Choosing the First Spirit Ring

Amon finished cultivating and exhaled softly. His Soul Power had risen by one level, returning to level twelve.

He moved his body, loosening the stiffness in his muscles from holding the same posture for so long.

"Amon, I've reached level ten."

The door flew open with a bang, and Yan Jin rushed in excitedly, shouting.

She was thrilled. At level ten, she could hunt a Spirit Ring and become a true Soul Master. It was a qualitative leap. More importantly, after becoming a Soul Master, she could collect a living allowance from Spirit Hall every month!

If she had qualified earlier, she would not have had to work so hard, nor would all the trivial burdens of daily life have held back her cultivation.

"Oh, congratulations. I've already given some thought to the target for your first Spirit Ring."

As he spoke, Amon took a book down from the shelf.

"Of course, it's only a suggestion. If you have a different idea, you can follow your own preferences."

Yan Jin scratched her head. "Huh? We can choose Soul Beasts? Isn't it just a matter of using whatever we manage to hunt?"

"Using whatever Soul Beast you happen to kill..." Amon smiled. "That is indeed the reality for the vast majority of commoner Soul Masters. They have no one to protect them and no right to choose. They can only rely on luck.

"But don't we have Ms. Ma Wen's help? She will assist us when we need our first and second Spirit Rings. In fact, that is the most important part of the agreement."

"Then tell me, what Soul Beast would be suitable for my first Spirit Ring?"

Yan Jin's eyes lit up. Having a choice was naturally best. Soul skills could be said to be the most important component of a Soul Master's combat strength.

"This one." Amon flipped the book open to the appropriate page.

Yan Jin glanced at it twice, then asked in surprise and doubt, "A Slime?"

"Yes."

"Can a Soul Beast like that really work?"

Yan Jin did not enjoy studying theoretical knowledge, but she still understood the basic principles.

"Shouldn't the stronger the Soul Beast we hunt, the better? Only powerful Soul Beasts can provide powerful soul skills."

"There is some truth to that statement, and it conforms to objective laws. But victory in battle does not depend solely on powerful offensive skills. Some support-type abilities can help you perform better." Amon adjusted his Monocle as he explained.

"I have consulted a great deal of material, and to some extent, it has confirmed my conjecture.

"The soul skills Soul Masters gain by hunting Soul Beasts are not entirely Random. There are certain underlying patterns. I believe three factors affect the final effect of a soul skill.

"First is the nature of the martial soul. Soul skills are attached to the martial soul. The same Spirit Ring will produce different soul skills when attached to different martial souls.

"Second is the species of the Soul Beast. That goes without saying.

"Third is the Soul Master's personal desire. The third point is merely my speculation, but it is highly likely.

"When the nature of the martial soul, the species of the Soul Beast, and the Soul Master's own desire all align, there is a very high probability that the soul skill gained will match what the Soul Master desires."

After listening for a long while, Yan Jin finally shook her head blankly. "I don't really understand."

Amon could only continue explaining. "For example, suppose a Soul Master's martial soul is a sword. He hopes to gain a soul skill that makes his sword sharper, so he hunts a Sword Fighting Beast.

"It is a Soul Beast that looks like a baboon, with metallic blades for arms and powerful close-combat abilities.

"The Soul Master desires 'sharpness,' the sword martial soul can carry 'sharpness,' and the Sword Fighting Beast's arms also possess the characteristic of 'sharpness.'

"When those three factors converge, the soul skill that Soul Master gains will most likely be the 'sharpness' effect he desired."

Yan Jin's little face was full of seriousness and focus. She nodded from time to time to show that she was listening attentively.

Pointing at the Slime illustration in the book, Amon said:

"Your martial soul is magma. You can infuse it with Soul Power to produce large quantities of magma, giving it tremendous destructive force.

"But you cannot freely control the magma you create. You can only let it spread. No matter how destructive it is, it is useless if it cannot hit anyone.

"So, you need a soul skill that allows you to control the form of magma. You need precise control over your martial soul, changing the flow and shape of the magma according to your will.

"Perhaps its short-term effect will not compare to a powerful offensive skill, but in the long run, it will benefit you for life.

"You need to understand this: low-level offensive skills are often useless in battles between high-level Soul Masters. Powerful Soul Masters rarely use the soul skills they acquired while weak, because those skills can no longer keep pace with them. They have become outdated.

"You may become a Soul Douluo in the future, or even a Title Douluo, but 'form control' will never become obsolete.

"Slimes are Soul Beasts with fluid characteristics. They are liquid and can freely control their own shape, which suits your needs.

"You need 'form control.' Magma is fluid and can be 'form-controlled.' Slimes can independently 'control their form.' The three factors align, so a Slime is an excellent choice for you.

"Additionally, there is another important point. Although Ma Wen has promised to help us, that help has limits. She will not spend excessive resources on this. We cannot ask her to find a rare Soul Beast that matches the age range your first Spirit Ring can absorb."

Yan Jin nodded seriously. "I completely understand... In short, I need to hunt a Slime, and when I absorb the Spirit Ring, I need to hold onto the desire to gain its 'form control' ability, right?"

"That's right."

"But aren't Slimes water-attributed Soul Beasts? Wouldn't that conflict with magma?"

"That is where the problem lies. You need a mutated fire-attributed Slime. Slimes are extremely common low-level Soul Beasts, and precisely because they are so weak, mutation is very common among them. If a Slime population did not contain a few Slimes of other attributes, that would be abnormal!" Amon closed the book and returned it to the shelf.

"Finding a Soul Beast takes time, so wait patiently. I will negotiate with Ma Wen and have her send people to find a fire-attributed Slime that meets our needs."

Yan Jin nodded. Although she desperately wanted to hunt a Soul Beast and obtain her Spirit Ring immediately, she knew this could not be rushed. A great deal of preparation was needed. Hunting Soul Beasts was dangerous, and a single mistake could cost her life.

When Ma Wen heard Amon's request, she frowned. "A fire-attributed Slime? Are you sure you want to use such a trash Soul Beast? They are difficult to find, and you will not gain any powerful soul skills from them. I can send a Soul Elder to hunt one for you, so you needn't worry about the Soul Beast being too powerful to kill. I would recommend a Chocobo or a Flame Frog."

Amon shook his head. "We have our own considerations. This is the result of careful thought."

Ma Wen pondered for a moment, then nodded. "As long as you know what you are doing. I will send people to look for a target and notify you once they determine an approximate location."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Ms. Ma Wen." Amon gave a slight bow.