Early the next morning, Lin Mu found a carriage and took Tang San to the Star Dou Great Forest.
Although there was a Soul Hunting Forest near Nuoding City, the Soul Beasts there were rather weak, making it difficult to find a suitable one for Tang San.
The Star Dou Great Forest was vast and abundant, with Soul Beasts of all attributes to be found.
Undeniably, Lin Mu took Tang San as his disciple out of self-interest. But now that they were master and disciple, he intended to fulfill his duties properly.
If he acted one way in front of people and another behind their backs, how would he be any different from the hypocritical Tang San of the future?
Moreover, Tang San was crucial to the Main Quest; the greater Tang San's transformation, the more rewards Lin Mu would receive, perhaps even obtaining other Armors.
On the way to the Star Dou Great Forest, Lin Mu explained the basic knowledge about Soul Masters and Soul Beasts to Tang San.
"Master, is Blue Silver Grass really a useless Martial Soul?" Tang San suddenly asked in the carriage.
"From the world's perspective, Blue Silver Grass is undoubtedly a useless spirit. This is because Spirit Masters who awaken Blue Silver Grass typically only have an Innate Soul Power of Level 1 or 2 at most. This means they are destined not to go very far in terms of cultivation."
Lin Mu paused, his gaze falling on Tang San's right palm.
Seeing this, Tang San immediately released his Blue Silver Grass; a small blue blade of grass stood in the center of his palm, radiating a faint halo.
It looked no different from other Blue Silver Grass spirits, but after careful examination, a subtle difference could be sensed: Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was clearly more vibrant and resilient.
After all, possessing the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline, even without a second awakening, made it fundamentally different from ordinary Blue Silver Grass.
Lin Mu patted Tang San's shoulder and continued explaining.
"Little San, you're different from others. You possess Innate Full Soul Power. Even if your Martial Soul is seemingly weak, you can still strengthen its quality by absorbing high-quality Soul Rings."
The saying "There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Spirit Masters" is theoretically true, but practically flawed.
Even an inconspicuous blade of grass can play a role in battle if its quality is continuously improved.
However, there is a paradox.
Innate Soul Power largely depends on the quality of the Martial Soul. If Innate Soul Power is too low, cultivation speed is slow, and the limit of accessible Soul Rings is lower.
Unless the Martial Soul is strengthened to a certain level within a limited number of absorptions, thereby enhancing one's talent, it will ultimately remain useless.
For example, if Yu Xiaogang's two Soul Rings had been Dragon-type rings that strengthened Luo Sanpao's Golden Sacred Dragon bloodline, he might have truly had a chance to transform into a genius.
Therefore, strictly speaking, there are no useless Martial Souls, only a useless Yu Xiaogang.
It was laughable that he studied Martial Soul theory his whole life, yet he didn't even understand his own Martial Soul.
If Tang San hadn't possessed Innate Full Soul Power and the hidden Blue Silver Emperor bloodline, he would have been ruined by Yu Xiaogang long ago.
For example, Yu Xiaogang's plan to let Tang San absorb the Datura Snake's Soul Ring to obtain a binding skill with a paralyzing effect was flawed.
This "Grandmaster" thought he had mastered everything, when in reality he was just a complete idiot relying on Tang San's hidden potential to mask his bad theories.
"I see. Thank you for enlightening me, Master."
Hearing this, Tang San suddenly understood, his heart filled with admiration. His Master was only ten years older than him, yet he already possessed such a profound and practical understanding of Martial Souls.
The Star Dou Great Forest was located southeast of the Balak Kingdom, occupying a significant portion of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, with only a small part bordering the Balak Kingdom.
Nuoding City was very close to the Balak Kingdom; it would take about two days to reach the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.
After two days and nights of travel, the carriage finally arrived at the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
There was a small town nearby, and Lin Mu found an inn to stay in, planning to take Tang San hunting for Soul Beasts the next morning.
The next day, Lin Mu got up early, quickly packed his things, and led Tang San into the Star Dou Great Forest.
During his years traveling the continent, Lin Mu had visited the Star Dou Great Forest several times, but previously only to hunt for Soul Rings for himself.
Now, his cultivation had reached Level 47. With his Flame of Nava Armor, he could even fight against a ten-thousand-year-old Soul Beast if necessary.
In the Star Dou Great Forest, towering ancient trees stretched as far as the eye could see, their dense foliage blocking most of the sunlight and casting dappled shadows on the ground. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, carrying with it the fresh scent of earth and vegetation.
Suddenly, Lin Mu stopped, his gaze quickly locking onto something in the distance.
He sensed a cheetah, fast as a shadow, charging towards them. It clearly regarded them as prey.
Soul Masters and Soul Beasts are inherently antagonistic; Soul Masters need to hunt Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Rings to advance, and similarly, many Soul Masters perish as food for Soul Beasts.
From this perspective alone, Spirit Hall's hunting of ten-thousand-year-old Soul Beasts is not morally questionable, it is simply the law of the jungle.
However, this doesn't mean Lin Mu is on Spirit Hall's side. Just considering Bibi Dong, that madwoman, made the organization unlikable.
Spirit Hall might have been a force for stability before, but now, under Bibi Dong's management, it was definitely straying from its path.
"Master, a Soul Beast is approaching!"
Tang San's eyes glowed purple as he activated his Purple Demon Eye, sensing the approaching beast and immediately warning Lin Mu.
"Little San, find a place to hide first. I'll handle this."
Lin Mu remained calm. This was only the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, where Soul Beasts over ten thousand years old rarely appeared, so the danger level wasn't high.
A moment later, a jet-black cheetah darted out from afar, moving like a ghost among the trees.
"A three-thousand-year-old Shadow Leopard..."
Lin Mu murmured. He released his Martial Soul, placing the device at his waist.
"Nava Power!"
In an instant, his entire body burst into flames, which rapidly coalesced and solidified into a full suit of armor.
"Combine!"
In a flash, Lin Mu's figure vanished, replaced by a warrior completely covered in red armor.
The helmet, chest plate, gauntlets, and belt were all styled with flame motifs, radiating a scorching aura of fire.
Unlike the armor seen in tokusatsu dramas, this armor had less of a plastic feel and more of a heavy, metallic texture, highlighting its inherent power and exuding an imposing aura.
"You're asking for death."
Seeing the Shadow Leopard pounce, Lin Mu didn't retreat. He stepped forward and delivered a vicious elbow strike.
Bam!
After knocking the beast away, he grabbed the Shadow Leopard's head and slammed it violently into the ground.
BANG!!
With a deafening roar, the ground instantly cracked and caved in under the impact.
Not far away, Tang San, hiding behind a rock, stared wide-eyed at Lin Mu's single-handed suppression of the thousand-year-old Soul Beast.
So strong!
In his armored state, even without using Soul Skills, Lin Mu could handle a thousand-year-old Soul Beast with sheer physical strength.
But to finish the battle quickly, his first Soul Ring suddenly lit up beneath his feet. Flames rapidly gathered on his fist as he unleashed a powerful punch.
"Flame Fist!"
Immediately afterward, a flaming fist half a meter in diameter struck the Shadow Leopard's head with precision, exploding with a deafening boom.