Absorbing the Spirit Ring, Summoning Yue Guan

"Me? What happened to me?"

Ban Shu was still a bit dazed after just emerging from the spring. During his time in the water, a figure resembling Madara seemed to have appeared in his mental world.

He seemed to have said something and even bestowed a spirit bone upon him.

"Xiao, Xiao Ban, hurry up and put on some clothes!"

Bibi Dong's face was as red as a boiled lobster. At her age, she had never seen a man's body, let alone one as stark naked as Ban Shu, which dealt her quite a shock.

The three men, including Qian Xunji, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, quickly grasped the situation.

After secretly giving Ban Shu a thumbs-up, Qian Xunji cleared his throat, ignoring the confusion in Bibi Dong's heart: "Xiao Ban, hurry up and get dressed. What kind of behavior is this?"

Only then did Ban Shu realize his clothes had long since been incinerated by the spring, so he hurriedly pulled out a set and put it on.

Driven by intense curiosity—or perhaps just a desire to look again—Bibi Dong, having heard Qian Xunji's voice, slowly parted her fingers just a sliver.

Seeing that Ban Shu was already dressed, she lowered her hands, though for some reason, a trace of regret suddenly surfaced in her heart.

What am I thinking! Bibi Dong hurriedly shook her head, casting the thought aside.

"Xiao Ban, how was the harvest this time?"

After the initial chaos, the group finally sat around the camp to discuss their gains.

Qian Xunji had the strongest foundation, so his improvement was minimal; he merely purified the attributes of his own martial soul, which was excellent for his future cultivation.

The Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma that Dugu Bo consumed was also a herb for strengthening the foundation and cultivating vitality; it didn't increase his Soul Power much, but it was sufficient for his current stage.

After consuming the immortal herb, not only did Bibi Dong's Soul Power increase significantly, but both of her martial souls also received varying degrees of enhancement—a rapid progression, to say the least.

As for Ban Shu, he could be said to have been reborn.

"My martial soul has undergone a second awakening."

"A second awakening?"

Hearing this, the group was stunned, all looking at Ban Shu with curiosity, eager to witness it.

Ban Shu stood up and slowly reached out to summon his martial soul. This time, it wasn't the Painted Halberd that appeared, but a human figure.

"After the evolution, my martial soul has finally reached its complete form: Divine Steed Guardian General."

Ban Shu merged with the figure, and a magnificent set of armor covered his body. Looking closely, most of the armor was a phantom image; only the Painted Halberd in his hand and the armor on his arms were in a solidified state.

"Oh?"

Seeing Madara, Qian Xunji's eyes lit up. There was no mistake; when Ban Shu first awakened his martial soul, this was the figure that appeared behind him.

"After the awakening, all my attributes have been significantly enhanced. And that's not all."

The spirit rings on Ban Shu's body rose slowly, the three purple spirit skills nearly blinding Dugu Bo.

"Damn, is he even human?"

Dugu Bo exclaimed inwardly. His first spirit ring was a thousand-year one; he hadn't guessed wrong—this kid was a monster.

"The amplification ratio of all my spirit skills has increased significantly, nearly five times what it was before."

Ban Shu had just tested it; when his spirit rings activated, that powerful energy surged into his limbs and bones, giving him the illusion that he could even fight a Titled Douluo.

"Five times!"

Even Qian Daoliu was shocked by this exaggerated number. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen martial soul awakenings before, but no one had ever had such a terrifying bonus like Ban Shu.

"Perhaps this is just the nature of my martial soul."

Ban Shu touched the armor on his chest. Wasn't that just like Madara? Using his own extreme stats to crush everything before him without hesitation.

"Not bad."

Qian Daoliu nodded. "You have long since passed level forty. Tomorrow morning, I will find a suitable spirit beast for you."

"Understood, Grandfather."

Ban Shu nodded. "Grandfather Qian, I want to try for a ten-thousand-year spirit beast."

"Are you sure?"

This time, Qian Daoliu only asked once, because he understood that Ban Shu would never do anything without preparation; he had confidence in himself.

"Yes."

Ban Shu nodded. "I might not have been sure before, but now that my martial soul has evolved, I have the confidence to absorb a ten-thousand-year spirit ring."

"Very well."

Qian Daoliu nodded.

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Qian Daoliu took action and found a suitable spirit beast in the Sunset Forest.

Since Ban Shu was no longer lacking in attack speed or power, he only needed defense, so Qian Daoliu brought back a Stone-Armored Behemoth.

This spirit beast possessed extremely high defensive power; ordinary ten-thousand-year spirit beasts couldn't even break through its hide, making it one of the beasts that ten-thousand-year spirit beasts least wanted to encounter.

Of course, this creature was still insignificant before the Limit Douluo Qian Daoliu. With a single strike, he brought it to the brink of death, leaving it for Ban Shu to finish off and absorb.

Everything went very smoothly. The soul shock of the Stone-Armored Behemoth had no effect on Ban Shu; under the protection of the Divine Steed, the spirit beast's mental power was suppressed completely.

After spending some time, Ban Shu finally absorbed the soul ring and obtained his first ten-thousand-year soul skill, Rock Solid.

Once the soul skill was activated, Ban Shu's defensive power increased significantly; the full-force strike of an average level-thirty soul master could not even scratch his armor, which could be described as terrifying.

"Not only that, but my Soul Power has risen by a full four levels. I am now a level-forty-four soul master!"

When Ban Shu said this, his tone was filled with excitement. The ten-thousand-year soul ring, combined with the Soul Power previously stored within his body, allowed him to break through four barriers in one breath, rising four levels in succession.

Seeing such a massive improvement in Ban Shu, everyone felt happy for him.

"Alright, now that everything is finished, we should properly consider how to utilize this treasure land."

Qian Xunji looked at the herb garden before him; in his eyes, this was no longer just a garden, but the future hope of the Martial Soul Hall.

Furthermore, these immortal herbs were not one-time use; as long as there were seeds, they could be produced continuously, providing the Martial Soul Hall with an endless supply of top-tier talent.

"Actually, I have a good candidate in mind."

Ban Shu took out the Catalog of Rare Herbs that Yue Guan had gifted him: "The reason I recognize these immortal herbs is entirely thanks to this book from our Martial Soul Hall Bishop, Yue Guan."

"I have met him and studied with him before. Bishop Yue Guan is a man who loves flowers dearly and is extremely proficient in rare herbs and plants. If he were to look after this herb garden, there would absolutely be no issues."

As he spoke, Ban Shu looked at Dugu Bo: "And Senior, regarding the toxins in your body, I imagine that Bishop would have a way to resolve them."

Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo's eyes lit up instantly. As long as there was a way, that was good; as long as the toxins in his body remained, he would always have a heavy burden on his heart.

Hearing Ban Shu's suggestion, Qian Xunji did not hesitate: "Good, I will notify the nearby Martial Soul Hall immediately and summon Yue Guan here."