On the third day after leaving South Mountain Valley Village, the three stopped to rest in a mountain forest.
Jiang Lin found a flat Shitou to sit on, took out a pale blue pill from his Mustard Seed Storage Ring, and handed it to A Shan: "Eat this."
A Shan took it and examined it. The pill wasn't large, with a faint sheen on its surface. It smelled of fresh, herbal scents, not strong, like the aroma of freshly picked leaves crushed from a tree. He looked up at Jiang Lin: "What is this?"
"A pill to improve your constitution," Jiang Lin said. "The reason your left hand's mutation is incomplete is partly because your current constitution can't handle the burden of the mutation. After taking this, your meridians will be smoother, and the mutation will be truly complete."
A Shan didn't ask any more questions, put the pill in his mouth and swallowed it. It didn't taste particularly special, like swallowing a warm pebble.
But soon after, he felt a warm sensation spreading from his chest, flowing down his arm to his left palm, like a small stream gently flowing beneath his skin. He looked down at his left hand—
The scale patterns on my palm were clearer than before, and the bluish-gray sheen at the edges was deeper, as if something had finally cleared the path that was previously blocked.
He tried clenching his fist; his left hand was more flexible than before, as if the thin membrane separating him and his left hand had finally been removed.
"How are you feeling?" Jiang Lin asked.
A Shan clenched his fist several times, then said, "My left hand is more obedient than before. Before, when I used my left hand, I always felt like there was a layer between us, like I was wearing gloves. Now that feeling is gone, it feels like it was always meant to be mine."
Jiang Lin nodded. "Try circulating your Soul Power again."
A Shan closed his eyes and tried to guide his Soul Power to his left palm. He had tried several times before, but it was like hitting a soft wall; he couldn't gather or disperse his Soul Power.
This time, however, his Soul Power flowed smoothly into his palm, like flowing through a cleared riverbed, encountering no resistance. He opened his eyes. "It seems... much smoother than before, there's no feeling of blockage."
Jiang Lin took out a crystal ball from his Mustard Seed Storage and handed it to him. "Test it again." A Shan pressed his hand on it, and the bluish-gray halo inside the ball was much more solid and darker in color than before.
Jiang Lin glanced at it and said, " Your Innate Soul Power is now at level five. Your physique has improved, and your Soul Power will naturally increase after the mutation is complete. Things will get smoother from now on."
A Shan looked at his left hand, as if for the first time truly feeling that it was his own hand, and not some extra thing.
After resting, the three continued their journey. After about an hour, Jiang Lin slowed his pace and gestured for A Shan to slow down as well. He pointed to a patch of bushes on the side of the road ahead. "Look over there."
A Shan looked in the direction he pointed, and saw a grayish-brown Soul Beast munching on grass roots in the shadows of the trees. It wasn't large, resembling a wild boar but with a more pointed snout, and had a row of light-colored short bristles on its back. It was unaware that someone was watching it and was eating intently.
"That's Spineback Boar, a second-tier Soul Beast, primarily earth-attribute. Its attack method is charging; it's not fast, but it's very strong," Jiang Lin said. "If its Soul Ring were attached to a defensive Martial Soul, it would provide a significant boost, but it's not suitable for you."
"Why?" A Shan asked.
"Because your Martial Soul is your left hand, and the left hand is suitable for close-range and defensive enhancements, not for power-type charge Soul Ring —those don't match the rhythm of your Martial Soul."
Jiang Lin said, "From now on, you should develop the habit of first judging the attributes of a Soul Beast when you see it, then predicting what Soul Skill you might get after absorbing its Soul Ring, and finally deciding whether it is worth your time to track it down."
Not all Soul Ring are usable, nor are all Soul Ring suitable for your Martial Soul. A person can only have a maximum of nine Soul Ring; you can't waste any Soul Ring slots.
A Shan didn't speak, but kept staring at the Spineback Boar, as if trying to memorize its appearance. After finishing the grass roots, the Soul Beast slowly walked away.
Jiang Lin waited until it completely disappeared from sight before turning his gaze away. "After you encounter it more often, you'll naturally be able to tell the difference."
They walked for another two days, crossing two low ridges, and entered another valley that was not marked on the map.
There is a village in the valley, slightly larger than South Mountain Valley Village. There are several old camphor trees at the entrance of the village, and the road leading into the village is paved with large and small bluestone slabs, which are slightly slippery when stepped on, as if many people have walked on them for many years.
After entering the village, Bai Lingyu struck up a conversation with an elderly woman who was picking vegetables at the village entrance. After exchanging a few words, the woman, upon learning that they were Soul Master, stared at Bai Lingyu for a while before putting down her vegetables, standing up, and shouting into the village, "Village Chief! Soul Master have arrived!"
Jiang Lin and Bai Lingyu helped four children awaken their Martial Soul in Bluestone Village. The Martial Soul of the first three children were an iron pot, scissors, and a bench, all of which were farm Martial Soul or implements. Their Innate Soul Power was zero or extremely low, making them unable to cultivate.
A Shan stood to the side, watching the first three children take turns standing in the center of the array plate. He noticed that when the first child awakened, a shadow of an iron pot appeared in the child's hand—it only flashed and then disappeared, as if it would vanish with a gust of wind.
As the child stepped off the array, he glanced back at his hands; they were empty, just like before his awakening. A Shan also looked down at his left hand—
The scale-like texture was still there on the palm of his left hand. He slowly clenched his fist to make sure the texture was still there, then released his hand, looked away, and didn't let anyone see what he was looking at.
The fourth child's Martial Soul was a bundle of firewood. Jiang Lin asked him to test his Soul Power, but there was no reaction in the crystal ball.
A Shan stood at the edge of the crowd, watching the child walk down from the altar. The child's mother patted him on the shoulder, said nothing, and took the firewood from his hand, continuing towards the stove. The village chief also sighed, but said nothing, as if he had long been used to it.
Jiang Lin put away the array plate and crystal ball and stood up. A Shan noticed that Jiang Lin did not pause when putting away the array plate, but his expression was a little calmer than usual, as if he had confirmed something he already knew.
That night, the three of them stayed overnight in Bluestone Village. Bai Lingyu added a line to the journal, " Bluestone Village: iron pot, scissors, bench, firewood; no Body Martial Soul."
The next morning, the three left Bluestone Village and continued south. A Shan walked behind Jiang Lin, his steps much steadyer than before. After walking for a while, he looked down at his left hand, then withdrew it and continued to follow the footsteps ahead.