Third Spirit Ring

After moving to a safe area, Ning Tianchen could not help but say, "We've really stirred up a nest of spirit beasts this time."

Spirit beasts fought one another to the death over territory and food. Yet when facing human spirit masters, they often became remarkably united.

In just this short time, the area where he and Ning Rongrong had been was already surrounded by quite a few ten-thousand-year spirit beasts.

"Tianchen Gege, what should we do? There are too many spirit beasts here. Sword Grandfather and Elder Ke probably won't be able to come protect us anytime soon."

Ning Rongrong paced anxiously in circles.

This was the first time in her life she had encountered such a situation.

Although Ning Tianchen had lived two lives, he had never faced such a perilous situation in his previous life.

At this moment, he could not help feeling anxious.

"Calm down. I have to stay calm." After taking several deep breaths, Ning Tianchen gradually settled himself.

Spirit beasts older than two thousand years were already beyond what the two of them could fight. The only thing they could do now was conceal their auras and find a safe place to hide.

After finding a concealed cave nearby, Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong hid inside.

Meanwhile, within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Ning Fengzhi, who was handling sect affairs in his study, suddenly paused his brush in midair. He felt inexplicably restless.

"Fengzhi, what's wrong?" Gu Rong could not help asking.

Ning Fengzhi looked out the window. "I have a feeling that Sword Uncle and the others will run into trouble on this trip to Thunderclap Canyon."

Gu Rong did not think much of it. "Fengzhi, though I hate to admit it, with that Old Sword Man's strength, there's nothing on the continent that could put him in danger. You don't need to worry."

Chen Xin might not be in danger, but if he were held up, Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong would be in grave danger.

Ning Fengzhi did not believe this feeling of dread was unfounded. After considering it, he said, "Bone Uncle, go there yourself. If everything is fine, return to the sect immediately."

Gu Rong hurriedly objected, "No. According to the sect's ancestral rules, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect must always have a Titled Douluo stationed within it. If I leave and the sect encounters danger, it will be troublesome."

Ning Fengzhi insisted, "Bone Uncle, you have spatial abilities. Go take a look and come back—it will take no more than One Incense Stick Time. With such a short time, and no petty thieves lurking around the sect, there certainly won't be any danger."

Unable to persuade him otherwise, Gu Rong could only set off for Thunderclap Canyon.

Within Thunderclap Canyon.

Chen Xin was entangled in battle with a group of spirit beasts.

This was the territory of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and all the spirit beasts here were raised by them.

Having come here, they could not slaughter these spirit beasts at will, lest they provoke conflict between the two great sects.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's plot against them was, after all, merely a suspicion. Without concrete evidence, they could not do anything to them.

While fighting with his hands tied, Chen Xin could perhaps drive these spirit beasts back.

But the spirit beasts were thick-skinned and tough-fleshed. Once the pain in their bodies eased somewhat, they would come back again.

"Sword Offering, we can't keep holding back. If it comes to it, let's kill these fellows!" Ke Jie shouted.

Chen Xin was equally helpless. He was not the sect master, after all, and could not make decisions for the sect. If he rashly began slaughtering them, relations between the two great sects would completely deteriorate.

Just as he was hesitating, a spatial gate suddenly appeared in the sky.

Gu Rong stepped out from it. Seeing the situation below, he could not help saying, "Old Sword Man, what are you doing? With your strength, you can't even handle a few fifty-thousand-year spirit beasts?"

Chen Xin did not bicker with him. "Old Bone, you have a Beast Spirit. Use your dragon might to scare these things away."

Even without being told, Gu Rong knew what to do.

He did not know what had happened during this time. For the ever-steady Chen Xin to fall into such a predicament, something must have gone wrong.

"Fifth Spirit Ability, Bone Dragon Wind-Rending Roar."

A dragon's roar rang out. Feeling the suppression of their bloodlines, the group of spirit beasts immediately scattered in all directions.

Within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Yuanzhen sensed the dragon might that had appeared in Thunderclap Canyon and immediately walked out of the ancestral hall.

"What is Luomian doing?"

Yu Luomian hurried over in a panic. "Big Brother, didn't you agree to let people from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect enter Thunderclap Canyon to hunt spirit beasts? That aura just now should have been Bone Douluo's, right?"

Yu Yuanzhen naturally recognized Gu Rong's aura, but he had also sensed Sword Dao Chen Xin's aura.

What kind of spirit-beast hunt would require the simultaneous deployment of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's two guardian Douluos?

Yu Luomian continued, "Big Brother, there's no need for us to concern ourselves. They haven't slaughtered the spirit beasts in the canyon indiscriminately. They must have merely encountered some trouble."

After pondering for a moment, Yu Yuanzhen chose not to ask further. "This old man needs to enter a Cultivation Retreat for a while. Luomian, I'm leaving the sect's affairs to you. Don't disappoint me."

"Rest assured, Big Brother."

After Yu Yuanzhen left, a sinister smile appeared on Yu Luomian's face. Then, he felt a trace of regret.

With Gu Rong joining them, the situation quickly stabilized.

Before long, Chen Xin dragged a dying Sword Winged Dragon before Ning Tianchen.

"Tianchen, your vigilance is quite good. Hehe, hurry and absorb the spirit ring." Chen Xin laughed heartily.

"Old Sword Man, the maximum spirit ring a spirit master can absorb for their Third Spirit Ring is around seventeen hundred years. You're asking Tianchen to absorb a two-thousand-year spirit ring. Do you want him to explode and die?" Gu Rong scolded with a frown.

Upon hearing this, Ning Rongrong looked at Ning Tianchen with worry, then cast a resentful glance at Chen Xin.

This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision by Chen Xin. They had discussed it before setting out to hunt spirit beasts.

Ning Tianchen explained, "Bone Guardian, Rongrong, there's no need to worry. My Second Spirit Ring was also absorbed beyond its normal age limit."

"I read in the sect's library that absorbing spirit rings below ten thousand years depends solely on a spirit master's physical constitution. In theory, as long as one's body is strong enough, even one's First Spirit Ring could be a nine-thousand-nine-hundred-year spirit ring."

The fastest and most effective way to improve one's physical constitution was to absorb spirit bones.

In theory, if a spirit master who had just awakened their martial spirit absorbed Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones into all six spirit-bone slots, then that spirit master's First Spirit Ring could fully begin at the ten-thousand-year level.

Of course, this was only theoretical.

After all, even Spirit Hall could not produce six Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones, much less hand them to a six-year-old child to absorb.

Seeing that Chen Xin did not refute him, Gu Rong immediately understood. "As long as you're confident, that's fine. Rongrong, come back to the sect with me first. Fengzhi has been talking about you."

Ning Rongrong did not refuse. "Tianchen Gege, I'll wait for you at the sect."

After the two left, Ning Tianchen entered the state of absorbing the spirit ring. Chen Xin and Ke Jie stood before and behind him, guarding him.

The two-thousand-year Sword Winged Dragon spirit ring did not place much pressure on Ning Tianchen.

If he had not lacked options, he felt that he might have been able to attempt a two-thousand-five-hundred-year spirit ring now.