Chapter 116: The Fusion of Blood and Fire, the Imminent Spirit Hunt
"That being said," Dugu Bo shifted his gaze to Lin Mo, who was standing nearby, "Charizard's strength is indeed impressive, but you yourself have become the biggest weakness right now."
He paused, his tone turning serious. "If you truly face an opponent at the Spirit Saint level, as long as they have enough attention to spare and specifically target you, Charizard will be placed in a very passive position."
"No matter how strong it is, it is ultimately an external Martial Soul. It cannot protect you at all times."
Lin Mo listened quietly without refuting.
Dugu Bo was right.
Battles between Spirit Masters were never simple clashes between Martial Souls. Under normal circumstances, a host like him, who possessed an External Beast Martial Soul, would indeed be the greatest weakness.
However, Dugu Bo soon shook his head again.
"But this isn't too big of a problem."
He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Once Charizard uses its fourth Spirit Ability, Space Battlefield, with those unlimited Teleportations, it would be harder than climbing to heaven for others to even touch you."
"You're even more slippery than a loach."
Dugu Bo looked at Lin Mo with a hint of emotion in his eyes. "Furthermore, it isn't as if you have no combat power of your own."
"It's just that compared to Charizard, you seem a little weak."
"Once your cultivation rises further in the future and you add a spirit ring to your second Martial Soul, your current predicament will naturally be resolved."
Hearing Dugu Bo's words, Lin Mo smiled instead.
He raised his right hand, and his thoughts stirred slightly.
Crimson flames and dark red blood Qi emerged in his palm once again, slowly merging together until they formed a ball of peculiar energy that fused perfectly.
Even if my second Martial Soul has not truly been cultivated yet, I still have a way to possess combat power not inferior to Charizard's to a certain extent.
Lin Mo looked at the fused energy in his hand and silently thought, If anyone thinks they can scheme against me because of that, they are truly mistaken.
However, he did not say these words aloud.
Some trump cards were best kept to himself.
Soon, Lin Mo left the desolate valley with Dugu Bo.
Before long, the two returned to Heaven Dou City and landed in front of the Ye Family Medical Hall.
The Medical Hall was the same as before. The sign bearing the character "Ye" hung in front, and a faint medicinal fragrance lingered in the air.
Lin Mo pushed open the door and entered.
In the front hall, Ye Lingling was sitting behind the counter, leafing through a medical book.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, she looked up. The moment she saw Lin Mo, her purple eyes lit up.
"Lin Mo?" Ye Lingling put down the book and walked out from behind the counter. "You're back?"
"Yeah, I just finished my seclusion." Lin Mo nodded and asked with a smile, "Sister Lingling, where is Teacher?"
"Grandfather is in the backyard," Ye Lingling said. Her gaze swept over Lin Mo, as if she had noticed something. "Your spirit power... broke through again?"
Before Lin Mo could answer, a burst of light footsteps came from the backyard.
Dugu Yan poked her head out. Her green eyes blinked, and a pleasantly surprised look immediately appeared on her face.
"Lin Mo? You're finally back! I haven't seen you for nearly half a year!"
She walked over quickly and patted Lin Mo on the shoulder, her tone carrying a bit of complaint. "I thought you were going to stay in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well until the Spirit Master Competition started."
"How could I?" Lin Mo laughed. "I had to come back and let everyone know I'm safe."
As he spoke, his thoughts stirred slightly.
A red light flashed, and a tall orange-red dragon shadow suddenly appeared in the front hall of the Medical Hall.
Charizard folded its wings and looked down at its surroundings, letting out a low purr from its throat, as if it were somewhat unaccustomed to this cramped space.
"This... this is..." Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan both froze.
Their eyes widened as they stared at Charizard without blinking, their expressions filled with shock.
The last time they had seen Charmeleon was four months ago, before Lin Mo entered seclusion.
At that time, although Charmeleon had already been very strong, its build was nowhere near as tall and powerful as it was now, and it certainly did not have those broad wings on its back.
"It... evolved?" Dugu Yan's voice stammered slightly.
Ye Lingling pursed her lips, her purple eyes also filled with disbelief.
On the other hand, Ye Linyuan, who had just walked over from the backyard, stroked his beard with a thoughtful expression.
His gaze moved back and forth between Lin Mo and Charizard. After a long while, he slowly said, "It evolved once at Rank 30, and again at Rank 50..."
"Lin Mo, your Spirit... surely it won't evolve again when you reach Rank 70, will it?"
Hearing Ye Linyuan's words, cold sweat immediately broke out on Lin Mo's forehead.
He gave a dry laugh and did not respond.
He really could not answer that.
He could not exactly tell Ye Linyuan that Charizard's evolution was indeed linked to his spirit power Rank, and that it truly might change again at Rank 70, right?
Fortunately, Ye Linyuan did not press the matter. He only shook his head and sighed with emotion.
"In all my years, this is the first time I've seen a Martial Soul like yours."
"Every evolution is like a complete rebirth."
By now, Dugu Yan had already leaned closer to Charizard, looking it up and down with eyes full of curiosity.
"Lin Mo, what is it called now? You can't still call it Charmeleon, can you?"
"Charizard," Lin Mo said. "After evolving, it's called Charizard."
"Charizard..." Dugu Yan repeated the name, then nodded. "That name is quite fitting."
Ye Lingling also walked over and asked softly, "The increase in strength from this evolution must be very significant, right?"
"Yes." Lin Mo did not hide it. "Compared to before, it's a qualitative leap."
The group returned to the backyard and sat down.
Ye Lingling brewed tea and poured a cup for everyone.
Lin Mo picked up his teacup and took a sip before asking, "Sister Lingling, Sister Yanyan, how have things been at the academy lately?"
"How else could they be?" Dugu Yan curled her lips. "Teacher Qin keeps nagging about team coordination, but we can never gather everyone together."
She paused, as if remembering something. "Oh right, Yu Tianheng returned from his clan a few days ago."
Lin Mo looked up. "Did his spirit power break through?"
"Yes," Ye Lingling answered. "Not only did he break through, but he has already reached the Rank 40 bottleneck. He said his clan provided him with a lot of resources during this trip back."
Hearing this, Lin Mo fell into thought.
In his memory, if things had followed their original trajectory, Yu Tianheng's cultivation would not have reached Rank 39 until more than a year later.
Now, he had actually reached the Rank 40 bottleneck ahead of time.
Although this was supported by the resources provided by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, it seemed Yu Tianheng himself had also been quite motivated.
After all, being overtaken by two girls whose cultivation had originally been lower than his would make anyone feel a sense of urgency.
"Teacher Qin plans to lead the team to the Star Dou Great Forest to help Yu Tianheng hunt for his fourth spirit ring," Dugu Yan said. "The Spirit Hunt is the main goal, but it's also meant to train the team's coordination along the way."
She looked at Lin Mo with a serious expression. "The Spirit Master Competition is about to start, so we need to prepare in advance."
"This trip to the Star Dou Great Forest is meant to see how well we coordinate, identify the team's weaknesses, and patch them up as much as possible."
Lin Mo nodded.
"Since my cultivation has also reached a bottleneck, it's perfect for me to go with you," Lin Mo said with a smile, putting down his teacup.
Dugu Yan's eyes lit up. "You're going to obtain your fifth spirit ring too?"
"Yes." Lin Mo did not hide it. "I've been at the Rank 50 bottleneck for a while now."
Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan looked at each other, both seeing the helplessness in the other's eyes.
This guy's cultivation speed was simply fast beyond reason.
The three Committee Members valued him greatly, and after they had come forward to support him last time, Lin Mo felt he owed them a favor.
No matter what, he still intended to help Heaven Dou Royal Academy win the Spirit Master Competition championship, considering it his way of repaying the three Committee Members' kindness.
Since he had chosen Heaven Dou Royal Academy as his springboard, he naturally had to provide a corresponding return.
And the Spirit Master Competition championship was undoubtedly the best gift for them.
Nearby, Dugu Bo listened to the conversation between the juniors, but he gave no indication that he would follow.
As the only person who had currently fought against Charizard, no one knew better than him what level Charizard's true strength had reached.
They were only going to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for spirit rings. As long as Lin Mo did not go looking for trouble by insisting on entering the core area of the forest, he and Charizard would have no problem protecting themselves.
.....
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