The Third Spirit Ring

Heaven Dou Royal Academy Teaching Committee Zhi Lin's Martial Soul was the Azure Vine.

As a Martial Soul capable of growing to the eighty-third rank, the strength of this plant was beyond doubt.

Its characteristics were good extensibility, fast growth speed, and toughness all in one.

It fit the attributes of Li Xun's second spirit ring, the Lone Bamboo, quite well.

Both plants grew fast and possessed plenty of toughness. It was just that one had a recessive reproductive talent, while the other had an extension talent.

"Azure Vine? Not bad at all." Dugu Bo nodded. "However, choosing a five-thousand-year spirit beast as your third spirit ring is a bit too risky, isn't it?"

He knew he couldn't judge Li Xun by the standards of ordinary spirit masters. But choosing five thousand years for the third spirit ring was truly going a bit too far.

"Don't worry, I've got this under control." Li Xun said with a smiling chuckle.

"It's not that I'm worried, it's that I feel it's unfair to other spirit masters." Seeing Li Xun grinning at him, Dugu Bo let out a soft huff.

Chatting and laughing, the two walked toward the periphery of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

The location they were currently in was the absolute center of the Sunset Forest. Although the geographical location was good, trying to find a spirit beast suitable for Li Xun in the vast forest was also very difficult.

The two searched for a long time; either the age wasn't enough, or the age was too high.

In the end, Dugu Bo grew somewhat impatient. He grabbed Li Xun, tucked him under his arm, and soared into the sky.

"Grandpa Dugu, I'm actually not in a rush." Li Xun tilted his head up hard, trying to keep blood from rushing to his brain.

"Hmph, now you're picky."

A playful look appeared on Dugu Bo's face. "Kid, once you become a Titled Douluo, even if you want me to fly you around, I'll have to think about it."

He didn't even need to be carried now.

Li Xun rolled his eyes. He had some dizziness symptoms now because of the blood rushing to his head. Just as he was considering whether or not to vomit on Dugu Bo.

He suddenly noticed.

A vine was rolling a mottled cat and moving slowly diagonally below the two of them.

"Grandpa Dugu, stop for a second!"

Li Xun wiped his mouth with his hand and patted Dugu Bo.

"You brat, your luck is actually pretty good."

Dugu Bo didn't mind Li Xun's little stunt. "This Azure Vine is collecting corpses as nourishment. If we follow this vine, we can find its main body."

After saying that, Dugu Bo descended, carrying Li Xun.

The two didn't go straight to find the main body of the Azure Vine, instead following the vine with great interest.

"The extensibility of this Azure Vine really is good. This single section alone is probably around thirty meters long."

Li Xun watched the slowly moving vine and nodded.

The reason he chose the Azure Vine was precisely because of this attribute.

Although Wood Style also had a similar effect, the wood itself was hard in material, not to mention its extension distance wasn't far, its speed wasn't fast, and its flexibility was also insufficient.

It was very easy for an opposing spirit master to dodge.

The two tailed it all the way, and before long, they saw the main body of the Azure Vine.

"Judging by the age of this Azure Vine, it's very likely approaching six thousand years. I advise you to play it safe."

Seeing the Azure Vine, Dugu Bo couldn't help but knit his brows.

"Do you still remember my self-healing ability?" Li Xun gave a cheeky smile. "This spirit beast hasn't reached six thousand years yet, it won't kill me."

He had deliberately exposed his self-healing ability while refining pills.

His purpose was to give Dugu Bo some psychological preparation so that he would agree to let him absorb a spirit ring of a higher tier.

Dugu Bo was startled, then thought of Li Xun's self-healing ability and nodded. "It seems your second spirit ring was also obtained using this kind of method, right?"

Li Xun chuckled cheekily and didn't explain.

"Since you already have experience, I won't stop you." Once Dugu Bo finished speaking, his Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul manifested, and nine spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and five black—appeared at his feet.

Scarlet Iron Python Strangulation.

As the second spirit ring lit up, Dugu Bo lashed out with two strands of energy that transformed into two dark green pythons, charging straight toward the Azure Vine.

Perhaps sensing danger.

Dozens of vines abruptly jutted out from the ground around the Azure Vine, wrapping toward the dark green pythons with the momentum of thunder.

Li Xun's heart skipped a beat.

He hadn't expected that the seemingly unremarkable Azure Vine would hide such a move.

Judging solely by the might of the vines, even if a strong Spirit Elder were entangled, there would be zero chance of survival.

Just as Li Xun was startled.

The two giant energy pythons had already smashed through the blockade of vines and rushed straight for the main body of the Azure Vine.

With the strength of Dugu Bo as a Titled Douluo, even if he used a low-tier spirit skill, it wasn't something a mere five-to-six-thousand-year spirit beast could resist.

Seeing that the spirit skill was about to hit the main body of the Azure Vine.

Dugu Bo hurriedly reined in some of his force to avoid killing it in a single strike.

"Kid, you can go finish it off." Dugu Bo slightly raised his chin, standing with his hands behind his back.

Looking at the Azure Vine that had already gone limp, Li Xun nodded.

"Thank you, Grandpa Dugu."

Li Xun didn't step forward, instead summoning his Martial Soul right where he stood. "Wood Style, Tree World Advent."

Dozens of trees rose from the ground around the Azure Vine, rapidly binding and wrapping it up.

The main body of the Azure Vine trembled slightly.

In the past, it was always the one entangling others; who could have imagined that today the tables would turn.

It continuously twisted its main body, extending outward, and a few more vines once again appeared on the ground, reaching to wrap around the branches on its surface in an attempt to break free from the restraint.

Li Xun's heart tightened, and he increased the force of his technique once more.

As the trees wrapped tighter and tighter, the Azure Vine gradually lost its resistance, and the surrounding vines slowly slid away.

A purple spirit ring emerged from above the Azure Vine.

Li Xun turned his head to glance at Dugu Bo.

"Kid, what kind of look is that?"

Dugu Bo said with displeasure, "If I hadn't been mindful of you, a single stream of Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison from me—would it still be alive?"

"Grandpa Dugu, I didn't say a thing!"

Li Xun's gaze was innocent as he blinked, walking calmly toward the Azure Vine.

This action made Dugu Bo grind his teeth in annoyance.

Li Xun walked beneath the spirit ring, summoned his Martial Soul, sat cross-legged, and used his Soul Power to guide the purple spirit ring.

Under the traction, the spirit ring drifted to the top of Li Xun's head at an extremely fast speed.

Then it suddenly shrank, transforming into a small ring that drifted straight toward the Thousand Hands Great Buddha.

When the purple spirit ring settled over the Martial Soul, a sensation of pain instantly spread through Li Xun's entire body.

This pain felt as though his entire body was being soaked in boiling water, or as if hot oil was being poured over him.

Li Xun hurriedly sensed the condition within his body.

He discovered that a majestic torrent of energy was rampaging inside him, continuously destroying his physical body and meridians.

Good thing the age of this Azure Vine hasn't reached six thousand years, otherwise I'd probably be in mortal danger.

Li Xun's forehead was covered in beads of sweat, and a close observation would reveal that these sweat drops actually had faint traces of blood in them.

The energy of the spirit ring was still continuously destroying his body.

This energy was far too mighty; his self-healing ability was already unable to keep up with repairing his physical injuries.

Li Xun had no choice but to control his Chakra to follow right behind this energy, carefully performing repair work.

It wasn't that Wood Style's self-healing ability was weak, but rather that Li Xun's cultivation time was still too short, and he was still far from reaching the self-healing level of Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara.

After all, his total cultivation time, all things considered, wasn't even two full cat years.

With Dugu Bo's cultivation, how could he fail to see Li Xun's current state. Yet no matter how anxious he was, he couldn't intervene at this moment.

"Kid, you have to hold on." Dugu Bo's expression was grave as he clenched one hand into a fist.

Crack—

An extremely faint sound arrived.

Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed as he instantly summoned his Martial Soul and looked behind him. "Who's there!"