Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
Early that morning, Lin Mo carefully packed his luggage. After making sure he had left nothing out, he went straight to the dean's office.
He stood outside the office and knocked softly.
"Come in." The dean's familiar voice came from inside.
Lin Mo pushed open the door and walked in. Dean Wang was sitting behind his desk, reading a document in his hand.
When he saw that it was Lin Mo, a smile immediately spread across his face, and he casually set the document aside.
"Ah, Lin Mo. Perfect timing. I was just about to look for you," Dean Wang said with a cheerful smile. "Have you packed everything? We'll set off right away."
"Everything's packed, Dean." Lin Mo nodded.
"All right, let's go. I've already arranged a carriage. It's waiting at the academy gates." Dean Wang stood, came around his desk, and patted Lin Mo on the shoulder.
"It'll just be the two of us this time, so getting around will be easier."
The two left the dean's office one after the other and headed toward the academy gates.
A rather fine-looking carriage stood outside the gates.
It was far more luxurious than the donkey cart Lin Mo had ridden to Nuoding City with the village chief last time. Its cabin was larger, and the horses pulling it looked particularly magnificent.
The driver was an honest-looking middle-aged man. Seeing Dean Wang come out, he hurriedly bowed respectfully.
Dean Wang merely waved a hand casually, then led Lin Mo into the carriage.
The cabin was quite spacious, and the cushioned seats were very comfortable.
With a call from the driver, the carriage swayed gently and began rolling smoothly forward. It was not slow, but the ride inside was much less bumpy than Lin Mo had expected.
The carriage left Nuoding City and followed the main road northeast.
Dean Wang looked at Lin Mo sitting opposite him and asked with a gentle smile:
"Lin Mo, our main purpose in going to the Soul Hunting Forest this time is to obtain your first Soul Ring.
"Do you have any specific ideas about the first Soul Ring for your Charmander Martial Soul? Or rather, what type of Soul Beast would you like to obtain it from?"
At the dean's question, Lin Mo did not answer immediately. Instead, he lowered his head and thought carefully for a moment.
He had actually considered this question many times already.
He had not spent the better part of the past year reading in the library for nothing. He had learned a great deal about Soul Beasts and Soul Rings.
Combined with the advantage his identity as a transmigrator gave him, Lin Mo had long since planned the cultivation paths for his twin Martial Souls.
Only after a while did Lin Mo raise his head to look at Dean Wang and calmly lay out the requirements he had long since considered:
"Dean, I've thought it over carefully. My Charmander is Fire-type, and judging by its appearance, it should also count as a kind of dragon Soul Beast, leaning toward the earth dragon variety."
He took a moment to organize his words before continuing, "So what I'd most like to find is a Fire-type Soul Beast or one with an earth dragon bloodline.
"Judging purely by attribute compatibility, the Soul Rings produced by these two types of Soul Beasts should suit Charmander best."
"Oh? Tell me your reasoning." Interest appeared on Dean Wang's face as he encouraged him to continue.
"The reasoning is simple," Lin Mo explained. "A Fire-type Soul Beast's Soul Ring would most likely further strengthen the power of Charmander's own flames, or let it control fire with greater ease.
"An earth dragon Soul Beast's Soul Ring, meanwhile, might improve the quality of Charmander's own bloodline or my physical constitution.
"Whether it strengthens its attribute or improves its quality, either would be quite beneficial to my future cultivation."
He paused, then added, "Of course, Dean, I also know that hunting Soul Beasts and obtaining Soul Rings often comes down to luck. We can't necessarily find whatever we want.
"If we really can't find a particularly suitable Fire-type or earth dragon Soul Beast, then we can take a step back and look for Soul Beasts with powerful innate Soul Skills as alternatives.
"A powerful Soul Skill can also greatly improve combat strength."
After hearing Lin Mo's clear, well-organized answer, Dean Wang Zongchang immediately broke into an undisguised smile of gratification.
He was very satisfied with Lin Mo's answer.
This meant that Lin Mo had a fairly deep understanding of his own Martial Soul's characteristics and potential. Even more remarkably, the boy already had quite a clear and definite plan for his future path of cultivation as a Soul Master!
After all, when obtaining their first Soul Ring, many children who had just broken through to rank ten either knew nothing and followed their teachers' arrangements, or blindly pursued the immediate combat strength a Soul Skill could provide.
Very few thought things through as thoroughly as Lin Mo did.
Compared with the former-understanding one's Martial Soul-he considered the latter, having a clear plan for one's own path, even more difficult.
This meant that Lin Mo could climb higher in the future, perhaps reaching heights he himself could never touch.
Like a hunter delighted at the sight of worthy prey, he could not help wanting to test Lin Mo further.
He went on to ask Lin Mo several fairly standard questions about the basics of Soul Master cultivation, as well as the habits and weaknesses of common Soul Beasts.
As before, Lin Mo gave each a little thought before answering fluently.
His answers were not particularly profound, but his foundations were exceptionally solid, and he had an accurate grasp of many details.
Clearly, all of this came from what he had gained over the better part of the past year, spending almost every spare moment on the first floor of the academy library.
He had repeatedly read and worked to understand those seemingly basic books, and had long since woven their knowledge into a coherent whole.
Seeing that Lin Mo was so solid in theory as well, the admiration in Dean Wang's eyes deepened.
He laughed heartily and gave Lin Mo's shoulder a firm pat. "Good! Very good! That fellow Old Su truly had the discerning eye to spot a pearl this time, making an exception so you could enter and leave the library freely.
"And you certainly haven't wasted that opportunity, boy."
He paused, then offered a piece of news that caught Lin Mo somewhat by surprise. "Lin Mo, once you return from the Soul Hunting Forest this time, the second floor of the academy library will also be open to you."
"The library's second floor?" Lin Mo froze for a moment at his words.
The books housed on the second floor of Nuoding Academy's library contained knowledge more advanced than that on the first floor.
Under normal circumstances, it was only open to teachers working at the academy. Ordinary students had no right to go up there at all.
For Lin Mo, this was undoubtedly an enormous and welcome surprise!
Over the better part of the past year, he had already read nearly all the books that interested him on the academy library's first floor. Even if he kept reading, the new knowledge he could learn would be quite limited.
Now, in all of Nuoding Academy, the only things that still held much attraction for him were the books on the library's second floor that he was not yet qualified to access.