Standing nearby, Dean Wang Zongchang watched the scene with an intrigued expression.
When ordinary Soul Masters absorbed Soul Rings, they guided the rings directly onto themselves.
But with Lin Mo's external beast Martial Soul, the Martial Soul actually "ate" the Soul Ring first, then absorbed it together with its host. It was certainly an unusual way to absorb a Soul Ring.
Perhaps this was what made an external beast Martial Soul special.
He thought this to himself while keeping an even more vigilant watch on their surroundings, standing guard over Lin Mo to prevent any unforeseen disturbance from interrupting this crucial absorption process.
Time trickled past. Fine beads of sweat seeped from Lin Mo's forehead, and his skin flushed slightly, as though he were enduring considerable heat.
But his breathing remained steady. Though his expression was serious, he showed no sign of pain. Clearly, the absorption was proceeding fairly smoothly.
About an hour later, the fluctuations of Soul Power around Lin Mo gradually subsided, and he slowly opened his eyes.
The Soul Ring absorption had succeeded!
His Soul Power Level had also naturally broken through to level twelve, officially making him a One-Ring Soul Master!
Yet there was little joy on Lin Mo's face. Instead, a clear trace of disappointment showed.
He sighed softly.
Sure enough, things hadn't turned out as perfectly as he'd imagined.
He had not obtained the "Sunny Day" Soul Skill he had longed for.
Wang Zongchang had been watching Lin Mo's condition all along. Seeing his expression after he woke, he asked with concern:
"What is it? Was the Soul Skill not what you expected?"
Hearing the dean's question, Lin Mo quickly adjusted his expression, shook his head, and forced a smile as he said:
"No, the new Soul Skill is very good. It's called Flame Charge. It covers Charmander's body in flames, increasing the power and speed of his charge."
To make his words more convincing, he gave a mental command and said to Charmander at his feet, "Charmander, demonstrate it."
Charmander understood. With a low growl, a layer of orange-red flames that was not particularly fierce sprang up over his body with a whoosh,
then he abruptly accelerated toward an empty patch of ground nearby, leaving a faint scorched trail across the ground.
He was indeed considerably faster than usual, and the momentum of his charge looked more ferocious as well.
But only Lin Mo knew that what Charmander had demonstrated was not his newly acquired first Soul Skill at all, but an extremely weakened version of Flare Blitz, a Soul Skill he had already mastered.
He had Charmander suppress his strength, displaying only a "Flame Charge" effect that looked reasonably practical but was by no means too astonishing.
He had decided not to reveal his true first Soul Skill for the time being.
Charmander's actual first Soul Skill was called "Flame Body." Its effect was quite straightforward and forceful: upon use, it enhanced the user's attack and defense.
When Lin Mo first learned that Charmander's first Soul Skill was Flame Body, he had frozen for a moment. Though he had not obtained the Sunny Day he had longed for, Flame Body was still an excellent choice.
Flame Body's specific effects were somewhat similar to Bulk Up as Lin Mo remembered it. Both strengthened the user's attack and defense, and could be stacked multiple times.
Lin Mo was thoroughly satisfied with this Soul Skill.
Moreover, this meant that after becoming a Martial Soul, Charmander could not only master skills on his own by raising his Soul Power Level.
He could also obtain Soul Skills adapted to the Douluo Continent by absorbing Soul Rings produced by Soul Beasts, just like a normal Martial Soul.
That was an unexpected delight.
Watching Charmander demonstrate "Flame Charge," Wang Zongchang nodded with approval on his face. "Mm, Flame Charge. A very practical Soul Skill.
"It combines enhanced speed with explosive attack power. Whether used for pursuit, surprise attacks, or a direct assault, it should prove quite effective.
"Moreover, Soul Skills of this type generally won't become obsolete as your cultivation rises. You've laid a good foundation."
Hearing the dean's assessment, Lin Mo inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly agreed. "You're right, Dean. I think this Soul Skill is very practical too."
With the Soul Ring absorbed and the purpose of their journey fulfilled, the two wasted no more time. They immediately set off toward the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest.
With Wang Zongchang, a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, beside him, as long as they did not court death by insisting on venturing into the territories of Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in the forest's core,
they would encounter virtually no danger in this area, where Hundred-Year Soul Beasts were the main inhabitants.
Wang Zongchang easily led Lin Mo around several places where powerful Soul Beasts might dwell, following their original route safely back to the checkpoint at the forest entrance.
With the officer surnamed Li seeing them off warmly, the two boarded the carriage that had long been waiting outside and began their journey back to Nuoding Academy.
The carriage traveled along the smooth official road, and the atmosphere inside was somewhat more relaxed than on their way in.
Lin Mo leaned against the soft seat with his eyes closed. He appeared to be resting, but was actually concentrating on examining the changes in himself and Charmander after absorbing the Soul Ring.
First came his own panel.
[Name: Lin Mo] [Age: Six] [Soul Power: Lv12 (shared)] [Martial Soul: Heart (blood)] [Self-Created Soul Skill: Blood Burst (First-Stage Boiling Blood)]
His Soul Power Level had risen to twelve, while the other information showed no obvious changes from before.
His Second Martial Soul, the heart Body Martial Soul, did not seem to have shown any unusual response to this Soul Ring absorption.
The evolution requirements still displayed "Unknown."
Lin Mo was not surprised by this. It seemed he would still have to slowly feel his own way along the path of cultivating his Body Martial Soul.
Next, he turned his attention to Charmander's panel.
[Martial Soul: Charmander] [Talent: Entei] [Soul Power: lv12] [Mastered Soul Skills: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Rush, Flare Blitz, Metal Claw, Flame Body, Dragon Breath]
Sure enough, two new skills had appeared in the Soul Skill list.
One was "Flame Body," the Soul Ring skill newly obtained after absorbing the Soul Ring. The other was "Dragon Breath."
Unlike Flame Body, Dragon Breath was not a Soul Ring skill, but a new skill Charmander had comprehended and mastered on his own after his Soul Power Level broke through to twelve.
Aside from the new skills, a line of information he had never seen before had appeared at the very bottom of the panel.
[Evolution requirements: Reach Soul Power Level thirty]
Evolution requirements!
Lin Mo's heartbeat involuntarily quickened. Sure enough, as a native who had crossed over from the Pokémon world, Charmander still retained the traits of Pokémon from that world, even though the local rules had transformed him into Lin Mo's Martial Soul.
Not only could he automatically master certain Soul Skills as his level increased, but he could also still evolve in the future.
The evolution requirements were also listed outright: his Soul Power Level needed to reach thirty.
Looking at this clear and straightforward evolution requirement, Lin Mo could not help sinking into thought.
In the Pokémon world, Pokémon evolution often required reaching a certain level, using a particular Evolution stone, or fulfilling certain special conditions.
But here on the Douluo Continent, Charmander had become his Martial Soul, which seemed to have caused his method of evolution to be influenced by this world's rules as well.
On the Douluo Continent, Soul Power Level had instead become the most crucial factor.
But... what exactly was the underlying logic behind this evolution?