Meowmeow's current appearance was unmistakably that of Meowth, its second-stage evolution in the game.
And after Meowmeow appeared, two yellow soul rings emerged beneath Lu Yuan's feet. In truth, they were thousand-year soul rings disguised through his Shining Tournament Domain.
"Meow~" (Master, ever since you broke through to Soul Grandmaster, I felt a little tired. Once you recalled me into the Martial Soul Space, I lay down right away and had a sleepy little nap. My body felt all warm while I slept, and when I woke up, I had evolved, meow.)
Although Meowmeow had evolved into Meowth, he still could not speak. Fortunately, he and Lu Yuan shared a mental connection, allowing Lu Yuan to understand what Meowmeow was meowing about.
An idea flashed through Lu Yuan's mind. If Meowmeow could evolve into the second-stage Meowth once his soul power reached level twenty, did that mean he could evolve into Magic Cat at level forty, then undergo a super evolution into Crowned Magic Cat or Fighting Cool Cat at level sixty?
Lu Yuan shook his head, casting aside his stray thoughts.
"Meowmeow, never mind that for now. The fight comes first."
Lu Yuan had never expected his first proper sparring match with another Soul Master after arriving in the world of the Douluo Continent to involve battling against type.
It reminded him of a certain master of battling against type he had watched in his previous life on Blue Star, who commanded a yellow-skinned lightning mouse in battle.
"Meow!" (Yes, Master, meow~)
Lu Yuan and Meowmeow faced Yan head-on. His soul power was lower than Yan's, so he decided to strike first.
"Why is his martial soul alive?"
"Is this what an external martial soul is?"
The moment Meowmeow appeared, a commotion swept through the spectators.
"Wow, what an adorable little green kitty."
Hu Liena stared at Meowmeow's adorable appearance, her eyes wide and her fingers clasped together. Her heart was practically melting.
"So this is Lu Yuan's external martial soul?"
Xie Yue rubbed his chin, finally understanding what their teacher had meant that morning by an external martial soul. It was simply a martial soul with independent intelligence.
No wonder our teacher said Lu Yuan cultivates soul power more than three times faster than ordinary people. The Soul Master and martial soul can act independently and cultivate separately. By the time Lu Yuan is thirteen or fourteen, like us, he might reach Four-Ring Soul Ancestor or even Five-Ring Soul King.
The more Xie Yue thought about it, the more frightening it became, leaving him dumbstruck. By that reckoning, Lu Yuan would not make it in time to join their Golden Generation for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament two years later.
But for the tournament seven years later, would Lu Yuan not be very likely to compete alongside him, Hu Liena, and Yan?
Xie Yue sank into thought. Having been designated the Golden Generation's captain early on, he did indeed have more to consider. He was already thinking about how to coordinate with Lu Yuan, improve his combat teamwork with the Golden Generation, and even bridge the rift between him and Yan.
Yan knew he had one more ring than Lu Yuan, and that there was a qualitative difference between the effects and power of skills provided by hundred-year soul rings and thousand-year soul rings.
Brimming with pride, Yan also waited to let Lu Yuan strike first. After all, this was a sparring match, with so many classmates watching. He did not want to earn a reputation for bullying the young and throwing his strength around against the weak.
"Meowmeow, use Photosynthesis!"
The second soul ring beneath Lu Yuan's feet flashed. Following his command, Meowmeow applied a Photosynthesis Mark to himself right where he stood.
A large ring of translucent, blue-green leaves appeared around Meowmeow, dancing about him along with pink petals.
The symbol of the Photosynthesis Mark appeared on Meowmeow's chest, then immediately vanished.
"Hm? Don't tell me this is a support-type soul skill."
With his wealth of practical combat experience, Yan immediately recognized it as a support soul skill.
"Hahaha!"
Yan threw his limbs about, covered his face with his right hand, and tipped his head back in laughter.
"Kid, so you're not just a control-type Soul Master, but a support-type Soul Master too. And from what I can see, your Meowmeow has wood and life attributes. Not only does my power attack system counter your Soul Master types, but my Flame Lord counters your martial soul too."
"So..." A wicked grin curled Yan's lips.
"With the odds stacked against you like this, you still won't surrender? Call me Grandpa Yan, and I might let you off for the sake of your being Nana's new friend."
Yan was carried away with smugness, but Lu Yuan paid it no mind.
In this world, there were no rule-based counters between soul beasts and martial souls-nothing like your attacks dealing triple damage to me while mine dealt only a quarter of their damage to you.
Ultimately, it still came down to how well a Soul Master wielded their martial soul. True strength reigned supreme.
"If we haven't fought, how would I know you're just a paper tiger, Yan?"
"You... you're at death's door, and you're still talking tough!" Mocked by Lu Yuan yet again, Yan had lost his patience. He clenched both fists and gritted his teeth.
"What do you mean, 'you'! Meowmeow, use Vine Strangle!"
After trading trash talk with Yan before the fight, Lu Yuan decided to strike first, unleashing Meowmeow's only current offensive soul skill, Vine Strangle.
Thick, green, thorn-covered vines suddenly sprouted in a ring around Yan, seeking to strangle him outright.
"Hmph, a mere trifling trick. Flame Lord, burn them!"
Yan roared, and scorching flames appeared over his body, burning the approaching vines of Vine Strangle.
Yet even as fierce flames engulfed him, the thorny vines remained wrapped around Yan. Their scorched, brittle thorns still stabbed him, making him cry out in pain.
What's going on? Ordinary vine attacks would turn to ash the moment they touched my Flame Lord. Why are the thorny vines of his Meowmeow martial soul so tough? Could it be...?
Yan's pupils trembled. Seeing the smug look emerge on Lu Yuan's face, he immediately thought of a shocking possibility.
Lu Yuan's external martial soul, Meowmeow, was of higher quality than his Flame Lord.
After all, the Meowmeow Lu Yuan had summoned possessed a leader's bloodline and could evolve into Crowned Magic Cat or Fighting Cool Cat. He was already an outstanding member of the Meowmeow species.
Yan's Flame Lord, meanwhile, was an ancient martial soul. Although its quality was high, it was not the highest.
There was no need even to mention the Six-Winged Angel martial soul of Spirit Hall's Angel Clan, or the Sea God Martial Soul inherited by Bo Saixi, a descendant of Poseidon's lineage on Sea God Island.
Even renowned martial souls such as the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon and the Clear Sky Hammer, whose quality could grant innate full soul power, were slightly superior to Yan's Flame Lord.
"Hmph!" Yan remained dismissive.
No wonder this Lu Yuan has cultivated to a Soul Grandmaster's soul power level approaching Soul Elder at just eight years old. This so-called Meowmeow martial soul has an unremarkable name, yet its quality is actually higher than my Flame Lord's.
Although I counter his soul power attributes, a casual burst of martial soul fire still isn't enough to burn away the thorny vines Lu Yuan summoned with his soul skill. Unfortunately... As the thought crossed Yan's mind, he suddenly let out a furious roar!
"You have soul skills, and so do I!"
The second soul ring beneath Yan's feet flashed.
"Second soul skill, Granite Rock!"
At Yan's command, the phantom of the Flame Lord behind him raised a hand and clenched it. A chunk of granite streaming with roiling lava appeared out of thin air, instantly smashing apart the Vine Strangle thorns wrapped around his body, which had been scorched into black charcoal.
"First soul skill, Hellish Magma Charge!"
Yan immediately used his first soul skill, Hellish Magma Charge. With blazing flames and flowing magma covering his body, he became a streak of red light and hurtled straight toward Lu Yuan and Meowmeow with the speed of a thunderclap that left no time to cover one's ears.