I Traveled to Douluo and Split into Five People

There were two creatures I remembered as having extraordinarily tenacious vitality.

The Water Bear, said to survive as long as the sun never extinguished. They were incredibly adaptable to their environment, resistant to high temperatures and radiation. According to scientific reports he had read in his previous life, they could continue living in temperatures of 151°C, temperatures of -272.8°C near absolute zero, vacuum, intense radiation, and high-pressure environments.

Through Cryptobiosis State—halting all metabolism—they could undergo physical death as a form of suspended animation. Once they came into contact with water again, they would revive at full strength.

If Dung Beetles could become Spirit Beasts, then Water Bears should be able to as well.

The only problem was whether they could be found. Their size was an issue. In that other world, Water Bears could only be observed through microscopes and were invisible to the naked eye.

The other was the Immortal Jellyfish. He did not know what the Spirit Beast here would be called. It was much easier to find than the former and was mostly distributed in tropical seas one hundred to one thousand meters deep.

Quite a few areas of the Star Luo Empire had tropical climates.

But while their vitality was strong enough, their strength was poor.

Thus, the ideal Water Attribute Spirit Beasts should be octopuses, squids, and the like. If they could go to the South and North Poles of Douluo Planet now, the plants living there would be the most suitable targets.

As for Earth Element, non-venomous Rock Pythons and Earth Spiders would both work.

Zhou Xuefeng planned to investigate the bodies of water the two of them could search within the Star Dou Great Forest. Whichever suitable one they found, they would absorb.

"Let's go."

On the way, with nothing to do, Zhou Xuefeng asked Tian Rui how his electromagnetic training was progressing. Perhaps they could use biological magnetic field detection to find Water Bears.

Tian Rui helplessly spread his hands. Firing the Electromagnetic Cannon to stop the Ironback Strength Ape had already taken an enormous effort. How could he possibly handle such a sophisticated task as sensing biological magnetic fields at his current level?

Moreover, Tian Rui doubted whether Water Bears were Spirit Beasts at all.

"Not every bug is a parasite on the Dragon God."

Zhou Xuefeng naturally knew that, but he still intended to give it a try. He wanted to find moss growing in water-covered areas, since Water Bears seemed plentiful in such places.

As for the problem of not being visible to the naked eye, that was easy.

Wasn't it just a more complicated magnifying glass? How amusing.

Reality was always full of disappointment.

They found Water Bears, but they did not seem to be Spirit Beasts.

Using the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's Second Spirit Skill, Zhou Xuefeng snapped several weapons they had picked up into fragments, endowed them with vitality, and let them reshape themselves into a temporary microscope. Through it, he saw the Water Bears.

He easily crushed several with Soul Power, but unfortunately, no Spirit Rings appeared.

"See? I told you."

Tian Rui shook his head. He was not gloating; his words had merely been proven right, and the remark slipped out instinctively.

With a sigh, Zhou Xuefeng released his Spirit and devoured all the moss in this body of water, clinging to the faint hope that he could absorb some of the Water Bear's traits this way.

"Why not go look for some coral in the shallow sea? I seem to remember that certain corals also have considerable vitality."

Seeing Zhou Xuefeng's actions, Tian Rui tentatively offered a suggestion. After thinking for a moment, Zhou Xuefeng shook his head.

Coral did not seem to be a living creature, but rather something similar to bone.

They kept gathering and investigating information from various bodies of water, yet could not find any Spirit Beast that suited their needs.

By chance, they ran into other Spirit Masters and learned from them that the New Year had already arrived. The two temporarily left the forest and returned to camp, gathering with the other three in the shared space.

After some meaningless small talk, they learned that the other three had been living quite peacefully lately. Tang Yin felt that he had begun to grasp some of the principles behind the Haotian Nine Absolutes and was studying them in greater depth. An Lan's efforts to win over Qian Renxue were progressing steadily; combing her hair had turned out to be a brilliant move.

By now, Qian Renxue had truly developed the habit. Unless circumstances made it impossible, whenever she got up in the morning, she would instinctively want to find An Lan to comb her hair. Whether Qian Xunji and Qian Daoliu had not noticed this unusual situation or were pleased to see it, neither had voiced any opinion from beginning to end.

Ning Yulin had developed several techniques based on his first two Spirit Rings and was working hard to shorten his casting windup. Aside from that, he used the Second Spirit Ring every day to add vitality and nourish Dugu Yan's body. As for their relationship, it had not reached the point of establishing an engagement, but it was far better off than An Lan's side.

Blue Silver Grass's Third Spirit Ring

The atmosphere of family reunions around the New Year left Zhou Xuefeng feeling somewhat melancholy, but he did not care about that now.

He brought up his Blue Silver Grass's Third Spirit Ring and asked whether the other three had any good suggestions.

Or ideas.

"Seriously?"

Even An Lan, who cultivated with the enhancement of the Energy Gathering Ring, was shocked that Zhou Xuefeng had reached Rank 30 so quickly.

"You... did you cheat?"

An Lan was only one Soul Power rank higher than Tian Rui, who could also cultivate by gathering energy. Tian Rui's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit had a First Spirit Ring that could absorb energy and convert it into lightning.

"I used Blue Silver Grass to devour the energy and nutrients of some plant Spirit Beasts."

Zhou Xuefeng was a little impatient. Ning Yulin frowned.

"Don't do it too often. Devouring and absorbing may improve you quickly in the early stages, but there are plenty of precedents. Be careful."

There were no shortage of cultivators in other worlds who walked the path of devouring, but all of them mentioned the problem of impurities to some degree. If the impurity issue could not be resolved, it would have serious consequences in the future—unless someone only sought short-term power for revenge or something similar.

Zhou Xuefeng did not need them to remind him of this. He had not done it too frequently, only absorbing a little whenever he happened upon plant Spirit Beasts he found suitable. He had not really felt the impurities. They were all plants, and although Blue Silver Grass was weak, it was highly inclusive and had thoroughly digested and absorbed what it devoured.

Furthermore, Blue Silver Grass was not a Beast Spirit, so it did not have flaws like the poisoning suffered by the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor and Three-Eyed Magic Bullet.

Setting aside Zhou Xuefeng's cultivation speed, which differed from everyone else's, they each fell into thought.

"How about a Green Anaconda? It's a snake, has Water Attribute, immense strength, thick skin, and tough flesh."

Ning Yulin proposed a target, and Zhou Xuefeng's eyes lit up. Right. A Green Anaconda was a good choice. Non-venomous, a python, immensely strong, and highly defensive.

"Not bad. We can try it."

An Lan also thought of a potentially suitable Spirit Beast. There was a type of spider that lived in water, and the webs it spun differed from those of other spiders, possessing quite respectable defensive power.

Tang Yin racked his brains, but aside from hammers, there was not much else in his head.

He remained silent.

Tian Rui was with Zhou Xuefeng, and the two had already discussed plenty, so there was no need for him to speak here.

As they continued talking, the topic shifted to how the two had used the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit to search for treasure in the forest. Tian Rui's eyes suddenly lit up. Rubbing his chin, he spoke uncertainly.

"Could we search for treasures that help cultivation? Something like Ten Thousand Year Ice Marrow?"

"Ice Marrow?" Zhou Xuefeng found this strange. "None of us has Water or Ice Attribute. Even if we found that stuff, we couldn't make the best use of it. Why bother looking for it?"

"We may not be able to use it, but we can treat it as a valuable resource to attract talent. For example, cough... Shui Bing'er or something."

The four of them: "..."

"You pathetic bastard! Can't you think of anything except women?!"

"Hmph!" Tian Rui gave up completely. "I'm honest, and I'm proud of it!"

The four ignored him. After discussing things for a while, Tang Yin, An Lan, and Ning Yulin disappeared one after another. There were people on their sides, gathered together for the New Year.

After the meeting ended, Zhou Xuefeng looked at Tian Rui without saying a word.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Tian Rui's scalp tingled.

"Don't tell me you like Shui Bing'er's type too?"

"No. I just suddenly thought of something."

Zhou Xuefeng withdrew his gaze and sat cross-legged where he was.

"Our five souls are said to originate from the same source. But are we truly identical? Could it be that each of us emphasizes a different aspect of the original complete soul?"

Their goals were the same, and their interests aligned. But could their ways of thinking differ because of the different inclinations they had originally possessed? Even the same person might not make the same choice at the same time and place.

Tang Yin and the guy in front of him, Tian Rui, both seemed somewhat obsessed with women. Ning Yulin and An Lan seemed more interested in researching the unknown. As for Zhou Xuefeng himself...

People said they understood themselves best, but sometimes, they were the ones who understood themselves the least.

He believed what he pursued was freedom amidst mountains and rivers, a carefree and natural life, and an unobstructed heart. He simply did not know what the other four thought of him.

After thinking for a moment, he suddenly realized there was no point agonizing over it. So what if their thoughts differed? They would not harm one another, and as long as their goals aligned, that was enough.

After the New Year, Qian Xunji received news that put him in a very foul mood.

The person assigned to follow and monitor Tang Hao had both legs broken, then been brazenly dumped at the entrance of the local branch hall.

"What a Clear Sky Sect, what a Clear Sky Hammer, what a Tang Hao!"

If Spirit Hall showed no reaction to such provocation, would that not mean Spirit Hall feared the Clear Sky Sect? Sending people to keep watch was an unspoken rule everyone accepted. Who did not secretly send people to follow and monitor hostile geniuses who threatened their own side?

The reputation of the Clear Sky Twin Stars was so great that Qian Xunji refused to believe Tang Hao did not know he was being followed and observed.

If he had simply killed the man, that would have been one thing. But breaking only his legs and tossing him in front of the branch hall—what was that supposed to mean?

"The number one sect in the world. What an impressive title. Someone..."

Someone answered the call, and Qian Xunji demanded, "Have Yue Guan and Gui Mei returned?"

"Your Holiness the Pope, the two Elders accompanied the Holy Maiden to hunt Spirit Beasts and have not yet returned."

"Once they return, notify them immediately and have them come see me."

None of the suggestions they had made ended up being used. Even Zhou Xuefeng's originally envisioned target had gone wrong. Blue Silver Grass's Third Spirit Ring came from an unexpected Spirit Beast.

After leaving the shared space and resting for a while, Zhou Xuefeng planned to first go to the swampy mudlands and search for traces of Green Anacondas.

This kind of Spirit Beast was quite common and numerous. It took only a few days to find one, and its cultivation age was just right. Looking at those dense scales, Zhou Xuefeng wanted to weaken it first, lure it into fighting another Spirit Beast, then reap the benefits.

They caught several rabbits as bait, lured the Green Anaconda into moving, and drew it toward a Blazing Lion Tiger.

While the two were fighting, a third party suddenly shot out of the nearby pond. A green blur flashed past, dragging both the lion tiger and the Green Anaconda underwater. Before long, two clouds of blood stained the surface red.

"Fuck, what the hell was that?"

Tian Rui jumped in fright.

The two approached the pond and peered inside. The pool had been clouded by a haze of blood, making the activity below impossible to see. Only muddy water churned constantly. Several minutes later, the commotion subsided.

More than half an hour later, the bloody water gradually dispersed. The two saw a giant creature six or seven meters long in the pond, leisurely tearing apart and devouring the corpses of the Green Anaconda and Blazing Lion Tiger.

Its entire body was jade-green, almost blending into the pond water. If it had not been moving, they would never have thought it was an animal.

"Huh? On its head, that's..."

As it shook its head, Tian Rui noticed that its horns looked imposing. Looking more closely, he found something resembling deer antlers on its head. Upon careful comparison, they seemed somewhat similar to the horns of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, only shorter and thicker.

Entanglement?

"This should be some kind of Sub-Dragon Spirit Beast."

Tian Rui came to a conclusion.

Seeing its long body in the pond, Zhou Xuefeng was tempted. But the jade-green scales covering its body made him hesitate. Could it be venomous?

In nature, the more vivid an object's color, the more dangerous it often was.

Brightly colored stones generally carried radiation. Pretty mushrooms would put you in a coffin if you ate them. Snakes with brilliant colors were usually highly venomous.

And so on.

He recalled the Spirit Beast Compendium Ning Yulin had shared from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. It did not seem to contain any information about this Spirit Beast. Most of the Sect's Spirit Beast information was related to its own Spirit, while there was some information on other Spirit Beasts, though not much.

Zhou Xuefeng entered the shared space and left An Lan a message, describing the Spirit Beast's appearance and the environment here, asking him to search Spirit Hall for specific information. Then he waited for a reply.

The two of them then stayed by the pond, watching the Spirit Beast.

It was not until three days later, when Zhou Xuefeng entered the shared space again, that he saw An Lan's reply.

That bastard got Qian Renxue and forgot all about us! Damn it!

Cursing once, Zhou Xuefeng read the message.

An Lan's message: Sub-Dragon Spirit Beast, Azure Water Flood Dragon, Water Attribute Spirit Beast, non-venomous. Its scales possess excellent defensive ability. If the description is accurate, it is around four thousand three hundred years old. Note: if you choose it as your target, you need to make it leave the pond. Otherwise, it can absorb the elements in the water to recover from its injuries. Its weakness is...

After leaving the shared space, Zhou Xuefeng remained silent for a long time.