blueteamnovel Chapter 5: My Plans for the First Soul Ring!
Chapter 5: My Plans for the First Soul Ring!
This was a line of thinking that Flanders had never considered before.
Because light-type spirit beasts are so rare and difficult to hunt, few people would risk their lives just for a guess.
Moreover, most Soul Masters prioritize the practicality of Soul Skills when choosing Soul Rings, rather than the compatibility of their attributes.
But Ma Hongjun's suggestion showed Flander another possibility.
"Kid," Flander said slowly, his tone carrying a hint of seriousness that even he himself didn't realize, "your idea is theoretically feasible."
Ma Hongjun was secretly delighted, but remained outwardly calm.
"However," Flander changed the subject, "Light-type spirit beasts are extremely rare, and most of them live in dangerous areas. With your current strength, it's simply impossible for you to hunt them down."
"Aren't there teachers?" Ma Hongjun blurted out.
Flander's lips twitched slightly, whether from being pleased by the flattery or from being annoyed, it was hard to tell.
"You certainly know how to take advantage of a situation." He snorted. "The maximum age for the first spirit ring is 423 years. Finding a light-type spirit beast within that range isn't entirely impossible."
Ma Hongjun's eyes lit up.
"There's a Soul Hunting Forest within Soto City," Flander mused. "While it's not the territory of any high-level soul beasts, you might be able to find a hundred-year-old light-type soul beast. Even if not, a fire-type soul beast is a good alternative—after all, your martial soul is fire-attribute; light is only used to neutralize evil, fire is the foundation."
Ma Hongjun nodded, indicating his understanding.
He certainly knew that Flanders was right.
Light-type soul beasts are indeed rare, and if he really couldn't find one, choosing a fire-type wouldn't be unacceptable. But since he had the opportunity, he was determined to seize it.
"Teacher, shall we go now?" Ma Hongjun asked tentatively.
Flanders glanced at him, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"You're in a hurry."
"I'm afraid my anger will flare up again," Ma Hongjun said honestly.
This wasn't an act. The backlash he'd just experienced had left him shaken, and he didn't want to go through that again. The sooner he obtained his first spirit ring and began the purification process, the sooner his pain would lessen.
Flanders was silent for a few seconds, then finally nodded.
"Alright, go and come back soon. You've just awakened, and your soul power is still unstable. Strike while the iron is hot and get your first soul ring; it will also benefit your cultivation."
He turned around, changed direction, and instead of heading towards Soto, took a side road.
"The Soul Hunter Forest is north of Soto City, about half a day's journey away. We can get there before dark. We'll camp on the outskirts of the forest tonight and enter the forest early tomorrow morning."
Ma Hongjun quickly followed, a surge of barely suppressed excitement welling up inside him.
It's been six years since I was reborn.
Six years of waiting, six years of training, six years of forbearance.
Everything, everything, is for today.
He's determined to have the first spirit ring, a light-type spirit beast.
"Teacher," Ma Hongjun suddenly called out.
"Um?"
"Thank you."
Flanders paused, but without turning around, simply said, "Stop talking nonsense and keep up."
Ma Hongjun's lips curled up slightly, and he quickened his pace.
The setting sun cast long shadows of the master and his apprentice, one tall and the other thin, as they walked side by side along the winding country road.
Ahead lies the Soul Hunter Forest.
It was Ma Hongjun's first spirit ring.
It was also the first step he took to change his destiny.
...
It takes about half a day to walk from Grass Chicken Village to Soul Hunter Forest.
Flander did not use his soul power to travel, but instead walked with Ma Hongjun.
Firstly, he needed to take care of the child's physical strength, and secondly, he wanted to take this opportunity to learn more about his newly accepted disciple.
"Kid, have you ever been in contact with a Soul Master before?" Flander asked casually as he walked ahead.
"No," Ma Hongjun answered truthfully. "I've never even seen a Soul Master. I only know that the Spirit Hall comes to the village every year to awaken their powers."
Flanders nodded.
It is truly remarkable that this child, who comes from a farming family, could display such composure and talent during his awakening.
What's even more remarkable is his idea about Light-type Soul Rings—although it sounds like a child's wild idea, upon closer examination, it actually makes some sense.
"How much do you know about spirit beasts?" Flander asked again.
After thinking for a moment, Ma Hongjun decided to appropriately display some "knowledge".
After all, he had spent six years in the village and couldn't possibly know too much out of thin air, but he also couldn't appear completely ignorant.
"I've heard some things from the hunters in the village," Ma Hongjun said. "Soul beasts are divided into ten-year, one-hundred-year, one-thousand-year, ten-thousand-year, and one-hundred-thousand-year types. The older the soul beast, the more dangerous it is. My first soul ring can only absorb souls that are over four hundred years old."
Flanders raised an eyebrow.
"You knew that too?"
"That's what the hunter said," Ma Hongjun said without changing his expression.
Flanders didn't delve into it and continued walking.
"Four hundred and twenty-three years. This is the limit for a hundred-year-old soul beast. If you exceed this age, your body will not be able to withstand it and you will explode and die."
Frande spoke calmly, as if he were talking about something very ordinary, "So what we are looking for is a light-type soul beast that is about four hundred years old."
"Teacher, what kinds of Light-type Soul Beasts are there?" Ma Hongjun asked.
He certainly knew some of it, but he needed to get it out through Flanders.
Flanders paused for a moment, seemingly searching his mind for relevant information.
"Light-type soul beasts are indeed rare, but they do exist. There are several common types that are a hundred years old—the Light Butterfly, the Holy Light Sparrow, the Radiant Deer, and the Sun Fox. There are also some mutated light-type soul beasts, such as light-type snakes and wolves, but those are extremely rare."
Ma Hongjun silently memorized these names.
He had seen the Light Butterfly in some fan fiction works in his previous life; it was a relatively common low-level Light-type Soul Beast.
The Holy Light Sparrow sounds good too, and it even has some connection to his "Phoenix".
"What are the characteristics of these soul beasts?" he continued to ask.
Flanders glanced at him, seemingly puzzled by the child's curiosity. However, he patiently explained:
"The Light Butterfly excels in speed and illusion, and is adept at using light to confuse its opponents. Its attack power is average, but its ability to survive is very strong."
"The Holy Light Sparrow possesses both light and fire attributes and can unleash holy light flames, which are effective against dark-attribute soul beasts."
"Radiant Deer, a pure support-type soul beast, capable of releasing healing and buffing auras."
"Sun Fox, agile and cunning, is adept at stealth attacks under sunlight. It has low attack power but is very troublesome."
As Ma Hongjun listened, he made his own calculations.
Are the Light Butterfly's illusions and speed suitable as its first soul skill?
What he wanted was to purify his inner fire, not to fight.
While the practicality of soul skills is important, the primary goal at present is to suppress evil.
The dual attributes of the Holy Light Sparrow sound like a better fit for his martial soul.
The Evil Fire Phoenix is inherently fire-attributed; if you add the Bright Fire, it might create a chemical reaction.
The Radiant Deer has decent support abilities; its healing aura can save its life. However, its attack power is too weak, which may put it at a disadvantage in the early game.
Sun Fox... It's too cunning; Flanders might not be able to hunt it easily.
...