Chapter 10
Hunter Soul Forest
An old man and a young boy walked through the lush forest, their figures moving gracefully through the trees. The scene seemed like a grandfather taking his grandson for a spring outing, exuding warmth and harmony.
"Chang'an, you've been studying at the academy for more than half a year now. Have you given any thought to your second soul ring?" Meng Shenji asked with a smile, looking back at the little boy behind him. As he spoke, his soul power swirled, pushing aside a dense patch of vines and thorns, clearing a path.
"Grandpa Meng, although my martial soul has its own toxicity and even possesses some characteristics of a beast soul, it is primarily a weapon soul," Li Chang'an replied earnestly. "So, I think it's better to focus on enhancing the 'sword' aspect of my martial soul. Please find me a soul ring that can enhance sharpness and armor-piercing qualities. I don't need anything related to toxicity."
Over the past six months at the academy, Li Chang'an had visited the three Education Committee members for advice and knowledge on various matters. As a result, he had already disclosed to them the fact that his martial soul had two forms.
At first, he had planned to keep it a secret, but after reading extensive records in the academy's library, Li Chang'an discovered that martial souls with dual forms were not as rare as he had imagined. Apart from the Snake Spear Douluo mentioned in the original story, there were other soul masters in the Heaven Dou Empire recorded to have martial souls with similar characteristics.
Therefore, it wasn't too surprising that his martial soul exhibited both beast soul and weapon soul forms, and there was no need to hide it any longer. His biggest advantage in this life lay in the soul beast clone, which could share power. This secret, however, must be kept hidden at all costs. Everything else about his martial soul was safe to reveal.
Li Chang'an had come to the decision that he would focus on developing the "sword" aspect of his martial soul. Rather than trying to balance the characteristics of both the weapon soul and the beast soul, it would be better to specialize in one. Splitting his focus between the two might only lead to mediocrity in the end.
The snake form of his martial soul was primarily used for toxic attacks, but that could be improved through the soul beast clone. The sword aspect, however, could not be enhanced in such a manner.
Thus, he decided that the direction for his future soul rings would be geared toward extreme swordsmanship—sharpness and armor-piercing capabilities. By specializing in these areas, he could maximize the advantages of the sword.
"In the world of martial arts, speed is key!" Li Chang'an thought.
When your sword is fast and sharp enough, no enemy is unbeatable with a single strike.
He would abandon the unnecessary abilities of the beast soul form and concentrate solely on the sword. The power he could unleash by doing so would be extraordinary. Plus, his snake form could serve as a defensive fallback when needed.
...
Upon hearing Li Chang'an's request, Meng Shenji stroked his long beard thoughtfully, nodding in approval. He agreed that this was the right choice. The next step was to find a suitable soul beast to match his martial soul's needs.
Hunter Soul Forest, where they were currently located, was an artificially created area designed to raise soul beasts. The official records of which soul beasts were distributed in this forest were not open to the public. Only high-ranking individuals like Meng Shenji or those with connections had access to the maps that detailed the locations of the soul beast species.
Taking out the map, Meng Shenji quickly compared it to their surroundings and pinpointed their direction. Leading Li Chang'an, they set off toward the area marked on the map.
After a while, a soul beast appeared in front of them.
It was a mantis, its golden body shining as though it were made of metal. The shell on its body reflected the sunlight, casting dazzling light across the surroundings.
"Chang'an, do you know what this soul beast is?" Meng Shenji turned to ask, a smile on his face.
"I learned about it in school," Li Chang'an nodded, recalling the information he had read. "This is the Golden Mantis. It's the perfect match for sword-type martial souls. The soul rings it produces and the soul skills it grants primarily enhance sharpness and cutting power."
"That's right," Meng Shenji said with a proud smile. "This area is the habitat of the Golden Mantis. But this particular one is only about a hundred years old—too young. We'll need to venture deeper into the forest to find one with a more suitable age."
Li Chang'an nodded obediently, following his mentor without question.
When it came to soul rings, there was no strict regulation that weapon-type martial souls had to absorb soul rings from plant-based soul beasts. However, it was generally understood that the soul rings should complement the martial soul's characteristics.
For example, the Golden Mantis before them had a golden, metallic shell and a pair of sharp front limbs resembling knives—clearly, its characteristics were suited to enhancing sword-type martial souls.
Li Chang'an thought back to the original story of Tang San, whose martial soul, the Blue Silver Grass, was not inherently suited for swordsmanship. In fact, Tang San's first soul ring came from the Mandala Snake, an animal soul that had no connection to his plant-based martial soul. This misalignment ultimately led to him gaining a soul skill that was ineffective for his martial soul.
Had Tang San not been lucky enough to awaken the Blue Silver Emperor's bloodline later, he would have likely abandoned his martial soul altogether.
This served as a lesson: a soul master's power was tied directly to how well their martial soul's characteristics aligned with the soul beasts they absorbed. A mismatched soul ring could hinder or even damage a martial soul's essence.
...
"Let's use this one," Meng Shenji said, pointing to a Golden Mantis that stood over two meters tall nearby. "It should be the right age for your second soul ring."
As he finished speaking, Meng Shenji's body became ethereal. He turned into a shadow, and thick black mist rose from his feet. His eight soul rings, two yellow, three purple, and three black, materialized around him, glowing with a haunting radiance.
Li Chang'an observed the configuration of Meng Shenji's soul rings and understood immediately why Meng Shenji had not reached the level of Title Douluo. His fifth soul ring was a thousand-year soul ring, which meant his foundation was weaker than that of most geniuses. Without a ten-thousand-year soul ring, Meng Shenji had reached his peak and would never progress further.
Li Chang'an reflected on the importance of soul rings for a soul master's growth. A single soul ring could make or break a soul master's potential.
It was a reminder that soul rings, while often overlooked, were the backbone of a soul master's future. A slight difference could determine the difference between stagnation and breakthrough.
After all, even a Soul Douluo could hit a ceiling if they didn't have the right soul rings.
******
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