Chapter 4: Nuoding Junior Spirit Master Academy
3 months later.
Lin Mo and the village chief were already sitting in a wagon headed for Nuoding City. The cart's usual job was to haul the village's grain and vegetables into the city for sale.
But because the chief insisted on personally escorting Lin Mo to Nuoding Academy, the wagon had been taken for the day.
To Lin Mo, it looked like a donkey cart from his previous life. The ride was bumpy and far from comfortable, yet it was the best transport the village could manage.
The old man drove, while Lin Mo sat in the back among sacks of produce bound for market.
There were also bundles the villagers had prepared on their own, daily necessities Lin Mo would need once he started school.
As the wheels creaked along the road, grandfather and grandson chatted casually.
"Xiao Mo, I heard Master Su Yuntao was very impressed with your talent during your Spirit Awakening," the village chief said. "He even invited you to join Spirit Hall on the spot. Why did you refuse?"
His cloudy, age worn eyes fixed on Lin Mo, filled with puzzlement.
Lin Mo hesitated, then answered slowly.
"I'd rather learn more about Spirit Hall before deciding. I don't know enough about it to tell whether it suits me."
"Joining a power is something I should approach carefully. Once my Spirit Power breaks through Rank 10 and I obtain my first Spirit Ring, the choice will still be there."
Both the refusal he gave Su Yuntao and this explanation were only excuses.
He had never intended to join Spirit Hall at all.
The tragedies of his past lives had made caution a habit, and that caution told him to reject it.
Joining would indeed guarantee abundant resources once Charmander hatched or once his twin Martial Souls were exposed.
But it would also tie him to the upper levels of the organization.
And the person currently controlling Spirit Hall was that unmistakably deranged woman, Bibi Dong.
Until he had the strength to protect himself, keeping his distance was the only sensible choice.
A wise man does not stand beneath a crumbling wall.
The old man fell silent for a long time. Then he sighed and stroked Lin Mo's head with gnarled fingers.
"You've always been different, thoughtful, determined, hardworking," he said. "Since your mind is made up, Grandpa trusts your judgment. May you become a mighty Spirit Master."
"Mm."
Lin Mo hugged the Pokémon Egg tighter and nodded firmly.
Over the past 3 months since his Spirit Awakening, he had released the Charmander Egg whenever he could.
Because their Spirit Power was shared, cultivating together was far faster than cultivating alone.
Yet without a proper Calm Mind method, he could only follow the crude meridian circulation path he had deduced himself.
Coupled with Charmander's unhatched state, the efficiency was poor.
Even with double cultivation, he had only reached the peak of Rank 6.
That only made him more eager to enroll. Nuoding Junior Spirit Master Academy was the only place he could obtain a real Mental Technique method.
Even an elementary one would be better than a half guessed circulation route.
When he was not cultivating with the egg, he spent his time studying his second Martial Soul.
Because of his past life's bitter experience, he was familiar with cardiac meridians. After 3 months, he had grasped the basics of his Main Body Martial Soul, the heart, commander of all blood.
He glanced at his small arm. At his will, a faint flush flickered beneath his skin.
He could feel the surge of strength in his right arm.
It was a recent breakthrough, a short term amplification of his physique or a selected body part.
If he sent it to his legs, his speed and kicking power rose. If he sent it to his arms, his raw strength soared.
The principle was simple. Through precise control of heart and blood, he burned qi to achieve the boost.
He named the technique Blood Burst.
It was not without cost. After the burst came weakness.
The duration and location of the weakness matched the duration and location of the burst.
Different Martial Souls granted different physical boosts, sometimes wildly so.
Martial Souls that fused with the body were called Beast Martial Souls. Those that remained external were Tool Martial Souls.
Because of this, Beast Martial Soul users normally outclassed Tool Martial Soul users at the same cultivation.
Yet both of Lin Mo's Martial Souls defied convention.
Charmander, though still an egg, was clearly a Beast Martial Soul, yet it manifested externally like a Tool Martial Soul.
A Main Body Martial Soul was a special hybrid, granting even greater physical augmentation than most Beast Martial Souls.
So, despite not having a single Spirit Ring, Lin Mo's physique already matched that of a 1 Ring Spirit Master.
With his superior body and Blood Burst, he already had some ability to protect himself, even before Charmander hatched or he obtained a ring.
Of course, he kept both his physique and the technique hidden.
An extra hidden ace could mean the difference between life and death when the moment came.
Soon, the wagon rattled into Nuoding City and stopped at the stall where the village normally sold its produce.
After explaining their purpose, the chief left the cart in the vendor's care.
With directions and blessings, they set off on foot. After asking around many times, they finally found Nuoding Junior Spirit Master Academy.