His gaze first fell on Soul Rings and Soul Bones.
And compared with Soul Rings, Soul Bones seemed more likely to become the catalyst for his Second Martial Soul's evolution.
After all, Soul Bones clearly corresponded to the various important parts of the human body, whereas Soul Rings carried an extra measure of uncertainty.
Like Soul Rings, Soul Bones were special items produced after a Soul Beast died.
But unlike Soul Rings, Soul Bones had an extremely low drop rate-less than one in a thousand across all Soul Beasts.
Unlike Soul Rings, Soul Bones had no restriction that only the killer could absorb them, which led to demand far exceeding supply.
Even the most ordinary Soul Bone could fetch an astronomical price on the market.
Absorbing a Soul Bone not only greatly increased a Soul Master's strength, but also granted them a new skill bestowed by the Soul Bone.
If the Soul Bone itself was of exceptionally high quality and extremely compatible with the Soul Master, it was not impossible for it to trigger further changes-or evolution-in their Martial Soul.
Aside from Soul Rings and Soul Bones, another possible external influence was the "heavenly treasures" nurtured by heaven and earth. The most common among these were the "immortal herbs" in Lin Mo's memories.
At that thought, several particularly memorable examples immediately came to mind.
For instance, the immortal herbs Tang San had obtained at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Among them, the Aromatic Silk Beauty had helped Ning Rongrong of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect undergo a transformation worthy of a carp leaping through the Dragon Gate.
It had outright evolved her Martial Soul from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, breaking the innate restriction that limited the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul to seven Soul Rings, and paved her road to becoming a Titled Douluo in the process!
Then there was Ma Hongjun. His original Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul had possessed severe flaws. Later, he had consumed the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower provided by Tang San, purging the Evil Fire and purifying his phoenix bloodline, finally freeing him from the torment of Evil Fire.
Later still, on Sea God Island, Ma Hongjun had received the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent Inner Core from Tang San. After swallowing it and converting it into his Seventh Soul Ring, he had finally taken his Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul a step further, evolving it into the Ten-Headed Fire Phoenix.
In both examples, spiritual treasures of heaven and earth with compatible attributes had directly brought about an evolution in the very essence of their Martial Souls!
As for Tang San's own Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul evolving into the Blue Silver Emperor, that situation was rather special.
He had only successfully completed his Martial Soul's evolution-or rather, its Second Awakening-with the help of a Blue Silver King whose cultivation had reached eighty-five thousand years.
That had transformed his Blue Silver Grass into the Blue Silver Emperor.
However, the process of Tang San's Martial Soul transforming had seemed less like evolution and more like an awakening brought on by stimulating his bloodline, thereby causing his Martial Soul's Second Awakening.
Strictly speaking, it had not relied solely on external objects.
After all, if Tang San had not possessed the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline, his Blue Silver Grass could only have remained Blue Silver Grass for his entire life. It could never have transformed into the Blue Silver Emperor.
Besides, Tang San's situation was too special. He wasn't a pure human to begin with, but a human-Soul Beast hybrid. His Martial Soul's evolution offers no useful reference.
Lin Mo soon ruled Tang San out. He was not a Soul Beast hybrid, and there was no hidden bloodline of a top-tier Soul Beast inside him waiting to be awakened.
His thoughts thus returned to the "external influence" itself.
If my Second Martial Soul's evolution also requires outside intervention... Lin Mo could not help wondering, then what exactly will my opportunity be?
Would it be some Soul Bone whose attributes were extremely compatible with his Body Martial Soul?
For instance, a Soul Bone produced by some top-tier Soul Beast possessing tremendous vitality or the power of Qi and blood?
After absorbing it, perhaps he could trigger a transformation in his Body Martial Soul?
Or would he need to find a spiritual treasure of heaven and earth that perfectly matched his Martial Soul's attributes, like Ning Rongrong and Ma Hongjun had?
For instance, the Aromatic Silk Beauty and Ning Rongrong, the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent Inner Core and Ma Hongjun, or ten-thousand-year profound ice marrow and all Ice-type Soul Masters...
Then where was the spiritual treasure of heaven and earth suited to him? Lin Mo could not help sinking into thought.
But soon, when he recalled just how rare those two kinds of external influences that might bring about his Martial Soul's evolution were,
The spark of fervor that had just risen in Lin Mo's heart swiftly cooled, as though a basin of cold water had been poured over it, replaced by a deep sense of dejection and helplessness.
There was no other reason: neither Soul Bones nor spiritual treasures of heaven and earth such as those immortal herbs were things a mere One-Ring Soul Master like him could access at present.
Soul Bones went without saying. They were supreme treasures every Soul Master dreamed of, things one might encounter but could never seek out at will.
The appearance of any single Soul Bone was enough to shake the Soul Master World, even sparking bloody struggles. Otherwise, Soul Bones would not have earned the fine title of Blood River Treasure!
With his current strength, never mind owning one-even seeing one was almost an extravagant hope.
And spiritual treasures of heaven and earth such as those immortal herbs were equally rare and precious.
Compared with other elusive spiritual treasures of heaven and earth, immortal herbs seemed easier to find. Lin Mo also knew that countless immortal-grade medicinal herbs were gathered in the treasure land known as the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
But setting aside the fact that he had no idea exactly where the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was, even if he knew, did he have the ability to force his way in with his current strength?
Could he seize immortal herbs right under the nose of Dugu Bo, that poison-wielding old monster? The answer was clearly no.
That would be tantamount to ending his hard-won third life ahead of time.
Strength... in the end, I'm still not strong enough. Lin Mo heaved a heavy sigh inwardly, feeling utterly helpless.
Knowing where the path might lie, yet lacking the ability to walk it-that feeling truly was stifling.
But soon, Lin Mo shook his head forcefully, as though trying to shake that dejection out of his mind.
I can't reach for what's beyond me. It really is too early to think about these things, Lin Mo silently admonished himself.
For now, what he could do had not changed. He still needed to cultivate diligently and steadily raise his Soul Power Level with his feet firmly on the ground.
Only with sufficient strength would he have the qualifications and opportunities to seek those chances that might exist.
Only by becoming strong himself would he be able to seize an opportunity when it appeared, rather than watch helplessly as it slipped away before his eyes.
Level thirty... I'll set a small goal first and raise my Soul Power to level thirty as soon as possible. Lin Mo reaffirmed his resolve.
When the time comes, not only will Charmander be able to evolve into Charmeleon and grow much stronger, but I'll also be able to absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, bringing my overall strength to a new level.
Only then will I have the basic strength needed to search for an opportunity to evolve my Second Martial Soul, I suppose.
As for the even more distant mysteries of Body Martial Soul Second Awakening, or even Third Awakening, those would require powerful strength as a safeguard all the more.
A road had to be walked one step at a time, and a meal eaten one mouthful at a time.
Having lived three lives, Lin Mo understood that principle better than anyone.
Once he had thought all this through, Lin Mo's heart, which had grown somewhat restless after his cultivation breakthrough, gradually settled and returned to its usual steadiness.
He no longer dwelled on the "unknown" evolution conditions on the panel, nor troubled himself over future opportunities that remained unknowable.
His most pressing task was still to cultivate diligently, increase his Soul Power, and prepare to attend an intermediate Soul Master Academy in the near future.
The carriage continued rolling smoothly along. Inside, the dean also seemed to have entered a state of cultivation, his breathing steady.
Lin Mo adjusted his sitting posture and entered a state of cultivation as well. Meanwhile, the Soul Power inside him circulated silently along the route prescribed by his meditation method, wasting none of the time he could spend cultivating.
Cultivating and becoming stronger-those were what mattered most to him now, and the only things he could hold firmly in his own hands.