Lu Yuan's domain, Shining Tournament, had the ability to conceal his pet's stats in the world of the Kingdom of Locke. In the world of the Douluo Continent, it also allowed Lu Yuan to conceal his own attributes, including his soul ring's age.
Just as the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor in the original story had released the Blue Silver Domain around herself to conceal her soul beast aura after taking human form, Lu Yuan surrounded himself with his domain, disguising his first soul ring of over two thousand years as one of just over four hundred years.
This concealed the strength he had achieved through techniques far beyond this era-strength beyond ordinary people's imagination-and could also let him pull a nasty trick on an enemy at a critical moment.
The three people before him would never have imagined that the age of Lu Yuan's first soul ring already exceeded the usual limit for a soul master's third ring. He had leaped straight over a major hurdle and pulled ahead of them.
"Oh, right, Lu Yuan, what's your first soul skill?" Su Yuntao suddenly remembered this important question and asked him.
"Vine Strangle."
"When I use this soul skill, I recover twice the soul power I spend," Lu Yuan explained to them.
This was one of Meowmeow's skills in the world of the Kingdom of Locke. Lu Yuan had been surprised when it first awakened. He and Meowmeow shared a mental connection, and after he asked Meowmeow about it, Meowmeow examined his own abilities and discovered some of the rules.
After Meowmeow absorbed a soul ring, the first soul skill Lu Yuan obtained would always be one of Meowmeow's skills from the game.
"Ah!"
Didn't that mean he could use it as a perpetual-motion skill?
One round of Vine Strangle felt great; keep strangling, and the good times never stopped.
No, since it returned even more soul power than it cost, wouldn't he be able to fight indefinitely as long as he mixed in a few other soul skills between uses of Vine Strangle and avoided getting injured?
Director Su and the other two stared at Lu Yuan in utter disbelief. How could a hundred-year soul ring grant a soul skill like that?
Even a thousand-year soul-ring-level skill from a thousand-year Azure Vine soul beast would be a little too outrageous.
"Well, Lu Yuan, what level is your soul power now?"
"Level twelve."
Lu Yuan said this deliberately. He had concealed his soul power as well, and Director Su and the other two noticed nothing amiss.
After all, Lu Yuan really had absorbed a two-thousand-year soul ring. Not only was its age four times the conventional upper limit for a first soul ring, but it also represented a qualitative leap from a hundred-year soul ring to a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
In reality, Lu Yuan's soul power had already reached level fourteen, putting him a little ahead of Tang San, whose soul power had reached level thirteen after absorbing the Mandala Snake's soul ring in the original timeline.
Tang San's circumstances were unusual, however. Through the Mysterious Heaven Skill, he had begun cultivating soul power before his martial soul awakened. Even before attaching his first soul ring to his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, Tang San had felt that his soul power exceeded level ten.
So Lu Yuan reaching level fourteen in soul power was still fairly normal.
"Mm." There had been other children with solid foundations who advanced two levels in succession after absorbing a four-hundred-year first soul ring, so none of the three were surprised or doubted Lu Yuan.
"Lu Yuan, now that you've passed level ten and become a soul master, you can register at our Spirit Hall Branch and collect one Gold Soul Coin every month."
"If you advance again and become a Soul Grandmaster, Spirit Hall's reward goes up tenfold. You'll receive ten Gold Soul Coins every month."
Su Yuntao and Sisi took turns encouraging Lu Yuan to register at their Spirit Hall Branch, and Lu Yuan nodded in agreement.
After all, he had no source of income at present. Relying on the Gold Soul Coin Spirit Hall issued each month would at least keep him well fed, so he wouldn't have to worry about getting enough nutrition while he was growing.
Speaking of which, the gap between rich and poor on the Douluo Continent was truly enormous.
A single Gold Soul Coin was almost enough to cover an ordinary family's expenses for an entire year. Yet this was merely Spirit Hall's monthly reward for a One-Ring Soul Master working hard at cultivation.
It was equivalent to an unconditional monthly salary of thirty thousand, handed out for free. Once you became a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster, that immediately rose to three hundred thousand a month.
Of course, the value of money on the Douluo Continent couldn't be compared directly with that on Blue Star, but it still reflected, to some extent, why people held soul masters in such high esteem.
After all, once you crossed the threshold of becoming a level-ten soul master, a truly bright future was waiting just a day away.
With Director Su leading them, the four soon left the Soul Hunting Forest without incident.
Since Director Su had important matters to attend to back at Nuoding Academy, he let Lu Yuan accompany Su Yuntao and Sisi to the Spirit Hall Branch on his own.
After all, given how the Spirit Hall Branch had put itself on the line to help Lu Yuan persuade Lord Xiao to back down that day, Director Su trusted that they wouldn't do anything to him.
The door to the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City opened.
"Yuntao, Sisi, you're back. Why were you gone so long? Huh!"
Ma Xiunuo, who was working inside the Spirit Hall Branch, was quite pleased to hear the door being pushed open.
After all, Su Yuntao and Sisi had gone soul hunting, leaving him to handle most of the work in this enormous Spirit Hall Branch alone. The past few days had nearly worked his old bones to death.
But when Ma Xiunuo looked toward the entrance, he noticed a small figure following behind his two colleagues.
"Lu Yuan? Why did you bring him here?" A trace of confusion appeared on Ma Xiunuo's face.
"Grandmaster, Lu Yuan has passed level ten and become a soul master. He's here to get certified at our Spirit Hall Branch."
"What!"
Ma Xiunuo stared, dumbfounded.
If he remembered correctly, hadn't Lu Yuan's innate soul power been only level 0.5? How had he advanced to become a soul master so quickly?
Sisi smiled at Lu Yuan. "Lu Yuan, show Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo your first soul ring."
"All right." As Lu Yuan spoke, a yellow soul ring appeared beneath his feet. Even without summoning Meowmeow, the attached soul ring could appear around his own body.
"Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo, may I register as a soul master and collect my Gold Soul Coin now?" Lu Yuan asked confidently.
"Oh, of course you may, little Lu Yuan. Don't call me Grandmaster anymore. Just call me Grandpa."
Ma Xiunuo beamed, and Lu Yuan went along with his wishes, calling out,
"Grandpa Ma Xiunuo."
"Yes, little Lu Yuan. Come with me."
Ma Xiunuo took Lu Yuan to record his certification as a soul master at the Spirit Hall Branch, then gave him a gleaming gold soul coin.
"Little Lu Yuan, hold on to this properly. Don't lose it."
The Gold Soul Coin landed with a clink in Lu Yuan's cupped hands.
"Thank you, Grandpa Ma Xiunuo. I'll remember. I still need to work hard at cultivation and try to become a Soul Grandmaster soon, so I'll head back to the academy now."
With a mischievous air, Lu Yuan quietly edged toward the door after taking the Gold Soul Coin.
"Little Lu Yuan, take it easy, and stay safe on the way."
Ma Xiunuo reminded Lu Yuan, who nodded with an "Mm," then turned and left the Spirit Hall Branch.
Once Lu Yuan was gone, Ma Xiunuo immediately put away his smile and looked at Su Yuntao and Sisi.
"Yuntao, Sisi, tell me everything you know about Lu Yuan's cultivation and how he attached his first soul ring."
Su Yuntao and Sisi looked puzzled when they heard this, but complied nonetheless. They recounted how the four of them had waited for the Azure Vine, Dodder, and Rouge Fox soul beasts to slaughter one another, then reaped the fisherman's reward.
They told Ma Xiunuo how Lu Yuan had taken it upon himself to absorb the soul ring produced by the thousand-year Azure Vine soul beast, only to miraculously succeed in attaching it because the soul ring's power had dissipated.
Ma Xiunuo's brows drew together slightly as he pondered.
"What a strange experience. Regardless, Lu Yuan is a child the Martial Soul Hall Headquarters-especially the Pontiff-wants to keep an eye on. I must hurry and report to Spirit City that he became a soul master in only about a year."