Absorbing the Spirit Ring, Beginning the Breakthrough

Come to think of it, this White Tiger did not entirely meet Chen Yumo's requirements.

Though it also possessed the metal attribute, it had dual light and metal attributes, with the metal attribute slightly weaker than the light attribute. Its proper scientific name would more aptly be Bright White Tiger.

By racial classification, it even had some connection to the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.

The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger was a special mutation caused when the God of Evil descended upon a Bright White Tiger. This Bright White Tiger, however, possessed a pure light attribute and could be called a Holy Bright Tiger, existing on the same level as Mu En's Holy Bright Dragon.

The Bright White Tiger Chen Yumo had hunted this time was a lesser member of the Holy Bright Tiger's lineage.

Much like the gap between True Dragon Species and Subdragon Species among dragons.

Yet that still could not conceal its strength.

With merely seventeen hundred years of cultivation, it had single-handedly killed a Wind Tiger that was nearly ten thousand years old. If that Wind Tiger had not been so underhanded and cut off its little bell before dying, it could even have been considered a flawless solo kill.

Even if Chen Yumo continued searching, he would not find a Spirit Beast more suitable for his second Spirit Ring than this Bright White Tiger.

If the two tigers had not fought each other and both been badly wounded, allowing Chen Yumo to reap the benefits, then if he had encountered either one alone, all he could have done was run.

No, against a ferocious beast like the Wind Tiger that excelled at speed, he likely would not even have had the chance to escape.

With luck this absurdly good, there was truly no need to keep searching. He simply could not find a more suitable second Spirit Ring.

The toil of the previous eighteen days had culminated in a single day of explosive fortune. Perhaps this was what they meant by, the prize pool is still accumulating.

In any case, Chen Yumo was immensely satisfied.

He stored the two Spirit Rings and the two tigers' corpses in his Portable Space, then kept both Detection and Simulation fully active as he swiftly left the area.

Having obtained such exceptional Spirit Rings, Chen Yumo only wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

As for venturing deeper into Meteor Forest to see whether he could find any Extraterrestrial Meteor Iron?

Next time. Definitely next time...

After what could only be called a billion-dollar evacuation from scavenging the spoils, Chen Yumo left the Star Luo Empire without pause, traveling day and night until he returned to Nuoding City.

Chen Yumo had been gone for nearly a month and a half.

Xiao Chenyu vaguely guessed that Chen Yumo might have gone to obtain his second Spirit Ring, but he did not ask.

The last time, when Tang San had threatened him, asking Chen Yumo about Martial Soul Evolution had already embarrassed him enough. This time, Xiao Chenyu had resolved not to pry into Chen Yumo's secrets again.

If Tang San and Xiao Wu, in Xiao Chenyu's eyes, were like a young master and young lady from wealthy families coming to a small place like Nuoding City to experience life,

Then Chen Yumo was a grassroots genius who had become the protagonist, rising against all odds, killing whoever stood in his way, and destined to become a powerhouse.

So not only did he refrain from investigating Chen Yumo's whereabouts, after discovering that he had vanished, he even took the initiative to cover for him. He said that Chen Yumo had left Nuoding Academy because his family had asked him to help with something and would pay him handsomely for it.

Though he enjoyed bullying others and forming cliques at Nuoding Academy, he was not fundamentally an idiot.

Small fry had their own rules for survival, and he was undoubtedly a shrewd man.

Mainly because he knew how to read the situation.

Chen Yumo did not know about this at first. He only later learned that Xiao Chenyu had actually covered for him.

Because at that time, Chen Yumo was still puzzled.

By all rights, he had thoroughly beaten Gangzi several times and successfully evolved his Martial Soul right under his nose, turning him into a complete joke. There was no way Gangzi would not keep an eye on his movements.

After leaving for a month and a half, anyone would think he had gone to obtain a Spirit Ring, right?

Was Gangzi not curious that Chen Yumo had only just broken through to one ring, yet was already going to obtain his second Spirit Ring? Was this the cultivation speed Innate Level One should have?

Yet Chen Yumo found that neither Tang San nor Yu Xiaogang had come to cause him trouble.

It was as though he had never left Nuoding Academy at all.

He did not know that Xiao Lao Da had stepped in again. He thought Gangzi and Sanzi were once more plotting something sinister, and for the first few days after returning to Nuoding City, he remained somewhat paranoid.

Another two or three days passed without him noticing any movements from the master and disciple. Only then did he truly relax.

"A seventeen-hundred-year Spirit Ring, and one from a powerful Spirit Beast like the Bright White Tiger. To be safe, I definitely can't skimp on Whale Rubber."

Chen Yumo did not hesitate. He decisively took out a piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, melted it down, and consumed it.

He then spent another month training to digest the medicinal potency of the Whale Rubber. Only after clearly sensing that his physical condition had improved by another large margin did he choose an auspicious, quiet late-night hour, release the Spirit Ring from his Portable Space, and begin absorbing it.

Looking at the purple Spirit Ring floating before him, Chen Yumo spread open his palm, and a silkworm cocoon emerged within it.

During the previous Metamorphosis, Chen Yumo's silkworm cocoon had been dark brown. When it underwent Break Cocoon, icy blue light had shone through its cracks.

This time, however, during the period from level eleven to level nineteen, Chen Yumo had fed the Ice Silkworm a great quantity of Sword Bamboo. When he reached level twenty, the cocoon formed from metal-attribute energy was platinum-white all over, gleaming with metallic luster and weighing no differently from real metal.

It was even more weighty in his hand.

The Cocooning soul skill truly suited Chen Yumo's path perfectly. It was also his greatest source of confidence in being able to follow the path of the Nine Transformations of the Divine Silkworm.

"Come on. One more Metamorphosis!"

Chen Yumo raised his hand and guided the Spirit Ring down onto the silkworm cocoon, beginning to absorb the Spirit Ring and break through to Soul Grandmaster.

Whether he could truly complete all nine transformations, the first Metamorphosis had merely laid the foundation. The second Metamorphosis was the crucial point that would truly determine life or death.

The first transformation had only allowed him to retain the Cocooning ability and enhance his Martial Soul's potential.

Only the second Metamorphosis could determine whether he would be able to transform into other forms after breaking out of the cocoon.

Chen Yumo was a little uneasy.

But all he could do was continuously refine the Spirit Ring's energy, then unwaveringly trust his Martial Soul and believe that it could definitely accomplish this.

A Martial Soul was part of a Spirit Master, equivalent to another self. If one could not even trust one's own Martial Soul, what else in the world was worth trusting?

As the Spirit Ring's energy continuously poured in, the silkworm cocoon trembled faintly. Its platinum luster also grew several shades brighter, and Chen Yumo could even sense sharp metal-attribute power brewing within the cocoon.

The process was somewhat painful.

The characteristics of the metal attribute were sturdiness and sharpness. Its sturdiness made it extremely difficult to move, while its sharpness brought intense stabbing pain throughout Chen Yumo's body every moment as it circulated within him.

If he had not felt no injuries anywhere on his body, Chen Yumo would have thought he was already suffering the backlash of failure.