Second Spirit

Ding. The bound recipient and the Host were detected to be more than five kilometers apart.

"There's a binding range too?"

Ning Chuan sighed helplessly. He could only put it aside for now, sit cross-legged where he was, and begin meditating to increase his Soul Power according to the method Su Yuntao had taught him.

It had to be said that the Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword, after its Side Effects had been removed and it had received beneficial feedback, was still of very high quality. Even if it could not compare to those tool Martial Souls with Innate Full Spirit Power, it was not far behind.

And as the quality of his Martial Soul improved, so did his cultivation speed.

In only a short while, his completely depleted Soul Power had recovered to normal, with signs of growing even stronger.

"Let's try the Second Spirit."

He slowly raised his right hand. This time, his Soul Power was not instantly drained dry by his Martial Soul, but a gleaming Silver Ball appeared in his palm.

The Silver Ball was not large, only about the size of an adult's fist, but the strange silver light flickering from it was simply too eye-catching.

Ning Chuan stood beside the small river, concentrating in silence.

He felt as though he had heard of this silver sphere before—perhaps he had even seen it—but he could not recall where.

Still, this Martial Soul had to be related to his first Martial Soul. After all, the System had matched it through his first Martial Soul.

"Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword!"

A flash of inspiration struck Ning Chuan's mind, and he seemed to think of something.

He hurriedly poured all his Soul Power into the silver sphere.

Yet the Silver Ball seemed like an inanimate object, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Seeing this, Ning Chuan could not help displaying the bitter smile so hated by countless readers. His Soul Power was still far too low.

With this tiny amount of Soul Power, he simply could not control the silver sphere.

"It looks like finding a Power Bank is urgent."

Ning Chuan sighed inwardly and turned his gaze toward Saint Soul Village.

Old Tom's voice drifted over from afar. "Little Six, it's half past twelve. Come home for lunch."

"Okay, coming."

Ning Chuan answered, got up, and headed toward Old Tom's home.

After lunch, Ning Chuan impatiently made his way to the area within five kilometers of Saint Soul Village, barely even stopping to catch his breath along the way.

To get there faster, he had even used that negligible trace of Soul Power.

Ding. The Host's physical strength had been excessively depleted. Would you like to bind a recipient?

Ding. The Host's Soul Power had been excessively depleted. Would you like to bind a recipient?

"Bind them both to Tang Hao!"

Tang Hao was a Titled Douluo, and a power-type Titled Douluo at that. Whether it was physical strength or Soul Power, he had plenty to spare. Once the binding succeeded, Ning Chuan would practically have unlimited stamina and Soul Power.

Ding. Binding successful.

In an instant, his Soul Power and stamina, which had been completely exhausted by his sprint, returned to normal.

"Now I can finally test this Second Spirit."

Ning Chuan glanced at the Small Woods beside the road and plunged straight into them.

Once he had gone deep enough that the road behind him could no longer be seen—

Ning Chuan raised his left hand and summoned the silver sphere. As Soul Power continuously flowed into it, the motionless Silver Ball finally changed after a moment.

As if it had been molded from sand, it split into specks of silver light in an instant, accompanied by a buzzing sound.

Looking closely, he saw that the silver lights were all flying insects the size of soybeans. Apart from a pair of visible fangs, they looked no different from ordinary beetles.

There was nothing particularly special about them at first glance, but Ning Chuan smiled.

Because they reminded him of a strange insect from A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality.

It was also one of the two signature treasures that had accompanied Old Demon Han the longest.

Gold Devouring Insects!

Fierce insects that gathered in swarms. They loved devouring other strange insects, excelled at consuming the five metals and spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and were incomparably vicious. Neither water nor fire could harm them. They liked clustering into a sphere; jade and wood could trap them, while spider-type strange insects countered them.

As for the other signature treasure, it was naturally the Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword, which had been used from Core Formation all the way to becoming a Dao Ancestor.

"The System really didn't deceive me. Let's see how effective they are."

He took out the flint he had prepared beforehand, gathered some dry branches from the ground, and lit a fire.

Ning Chuan controlled the swarm to rush into the flames. Not only did the insects show no signs of being burned to ashes, they instead bounced around energetically one after another.

Moreover, they continuously devoured the burning flames at astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, the fire went out, leaving only a pile of half-burned dry wood.

Next, Ning Chuan found a puddle and tossed the swarm into it. In the end, the insects even gnawed away all the mud at the bottom.

"While I still can't confirm whether they're truly Gold Devouring Insects, at least it's true that they aren't afraid of water or fire."

Ning Chuan nodded in satisfaction and classified his Second Spirit as Gold Devouring Insects.

Buzz!

Just then, for no apparent reason, Ning Chuan felt an intensely powerful wave of dizziness, as if the entire world were spinning around him.

Ding! The Host's mental power had been excessively depleted. Would you like to bind a recipient?

"So controlling Gold Devouring Insects also consumes mental power. Makes sense. I'm controlling insects, after all."

"Bind Tang Hao!"

Ning Chuan did not take it to heart. Whenever he encountered trouble, he could just bind Tang Hao directly.

Binding successful!

Immediately, Ning Chuan felt clear-headed again. His head no longer spun, his body no longer felt uncomfortable, and he felt incredibly alert.

"Since I'm here, I might as well farm a few more Side Effects."

First came Soul Power meditation.

As everyone knew, if Soul Masters cultivated excessively, the Meridians in their bodies could not withstand it, forcing them to stop cultivating.

The lower one's cultivation, the more pronounced this became.

And once they fell behind by one step, they fell behind at every step.

This was also one reason why people with low Innate Soul Power cultivated so slowly.

Thus, Ning Chuan simply found a secluded corner, sat cross-legged, and began meditating to increase his Soul Power.

A quarter of an hour passed.

Ning Chuan felt his Soul Power improve slightly again, without any discomfort.

Half an hour passed.

Ning Chuan began to feel a slight swelling pain.

An hour passed. Ning Chuan could no longer endure it. The Meridians in his body throbbed unbearably, and he could not continue cultivating.

At that moment—

The System prompt sounded in Ning Chuan's mind once more:

Ding! The Host's Meridians had been damaged due to excessive meditation. Would you like to designate a recipient?

"Although Tang Hao has hidden injuries, he's still a Titled Douluo. His Meridians are incredibly tough. This tiny Side Effect is nothing to him!"

"Bind Tang Hao!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Ning Chuan chose Tang Hao.

Ding. Binding successful!

In an instant, Ning Chuan felt his formerly swollen and aching Meridians recover completely.

Next came one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, one hundred push-ups, one hundred frog jumps, one hundred side-to-side jumps, and a ten-kilometer run carrying stones on his back... With Tang Hao as his Power Bank, Ning Chuan had nearly inexhaustible stamina.

Ding! The Host had suffered a muscle strain. Would you like to bind a recipient?

Ding! The Host's periosteum had worn down. Would you like to bind a recipient?

Ding! The Host...