A panel with standards of its own
A month later, on the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest.
Towering ancient trees blotted out the sky and sun, while lush vegetation filled the woods. Unnamed birds and beasts occasionally darted through the forest, lending it something of a fantastical yet real quality.
Su Lin looked curiously at the scenery around him, while Grant walked directly ahead, keeping him safe.
With no experience threshold standing in his way, Su Lin had easily reached level ten just last night.
And now that he had reached level ten, obtaining a Soul Ring and capturing a Soul Beast needed to be put on the agenda.
As the orphanage's only child in recent years to possess the talent to become a Soul Master-and exceptional talent at that-Su Lin naturally received the attention of its director, Grant. Despite his busy schedule, Grant had specially made time to help Su Lin obtain his first Soul Beast and first Soul Ring.
Su Lin had no intention of hiding the Poké Ball's effects. He only said that it could capture Soul Beasts as soul pets to fight others in his place, and that they could level up as he grew.
Whether to hide one's abilities depended on the circumstances. Unless he never used his Martial Soul to duel other Soul Masters in the future, there was simply no hiding something like this.
Grant had been greatly amazed upon learning what the Poké Ball Martial Soul could do. After all, this was the first Martial Soul of its kind in the history of the Douluo Continent.
And amid his astonishment, he had also thought of something utterly terrifying: Su Lin could practically be called invincible among those of his level.
At least, Grant had been unable to face a several-hundred-year Soul Beast alone as a Soul Scholar, much less simultaneously face four thousand-year Soul Beasts forming an integrated offensive and defensive system as a Soul Ancestor. Even now, as a Soul King, he could only flee if he had to confront five Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.
It could be said that Su Lin alone was an entire team. If he became a Titled Douluo...
He dared not imagine it, dared not imagine it...
In Grant's eyes, becoming a Soul Saint would already be an extraordinary achievement for Su Lin. Even with some fortuitous encounter, he could, at the very most, only reach level eighty and become a Soul Douluo. Grant did not even dare think about anything like a Titled Douluo.
Still, whether Soul Saint or Soul Douluo, all that was far too distant. What mattered most right now was helping him secure his first Soul Beast.
"Little Lin, take a look and see which of these Soul Beasts you like."
An hour later, Grant laid more than a dozen Soul Beasts he had knocked unconscious before Su Lin. Most ranged from one hundred to three hundred years old, and they came in all sorts of varieties.
"Look at this one, a Soft Bone Rabbit. Its attack power is average, but its strength lies in its agility. In a real fight, it can even give your opponent a bite with those two front teeth. It would be suitable as a scout or for harassment later on."
"And this one, a Gale Rat. Its explosive power is top-notch, and its short-distance sprinting speed is unrivaled among Soul Beasts of the same age. A thousand-year Gale Rat can even use skills like wind blades."
"This Stone Armor Badger is good too. It can take hits and dish them out. Once it's older, it can even form stone armor over its body. It makes a pretty good meat shield."
"And there's the Flowing Wind Weasel, the Rock Shell Turtle..."
Su Lin lowered his head and examined them one by one. Beyond Grant's perception, an illusory panel appeared before his eyes.
[Soft Bone Rabbit] [Base stats: low] [Evaluation: capture not recommended] [Gale Rat] [Base stats: low] [Evaluation: capture not recommended] [Flowing Wind Weasel] [Base stats: low] [Evaluation: capture not recommended] [Mandala Snake] [Base stats: low] [Evaluation: capture not recommended]
[Evaluation: capture not recommended]
After examining several in succession, all the panel's prompts advised against capturing them, and Su Lin could not help furrowing his brow slightly.
He had not expected the panel to have quality requirements for captured Soul Beasts as well. Still, this was actually a good thing for him. After all, he would not have to worry about wasting his time on Soul Beasts with poor potential.
Hmm... why does that sound so mercenary...
Su Lin muttered inwardly, unable to help feeling a tiny bit ashamed of himself first.
"Um, Uncle Grant, could we try another batch? These all feel like they're not quite good enough." Su Lin gave Grant an apologetic smile.
"It's fine. You should compare your options carefully before choosing your first Soul Ring."
When it came to Su Lin, Grant actually felt rather helpless too.
Originally, with his judgment and strength as a Soul King, he could have handled Su Lin's entire Soul Ring Configuration and acquisition before he became a Soul Emperor.
Which age of Soul Beast should go with which attributes, and what kinds of Soul Beasts could be found in which areas-he knew it all. He could have arranged everything perfectly with his eyes closed.
But man's plans were no match for heaven's. Su Lin had awakened an unprecedented Poké Ball Martial Soul, and Grant could not make heads or tails of it.
Traditional Soul Ring recommendations were completely useless in his case. All those principles about age ratios and complementary attributes no longer worked. All Grant could do now was use the most clumsy yet practical method: give Su Lin as many options as possible, then let the boy choose based on his own feelings.
That was also why he had abandoned the idea of taking Su Lin as his disciple. After all, since he could not give his disciple advice guaranteed to be effective on the path of his future development, even if they called each other master and disciple, he could only be an inadequate teacher.
With that thought, Grant mobilized his Soul Power once more. Dark purple mist as dense as ink rose around him, and a pair of enormous bat wings covered in fine, dark markings unfurled from his back. Then he bent his knees slightly to gather strength, and his figure abruptly tore through the air into the woods.
His Martial Soul was a Shadow-Eroding Spirit Bat, a Beast Martial Soul of fairly good quality that even received some decent bonuses in the darkness of night.
Over the next two hours, Grant was like a tireless living search-and-capture machine, making four trips back and forth. Wherever he went, he swept up every Soul Beast of a suitable age within that small area and brought the whole batch before Su Lin. Unfortunately, not a single one met the panel's capture standards.
After releasing the captured Soul Beasts yet again, even someone of Grant's consistently gentle and steady disposition could not help standing there with his hands on his hips and letting out a long breath. Then he turned his head and stared at Su Lin for quite a while with a look that was half helpless and half suspicious.
"Little Lin," Grant rubbed his chin, "be honest with your uncle... you're not deliberately messing with me, are you?"
"Ahaha." At those words, Su Lin could do nothing but laugh awkwardly.
Making a mighty Soul King bustle back and forth through the outer forest like a hardworking bee, all just to catch assorted roadside fare for a little level-ten newbie, only for that newbie to pick and choose and turn up his nose at every last one... If he were Grant, he probably would have impatiently picked the boy up and taken him home long ago.
But Su Lin could only say that he felt helpless about it too. Could the panel's standards be too high?
Seeing that the sky was growing dark while he and Grant were still staring at each other, Su Lin could not help starting to beat the retreat drum inwardly. He wondered whether he should simply catch one that looked decent and use it for now, then release it once he grew stronger and choose another suitable one to raise. Either way, it would only mean wasting some time.