Crossing into Douluo, I Split into Five People

Preparing to Set Out

After several deep breaths, his emotions settled.

Ning Yuxuan had inherited Ning Fengzhi's composure, and his self-restraint was exceptional. He would not easily lose control or make a spectacle of himself.

"I can help you, but you have to promise me! If it fails, you'll accept treatment immediately!"

After a pause, he crouched down to meet Ning Yulin's gaze, speaking softly but seriously.

"There's no need to torment yourself over other people's indifference. If they don't care, then they don't care. We just need to value ourselves."

"Go back. I'll make the arrangements, and we'll leave in three days."

On the way back, Ning Yulin folded his arms, still unable to understand why his eldest brother thought he harbored resentment toward their father.

Usually, when people guessed at someone else's thoughts, they started from their own subjective perspective and let preconceived notions guide them.

If that was the case... then was Eldest Brother the one who held grievances in his heart?

Thinking back over Ning Yuxuan's circumstances, it did seem understandable for him to resent Ning Fengzhi.

He was the eldest son. Before the other children were born, he had always remained at Ning Fengzhi's side. Just past thirty, he was already a Spirit King. By the cultivation standards of auxiliary-type spirit masters, he was a genius. Logically, he should have been the Young Sect Master of the Seven Treasures Sect.

Yet Ning Fengzhi had never settled on the next successor.

New younger brothers kept being born.

Ning Yulin was not in a position to interfere in this matter. If things truly were as he imagined, Eldest Brother's thoughts had likely been festering for more than a decade, nearly becoming a mental demon. They could only wait for Ning Rongrong to appear and shatter that demon with her absolutely outstanding talent.

"Perspective is the problem."

Ning Yulin did not care about the Seven Treasures Sect Master Position at all. Once he obtained his spirit ring, if Ning Fengzhi discovered his talent and raised him as a successor, he would gladly accept it. If he continued to be ignored as before, that was fine too. As long as he had money to spend, anything was acceptable.

The spatial gathering.

"I'm preparing to hunt for a spirit ring too."

Yu Tianrui's expression was somewhat subtle as he lay sprawled over the round table.

"Originally, I thought that needing a spirit ring so soon with innate soul power level two would attract attention and get me brought straight before Yu Yuanzhen. But the clan uncle leading the team barely even remembered me."

That was good. There was no need to worry about all sorts of pointless issues anymore.

"Same here."

Tang Yin replied. Not long ago, he had already set off with other sect disciples who needed spirit rings. Likewise, nobody had paid any attention to the fact that someone with innate soul power level two needed a spirit ring after only seven or eight months of cultivation.

Then he looked toward Zhou Xuefeng.

"You're still in Soul Hunting Forest? Maybe we can meet up."

Tang San would not be born for another two years or so, and the battle between Tang Hao and Qian Xunji had yet to erupt. Therefore, the Clear Sky Sect was still within the Star Luo Empire. It was the undisputed number one sect under heaven. With so many heroes in the sect, no one had noticed Tang Yin's unusual situation.

"Meeting is possible, but we can't force it. We'll see."

Zhou Xuefeng replied. Tang Yin then asked Ning Yulin.

"You've spent the most time reading. What spirit beasts would suit us?"

Ning Yulin had also been considering his first spirit ring. A five-hundred-year Fire Leopard was not a very good option, judging from Zhou Xuefeng's experimental results. Water Attribute spirit beasts and weaker plant-type spirit beasts were more suitable.

Only after a long while did he reply to the two of them.

"For Blue Lightning... there's an electric insect-type spirit beast that looks like a firefly. It has three abilities. When they appear in groups, they can unleash small-scale thunderstorms. Their Fluorescent Sacs can absorb and convert free energy into lightning-attribute light, which they release outward. Their third ability is a Teleportation similar to instant movement, using the lightning elements they emit. The origin of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit is definitely stronger than this insect's. If you encounter one, you might be able to perfectly absorb its innate abilities: Lightning Teleportation and the ability to absorb energy and convert it into lightning. But..."

He did not dare guarantee the success rate. Every spirit ring of a Beast Spirit seemed to affect the spirit to some extent. If Ning Yulin's guess was wrong, Yu Tianrui's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon might undergo a degeneration.

He immediately recommended two more choices. One was a plant-type spirit beast, the Thunderclap Tree. Its canopy could absorb and store lightning, then unleash it to attack targets when needed. The other was the Thunder Lizard, which was also the usual first choice for a Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

If Yu Tianrui could find a mutated variant of either, that would be good as well.

"In my opinion, the spirit beast most suited to Blue Lightning is actually the Thunderous Nether Vine. But that thing is supposedly born after bathing in the blood of a thunder god, so I don't know whether it exists yet. There's also the Moonlight Wolf Clan, which are born with a certain elemental ability. If you're lucky enough to run into one that possesses lightning elements..."

There was no need to explain the rest.

For Tang Yin's Clear Sky Hammer, Ning Yulin recommended two insect-type spirit beasts. He strongly recommended them, rather than leaving it to Tang Yin's luck and personal choice as he had with Yu Tianrui.

"Most ant-type spirit beasts excel in strength, such as Thousand Jun Ants, Ironback Ants, Golden Horn Ants, and the like. But the one I recommend most is the Dung Beetle. Back where we came from, dung beetles can push dung balls 1,440 times their own weight. As spirit beasts here, they would only be more terrifying! If you can absorb one, just imagine it—a strength boost of over a thousand times..."

"Damn! You make it sound so nice." Tang Yin sucked in a cold breath and leaned back warily. "What if I end up with a skill for piling up dung?!"

An image appeared in his mind.

He majestically hurled the Clear Sky Hammer at his enemy. The Clear Sky Hammer spun through the air, emanating a foul, murky stench.

He shuddered.

"Impossible! Based on the theory of spirit strength, if the origin strength of the spirit beast exceeds that of the spirit, then the spirit skill will lean toward the spirit beast's abilities. Conversely, it will lean toward developing the spirit's own abilities. Could a mere Dung Beetle spirit beast possibly be stronger than the number one tool spirit under heaven? A full 1,440-times strength boost! Think about it. Compared with the Great Sumeru Hammer, there probably wouldn't be much difference..."

Listening to Ning Yulin's hypnosis, Tang Yin sank into a beautiful fantasy. Among all martial arts under heaven, only speed was unbreakable, and no defense was impregnable. If he truly gained a strength boost of over a thousand times, who in the entire continent could withstand him?

But... Tang Yin was not an idiot. After seriously considering it, he realized that if it were truly so, a strength increase of over a thousand times would probably make him explode before anything else. What kind of physique could sustain such a terrifying effect?

"Why does your theory look a little like Yu Xiaogang's style?"

It sounded impressive without anyone actually understanding it.

"You!" Ning Yulin slapped the table and sprang to his feet. "How dare you insult me by comparing me to Yu Xiaogang! You are me, and I am you. I use myself as an experiment to verify my own theories. Yu Xiaogang's kind isn't even worthy of comparing himself to me! This is a theory I painstakingly summarized after reading countless materials from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

The four of them: "..."

That made him sound even more like him.

"Just kidding."

The air gradually fell silent. Ning Yulin sat back down and waved his hand.

"Still, I do have this hypothesis. It's only a suggestion. You should make your own decisions."

Originally, they had agreed to each choose one spirit and conduct experiments for the others. But because they were uncertain whether the advantages of having multiple spirits would still function after the experiment, they could only temporarily abandon the plan.

Tang Yin shook his head and urged Ning Yulin on.

"Hurry up. Once you obtain your spirit ring, share it with us immediately. If soul power improvement provides an additional boost, the age limit for my Blue Silver Grass's first spirit ring can increase a little more."

Their First Spirit Rings

Sunset Forest.

The moon hung high in the middle of the night.

Tang Yin opened his eyes, looked at the others, and slowly exhaled.

A Dung Beetle spirit beast. That guy really dared to think of it.

But...

It sounded mostly like nonsense, yet he was fiercely tempted. Everyone knew that offensive skills from low-level spirit rings were basically useless later on. But enhancement skills could still apply buffs even after becoming a god.

His mind waged a fierce battle.

Reason: Don't be so reckless. Be careful not to turn the Clear Sky Hammer into a Dung Hammer!

Impulse: Hesitation leads to defeat. Decisiveness is the true meaning of life. So what if it becomes a Dung Hammer? Who could withstand dung hurled with 1,440 times the force? Go forth, brave youth.

In the end, impulse defeated reason.

"A mop dipped in shit, Lü Bu reborn! I'm doing it!"

If it really became a Dung Hammer, he could have the other four add different spirit rings afterward to overwrite it. With nothing to worry about, he would do it.

"Since you're awake, help keep watch."

A deep, powerful male voice came from above him. Tang Yin looked up.

"Yes, Uncle Tai."

Tang Tai, a level seventy-eight Soul Saint, naturally possessed the Clear Sky Hammer as his spirit. Tang Yin stood and wiped his hair, brushing away the night dew. Not even bringing a tent... seriously... The Clear Sky Sect was not so poor that it had come to this.

Should I take this opportunity to leave the team directly?

If I return to the Clear Sky Sect, I probably won't be able to access many secret techniques related to the Clear Sky Hammer anytime soon.

But if I train outside, once the battle between Tang Hao and Spirit Hall spreads, I probably won't fare well.

Quite a few people died during the process of the Clear Sky Sect being forced to seal its gates.

After thinking it over, he realized that staying in the Clear Sky Sect for now was actually the best choice.

"Perhaps I can switch to another spirit and disguise my identity while traveling outside."

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda were too conspicuous. That left only An Lan's Golden Feather Luan Bird and Zhou Xuefeng's Blue Silver Grass.

As dawn gradually broke, he remained undecided. He followed the other awakened Clear Sky Sect disciples deeper into Soul Hunting Forest, searching for suitable spirit beasts while keeping an eye on the droppings of various spirit beasts, trying to track Dung Beetles.

On the other side of the forest, Zhou Xuefeng changed locations and built a new shelter. At the same time, he recorded the locations of the high-age Blue Silver Grass he found, waiting only for Ning Yulin to finish his experiment before selecting one to absorb directly.

An Lan and Yu Tianrui also arrived at spirit beast forests one after another.

The former was at a spirit beast gathering ground controlled by Spirit Hall. An Lan did not know its name, but it should have been somewhere similar to Soul Hunting Forest, with extremely complicated terrain. The teacher leading the team had strictly ordered them to obey commands and not venture deeper. It reminded him of a place that had terrified the Golden Generation. After they lost the Spirit Master Tournament, Bibi Dong had punished them by sending them there.

The latter was in Sunset Forest, closer to the Blue Lightning Sect. There was no need to travel farther to Soul Hunting Forest. Besides, Soul Hunting Forest did not have as many spirit beast species as Sunset Forest.

All five of them were safe and well, and their plans were proceeding smoothly.

What was this?

Tang Yin's group eventually came across one of the shelters built by Zhou Xuefeng. Tang Tai carefully inspected it and confirmed that there were no traps.

"The owner of this place left at least half a month ago. It was left behind by someone before us, so today we benefit from it. No problem. You kids can properly relax and rest for a while."

Including Tang Yin, five people on this trip needed spirit rings. Three needed their second spirit rings, while two needed their first. There were seven people in the team altogether. Tang Tai was the captain, and another was an auxiliary-type Soul Emperor with healing abilities.

Not everyone in the team had the surname Tang. The Soul Emperor was a talented outsider raised by the Clear Sky Sect, while the other person who needed a first spirit ring, like Tang Yin, was surnamed Bai.

Tang Yin discovered a coded message beside the shelter door, Martian language that he had used in his previous life. It reminded him of a certain youthful time.

This is Shelter Number Four. I lived here for seven days.

Seven hundred meters east, there is a spirit beast gathering spot where Dung Beetles appear.

More than eight hundred and seventy meters west, there are slightly more Dung Beetles than at the previous location.

To the south...

Several pieces of information on Dung Beetles discovered by Zhou Xuefeng had been marked. It had already been confirmed that they were spirit beasts.

"I really have to thank you."

The corner of Tang Yin's eye twitched as he casually wiped away those messy symbols. He grumbled inwardly, It really wasn't easy for you to remember such bizarre characters. I almost couldn't recognize them.

As expected of himself. Tang Yin had only just made up his mind and had not yet discussed it with the others, but Zhou Xuefeng had already investigated the Dung Beetle spirit beasts.

"It's good news that they're confirmed to be spirit beasts, but how do we determine their age?"

It seemed that no one had ever compiled data on Dung Beetle spirit beasts or the characteristics of their different ages.

Then they could only use the stupid method: identify them through the color of the spirit rings.

"I hope there are differences in shade between the different stages of hundred-year spirit rings."

Tang Yin prayed silently.

Hopefully, his luck would not be so bad that one appeared light in color but turned out to be eight or nine hundred years old.

After arriving at Zhou Xuefeng's shelter, the team's luck seemed to take a turn for the better. They soon encountered many suitable spirit beasts and made a huge haul. While the others absorbed their rings, Tang Yin's voice suddenly rang out.

"Uncle Tai, can you tell how old these spirit rings are?"

Tang Tai turned around and found several fist-sized remains of strange black insects lying before Tang Yin, faintly giving off a peculiar odor.

"What kind of spirit beasts are these? Why didn't you choose that Thousand Jun Ant beside them?"

"I'll explain later. Uncle Tai, can you help me determine the ages of these spirit rings?"

Tang Tai gave Tang Yin a strange look. After hesitating for a moment, he released his soul power to help determine their ages. Several minutes later, he pointed them out one by one.

"This one is around three hundred years. That one should be over one hundred and fifty years. The one beside it has the strength of eight hundred years. The one by your left hand..."