First Spirit Ring

Half a year later.

Lin Lan and his wife had spent half a year practicing martial arts. Lin Lan's Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and Hua Jieyu's Heartbreak Palm had both reached minor mastery, more than doubling their combat strength.

Over the past six months, Lin Feng had also adjusted his training schedule. He had learned most of the common sense and knowledge he needed. He rose early to cultivate the Soul Devouring Chapter and train his Spiritual Power, practiced martial arts techniques in the morning—mainly agility techniques and the Heartbreak Palm—studied the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter in the afternoon, and cultivated the True Scripture's internal arts while soaking in a Medicinal Bath at night.

Lin Feng had already entered the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter and achieved minor mastery. Given his current condition, it would be impossible for him to advance any further in the short term. After examining him, Lin Lan concluded that absorbing a seven- or eight-hundred-year Spirit Ring would be no trouble at all. Lin Feng had no intention of challenging a Thousand-year Spirit Ring for his First Spirit Ring, so the family of three packed supplies for the journey and set out for the Star Dou Great Forest.

Because Lin Feng had high requirements for his First Spirit Ring, they brought no guards in order to prevent word from leaking out. Of course, with Lin Lan and Hua Jieyu's strength, there would hardly be any danger anyway. Lin Lan drove the carriage on the way to the Star Dou Great Forest. Inside, Hua Jieyu asked Lin Feng, "Feng'er, have you given any thought to your First Spirit Ring? What kind of Spirit Beast do you want?"

Lin Feng said, "Mom, according to Five Elements Mutual Generation, my Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber both possess the Gold Attribute. Gold generates water, so I plan to choose a top-tier Water Attribute Spirit Beast for my First Spirit Ring. Most high-level Water Attribute Spirit Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest are sub-dragon species, such as the Sky Azure Bull Python, Azure Water Flood Dragon, and Swamp Crocodile Emperor. It's just that top-tier Spirit Beasts of a suitable age are hard to find. Take the Sky Azure Bull Python, for example. It seems there's only one Hundred-thousand-year one in the Core Zone, and I haven't heard of any others. Of course, if we happen to encounter a Water Attribute dragon, that would be my first choice. Otherwise, any of those others will do as long as their age is suitable."

Hua Jieyu smacked the back of Lin Feng's head. "Listen to this brat, acting like he's settling for second best. Do you know that for any Beast Spirit master, never mind whether they have a Water Attribute or not, as long as they aren't Fire Attribute, they'd be screaming as they rushed at any one of the Spirit Beasts you mentioned? Yet you're still dissatisfied."

Lin Feng hugged Hua Jieyu's arm. "Hehe, they just don't get many chances to choose. Even disciples of major sects rarely get dedicated hunting services. Usually, sect elders bring batches of people to hunt Spirit Beasts at once, so they have to consider the bigger picture. I'm different. I have a personal two-on-one team."

Hua Jieyu smiled and tapped Lin Feng's forehead with a finger. "You little rascal. Once we reach the Star Dou Great Forest, we'll first search around lakes and water sources. After you absorb your First Spirit Ring, Mom will go hunt one for her breakthrough."

Lin Feng asked, "Do you have a target this time, Mom?"

Hua Jieyu said, "Yes. When I was hunting for my sixth Spirit Ring, I encountered a mutated sixty-thousand-year Arrow Bamboo. I don't know how it came to be, but it possessed incredibly intense sword qi with a destruction attribute. Arrow Bamboo itself is merely an ordinary Plant Spirit Beast, but this one was no weaker than a top-tier Spirit Beast. It can no longer be called Arrow Bamboo. Perhaps Destruction Sword Bamboo would be more fitting. I don't know whether it has been hunted yet. If it hasn't, it'll be Mom's first choice. If it's gone, then my second choices will be the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear or the Golden Crocodile King. Both Spirit Beasts possess extremely intense sharp gold qi, and they suit the Seven Star Sword well. That's why, despite living in Heaven Dou City, we didn't go to Sunset Forest and instead traveled all this way to the Star Dou Great Forest. It's mainly for that Destruction Sword Bamboo. Otherwise, Sunset Forest could have met both our needs."

When they arrived at Star Dou Town, the three stopped to rest. After storing the carriage, they entered the Star Dou Great Forest early the next morning. Lin Feng had lived in Heaven Dou City these past few years, and now that he had finally come to the famed Star Dou Great Forest from the novel, he could not help feeling a little excited. Compared to Blue Star, the vegetation here was indeed much more lush, and many plants looked much "bigger" than those on Blue Star—literally bigger. There were trees that truly seemed to pierce the clouds. He had never seen anything like that in his previous life.

The three searched through the Outer Zone for a Spirit Beast suitable for Lin Feng. Since he needed a Water Attribute Spirit Beast, they mainly searched near lakes and rivers. They saw many Water Attribute Spirit Beasts of suitable age, such as Floating Water Hippopotamuses, Arrow Rain Fish Schools, Ripple Fish, and Algae Vines, but not a single top-tier Spirit Beast that Lin Feng needed. Fortunately, Lin Feng had come hunting Spirit Beasts with his parents. If he had been with a Soul Master team, academy teachers, or a sect guard squad, they likely would have given up long ago.

After wandering through the Star Dou Great Forest for ten days, the three still had not found a top-tier Water Attribute Spirit Beast. On the eleventh day after entering the forest, they discovered a school of Ironhead Arrowfish in a body of water. Ironhead Arrowfish were fairly powerful Spirit Beasts and suited some Weapon Spirit masters, such as those with bows, crossbows, or weapon-type spirits. They could grant excellent Spirit Skills and were well liked by Weapon Spirit masters. However, Ironhead Arrowfish were group-dwelling Spirit Beasts, making them relatively difficult to capture and kill for Spirit Rings. Low-age schools were manageable, but high-age ones appeared in swarms. Unless a hunting team was far stronger than the school, they generally dared not provoke them. Moreover, once Ironhead Arrowfish were attacked, the school would migrate, making them difficult to track down. But none of that mattered to Lin Feng. What mattered was that Ironhead Arrowfish were food for Azure Water Flood Dragons. Finding Ironhead Arrowfish meant finding an Azure Water Flood Dragon.

The Azure Water Flood Dragon was the natural enemy of Ironhead Arrowfish. Even an Azure Water Flood Dragon under a hundred years old could feed on hundred-year Ironhead Arrowfish. Lin Feng needed an Azure Water Flood Dragon around eight hundred years old, so the family of three found a dwelling place of Ironhead Arrowfish that had just entered the thousand-year level and hid themselves, waiting only for the Azure Water Flood Dragon to come.

Fortunately, Lin Feng's luck was not bad this time. That evening, just before sunset, the humidity in the surrounding air suddenly surged, and watery mist began to spread. Lin Lan reminded Lin Feng, "Pay attention. The Azure Water Flood Dragon is here."

As soon as Lin Lan finished speaking, a huge, ferocious water python with four short legs and a single horn—actually more of a bulge—burst from the water. Its scales shimmered with an azure-blue sheen, and it had an Ironhead Arrowfish clamped in its mouth, chewing and swallowing as it ate.

Hua Jieyu explained to Lin Feng, "The horn on its head is raised like a round lump. It hasn't broken through the skin yet, so it is under a thousand years old. It is seven and a half meters long, placing it at around seven hundred and fifty years. It's perfect for you. Remember, Feng'er, before an Azure Water Flood Dragon's horn breaks through its skin, it will not exceed a thousand years. Its age can be judged by its length—one meter per hundred years. Once the horn breaks through, it reaches the thousand-year level. After that, for every additional thousand years, its body shortens by one meter. When both horns break through and its body is one meter long, that marks a ten-thousand-year Azure Water Flood Dragon. Beyond that, its body grows another meter for every additional ten thousand years of cultivation. At one hundred thousand years, it transforms into a dragon."

Lin Lan continued, "Son, I'll catch it for you. Fight it and see what results you've achieved from these past six months of training. Don't worry, your mom and I will be watching nearby." With that, Lin Lan flashed before the Azure Water Flood Dragon. Without even releasing his Spirit, he slammed it to the ground with a Regretful Dragon Strike. He then unleashed his pressure, driving away the surrounding Spirit Beasts and creating an empty zone with only the three of them and the flood dragon left inside. Lin Lan and Hua Jieyu stood before and behind it, sealing off the Azure Water Flood Dragon's escape routes. Lin Feng summoned the Heavenly Sword and charged at it.

Before Lin Feng could reach it, the Azure Water Flood Dragon swept its tail. Lin Feng flipped backward to evade, but before he could react, the dragon tail lashed down from above again. Lin Feng raised the Heavenly Sword to block it and was sent three meters back by the force of the tail. With a shake of his sword, Lin Feng charged forward once more. The Azure Water Flood Dragon's tail was incredibly nimble. Lin Feng relied entirely on the True Scripture's agility techniques to twist, shift, and dodge, barely avoiding injury from the tail. The Azure Water Flood Dragon was far stronger than Lin Feng, and its raw strength surpassed his as well. If he wanted to kill it, he likely had to strike its vulnerable spot seven inches below its head. Besides, Lin Feng's Soul Power was limited. If this dragged on, he would collapse from exhaustion before he could even injure the Azure Water Flood Dragon.

As he thought, Lin Feng dodged another tail strike, withdrew the Heavenly Sword, and switched to the Dragon Slaying Saber. He put all his strength into a slash at the incoming tail, knocking it back in the direction it had come from. In a flash, he appeared before the Azure Water Flood Dragon. At the same time, the Dragon Slaying Saber vanished and the Heavenly Sword reappeared. The Azure Water Flood Dragon opened its jaws and bit at Lin Feng. He flashed again, appearing beneath its head, and thrust the Heavenly Sword upward. The indestructible Heavenly Sword pierced through the Azure Water Flood Dragon's lower jaw and stabbed into its mouth. Victory would be decided in this instant. Its head and tail were both unable to attack again, so Lin Feng flashed to the flood dragon's chest, seven inches below its head. He gathered all his Soul Power in his left hand and unleashed the Heartbreak Palm with full force, striking its Inverse Scale and attacking its vital point through it. Finally, he used the last of his Soul Power to flash out of the battle zone. Fortunately, the claws of a hundred-year Azure Water Flood Dragon had not fully formed and could not be used in combat. Otherwise, Lin Feng truly might not have been able to get close to its vital point.

"Dad, I'm out of strength. Win or lose, this is as far as I can go." If it had truly been a fight to the death, Lin Feng still had trump cards to play, but there was no need to use them in a trial before hunting a Spirit Ring. Besides, Lin Lan and Hua Jieyu had never intended for their son to fight the Azure Water Flood Dragon to the death. They only wanted to test the results of his training. After all, in terms of absolute strength, Lin Feng was inferior to the seven-hundred-and-fifty-year Azure Water Flood Dragon.

The Azure Water Flood Dragon, struck in its vital point, writhed in pain on the ground. The Heavenly Sword lodged in its lower jaw vanished as Lin Feng ran out of strength. After rolling over, the Azure Water Flood Dragon climbed back up and assumed a defensive stance. Clearly, though its vital point had been struck, the injury was not fatal, and it still retained a measure of strength.

Lin Lan said, "Very good, Feng'er. Your training these past six months was not in vain. Your current strength already far surpasses that of a one-ring Soul Master. You are not even weaker than an ordinary two-ring Soul Grandmaster. But this Azure Water Flood Dragon is, after all, a high-level Spirit Beast of a sub-dragon species. It isn't something your current strength can handle. The fact that you injured it without suffering serious wounds is already excellent. Meditate and recover your Soul Power first. Once you've recovered, prepare to absorb the Spirit Ring."

After Lin Feng sat in meditation and regulated his breathing for a while, his body returned to peak condition. Seeing this, Lin Lan did not say anything more about Overlimit Absorption. The family had already discussed such matters several times, and he had examined his son's physical condition. There would be no major problem. With a wave of his hand, he struck out with another Regretful Dragon Strike. This time, the Azure Water Flood Dragon was directly reduced to a near-death state, left hanging on by a single breath.

Seeing this, Lin Feng summoned the Heavenly Sword and stabbed it into the vital point beneath the Inverse Scale, ending the Azure Water Flood Dragon's life. A deep yellow Spirit Ring tinged with the faintest trace of purple rose from the Azure Water Flood Dragon's corpse. Lin Feng sat cross-legged and began absorbing the Heavenly Sword's First Spirit Ring.