Stepping out of the forest's edge, Lin Yan looked back at that endless green ocean, harboring countless secrets and dangers, and a thousand emotions stirred within him. A month ago, he had ventured into it. Now, he had successfully returned with a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. Not only had his strength grown considerably, but more importantly, he had found a clear, viable path for the future of his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.
His steps toward Nuoding City grew lighter despite himself. About five days later, a familiar shop-the Hundred Herbs Shop-came into view.
The setting sun's lingering glow fell across the shop's old-fashioned signboard. The entrance had been swept clean, without any clutter. Somewhat reassured, Lin Yan strode over.
He pushed open the shop door, and the bell above it gave a crisp jingle. Everything inside remained as before. The medicinal herbs on the shelves were neatly sorted and clearly labeled, and the floor was spotless. The two assistants were busy behind the counter, one carefully weighing herbs while the other packed an order and settled the bill for a regular customer.
Seeing Lin Yan enter, Brother Li first offered a habitual "Welcome." Once he recognized Lin Yan, delighted surprise immediately spread across his face. "Young master! You're back!"
Uncle Zhang and the elderly customer also looked over at the sound. The old customer greeted him with a smile. "Young boss, were you away on a trip? You were gone quite a while this time."
A gentle smile naturally appeared on Lin Yan's face as he replied, "Yes, Uncle Li. I went traveling for a while and looked around for some new goods, too. Come have a look once I've sorted them out in a little while."
As he spoke, his gaze swept through the shop, and the last of his worries faded. Not only was the shop operating normally, it seemed even more orderly than before he had left. The assistants were also full of vigor.
"Young master, thank you for your efforts on the journey." Uncle Zhang hurried out from behind the counter and spoke respectfully.
Lin Yan waved a hand and addressed the two assistants pleasantly. "Thank you for your hard work during the month I was away. You've managed the shop very well. I'm very satisfied."
Hearing their employer's approval, both Uncle Zhang and Brother Li broke into honest, happy smiles and hastily said they were only doing their duty. The older of the two said, "You placed your trust in us, young master, so naturally we had to do our utmost. This past month, we've bought and sold herbs according to the rules you laid down before leaving. Every account has been recorded clearly. We'll bring the books for you to review later."
"Mm, good." Lin Yan nodded, feeling even more gratified. He had chosen these two assistants precisely because they were dependable and knew their duties. Now, it seemed he had indeed chosen well.
The shop's ability to keep operating smoothly despite his long absence showed that its basic structure and procedures were already in place. Even if he needed to spend longer periods away cultivating in the future, the Hundred Herbs Shop, his foundation, could keep running as long as he made proper arrangements. This was crucial to his future plans.
After asking a few more simple questions about the shop and confirming that nothing troublesome had happened, Lin Yan offered the assistants a few words of encouragement, then passed through the back door into the courtyard where he lived.
The little courtyard was still quiet and tidy, no different from when he had left. Clearly, the assistants had cleaned it regularly as well. Closing his room's door and shutting out the faint bustle of the shop, Lin Yan let out a long breath. His nerves, taut all this time, finally relaxed completely. The security of home brought a comfortable weariness over him.
He did not rest immediately, however. First, he fetched water and washed himself thoroughly, then changed into clean clothes, removing the dust of his travels and the scent of the forest.
Then he lit the room's oil lamp and sat down at his desk. Outside the window, the sky had already darkened, and the first stars had appeared.
It was time to properly review the enormous gains from this journey into the Star Dou Great Forest and plan his future direction.
Lin Yan spread out some paper, picked up a pen, and pondered for a moment before beginning to organize his thoughts point by point:
One, core validation: replenishing life origin and the path of Martial Soul Evolution were viable!
This was the greatest gain of his journey, worth far more than a thousand-year Soul Skill. By absorbing the Iridescent Withering and Flourishing Fern's Soul Ring, his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul's life origin had been significantly strengthened, specifically in the following ways:
1. Strengthening of the Martial Soul's physical form: the grass blades were sturdier and tougher, their color deeper, and they brimmed with vitality.
2. Awakening of derivative abilities: it had gained abilities to grow its blades and entangle targets that were almost like Soul Skills. Although they were weaker than true Soul Skills, they marked the beginning of Blue Silver Grass breaking free from the shackles of being a "trash Martial Soul," taking a solid first step toward the control system.
3. Loosening of the barrier to its potential: most crucially, he had felt the innate barrier restricting the advancement of his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul loosen! Where he had once felt there was no hope of breaking through rank thirty in his lifetime, he now saw a glimmer of hope. This proved his conjecture entirely correct-absorbing the Soul Rings of high-quality, highly compatible life-type plant Soul Beasts was the key to compensating for his Martial Soul's innate deficiencies and driving its evolution!
I must follow this path without wavering. Lin Yan wrote the words "life origin" and "evolution" heavily on the paper, underlining them for emphasis.
Two, age considerations for the second Soul Ring: physical limits and room for improvement.
Although absorbing the fourteen-hundred-year Iridescent Withering and Flourishing Fern Soul Ring had been painful, he had ultimately succeeded. Moreover, his Soul Power had risen directly to rank fifteen, with a solid foundation. This showed that his current physical constitution was sufficient to withstand the impact of a Soul Ring's power at that age.
Based on the Limit Theory widely accepted in the Soul Master World-the first Soul Ring at 423 years, the second at 764 years, the third at 1,760 years, and so on-and his own experience, Lin Yan began making calculations:
With a physical constitution far beyond that of ordinary people, I withstood roughly fourteen hundred years for my first Soul Ring. After successfully absorbing it, the feedback from my Soul Power and the Soul Ring's nourishment improved my constitution further. Then, when I obtain my second Soul Ring, the limit my body can withstand should rise another step.
Recalling descriptions of the impact of Soul Ring power from the books he had read and combining them with his own experience, he made a rough estimate. Conservatively speaking, choosing a Soul Beast around thirty-five hundred to four thousand years old for my second Soul Ring should be within my tolerance. If I can find another way to improve my constitution further before obtaining my second Soul Ring, such as finding heavenly treasures that strengthen the body or undergoing harsher physical training, perhaps... I could attempt to challenge a Soul Ring around five thousand years old!
Five thousand years-that was already the age limit for an ordinary Soul Master's fourth Soul Ring! At the thought of this possibility, Lin Yan's heartbeat involuntarily quickened. The benefits of absorbing Soul Rings beyond the usual limits were enormous. Not only were the Soul Skills stronger, but the improvements to Soul Power and constitution were also more pronounced.
On the paper, he wrote, "Second Soul Ring: target age 4,000±, strive for 5,000 years," and noted beside it, "Prerequisite: continue strengthening the body."
Three, knowledge bottleneck: the scarcity of Soul Beast information and possible solutions.
The plan looked wonderful, but the practical problem was this: where could he find a suitable life-type plant Soul Beast four or five thousand years old?
Most of the information he currently possessed came from what he had read at Nuoding City's Spirit Hall Branch and the library of the Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy. These materials contained few records of plant Soul Beasts to begin with, and those over two thousand years old were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Moreover, most leaned toward aggression or poison, like the Crypt Demon Vine, and did not fully align with the direction of strengthening "life origin" that Lin Yan sought. As for animal-type Soul Beasts, powerful though they were, they clearly could not provide the nourishment to his life origin that he needed most.
Knowledge is power. What I lack most right now is detailed information on high-level plant Soul Beasts. Lin Yan frowned in thought. Ordinary bookstores, or even the information channels in small towns, could no longer meet his future needs.
He thought of several possible directions:
1. Large cities and auction houses: he could head to a larger city, where high-end bookstores, Soul Master-related auction houses, or intelligence organizations might have more valuable books for sale. However, the prices would inevitably be steep, and finding them would also require an opportunity.
2. Soul Master organizations: joining a Soul Master clan or sect would naturally give him access to its accumulated store of knowledge. But this meant accepting restrictions, which went against his original intention of developing freely.
3. Soul Master academies: this seemed the ideal choice. Intermediate Soul Master Academies and even advanced Soul Master academies, in particular, possessed systematic teaching frameworks, vast library collections, and experienced instructors. There, he could not only study Soul Master knowledge systematically but also gain access to detailed information on various Soul Beasts, especially rare ones. An academy's environment was also relatively safe, conducive to his steady growth, and could provide a measure of support in resources as well.
An Intermediate Soul Master Academy... Lin Yan tapped his fingers lightly against the desktop. His Soul Power was currently at rank fifteen, already meeting the admission threshold for the vast majority of Intermediate Soul Master Academies, which typically required Soul Power above rank ten. His age was suitable, too.
It seems it's time to consider entering a Soul Master academy. Lin Yan wrote "Intermediate Soul Master Academy" on the paper and circled it. This won't just be for acquiring knowledge. It will also make excellent cover. Being an academy student will let me reasonably explain my growth in strength, while giving me ample time for cultivation and research.
Having finished reviewing these three points, Lin Yan brought his thoughts back to the present. Entering an academy required preparation, and the Hundred Herbs Shop also needed proper arrangements.
For the coming period, my first priority is to stabilize my current rank-fifteen Soul Power and become proficient with the Illusory Color Concealment Soul Skill and Blue Silver Grass's new abilities. At the same time, I'll begin gathering admissions information on nearby Intermediate Soul Master Academies and choose the most suitable one.
As for the Hundred Herbs Shop, this test has proved that the two assistants are capable of maintaining its daily operations. I can devote more effort to cultivation and only need to return regularly to check on things. Perhaps I could find another reliable person to lend a hand occasionally...
His thoughts gradually grew clear, and a blueprint for the future slowly unfolded in Lin Yan's mind. His path was now defined: centering on life origin, evolving his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul by absorbing compatible Soul Rings of high ages, and using the Soul Master academy system to obtain knowledge and resources.
He blew out the oil lamp, and the room fell into darkness, with only specks of starlight outside the window. Lin Yan lay down on his bed and soon fell into a deep sleep. He slept especially soundly that night.