Douluo Continent: Starting with the Fire-Breathing Dragon Martial Soul!

Wang Zongchang looked at Lin Mo with undiminished admiration in his eyes, and chuckled, "No need to be polite, this is what you deserve."

However, Yu Xiaogang, standing to the side, frowned, his face filled with unresolved doubt.

He stepped forward, looked at Lin Mo, and asked urgently, "Lin Mo, I have another question. Your little fire dragon clearly hasn't acquired its first spirit ring yet..."

But why was he able to use flames and that black smoke continuously during his sparring session with Xiao San? Aren't those soul skills?

Upon hearing Yu Xiaogang's question, Lin Mo looked utterly bewildered, staring at this self-proclaimed master of unparalleled theoretical knowledge with the gaze one might give a fool.

"Master, that's a rather strange question." Lin Mo's tone was calm, yet carried a hint of barely perceptible helplessness.

"How could the little fire dragon possess a soul skill if it hasn't acquired its first soul ring?"

He paused, then continued to explain, "The flames and smoke that the little fire dragon used just now weren't soul skills at all; they were just instincts it possessed as a fire-attribute beast spirit."

"Instinct?" Yu Xiaogang frowned even more deeply.

"That's right, it's instinct." Lin Mo nodded affirmatively, his tone becoming increasingly matter-of-fact. "Like the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex Sect, one of the three upper sects, and the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex Martial Soul they inherit."

Even without any spirit rings, he possesses an innate talent for controlling lightning.

His example was simple and direct. He continued, "It's like birds being born to fly and fish being born to swim; it's something ingrained in their bones. Do these things really need spirit rings to bestow them?"

To Dean Wang Zongchang, Lin Mo's explanation was quite reasonable.

It is common knowledge that a Soul Master's Martial Soul will only have its own unique Soul Skills after acquiring a Soul Ring. This is almost universally acknowledged by all Soul Masters in the Douluo Continent.

Wang Zongchang stepped in at the opportune moment to smooth things over. He looked at Yu Xiaogang and said in a gentler tone:

"Xiao Gang, what Lin Mo said makes a lot of sense."

Take my own Flaming Blade Martial Soul as an example. When it first awakened, before I even obtained my first Soul Ring, I could still unleash flames.

He recalled for a moment and added, "However, the flames released back then, in terms of both temperature and scale, were far less powerful than what Lin Mo's little fire dragon is showing now."

Different martial soul qualities result in innate differences, which is normal.

Lin Mo stood aside, his expression unchanged, but the dean's words secretly relieved him.

Of course, he wouldn't reveal to Yu Xiaogang and the dean that Little Fire Dragon had already mastered eight skills, including Spark and Smoke Screen, even before obtaining its first spirit ring.

If this news gets out, it will definitely cause huge trouble; it's not impossible that they'll be dragged away for dissection and research.

It's better to play it safe until you have enough strength.

Anyway, as long as he doesn't reveal it himself, no one else can tell that what Little Fire Dragon is using are specific skills; they will only regard them as the powerful instincts of his martial soul.

Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth, as if he wanted to ask something else.

But seeing Dean Wang Zongchang's knowing expression and Lin Mo's "this is only natural" look, he ultimately swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

His face was somewhat grim, feeling that his proud theoretical knowledge was completely inadequate in the face of Lin Mo's seemingly simple and straightforward explanation.

He couldn't find a reasonable explanation to refute Lin Mo's statement, especially the look Lin Mo had given him earlier that seemed to be looking at him like he was an idiot, which made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Alright, now that things are cleared up, let's leave it at that." Dean Wang Zongchang clapped his hands with a smile.

"Lin Mo, go back and rest first. Remember our promise, I'll take you to the Soul Hunter Forest in a week."

"Yes, Dean, I understand." Lin Mo bowed to Wang Zongchang again before turning and leaving the training ground reserved for teachers.

Watching Lin Mo's departing figure, Yu Xiaogang stood there, his expression shifting.

Tang San walked to Yu Xiaogang's side and whispered, "Teacher..."

Yu Xiaogang snapped out of his daze, looked at his disciple, sighed heavily, and ultimately said nothing, only shaking his head.

My disciple is indeed quite talented, but he suffered a crushing defeat in today's sparring match.

While attribute advantage was one factor, underestimating his opponent was the real reason for his defeat.

……

Evening, Dormitory 7.

After a day of classes and training, Lin Mo dragged his slightly tired body back to Dormitory Seven.

As soon as he pushed open the dormitory door and went inside, Wang Sheng, who had been waiting inside, rushed over, his face full of undisguised curiosity and gossip.

"Lin Mo! You're back?" Wang Sheng lowered his voice, but the excitement in his tone was undeniable.

"Tell us quickly, what exactly did the dean and the master want to talk to you about at noon today? They were so secretive, and they took so long!"

As soon as Wang Sheng asked the question, all the other work-study students in the dormitory turned their attention to Lin Mo, clearly everyone was very curious about it.

However, the moment Wang Sheng finished speaking, Tang San, who was sitting cross-legged on his bed cultivating in the corner of the dormitory, suddenly froze, his breathing becoming erratic.

Although he didn't open his eyes immediately, his hands on his knees unconsciously clenched tighter, and he felt increasingly guilty.

The reason was simple: he broke the agreement that everyone had reached that morning and turned around to tell his teacher, Yu Xiaogang, about Lin Mo's martial soul hatching.

Now that Wang Sheng has brought up the matter, he naturally cannot face it calmly.

Lin Mo placed the backpack on his bed, his movements unhurried and deliberate.

He glanced at Wang Sheng, whose face was full of curiosity, and then out of the corner of his eye, at Tang San, who was pretending to be calm, before slowly speaking:

"Nothing special," Lin Mo said calmly.

"The dean somehow heard about the changes in my martial soul, and out of curiosity, he called me over to ask about the situation, and also... took a look at the little fire dragon that hatched."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu, who was sitting to the side fiddling with her scorpion braid, immediately showed a surprised expression.

She blinked her big eyes and looked at Lin Mo, her tone puzzled: "Huh? The dean found out so quickly?"

"Lin Mo, didn't you just break through this morning and experience changes in your martial soul? Didn't we agree to keep it a secret?"

Xiao Wu's question voiced the doubts that most people in the dormitory had.

Everyone's eyes darted back and forth between Lin Mo and the dormitory entrance, seemingly trying to find the 'whistleblower'.

Lin Mo's expression remained largely unchanged upon hearing Xiao Wu's words, but he slowly turned his head and focused his gaze directly on the blue-clad boy in the corner who had remained silent since he entered.

He didn't speak, he just quietly looked at Tang San.