Ten-Year Lone Bamboo

Lu Fan did not eat all six pieces of Whale Rubber in one day.

Instead, he ate one every other day, sometimes every two days.

After all, the effects of the Thousand-Year Spirit Ring were too intense.

How could little Lu Fan withstand such reckless overindulgence?

It took Lu Fan a full half month to digest all the Whale Rubber.

The benefit of buying Whale Rubber was that it greatly improved his physique.

But the downside was equally obvious—he was broke again.

He could not even scrape together ten Gold Soul Coins from his pockets.

Whenever Ma Hongjun went off to relieve his urges, Lu Fan and Oscar would head to the Great Soul Arena for some fun.

And today, everyone finally had another day off from training.

Because Lu Fan planned to obtain his second Spirit Ring.

"Oh? Have you decided what kind of soul beast you want?"

Flender looked at Lu Fan with a gratified smile.

Of all of them, Lu Fan was the one who worried him the least.

Ma Hongjun had issues with his Martial Soul, while Oscar was otherwise fine aside from his weaker Martial Soul.

In Flender's eyes, Lu Fan was excellent in every regard.

He was handsome, talented, hardworking, and free of bad habits.

Lu Fan nodded. "I have a few possibilities in mind, but which one I choose will depend on what suitable soul beast we find."

Flender nodded. "Have Old Zhao take you there. Bring Hong Jun and the others along too. Consider it a special training session for all of you."

Lu Fan nodded and went to the square, where he found Zhao Wuji, Oscar, and the others.

"Teacher Zhao, the Dean said you should take me to obtain my second Spirit Ring. He also said Xiao Ao and the others should come along."

Zhao Wuji nodded. "No problem."

"Treat this as special training. When we hunt the soul beast, the three of you will work together. I'll guard you from the side to make sure nothing happens."

"Yes!"

The group nodded.

Then, led by Zhao Wuji, they ran toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

Compared to the first time, when they had gone by carriage,

this trip put Lu Fan through quite a bit of hardship.

Fortunately, after nearly two years of training, his stamina had improved tremendously, and he could still endure it.

He treated it like running a marathon.

Besides, this time he could use Soul Power to strengthen his body rather than relying purely on physical strength.

Whenever they grew tired along the way, they could eat one of Oscar's big sausages to restore their Soul Power.

The group set off in the morning and reached the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest by afternoon.

They decided to have a meal at an inn first.

After entering the Star Dou Great Forest, they would have no choice but to eat dry rations.

Nothing unpleasant happened during the meal.

After preparing enough dry rations for three days, the group set off into the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Xiao Fan, take the lead. Hong Jun, cover the rear. Xiao Ao, stay in the middle."

Zhao Wuji arranged their formation.

They nodded and immediately took their positions before advancing deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest.

However, the soul beast they were hunting was not very old, so they only needed to remain in the outer region.

Lu Fan, however, was filled with ambition.

He wanted to challenge a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring as his second ring.

Though it would be difficult, Lu Fan felt that if he absorbed a plant-type Spirit Ring, with the suppression of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, he might be able to pull it off.

"Brother Fan, what type of soul beast are you planning to choose?"

Oscar, walking in the middle, asked.

Lu Fan replied, "A plant-type soul beast. As long as its age is sufficient, we can take a look."

Upon hearing that, the group changed direction and headed toward an area with denser vegetation.

Although soul beasts that liked to ambush their prey were more likely to hide there, the chances of finding plant-type soul beasts were also higher.

The first plant-type soul beast they encountered was a Lone Bamboo.

As Lu Fan looked at the Lone Bamboo, his Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum emerged on its own.

Lu Fan felt his Martial Soul resonating with the Lone Bamboo.

"I feel like my Martial Soul wants that Lone Bamboo."

Everyone beside him frowned.

Even Zhao Wuji, who had been hiding in the shadows, could no longer sit still.

He hurriedly revealed himself and stopped him. "That's just a ten-year Lone Bamboo. Xiao Fan, don't do anything foolish."

Lu Fan nodded at his words. "Teacher Zhao, don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

Lu Fan put away his Martial Soul and left.

Yet with every step he took, he felt an emptiness in his heart, as though he had lost a million Gold Soul Coins.

But remembering that it really was only a ten-year Lone Bamboo, Lu Fan forcibly suppressed the feeling and continued onward.

Whoosh!

A sharp sound tore through the air beside them.

"Defend!"

Lu Fan shouted from the front of the group.

At his command, everyone immediately activated Martial Soul Possession and went on guard.

Lu Fan even activated his first soul skill on the spot.

In a place like the Star Dou Great Forest, his first soul skill was truly a soul skill with no consumption.

Everyone looked around, trying to find the source of the earlier sound.

Whoosh!

Another sharp sound came through the air.

This time, prepared in advance, they clearly saw what it was.

It was a golden leaf.

The leaf gleamed with golden light as it shot toward them like a flying knife.

Lu Fan flashed forward and blocked the leaf.

Looking at the golden leaf, Lu Fan's heart stirred. "A golden leaf... could it be a Golden Leaf?"

Lu Fan looked at everyone excitedly. "This soul beast is most likely a Golden Leaf, a mutated plant-type soul beast born from blood left behind after a soul beast associated with gold, auspiciousness, or something similar dies."

"If its age is suitable, it would make an excellent Spirit Ring for me!"

"Great! Then let's go take it down!"

Joyful smiles appeared on everyone's faces.

Lu Fan nodded and headed in the direction the Golden Leaf had flown from.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

This time, several sharp sounds cut through the air.

Dozens of Golden Leaves flew toward them.

But everyone easily blocked them.

"Looks like we accidentally entered its territory."

Seeing the other side attack with such intensity, Lu Fan made his guess.

As they drew closer, the Golden Leaf's counterattacks became increasingly fierce.

Sometimes, it even launched more than a hundred Golden Leaves at once.

Lu Fan fell into thought at the sight.

"That shouldn't be possible. Logically speaking, a Golden Leaf shouldn't have this many leaves."

Lu Fan grew increasingly curious.

Soon, the group saw its true form.

It was actually a Golden Tree.

At that sight, Lu Fan finally understood why it had so many leaves.

"It's actually a Golden Tree. Only when a Golden Leaf breaks through to the thousand-year level can it grow into a large tree!"

Oscar frowned at this. "A thousand-year soul beast? Then wouldn't we have to wait until Brother Fan gets his third ring before—"

Before Oscar could finish, Lu Fan looked at the Golden Tree with fighting spirit blazing across his face. "No. I'm choosing it for my second ring."

"What?!"

"Are you crazy? A Soul Master's second Spirit Ring can only be seven hundred years old!"

Yet Lu Fan had no reaction to those words.

He merely called out into the air, "Teacher Zhao, please come out for a moment!"

Whoosh!

Another sharp sound rang out as Zhao Wuji instantly appeared before them.

Seeing this, Lu Fan said to Zhao Wuji, "Teacher Zhao, please test whether my current physical condition qualifies me to absorb a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring."

Zhao Wuji nodded, placed a hand on Lu Fan's shoulder, and sent his Soul Power into Lu Fan's body to begin examining him.