After spending three full days roaming the Soul Hunting Forest, Lin Mo and Dean Wang Zongchang finally found three Soul Beasts that looked passable.
One was a Cyndaquil with roughly two hundred years of cultivation, another was a Torkoal approaching four hundred years, and the last was a Saber-Toothed Earth Dragon just over three hundred years old.
Judging by their ages and attributes alone, all three barely met the requirements Lin Mo had previously proposed.
Lin Mo studied the recorded information and locations of the three Soul Beasts, rubbing his chin as he pondered carefully.
Which one should I choose?
Cyndaquil was the youngest at only two hundred years, so it unfortunately became the first candidate Lin Mo eliminated.
A Soul Ring's age directly affected the power of its Soul Skill and the attribute bonuses it granted. If he could choose an older one, he naturally should.
That left Torkoal and the Saber-Toothed Earth Dragon.
The Saber-Toothed Earth Dragon had an intimidating name, with "dragon" in it, but Lin Mo knew perfectly well that the dragon bloodline within this kind of Soul Beast was pitifully thin, almost negligible.
Even if he absorbed its Soul Ring, it probably would not bring any meaningful improvement to the quality of Charmander's bloodline.
By contrast, not only was Torkoal the oldest, at nearly four hundred years, but from his observations, it also seemed to possess an innate ability similar to "Sunny Day."
That greatly tempted Lin Mo.
A Soul Skill like "Sunny Day" changed the weather within a certain area, greatly enhancing the power of Fire-type skills.
If Charmander really could obtain it, the boost to his strength would be far from trivial.
Even taking a step back, if he failed to obtain "Sunny Day," Torkoal itself was a pure Fire-type Soul Beast of quite good quality.
Absorbing its Soul Ring would at least grant a Fire-type offensive Soul Skill of considerable power. However he looked at it, he would not lose out.
With that thought, Lin Mo made his decision.
He raised his head and looked at Dean Wang Zongchang, who had been waiting patiently beside him. "Dean, I've decided. Let's choose that Torkoal approaching four hundred years."
A slight smile appeared on Wang Zongchang's face. He seemed unsurprised by Lin Mo's choice and nodded.
"Mm, it's old enough, and its attribute is compatible. A good choice. Let's get moving, then. Hopefully that Torkoal hasn't moved its nest."
Following the markers they had left earlier, the two set off again toward an area of the Soul Hunting Forest thick with dark-brown low shrubs.
Torkoal seemed to be something of a homebody and did not range far. Without much effort, they spotted it again beside a dry slope backed by rocks.
The big fellow lay there, slowly chewing a type of red moss flecked with sparks.
Its shell was a dull black, marked with orange-red patterns resembling burning charcoal and faintly radiating heat.
"That's the one," Wang Zongchang told Lin Mo in a low voice. "Wait here. Summon your Charmander to protect yourself. I'll be right back."
Lin Mo nodded obediently. With a thought, the orange-yellow Charmander appeared beside his feet, watching the distant Torkoal warily.
Wang Zongchang stepped forward a few paces, then released his Lie Yan Blade Martial Soul.
In an instant, scorching heat spread outward from him.
A long blade, crimson from end to end and seemingly formed from solidified flames, slowly condensed in his hand.
At the same time, two yellow and two purple Soul Rings-four in total-rose swiftly from beneath his feet and slowly pulsed around his body.
The appearance of these four Soul Rings, particularly the two purple Thousand-Year Soul Rings, sent out heart-palpitating fluctuations of power.
Watching the Soul Rings revolving steadily beneath the dean's feet, Lin Mo could not help marveling inwardly.
The dean should have been about the same age as that Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang, yet he looked considerably younger.
Most importantly, his Soul Power Level made him a genuine Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, and it looked as though he still had room to advance in the future.
Setting aside becoming a Six-Ring Soul Emperor, his chances of breaking through to Five-Ring Soul King within his lifetime were quite substantial.
On that point alone, his prospects were far brighter than those of Grandmaster, who would remain stuck at level twenty-nine all his life.
While Lin Mo was examining the Soul Rings on the dean's body, Wang Zongchang had already attacked.
His third Soul Ring, the purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring, suddenly lit up.
"Third Soul Skill, Lie Yan Slash!"
The Lie Yan Blade Martial Soul in his hand erupted with dazzling red light. As he swung it, a crescent-shaped arc of scorching blade light shot out, cleaving straight toward Torkoal, which had already sensed the danger and withdrawn its head and limbs into its shell.
Boom!
The flaming blade light struck Torkoal's shell precisely, producing a dull crash on impact.
Although Torkoal was a Fire-type Soul Beast renowned for its defense, that defense still fell somewhat short against a full-power strike from a Soul Ancestor.
In particular, Wang Zongchang's Lie Yan Blade Martial Soul was also Fire-type, clearly suppressing Torkoal's flames on the level of attributes.
A crack deep enough to expose bone instantly appeared where the blade light struck its shell, shattering a good portion of the shell along with it.
Torkoal let out a pained hiss. Clearly badly wounded, it grew utterly feeble.
Seeing that his strike had succeeded, Wang Zongchang hurried forward and delivered several more slashes, completely breaking through Torkoal's defenses.
Wang Zongchang was very satisfied with the effect of this strike. He drew back his blade and stood still as the light of his Soul Rings dimmed, then turned and beckoned to Lin Mo.
"All right, Lin Mo, bring your Charmander over.
"I've already wounded it severely. It won't live much longer, and I've broken down its defenses. I'll leave the rest to you two."
Hearing this, Lin Mo immediately ran over with Charmander. Once closer, he could see Torkoal's condition more clearly.
It was tucked inside its shell, but the crack in the shell was plainly visible. Through the wound, he seemed able to see its heart faintly beating beneath the flesh.
"Charmander, attack that wound!" Lin Mo commanded.
Charmander gave a low growl, thrusting out his short forelimbs as he quietly activated Metal Claw.
This time, however, Metal Claw showed no outward manifestation. All its power remained contained within, leaving no flaw for others to detect.
He leaped nimbly, driving his sharp claws viciously and precisely into the wound the dean had opened!
"Shhk-"
A soft sound rang out, accompanied by Torkoal's final, feeble cry, and its signs of life rapidly faded.
Soon, a bright Yellow Soul Ring slowly emerged from its corpse, giving off gentle yet powerful fluctuations of power.
A hundred-year Soul Ring!
Looking at this first Soul Ring, a milestone on the path of a Soul Master, Lin Mo took a deep breath and suppressed his excitement.
He patted Charmander's head, then sat cross-legged right beside Torkoal's corpse, assuming a cultivation posture.
Charmander copied him, settling down beside him with his large blue eyes fixed on the Yellow Soul Ring.
"Let's begin," Lin Mo told Charmander.
Charmander nodded, then opened his mouth and sucked hard at the Yellow Soul Ring.
The yellow hundred-year Soul Ring instantly turned into a streak of light and was swallowed directly into Charmander's belly.
Immediately afterward, Lin Mo felt a vast surge of power pour into his body through his connection with Charmander.
Not daring to delay, he immediately focused all his attention on guiding this power through his body along the route prescribed by his meditation method.
Working together with Charmander, he refined the violent power that came from the Soul Ring.