The Second Stage of Waiting by the Stump

"Lang Lei, how are you feeling right now?"

The moment Lang Lei opened his eyes, he saw two delicate faces.

"Thank you for your concern, sisters. I'm fine, everything's good." Lang Lei patted his chest, full of energy.

This sudden way of learning a skill still felt a bit unfamiliar to Lang Lei, but it was also quite wondrous—perhaps this was the unique rule of this continent?

His Spirit Power Level was still stuck at rank twenty, unchanged. Lang Lei guessed that only after absorbing the second spirit ring would his spirit power level shift.

He was already a little impatient, after all, one of his trump cards was directly tied to his spirit power level. Even a single rank increase would make the power manifested in that card as vast as an ocean compared to a puddle.

"Lang Lei, hurry up, show us!" Ice Empress urged impatiently.

She was very curious—what would the first spirit skill of an unknown God-tier Martial Soul look like?

Lang Lei nodded. In front of Snow Empress and Ice Empress, there was nothing to hide; they could practically be considered his family, even if not by blood.

Just as Lang Lei was about to release the spirit skill into the air, he suddenly sensed a spirit beast approaching, creeping along stealthily—clearly up to no good, like a predator stalking its prey.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Lang Lei's mouth.

"You'll do."

Snow Empress and Ice Empress said nothing. Though they themselves were classified as spirit beasts, the other party was already preparing to attack—they weren't saints.

The reason they hadn't acted before...

No other meaning—they simply hadn't considered that spirit beast worth their attention...

"First Spirit Skill, Breath of Destruction!" With Lang Lei's low roar, a surge of purple energy gathered rapidly before him like surging waves. In the blink of an eye, it condensed into a massive purple hand.

This hand shot out like lightning, instantly charging at a tiger-like spirit beast not far away. The beast clearly sensed the approaching danger; it let out a furious roar, trying to resist the giant claw's capture. But the claw's power was too overwhelming—its resistance crumbled in an instant.

In just a moment, the thick claw firmly seized the spirit beast and dragged it back in front of Lang Lei.

At first, the beast struggled desperately, its limbs flailing in the air, low growls spilling from its mouth as if trying to break free from the giant hand's grip. But as time passed, its struggles grew weaker and weaker, until finally it stopped moving altogether.

By the time the spirit beast was brought before Lang Lei, its body had become extremely weak. Though it still had faint signs of life, it was barely clinging to existence.

Snow Empress stood to the side, glanced at the beast, and immediately recognized its species.

"Lang Lei, you're pretty lucky..." Snow Empress said. "This is a Wind-Thunder Lion Tiger, a hybrid of a Wind Tiger and a Thunder Pattern Lion. In terms of attributes alone, it suits you quite well."

After speaking, Snow Empress continued to sense the beast's condition. Suddenly, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.

"This Wind-Thunder Lion Tiger seems to have had its life force drained... Lang Lei, is that an effect of your spirit skill?" Snow Empress asked.

Lang Lei nodded and admitted frankly, "That's right, my first spirit skill does have the ability to deprive the target of its life force. But it's not that I absorbed it—it's more like it was taken by heaven and earth."

As a Sea Ranger, he certainly wasn't so rigid.

Power itself had no good or evil; what mattered was how the one who wielded it used it.

[Do not bully the weak, do not kill the innocent.]

That wasn't a standard—it was the bottom line that no Sea Ranger would ever allow anyone to cross!

Of course, in other words, aside from that bottom line, any other behavior was permitted.

If someone crossed it, whether it was meeting violence with violence or wiping them out entirely, it was all within the rules allowed for a Sea Ranger.

"Is that so... Lang Lei, can you control the effect of this spirit skill?" Snow Empress's voice carried a hint of concern.

Lang Lei nodded without hesitation and answered confidently, "Of course I can."

He knew well that power that couldn't be controlled was like a runaway horse—hard to rein in, and how could it be called his own power? At the very least, he would never let that happen to himself.

Snow Empress seemed satisfied with his answer and continued to advise, "Try not to show this ability in front of others from now on." Her tone was serious and stern, clearly aware of the skill's special nature and potential danger.

Lang Lei naturally understood what Snow Empress meant and quickly replied, "I know, Sister Xue."

Snow Empress let out a slight sigh of relief, then turned the topic to the skill's other effects, asking curiously, "Does this spirit skill have any other effects?"

Lang Lei thought for a moment and answered, "Its main attack method is to drain the life force of any living being that comes into contact with the Breath of Destruction. But fortunately, it can be both tangible and intangible, so it can also be used as a control ability."

Hearing this, Snow Empress couldn't help but sigh, "You little brat, I'm a bit envious." There was a hint of sourness in her tone—after all, her ice could also provide some control, but compared to Lang Lei's skill, it wasn't nearly as convenient to use.

Ice Empress chimed in from the side, "Yeah, we both saw how fast that big hand flew out just now. Even opponents at the same level, or even one or two major stages higher, probably couldn't dodge it easily."

Just then, Snow Empress, who had been carefully examining the Wind-Thunder Lion Tiger on the ground, stood up.

"Lang Lei, how about using this one for your second spirit ring?" Snow Empress suggested. "Of course, if you don't think it's suitable, we can keep looking. Time is always plentiful for us."

Lang Lei observed it carefully for a while and then agreed. He felt it was quite fitting.

"No need, this one's fine. No point wasting more time—might not even find one as good."

Lang Lei had once heard a theory from a thinker in some world: When you walk through a wheat field wanting to pick the biggest ear of wheat, if you're greedy, you'll end up wrapped in regret.

With a thought from Lang Lei, the giant hand formed of Breath of Destruction exerted force directly, sending the Wind-Thunder Lion Tiger on its way.

A deeper purple spirit ring floated out. Just from its appearance and aura, it was far stronger than the twelve-hundred-year spirit ring Lang Lei had absorbed before.

As Lang Lei began absorbing it, Snow Empress and Ice Empress started chatting.

"Lang Lei's luck... seems a bit too absurd?" Ice Empress said hesitantly.

Though they had spent most of their time cultivating in the Extreme North before, ever since they had Lang Lei, their understanding of human society wasn't bad.

Look at others hunting for spirit rings—didn't they all spend at least ten days or half a month in the forest? Some even went months without finding a suitable spirit beast. And then look at Lang Lei—not only did he find a suitable beast shortly after entering, but while testing his skill, a spirit beast even ran right into him, and it happened to be one that suited him perfectly.

With this whole process, the time Lang Lei needed to stay in the Star Dou Great Forest was greatly shortened, allowing him to move into the next stage of development sooner.