his Martial Soul to compare.

Once he had checked every detail, Mo An burst out laughing. His Black Jade Bamboo Martial Soul was the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo—an Immortal Herb that appeared as one of the Six Great Ferocious Beasts of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well in Legend of the Three Dragon Kings, set on Douluo Continent.

According to the ancient tome, the Immortal Herb Ink Jade Divine Bamboo possessed two utterly opposite qualities: strength and flexibility. It was the finest material for forging a Peerless Divine Weapon. Legend of the Three Dragon Kings had also stated that fusing with Ink Jade Divine Bamboo could greatly enhance a Martial Soul's own combat power.

It was the Martial Soul best suited to developing along the Power Attack System path.

Mo An believed that with the right Soul Rings, the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo would someday grow into a divine weapon no defense could withstand.