Chapter 24: Molten Body and Dragon Breath
Dean Wang Zongchang watched from the side with keen interest.
Ordinary Spirit Masters absorbed a Spirit Ring by drawing it directly into themselves.
But Lin Mo's external Beast Martial Soul method was different. The Martial Soul "ate" the ring first, then shared the absorption with its host. It was strange, yet undeniably effective.
Perhaps that is the unique trait of an external Beast Martial Soul.
He kept the thought to himself while scanning the surroundings with heightened vigilance, guarding Lin Mo so nothing could disturb this crucial moment.
Time passed slowly.
Beads of sweat appeared on Lin Mo's forehead, and his skin flushed faintly, as if he were enduring considerable heat. Yet his breathing remained steady, and his expression was serious but not pained.
Everything was progressing smoothly.
After about half an hour, the Spirit Power fluctuations around him finally calmed. Lin Mo slowly opened his eyes.
The absorption had succeeded.
His Spirit Power rose naturally to Rank 12, officially making him a 1 Ring Spirit Master.
Yet there was no joy on Lin Mo's face. Instead, clear disappointment appeared.
He let out a soft sigh.
As expected, it was not as perfect as he had imagined.
He did not obtain the Spirit Ability he had wanted most, Sunny Day.
Wang Zongchang noticed the expression and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Did the Spirit Ability fall short of your hopes?"
Lin Mo quickly adjusted his expression. He shook his head and forced a smile.
"Not at all. The new ability is excellent. It's called Flame Strike. It cloaks Charmander in fire, boosting both impact power and speed."
To support his words, he silently ordered the little lizard at his feet. "Charmander, show him."
Charmander understood.
With a whoosh, a modest orange red flame spread across its body.
Then it charged toward a patch of open ground, leaving a shallow scorch mark behind.
Its speed was clearly higher, and the charge looked more ferocious.
But only Lin Mo knew the truth.
What they just saw was not Charmander's true 1 ring ability at all, it was only an extremely weakened version of the Flare Blitz it had already mastered.
Lin Mo had told Charmander to hold back, displaying only a practical, not overly shocking Flame Strike.
He had decided not to reveal the real first Spirit Ability for now.
That true first Spirit Ability was Molten Body.
Simple and brutal. Once activated, it boosted both attack and defense.
When Lin Mo first saw that Charmander gained Molten Body, he had been stunned.
Even though he did not get Sunny Day, Molten Body was still an outstanding result.
Its effect reminded him of Bulk Up from his memories. It strengthened attack and defense and could stack multiple times.
He was extremely satisfied.
More importantly, it proved something crucial.
As his Martial Soul, Charmander could not only learn techniques as its Spirit Power rose.
It could also, like a native Martial Soul, absorb localized Spirit Abilities from Spirit Rings produced by Spirit Beasts on the Douluo Continent.
That was an unexpected bonus.
Wang Zongchang watched the displayed Flame Strike and nodded approvingly.
"A very practical ability."
"It combines speed and an explosive strike. Useful for pursuit, surprise attacks, or frontal assaults."
"And abilities like this rarely become obsolete as your cultivation rises. You've laid a solid foundation."
Relieved by the dean's assessment, Lin Mo quickly agreed. "You're right, Dean. I find it very useful as well."
With the Spirit Ring absorbed and their goal achieved, the 2 did not delay. They immediately headed back toward the edge of the Spirit Hunting Forest.
With Wang Zongchang, a 4 ring Spirit Ancestor, at his side, unless they foolishly rushed into the core domains of thousand year Spirit Beasts, it was unlikely they would face real danger in a forest mainly populated by 100 year Spirit Beasts.
Wang Zongchang easily guided them around several lairs of powerful creatures and retraced their path to the forest entrance checkpoint.
Under Officer Li's warm farewell, they boarded the carriage waiting outside and began the return trip to Nuoding Academy.
The carriage rolled along the smooth post road. The mood inside was much lighter than on the way in.
Lin Mo leaned back into the cushioned seat, eyes closed as if resting, while actually focusing inward to inspect the changes in himself and Charmander after absorbing the Spirit Ring.
First, his own panel.
[Name: Lin Mo]
[Age: 6]
[Spirit Power: Lv12 (Shared)]
[Spirit: Heart (Blood)]
[Self created Spirit Skill: Blood Burst, Tier 1 Boiling Blood]
His Spirit Power had risen to Rank 12. Aside from that, nothing obvious had changed.
His second Martial Soul, the Heart (Blood) main body Martial Soul, showed no reaction at all to the Spirit Ring absorption.
The evolution requirement still read unknown.
Lin Mo was not surprised. The path of cultivating a main body Martial Soul could only be explored step by step.
Then he shifted his attention to Charmander's panel.
[Spirit: Charmander]
[Talent: Entei]
[Spirit Power: Lv12]
[Skills mastered: Scratch, Growl, Spark, Smokescreen, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Rush, Flare Blitz, Metal Claw, Molten Body, Dragon Breath]
2 new entries had appeared.
One was the Spirit Ring derived ability, Molten Body.
The other was Dragon Breath.
Unlike Molten Body, Dragon Breath was not obtained from the Spirit Ring. It was a skill Charmander had grasped on its own upon reaching Rank 12.
At the bottom of the panel, a line Lin Mo had never seen before appeared.
[Evolution requirement: Reach Spirit Power Rank 30]
Evolution requirement.
Lin Mo's heartbeat quickened.
Charmander, a native Pokémon that had followed him from the Pokémon world, had been converted into his Martial Soul under the rules of this world, yet it still retained its Pokémon nature.
Not only could it automatically learn techniques as its Spirit Power rose, it could still evolve.
And the condition was clear.
Reach Rank 30.
Seeing that straightforward requirement, Lin Mo fell into deep thought.
In the Pokémon world, evolution usually required reaching a certain level, using a specific item, or meeting special conditions.
But here on the Douluo Continent, Charmander had become his Martial Soul, and evolution now seemed governed by this world's system.
Spirit Power rank had become the deciding factor.
Still, what was the underlying logic behind evolution here?
.....
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