Entering the Star Dou Great Forest, Mu Tianyi's Second Spirit Ring Choice

After lunch, the sun began its descent toward the west.

The breeze from Sea God Lake swept across the water, carrying a salty, damp scent that set the leaves of the parasol trees along the shore rustling.

Mu Tianyi had changed into a set of lightweight training gear.

With his black short-sleeved top cinched at the waist and his cuffs tightened, he looked less like a callow youth and more like someone sharp and decisive.

When he reached the banks of Sea God Lake, he spotted two figures in the distance.

One was hunched over a cane, his silver-white hair swaying gently in the wind—it was none other than his Xuan Zu, Mu En.

The other...

Mu Tianyi's gaze faltered.

Zhang Lexuan stood by the lake, her back to the shimmering water, her head tilted slightly as she looked in the direction he was coming from.

The young girl had changed into training gear.

The pale cyan dress was gone, replaced by a silver-gray outfit.

The tight cuffs and the black leather belt around her waist accentuated a figure that was slender but far from frail.

Her black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, revealing a smooth forehead and the fair skin of her neck.

She looked like a completely different person from the gentle, scholarly girl he had seen that morning.

At this moment, there was a newfound heroic spirit in her features. Her posture was no longer the rigid, formal stance of a refined lady; instead, her back was straight, her shoulders relaxed, and she exuded a composure that belied her age.

Mu Tianyi was momentarily stunned.

This temperament...

It was like a sword hidden in its sheath.

It didn't draw the eye, yet you knew it would be razor-sharp the moment it was drawn.

Mu Tianyi felt that the word "cool" was the only way to describe Zhang Lexuan right now.

"Tianyi, you're here." Zhang Lexuan spoke first, offering him a faint smile. Her voice remained soft, but her tone was much more natural than it had been that morning. "Everything is ready, right?"

Mu Tianyi snapped out of his daze, gave a dry cough, and walked forward.

"Ready. But Sister Lexuan, why are you here?"

Mu Tianyi was somewhat surprised.

Zhang Lexuan explained, "It's quite a coincidence. My soul power reached level twenty-nine some time ago, and after practicing for a while, I was just one step away from level thirty."

"I was practicing in my room at noon when I had nothing to do, and I happened to break through. So, Mu En brought me along."

"Oh, I see. Congratulations, Sister Lexuan."

Afterward, Mu Tianyi looked toward Mu En and performed a respectful bow as a junior.

"Xuan Zu."

Mu En stroked his beard, smiling as he sized up his great-grandson.

"Good, your spirit and energy are excellent."

The old man paused, then glanced at Zhang Lexuan, the smile at the corners of his mouth deepening.

"Since everyone is here, let's go."

From Sea God Island to the Star Dou Great Forest, it wouldn't take long at Mu En's speed.

However, considering the two youngsters needed to travel, the old man uncharacteristically refrained from using his full power, instead leading them through the journey at a leisurely pace, stopping and starting along the way.

Star Dou Great Forest.

One of the three major wild soul beast habitats on the Douluo Continent, it was located in the southeast-central part of the continent and spanned thousands of miles.

Tens of thousands of soul beasts lived here.

From ten-year and hundred-year low-level soul beasts to thousand-year, ten-thousand-year, hundred-thousand-year, and even legendary, higher-level existences—everything could be found here.

As for the core area, even a Titled Douluo would not dare to step foot there lightly.

When Mu En landed with the two children on the outskirts, the sky was still bright.

Before them stood ancient trees that blotted out the sun, their trunks so thick that several people couldn't wrap their arms around them, with vines hanging from the branches like green curtains.

The light in the forest was dim, and occasionally, a beast's roar would echo from the depths—muffled, heavy, and filled with a sense of oppression.

The air was thick with the scent of soil and rotting leaves.

Mu Tianyi took a deep breath, and the soul power within his body began to circulate naturally.

A phantom of a white giant dragon flickered behind him, as if it, too, were sensing the aura of this land of soul beasts.

Mu En walked in front, leaning on his cane. His pace was not fast, but every step he took was steady.

He did not release his martial soul, nor did he intentionally radiate any pressure.

But as his eyes, deep as the sea, swept across the surroundings, the soul beasts within several hundred meters had already caught the scent of danger and fled without a trace.

After walking for a distance, Mu En stopped and turned to look at Mu Tianyi.

"Tianyi, do you have any requirements for your second spirit ring?"

"Or, is there any spirit beast you have your eye on?"

Mu Tianyi pondered for a moment.

Mu En did not rush him, leaning on his cane as he waited quietly.

This great-grandson of his shared the same Bright Sacred Dragon lineage as him, but their paths were destined to be different.

The old man had lived for over two hundred years and had seen too many geniuses stifled by the rigid experiences of their elders.

Back then, he had planned a steady, secure path for Tianyi's father.

That man had indeed done well, reaching the Spirit Douluo rank at a young age, placing him among the top combatants on the continent.

But the old man knew in his heart that such a height was not the true limit of the Mu family bloodline.

The arrival of Tianyi had shown him another possibility.

This child was only eight years old and already level twenty; his talent was even higher than his own had been at that age.

What was even more extraordinary was his heaven-defying martial soul:

Twin Martial Souls of the Bright Sacred Dragon and the Dark Sacred Dragon.

To carve such an unpolished jade using the old methods would be a waste of a divine gift.

Therefore, Mu En had long since made up his mind.

Do not force, do not constrain, do not do the work for him.

Provide the necessary resources, block the disasters that come his way, but as for how to walk the path...

Let Mu Tianyi choose for himself.

As an elder, standing by and offering a few suggestions was enough.

"I have already thought about my second spirit ring," Mu Tianyi said, raising his head with a determined tone.

A pale purple spirit ring rose from beneath the boy's feet.

He extended his hand, palm upward, and a faint golden phantom of the Bright Sacred Dragon condensed at his fingertips into a miniature dragon claw, its five fingers sharp as hooks.

This was Mu Tianyi's first spirit skill—Sacred Dragon Rending Sky Claw.

As the boy spoke, he swiped his fingertips lightly, leaving five faint Light Trace marks in the air.

"The effect of this first spirit ring is to condense the power of light into the dragon claw to launch a high-speed rending attack."

"At the same time, the attached 'Light Trace' causes the wound to be continuously scorched by light, weakening the target's self-recovery ability." (For example, spirit power recovery or the effects of buffing support.)

Mu En nodded, his eyes showing approval.

"My first spirit ring followed a power-attack route," Mu Tianyi retracted his dragon claw, his gaze steady, "so for the second spirit ring, I intend to choose an attribute-boosting one to complement it."

Mu En stroked his beard thoughtfully, waiting for him to continue.

Zhang Lexuan stood to the side, listening quietly, her gaze resting on the side of Mu Tianyi's face as he spoke earnestly, her eyes filled with undisguised curiosity.

"I have gone through the Sea God Pavilion's spirit beast encyclopedia," Mu Tianyi looked up, his black eyes bright, "and I intend to challenge a second spirit ring of around five thousand years."

Mu En's eyebrows twitched slightly.

A five-thousand-year second spirit ring.

Such a decision was unprecedented, even among the monster students of the ten-thousand-year-old Shrek Academy.

However, for Mu Tianyi, who had already consumed Whale Rubber, this was merely a small case.

"I have also chosen the type of spirit beast."

The corners of Mu Tianyi's mouth curled up, his tone filled with resolute confidence.

"I want the Golden Earth-Scaled Dragon."