Double Happiness Arrives! Soul Hunting Ring Departs!

In the days that followed, Ma Hongjun behaved himself quite well.

He had no choice; the lesson from burning down the academy last time was still fresh in his mind.

Flender arranged basic physical training for him—running laps, practicing punches, and holding horse stances. The volume wasn't high, as the main goal was to consolidate his foundation at level ten spirit power.

Although Ma Hongjun was chubby, his constitution was decent, and he managed to keep up by gritting his teeth.

"Xiao Pang, don't think about hunting for a spirit ring these next few days. Focus on stabilizing your spirit power first."

Flender stood on the training ground, pushing up his glasses.

"Level ten is a hurdle. Your foundation is at its most unstable right after a breakthrough, so there's no need to rush."

"Understood, Master."

Ma Hongjun wiped the sweat from his forehead, his round face flushed red.

"Brother Fu Wen said, sharpening the axe won't delay the woodcutting."

Flender glanced at Fu Wen nearby, the corners of his mouth curling upward slightly.

This kid certainly knew how to talk.

Fu Wen was sparring with Oscar, trading blows back and forth.

Though it was called sparring, in reality, Fu Wen was acting as a training partner for Oscar.

Oscar's spirit power had been stuck at the peak of level nineteen for several days now; that final barrier just wouldn't break.

Zhao Wuji said this was a normal phenomenon—some people were stuck for days, others for months, and there was no use in rushing.

But Oscar was anxious.

Ma Hongjun had already reached level ten, and he hadn't even hit level twenty yet; he couldn't save face.

"Again!"

Oscar wiped away his sweat and charged forward once more.

Fu Wen dodged to the side and slapped him on the back of the head.

"Too impatient."

"Your movements are distorted. Can't you feel it yourself?"

Oscar froze, stopping his movements.

Indeed.

When he threw that punch just now, the power was sufficient, but the angle was off.

"Haste makes waste."

Fu Wen patted him on the shoulder. "Relax. The more anxious you are, the tighter the bottleneck becomes."

Oscar took a deep breath and nodded.

"You're right."

The third day.

Early morning.

Fu Wen was still asleep when he was suddenly jolted awake by a violent fluctuation of spirit power.

He snapped his eyes open and looked at Oscar, who was beside him.

Oscar sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes tightly shut, his entire body enveloped in a faint blue glow.

Spirit power surged wildly, as if something were about to break out of its shell.

Ma Hongjun was also startled awake, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.

"Is Brother Oscar..."

"Don't make a sound."

Fu Wen held up a finger, signaling him to be quiet.

The two of them watched Oscar, remaining perfectly still.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn passed.

Hum!

A low, muffled sound emanated from within Oscar's body.

The blue light flared intensely before slowly receding.

Oscar opened his eyes, a look of wild joy appearing on his face.

"I broke through! I'm level twenty!"

"Awesome!"

Ma Hongjun was the first to jump up.

Fu Wen also smiled, walked over, and extended his hand.

"Congratulations."

Oscar gripped Fu Wen's hand, his eyes reddening with excitement.

"Finally... finally level twenty!"

"These past few days have been suffocating!"

In the cafeteria, Flender nearly dropped his chopsticks upon hearing the news.

"You broke through?"

"Level twenty?"

Oscar nodded vigorously: "Level twenty! A solid level twenty!"

"Good!"

Flender slapped the table and burst into laughter.

"Double the joy! We must add more dishes today!"

Shao Xin poked his head out from the kitchen: "What dishes should I add?"

"Braised pork! A large portion!"

Flender waved his hand grandly, full of spirit.

Zhao Wuji sat opposite them, watching Oscar with a chuckle.

"Xiao Ao, not bad, much stronger than your old man was back in the day."

"That goes without saying!"

Oscar puffed out his chest: "Don't you know who I am!"

Fu Wen added from the side: "Who are you?"

"..."

Oscar's smile froze.

"I'm your brother!"

He gritted his teeth.

Fu Wen remained expressionless: "Oh."

Ma Hongjun laughed until he doubled over on the side.

After the meal, Flender called everyone together.

"Xiao Ao has broken through, and Xiao Pang has reached level ten as well, so it's the perfect time to take you both to hunt for your spirit rings."

"Xiao Ao's second spirit ring and Xiao Pang's first spirit ring will be handled together this time."

"Dad, have you found suitable spirit beasts?"

Fu Wen asked.

Flender nodded: "I've scoured the library these past few days and finally found a suitable target."

He looked at Ma Hongjun: "Xiao Pang, your martial soul is the Evil Fire Phoenix. Logically, your first spirit ring should be from a fire-attribute spirit beast."

"But your situation is special; if the evil fire issue isn't resolved, there will be endless trouble in the future."

"So this time, I intend to find you a light-attribute spirit beast with purification abilities."

Ma Hongjun blinked: "Master, have you found one?"

"I have."

Flender adjusted his glasses, his expression solemn.

"This type of spirit beast is called the Dawn Light Spirit Crane."

"Dawn Light Spirit Crane?"

Fu Wen raised an eyebrow; he had never heard that name before.

Flender nodded and began to explain.

"The Dawn Light Spirit Crane is a very rare avian spirit beast that lives in the Dawn Marsh in the eastern part of the Soul Hunting Forest."

"This spirit beast is born with the light attribute, and the spirit power within its body possesses the properties of holy purification."

"Legend has it that their feathers emit a golden glow under the sunlight, capable of dispelling darkness and toxins."

"More importantly, the Dawn Light Spirit Crane possesses a trace of an extremely faint phoenix bloodline."

"Although it is so thin it is almost negligible, it is of the same origin as Xiao Pang's phoenix martial soul, so there won't be much rejection during absorption."

Zhao Wuji frowned after listening: "A trace of phoenix bloodline? Are you sure?"

"That is what the ancient texts record."

Flender said, "The Dawn Light Spirit Crane looks much like an ordinary crane, but it has a tuft of golden feathers on its head that resembles a phoenix crown."

"Furthermore, their cry doesn't sound like a crane's call; it is more of a melodious chirping, bearing a slight resemblance to the cry of a phoenix."

"Many scholars believe that the Dawn Light Spirit Crane may be a descendant of the ancient phoenix, only its bloodline has become too thin, causing it to degenerate into its current form."

"What about the age?"

Fu Wen asked the most crucial question.

"A little over four hundred years."

Flender said, "Logically, since this is Xiao Pang's first time absorbing a spirit ring, four hundred years is a bit risky."

"But the Dawn Light Spirit Crane has a gentle temperament, unlike other spirit beasts that are so violent, and the energy of its spirit ring is relatively mild."

"Given Xiao Pang's physical constitution, he should be able to handle it."

"Besides, your first spirit ring was four hundred and thirty years old, so four hundred years shouldn't be a problem for Xiao Pang."

Fu Wen thought for a moment and nodded.

"The age is appropriate, and the attributes match; we can give it a try."

Ma Hongjun listened with a blank expression, but he still nodded vigorously.

"Master, I'll listen to you!"

Flender then looked at Oscar.

"Xiao Ao, you are a food-system spirit master, so you have a wider range of choices for your second spirit ring."

"I intend to find you an auxiliary-system spirit beast to enhance your support abilities."

"As for the specifics, we'll see once we reach the Soul Hunting Forest; there's no rush."

Oscar nodded, "Fine, Dad, just arrange it as you see fit."

"Alright, pack your things; we leave early tomorrow morning!"

Flender slapped the table, making the final decision.