Soul Land: Bibi Dong Is My Martial Soul

Chapter 19: An Unexpected Discovery

Bibi Dong was genuinely surprised. She hadn't expected that Su Mo could surpass Tang San in any aspect. Despite her deep hatred for Tang San, Bibi Dong had to admit that his talent was extraordinary. Tang San had absorbed a ten-thousand-year soul ring for his fourth ring even before undergoing any godly trials, an achievement that was unprecedented.

Now, Su Mo could absorb a higher-level first soul ring than Tang San—a fact that genuinely shocked her. Su Mo's limit was 423 years beyond what she and Yu Xiaogang had once believed to be the maximum possible.

"What a pity," she thought, "This kid's potential is still limited by his martial soul. If not for that, his future would be boundless. It's no wonder I've never heard of him in the future; his potential was likely smothered by the limitations of his martial soul."

Bibi Dong felt a pang of regret for Su Mo.

"600 years, huh… That's actually good news! Thank you, Goddess Sister!" Su Mo's eyes lit up upon hearing Bibi Dong's assessment.

With his maximum limit confirmed, Su Mo set his sights on finding a 600-year-old soul beast that would be suitable for his first soul ring. However, finding such a beast wouldn't be easy; it would take a bit of luck.

Fortunately, luck was on Su Mo's side. After half a month of searching without success and just when he was about to give up, he finally encountered a 600-year-old soul beast that was perfect for him: a Bramble Porcupine.

Su Mo set up traps and used long-range attacks to provoke the soul beast, luring it into his carefully prepared trap. After a prolonged battle, Su Mo managed to slay the 600-year-old Bramble Porcupine.

"…"

Even though Bibi Dong had expected Su Mo to succeed, she couldn't help but feel a deep sense of amazement as she watched him skillfully use every tactic at his disposal to take down a beast that even teams of soul masters and grand soul masters would struggle to defeat. The sight was almost comical to her, considering how difficult it was for others to hunt beasts of this level, even in groups.

Su Mo paid no mind to Bibi Dong's surprise. Once the yellow, hundred-year soul ring materialized over the fallen beast, Su Mo began the process of absorbing it.

In less than ten minutes, Su Mo had successfully absorbed and refined the soul ring, making it his first. His soul power immediately surged by two levels, bringing him up to the 12th rank of a Soul Master.

"First Soul Skill: Pierce!"

Su Mo had gained his first soul skill, which enhanced the piercing power of his Hunting Soul Spear by 200%. This increase meant that the spear's original penetration power was doubled, making it a formidable weapon.

With his soul ring successfully obtained, Su Mo began his journey back home.

On the way, Su Mo performed a session of soul power meditation using his soul power cultivation technique. He noticed that after reaching the rank of a Soul Master, the amount of soul power required to advance had significantly increased—far more than when he was just a Soul Scholar.

After some quick calculations, Su Mo realized that if he only relied on the traditional meditation method to cultivate his soul power, it would take him an entire year just to advance from the 12th to the 13th rank.

"One year just to advance a single level… it's even slower than when I was a Soul Scholar," Su Mo thought with a sigh.

"The gap in talent only widens the distance between geniuses and the mediocre," Su Mo mused. "With his talent, Tang San has consistently gained about three levels a year without any signs of slowing down."

"Luckily, I developed my new cultivation technique. With my body further strengthened after absorbing the soul ring, I can still barely keep up with the cultivation speed of those geniuses…"

Su Mo was grateful for his self-created cultivation technique.

Upon returning to Nuoding City, Su Mo went to the local branch of the Spirit Hall to receive his certification as a Soul Master. This certification allowed him to collect the soul master's newcomer allowance issued by the two empires, which entitled him to receive one gold soul coin per month.

Since Su Mo was within the territory of the Heaven Dou Empire, his allowance came from them.

When he returned to Nuoding Academy, none of the teachers or students knew that Su Mo had already absorbed his first soul ring—and that it was a 600-year-old soul ring at that.

Su Mo didn't go out of his way to show off his new achievements. He continued with his usual routine, though he made one significant change during his spear training. Instead of solely relying on his Hunting Soul Spear, he began fusing it with the iron spear he had forged, finding that this combination provided a better feel and more effective training.

A few months later, Su Mo was in the back hills of Nuoding Academy, the place where he regularly trained. As he toyed with the iron spear in his hands, his expression became somewhat perplexed.

After finishing his training, Su Mo had retracted his Hunting Soul Spear into his body, leaving him holding just the iron spear. But something felt different this time.

"Could this really be happening?" Su Mo wondered, rubbing his hands over the length of the spear, almost as if he were caressing something precious. He couldn't shake the strange feeling, as if there was a faint connection between him and the spear—something he had only ever felt when holding his own Hunting Soul Spear.

To test his theory, Su Mo planted the spear firmly into the ground, the tip sinking deeply into the soil. He then took a few steps back, bringing his index and middle fingers together and making a subtle beckoning motion towards the spear.

Buzz—

To his amazement, the spear responded with a slight tremor. Su Mo's eyes widened in shock.

"No way, it actually reacted!"

Though the response was just a small tremble, not as fluid or natural as his own martial soul would be, Su Mo was still astonished. After all, this was not his martial soul—it was a physical weapon forged by a blacksmith.

Moreover, Su Mo hadn't used any techniques like the Controlling Crane and Capturing Dragon that Tang San had learned; he had simply willed the spear to move with his thoughts.

Buzz—

He tried again, and the spear once more gave a faint shudder. There was definitely a connection—faint, but undeniably present—between him and the weapon.

"Have I somehow refined this spear into a part of me? Like how they refine magical weapons in those xianxia novels?"

Su Mo speculated on this unexpected discovery. The likely cause was his frequent practice of fusing his Hunting Soul Spear with the iron spear during training sessions.

If this were a xianxia novel, Su Mo thought, it would be akin to using his spiritual energy to refine a treasure.

"So, if I keep this up, could I eventually refine this iron spear into my own magical weapon? Or, in terms of this world's rules, could I turn it into my martial soul?"

Su Mo's imagination ran wild with possibilities, but one thing was certain: he was determined to continue this practice. He wanted to see where it would lead and what transformations might occur.

🌟 Unlock the World of Stories with Early Access on Patreon! 🌟

Hello, beloved readers and supporters!

I am thrilled to offer you an exclusive opportunity to dive deeper into our captivating stories before anyone else. By joining the Patreon community, you'll unlock a treasure trove of benefits, including:

📚 Early Access to 20 Chapters: Be the first to explore new chapters, experiencing the twists and turns of our tales well ahead of regular readers. Your journey through our stories doesn't have to wait!

💬 Connect with the Community: Join a vibrant, like-minded group of readers who share your passion. Engage in exciting discussions, share theories, and make new friends who love the stories as much as you do.

👏 Support the Creator: Your patronage directly contributes to the ongoing creation and improvement of the content you love. Be a vital part of the creative journey!

Patreon.com/anish_44