Second Soul Skill, God-Demon Body

With the Thunder-Charging Beast subdued, Qian Xunji signaled for Ban Shu to act quickly.

Ban Shu did not hesitate; he summoned his Painted Halberd and stepped before the Thunder-Charging Beast.

To grant it a swift end, Ban Shu applied the knowledge he had learned, quickly locating the creature's heart and killing it in a single strike.

Before long, a purple spirit ring rose slowly from the carcass. Ban Shu took a deep breath, steadied his state of mind, and sat cross-legged to begin the absorption.

Nearby, Qian Xunji and Golden Crocodile Douluo watched Ban Shu intently, their mental focus at its peak, fearing any mishap might occur.

Qian Xunji was poised to strike; should Ban Shu show any sign of distress or struggle, he would immediately intervene to interrupt the process.

Although forcibly breaking the absorption of a spirit ring would damage Ban Shu's foundation, in an emergency, it was better than losing his life.

Bibi Dong clasped her hands together, praying while keeping her eyes locked on Ban Shu, not daring to move.

A thousand-year spirit ring and a hundred-year spirit ring, though separated by only one stage, contained vastly different levels of energy.

If the power of a hundred-year spirit ring was like a stream, then a thousand-year spirit ring was a river; as for ten-thousand-year spirit rings and above, they were like a flood.

As soon as Ban Shu began to draw in the spirit ring, he felt an energy ten times more violent than before surge into his body.

Caught off guard, Ban Shu let out a muffled groan, his face turning pale.

Bibi Dong was so frightened that her own face drained of color; she instinctively covered her mouth, not daring to make a sound for fear of disturbing him.

Qian Xunji hurriedly raised his hand, ready to interrupt the absorption, but Golden Crocodile grabbed his arm and shook his head, stopping him.

Golden Crocodile could see Ban Shu's current state; the thousand-year spirit ring had not caused any substantial damage, it was merely a reaction to the sudden impact.

Sure enough, after the initial shock, Ban Shu had already adapted.

Furthermore, a purple lightning bolt quietly emerged from the Painted Halberd at his side. The power of the Thunder-Charging Beast seemed to recognize a superior, obediently following Ban Shu's guidance and merging completely into him.

Time ticked away minute by minute, and the surrounding forest gradually grew quiet under the shroud of night, save for the occasional chirping of insects.

This time, the duration of Ban Shu's spirit ring fusion was quite long; it was a full two hours before he opened his eyes.

"Hoo~"

Ban Shu let out a long, heavy breath before rising to stretch his stiff body, smiling, "Teacher, I succeeded."

Hearing this, the three people nearby finally let out a sigh of relief; it seemed there were no further issues.

Feeling the spirit power within him, a flash of joy crossed Ban Shu's face: "Not only that, after absorbing this thousand-year spirit ring, my spirit power has soared to level twenty-five!"

"Level twenty-five!"

Everyone was shocked. Bibi Dong hurried forward: "Xiao Ban, you are already at level twenty-five?"

"That's right!"

Ban Shu chuckled: "Sister Dong'er, I'm about to catch up to you~"

"What a monster!"

Not knowing how else to respond, Bibi Dong could only offer such an exclamation.

Ban Shu patted his chest: "The Whale Glue and training I've put in over the past six months didn't go to waste."

Of course, being able to successfully absorb a spirit ring of such a high age beyond his rank had a lot to do with his martial soul, the Painted Halberd.

While absorbing the ring, he had felt a very powerful force of lightning that suppressed the energy of the beast, allowing the absorption to proceed so smoothly.

This couldn't help but make Ban Shu wonder if it was the power of the Divine Steed Ban itself, or if something else was helping him from the shadows.

"Xiao Ban, tell us, what exactly is your thousand-year spirit skill?"

At this moment, Qian Xunji asked about the spirit skill.

"My second spirit skill is called God-Demon Body; it is a skill that can significantly boost all attribute capabilities for a short time."

Ban Shu explained: "After activating God-Demon Body, I can greatly enhance my physical constitution for a certain period, and it provides a one-hundred-percent boost to my own spirit skills, increasing their power."

Just as Ban Shu had hoped, what he obtained from the Thunder-Charging Beast was indeed an amplification skill, and a one-hundred-percent boost at that.

This meant that the spirit skill would grow stronger as he grew stronger, ensuring it would not become obsolete—which was exactly what he wanted.

Qian Xunji exhaled softly. The shock Ban Shu had given him was truly staggering; he truly wondered how far this boy would go in the future.

"Alright, it is getting late. Xiao Ban and Dong'er are still children; let us rest here for the night and head back tomorrow."

Golden Crocodile Douluo spoke up.

"Agreed."

Qian Xunji nodded and took several tents out of his spirit storage device, setting them up with smooth, practiced movements.

He remembered that when he was young, he and his father often came here to obtain spirit rings; setting up a tent was a trivial matter.

Taking advantage of the time while the tents were being set up, Ban Shu and Bibi Dong went to gather firewood to prepare a campfire for cooking.

The surrounding spirit beasts had been scared off by Golden Crocodile's aura, and since they were only thousand-year or hundred-year beasts, there was no danger; the group collected the firewood easily.

Just as the two were about to head back, Ban Shu suddenly felt an anomaly within his martial soul.

"Hm?"

Ban Shu froze for a moment, then subconsciously summoned his martial soul, only to see it trembling slightly and pointing in a specific direction.

Instinctively, Ban Shu wanted to lift his feet and head in that direction, but he did not forget about Bibi Dong standing nearby.

"Sister Dong'er, please tell Teacher and the others that I need to go somewhere."

With that, Ban Shu swung his Painted Halberd to hack through the weeds as a trail marker and headed toward the direction of the sensation.

"Eh? Where are you going, Xiao Ban?"

Seeing that the other party had already walked quite far, Bibi Dong hurriedly turned back and ran toward the campsite.

By now, Ban Shu had arrived beside a thicket, and the abnormal movement of the Painted Halberd had ceased; it seemed that this thicket was exactly what it wanted him to see.

Could there be any danger?

Ban Shu began to ponder this question, but he soon dismissed the thought. The Painted Halberd would never put him in danger; if that were the case, could there be a treasure inside?

With this thought in mind, Ban Shu curiously parted the bushes, but the sight inside left him stunned.

"This is... a foal?"

Inside the thicket, a reddish-brown foal lay prone on the ground, its body covered in wounds of all sizes, looking severely injured.

Ban Shu slowly reached out his hand, wanting to touch the foal, but seeing it trembling uncontrollably, he stopped his movement.

"Why would there be a horse here?"