As they entered the Soul Beast Forest, Chen Xin asked, "Xiao Tian, you mentioned your martial soul needs soul rings with specific attributes to grow. Have you decided on the first attribute yet?"
"Yes, teacher. After a day of consideration, I've completely decided on the direction of my growth. For the first attribute, I choose water!" Tian Lin declared after careful thought, finally determining the skill he needed.
If everything went according to his plan, he would undoubtedly become a top-tier assault-type Battle Soul Master and one with self-supporting abilities at that.
After all, among the techniques of the Demon Sword, there were some auxiliary skills with terrifyingly powerful effects, and Tian Lin wasn't planning on giving them up.
Hearing this, Chen Xin paused and asked in confusion, "Why? Among the attributes you listed earlier, water has the weakest offensive power."
Fire has explosions and burning, lightning has piercing and paralysis, the wind has speed and cutting, and the earth has solidity and strength. All of these are more suitable than water.
Perhaps a massive tidal wave could rival those elements in power, but the soul beasts they were hunting today were only century-level, far from that kind of strength. In Chen Xin's opinion, water was an attribute that should be left for later, ideally absorbed from a ten-thousand-year water-type soul beast.
"Teacher, I understand your reasoning, but in my development plan, the water attribute is extremely important. I must obtain it as soon as possible," Tian Lin said firmly.
"Alright then. If that's the case, let's head to the lake. I know a type of soul beast that might be perfect for you!" With that, Chen Xin led Tian Lin toward a nearby lake.
Compared to other elements, water was relatively easy to find. The lake was teeming with water-type soul beasts. Although they couldn't compare to sea soul beasts, they were more than sufficient to meet the needs of a typical Soul Master.
On their way, they encountered several soul beasts, including some millennium-level ones, but none dared approach them. The overwhelming sword aura emanating from the Sword Douluo was too intense. Out of an instinct to avoid danger, the soul beasts stayed far away.
Walking through the Soul Beast Forest with a Titled Douluo by your side, a place that was extremely dangerous for ordinary people, felt more like a stroll through a botanical garden.
This was the benefit of having a strong backer.
Soon, the two arrived at a massive lake. They could see many water-type soul beasts wandering around.
"Teacher, how about that jellyfish? I sense a strong water energy emanating from it," Tian Lin said, pointing to a blue jellyfish.
"A venomous jellyfish? Judging by its size, it's about 200 years old. No, it's not suitable. If I'm personally hunting a soul ring for you, the age of the soul beast can't be so low. Besides, I've chosen one far better than this jellyfish," Chen Xin immediately rejected Tian Lin's suggestion.
They continued searching and soon came across another soul beast—a fish that looked like a cleaver.
"A knife fish. This one isn't bad, but unfortunately, its age is too low. It's barely over 300 years," Chen Xin commented critically again.
At that moment, something seemed to appear next to the knife fish. A flash of blue light pierced through the knife fish's body.
The soul beast that attacked had terrifying offensive power and incredible speed. Tian Lin didn't even catch a glimpse of it.
"Teacher, what was that just now? It pierced through the knife fish in an instant."
"That attack and speed—that's exactly what I was looking for. Xiao Tian, your soul ring is decided," Chen Xin said as he sent a burst of sword energy toward the lake, causing an explosion on the surface.
A strangely shaped fish was forced out of the water. Its nose and mouth were fused into what looked like a needle, and its tail consisted of four fins arranged in a spiral shape.
This fish used its spinning tail to accelerate and its needle-like nose to pierce through the knife fish.
"Haha, it's the Spiraling Tail Needlefish!" Chen Xin exclaimed as he controlled the fish with his powerful soul force and pulled it toward them. "Xiao Tian, this is our target. The Spiraling Tail Needlefish's age is determined by its size and the number of tail fins. Each time it grows, all its fins fall off and regrow. This one is medium-sized with four fins, meaning it's approximately 400 years old. It's perfect for you. I've already restrained it—hurry and kill it!"
"Understood! Shadow Sword, go!" Tian Lin immediately acted, understanding Chen Xin's good intentions. He feared that a purely water-element soul beast would result in a weak first soul skill, so he deliberately chose one with high offensive capabilities to compensate for that deficiency.
The Demon Sword split into four shadow swords, instantly slaying the Spiraling Tail Needlefish on the spot.
Following Chen Xin's instructions from the previous day, Tian Lin sat cross-legged. A deep yellow soul ring emerged from the slain needlefish and hovered around him.
"Wait, something's not right. The color of this soul ring is too deep for a 400-year-old soul beast," Chen Xin said as he inspected the needlefish's corpse. He discovered that while the fish appeared to have four fins, it had six. Two of them had been cut off, likely during its earlier battle with the knife fish.
"This is bad. This needlefish is a 600-year-old soul beast. Tian Lin, you must hold on!"
The absorption of the soul ring had already begun, and it couldn't be stopped. All they could do was hope that Tian Lin could endure it.
"Damn it, this hurts so much!"
The needlefish's resentment was as sharp as its body, causing Tian Lin immense pain.
If it were an ordinary child, they would have collapsed by now. Fortunately, Tian Lin's soul was that of an adult, allowing him to grit his teeth and persevere.
"How much longer will this take?!" Half an hour had passed, and Tian Lin was nearing his limit.
After all, his body was still that of a six-year-old child. Although he possessed the body-strengthening techniques of the Shu Mountain Treasure Record, he had only obtained them when his martial soul awakened and hadn't had the chance to practice them yet.
Just then, a light shone from Tian Lin's left hand. The Holy Spirit Pearl appeared on its own and activated the Holy Breath Domain.
"Is this... the martial soul protecting its master? I didn't expect a god-level martial soul to be so sentient that it would protect its owner at a critical moment," Chen Xin said, feeling both relieved and amazed at the miraculous nature of god-level martial souls.
With the Holy Breath Domain, Tian Lin's soul power, mental energy, and injuries began to recover.
Another half hour passed, and the pain subsided. Instead, he felt an endless surge of power flowing into his body.
"Great! The most dangerous moment has passed. Now he's absorbing the soul ring's energy!" Chen Xin finally sighed in relief. His carelessness had almost cost their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect an extraordinary talent.
"It's done!" Tian Lin finally opened his eyes, feeling his strength had multiplied. His soul power had surpassed level 11.
"It's finally over. I'm sorry, Tian Lin. My oversight almost caused you to explode," Chen Xin apologized.
Tian Lin smiled and shook his head. "It's okay, teacher. Who could've guessed the needlefish's age was so high? Besides, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I've gained an excellent soul ring because of it."