Hunting in Star Dou Again: Different Spirit Rings, Secrets Kept Within

The middle region of the Star Dou Great Forest was even darker than the outskirts. The branches and leaves of towering ancient trees wove together into a dense net, allowing only scattered patches of light through. Master walked at the front, holding a Spirit Beast Detector. Its needle occasionally twitched, emitting a faint hum. Tang San followed closely behind, Blue Silver Grass silently spreading from his fingertips and creeping along the ground as it sensed the Spirit Power Fluctuations around them. Lin Zhixia gripped the Starwood Arrow Shaft tightly, the phantom image of the Starfall Bow flickering in and out of sight in her palm as her wary gaze swept across the canopy overhead—Void Breaking Sparrows often nested in flocks high above, and the spatial ripples from their wings could interfere with them if they were not careful.

"Careful. There's a Spirit Power Fluctuation ahead, around a thousand years old. It's very likely a Ghost Vine." Master abruptly halted, the detector's needle pointing rigidly toward the bushes ahead to the left. "Tang San, use Blue Silver Grass to scout ahead. Don't alert it."

Tang San nodded. A strand of Blue Silver Grass slipped into the bushes like a spirit serpent. A moment later, his expression changed slightly. "Master, there are Vines moving inside. They're highly toxic. The Blue Silver Grass was corroded the moment it touched them."

Before he had finished speaking, the bushes shook violently. A pitch-black vine wrapped in purple poisonous thorns shot out and lashed toward the three of them—it was a Thousand Year Ghost Vine! Several dried Spirit Beast skeletons still hung from its Vines, clearly showing that it had been entrenched here for a long time.

"Tang San, use Entanglement and bind its main vine!" Master shouted as he took out Antidote Powder from his pack and scattered it around them. "Zhixia, attack its roots with Starlight Arrows. That's its weak point!"

Tang San immediately circulated his Soul Power. Pale blue Blue Silver Grass surged forth like a tide, winding toward the Ghost Vine's main vine. Sensing danger, the Ghost Vine twisted its Vines violently in an attempt to break free, but the Blue Silver Grass was exceptionally tough and held it firmly in place. Just then, purple toxic mist suddenly billowed from the Ghost Vine's Vines and spread toward Tang San.

"Hold your breath! That mist can paralyze the nerves!" Master shouted.

Tang San had come prepared. He took an Antidote Pill from his clothes and held it in his mouth, tightening the Blue Silver Grass again at the same time. The Ghost Vine let out a piercing series of hisses. Its main vine was squeezed slightly out of shape, yet its roots still frantically absorbed nutrients from the soil in an attempt to break free.

"Zhixia, now!" Tang San shouted.

Lin Zhixia took a deep breath, pouring Soul Power into the Starwood Arrow Shaft. A Starlight Arrow condensed from all her strength in an instant. She aimed at the Ghost Vine's roots and sharply released the string. The arrow shot forth with a piercing whistle. The instant the Starlight Arrow struck its roots, it erupted in a dazzling Light Burst, temporarily blinding the Ghost Vine's senses. At the same time, she swiftly condensed a second arrow, its shaft coated in powder ground from Void Breaking Sparrow feathers—something prepared for hunting Void Breaking Sparrows later, though it could now enhance the arrow's penetrative power.

The second arrow struck the wound in the Ghost Vine's roots with precision, and purple fluid gushed out. The Ghost Vine began struggling violently, poisonous thorns dropping from its Vines one after another and shooting toward the three of them. Tang San immediately controlled the Blue Silver Grass to form a shield, blocking the thorns. At the same time, he infused Soul Power into the Blue Silver Grass, making it spread along the Ghost Vine's Vines in an attempt to infiltrate its interior.

"Tang San, don't force it! Guide your Soul Power into its Vines and try to absorb its energy!" Master suddenly said. "The Ghost Vine's Parasitize ability can merge with your Blue Silver Grass. As long as you can tame its Soul Power, you can obtain the Parasitize Spirit Skill!"

Tang San suddenly understood. He immediately changed the way he circulated his Soul Power. Rather than opposing the Ghost Vine, he guided the Blue Silver Grass's Soul Power into the Ghost Vine's Vines bit by bit. At first, the Ghost Vine's Soul Power resisted fiercely, trying to devour the Blue Silver Grass's Soul Power. But as Tang San continued pouring in his power, the toughness of the Blue Silver Grass gradually suppressed the Ghost Vine's ferocity. Finally, the Ghost Vine stopped struggling. Its Vines slowly drooped, and a dark yellow Spirit Ring rose from its body, hovering in the air.

"Success! Quickly, Absorb Spirit Ring!" A flash of excitement passed through Master's eyes.

Tang San sat down cross-legged and guided the Spirit Ring into his body. Unlike the first time he had absorbed a Spirit Ring, the energy of this Thousand Year Spirit Ring was far more violent, pouring into his meridians like molten lava. Following Master's instructions, he slowly directed the energy into the Blue Silver Grass martial spirit mark, all while sensing the power of Parasitize—as long as Blue Silver Grass touched an enemy, it could release tiny seeds that would take root and sprout inside the enemy's body, restricting their movements while also inflicting Paralytic Toxin.

Just as Tang San was absorbing the Spirit Ring, Lin Zhixia suddenly looked up at the canopy. "Master, there's movement above! Void Breaking Sparrows!"

Master looked up to see more than a dozen silver-white birds rising from the canopy, their wings carrying pale blue spatial ripples. With every beat of their wings, the air around them twisted slightly—they were a flock of Void Breaking Sparrows!

"Oh no, the fighting startled them!" Master's expression shifted slightly. "Void Breaking Sparrows move in flocks. The spatial ripples from their wings can disrupt Spirit Skills. We must deal with them quickly!"

Lin Zhixia immediately summoned the Starfall Bow and took out Void Piercing Feather Fletching from her pack. These had been prepared at the academy from the feathers of lower-year Void Breaking Sparrows they had hunted before, and now they were finally useful. She attached the fletching to her Starlight Arrows. As Soul Power surged, three arrows formed at once. "Master, I'll shoot down the ones in front first and break up their formation!"

She aimed at a Void Breaking Sparrow in the lead and released the arrow. Carrying Void Piercing Feather Fletching, the Starlight Arrow traced a silver arc through the air, ignoring air resistance as it instantly struck the Void Breaking Sparrow's wing. The bird let out a shrill cry, its wing's spatial ripples falling into disorder as it plummeted toward the ground.

Seeing this, the remaining Void Breaking Sparrows swooped down at Lin Zhixia, the spatial ripples from their flapping wings making even the surrounding trees twist slightly. Lin Zhixia remained completely calm. She rapidly condensed several Starlight Arrows, the star patterns on their shafts flashing as she aimed for the joints of the Void Breaking Sparrows' wings and fired in rapid succession. Each arrow carried the Light Burst of the Starlight Arrow and the piercing power of Void Piercing Feathers, and before long, five or six Void Breaking Sparrows had been shot down.

The remaining Void Breaking Sparrows saw that things had turned against them and tried to flee, but Lin Zhixia had already predicted their flight paths. She took a deep breath and circulated her Soul Power with all her might. A Starlight Arrow thicker and more powerful than the previous ones formed, its star patterns flowing like a galaxy—this was a new attempt after incorporating the properties of Void Piercing Feathers. She sharply released the string, and the arrow split into more than a dozen smaller arrows in midair, each one accurately striking a fleeing Void Breaking Sparrow.

When the last Void Breaking Sparrow was struck, the spatial ripples from its wings suddenly erupted, forming a tiny spatial rift. Lin Zhixia seized the chance and swiftly guided Soul Power, drawing the bird's energy into her body—it was around a thousand years old, making it the perfect second Spirit Ring for her!

A dark yellow Spirit Ring rose from the Void Breaking Sparrow's body. Lin Zhixia sat cross-legged and began absorbing it. The Spirit Ring's energy carried spatial properties as it merged into her Starfall Bow martial spirit. She could clearly feel that her Starlight Arrows could not only penetrate thin walls, but also ignore part of an enemy's physical defense—this was the Void Penetration Spirit Skill!

By then, Tang San had also finished absorbing the Ghost Vine's Spirit Ring. He rose to his feet, and the Blue Silver Grass at his fingertips swayed lightly. A tiny seed fell from one of its leaves, taking root and sprouting the moment it landed on the ground. "My Second Spirit Skill, Parasitize," he said softly, his eyes filled with delight.

Master watched the two of them successfully obtain their Spirit Rings and nodded with a smile. "Very good! Tang San's Parasitize can combine with Entanglement for dual control, while Zhixia's Void Penetration takes the power of her Starlight Arrows to an even greater level." As he spoke, he took out Void Piercing Feather Fletching and handed it to Lin Zhixia. "This was made from the primary feathers of a Thousand Year Void Breaking Sparrow. It can reduce air resistance to the greatest extent and enhance the effects of Void Penetration."

Lin Zhixia accepted the fletching. When her fingertips touched the feathers, she could feel spatial energy flowing through them. "Thank you, Master," she said gratefully.

Just as the three of them were preparing to head back, a faint Spirit Power Fluctuation suddenly came from the distance. Tang San frowned. "Who's there?"

A pink figure emerged from behind a tree. It was Xiao Wu! Her face was somewhat pale, and upon seeing the three of them, she forced a smile. "I... I was worried you might be in danger, so I secretly followed you."

Tang San froze for a moment, then spoke helplessly. "Xiao Wu, it's dangerous here. You shouldn't have come."

Lin Zhixia also stepped forward and asked with concern, "Are you all right? Did you run into danger?"

Xiao Wu shook her head, her gaze flickering slightly. "I'm fine. I was just a little scared when I saw you fighting the Spirit Beasts. By the way, did you both get your second Spirit Rings?"

"Mm, we've both broken through to Soul Grandmaster," Tang San said with a smile, not noticing that anything was wrong with Xiao Wu.

Master looked at Xiao Wu, his eyes narrowing slightly—he had vaguely sensed an immense Spirit Power Fluctuation from her earlier, yet there was no Spirit Beast aura. It did not seem like a Spirit Ring gained by hunting a Spirit Beast. But he did not expose her. He merely said, "Since you're here, let's return together. This place is not safe to linger in."

On the way back, Xiao Wu walked at the rear. Watching Tang San and Lin Zhixia excitedly discuss their Spirit Skills, her heart was full of conflict. Her Soul Power had long since reached level twenty. As a Hundred Thousand Year Soft Bone Rabbit, she could condense suitable Spirit Rings on her own and did not need to hunt Spirit Beasts. But if this secret were exposed, it would not only draw Spirit Hall's pursuit, but might also make Tang San and Lin Zhixia fear her. She clenched her fists and silently made up her mind: Until I have enough strength to protect them, I absolutely cannot reveal my identity.

As the sun set, the carriage left the Star Dou Great Forest. Tang San sat inside, idly playing with the Blue Silver Grass at his fingertips and sensing the power of Parasitize. Lin Zhixia wiped down the Void Piercing Feather Fletching, looking forward to using Void Penetration next time. Xiao Wu gazed out the window, harboring a secret no one else knew.

Master sat in the corner, looking at the three children with a complicated expression—he had guessed that Xiao Wu's identity was far from ordinary, but he did not expose her. Instead, he silently resolved that no matter who Xiao Wu was, he would protect all three children and not let them repeat the tragedies of the past.

The carriage traveled toward Nuoding Academy beneath the lingering glow of the setting sun. At this moment, the destinies of the three children quietly intertwined, and their legend would continue to write new chapters upon the Douluo Continent.