Target: Ghost Tiger?

Wu Ling cleared an open space in the grass, then took a knife and chopping board from his Storage Ring. After scaling and gutting the snake, he scooped some water from the nearby river to wash it clean, chopped the body into pieces, then lit a fire, set up the wok, and heated the oil in one smooth sequence.

After a round of stir-frying, the braised snake meat was ready.

"Grandpa Ghost, come out and have a meal."

Moving without stirring the wind, Gui Mei suddenly appeared at Wu Ling's side. Even the breeze had not been disturbed by his movements.

Worthy of a Title Douluo. If I hadn't already learned Mind's Eye, I probably wouldn't have been able to react even if my head had been separated from my body the next second.

While marveling inwardly at Ghost Douluo's strength, Wu Ling placed the plate of braised snake meat before him.

The two ate in silence. Only after finishing did Gui Mei calmly say, "Not bad. Your cooking has improved again."

"Thank you for the praise, Grandpa Ghost. Since my swordsmanship improved, my knife skills have improved too. And with Mind's Eye, even when I encounter ingredients for the first time, I can roughly tell where to start cutting."

Gui Mei nodded slightly. He did not find anything inappropriate about Wu Ling using his Spirit Skill for cooking.

"Applying your skills to every aspect of life is a good idea. So, what do you think of what happened just now?"

Wu Ling pondered briefly before analyzing, "After arriving in a new environment, I became absorbed in the change of surroundings and let down my guard. That was extremely dangerous. If not for Mind's Eye, I might have needed you to act just now, Grandpa Ghost."

"Mm, not bad. Although your performance afterward was indeed very good, if you cannot evade the first attack, then no matter how capable you are afterward, it is all empty talk.

"But you needn't be disappointed either. Defeating a Sharp-Scaled Snake over nine hundred years old without using a Spirit Skill is already extremely impressive.

"Your early dodging and blocking techniques, the body that supported your movements, and finally your theory of using strong liquor to attack the enemy—all of it showed the things you had learned over the past two years to the fullest."

Hearing Gui Mei's praise, Wu Ling smiled sheepishly.

"But after obtaining your second Spirit Ring, the plan will need to change.

"Although combat techniques are important, Soul Power is the true foundation. Even with the talent of Innate Full Soul Power, you cannot endure refining Soul Power only at night every day.

"Techniques can give you an advantage in the early stages, but once you reach the later stages, especially after becoming a Title Douluo, the gap between each rank will only grow wider. That is not something technique can make up for.

"So, after obtaining your second Spirit Ring, halve the time spent on theory and combat, and add that extra time to refining Soul Power."

Wu Ling understood Gui Mei's point very well, because more than ten years later, a genius named Feng Xiaotian would appear. He too possessed Innate Full Soul Power, and his Martial Soul was also a Mutated Martial Soul. Yet because he had been too obsessed with Self-Created Soul Skills in the early stages, he neglected cultivating his Soul Power. In the end, he only became a vice dean of Four Elements Academy, and that was how his story ended. He could be considered to have vanished from everyone's sight.

Wu Ling naturally understood the saying that one could not have both fish and bear's paw, but he also knew that one could not have both only because one lacked the ability!

"It's fine. I've already made plans. Once I obtain my second Spirit Ring, this problem will be easily solved."

"So confident? Can you tell me what Spirit Beast it is?"

"It's a Ghost Tiger that has just reached a thousand years. I saw in Spirit Hall's archives that someone encountered one in the middle reaches of this river a year ago." As he spoke, Wu Ling pointed toward the river's middle reaches.

The moment Wu Ling mentioned the Ghost Tiger, Gui Mei understood his plan.

"A thousand-year Spirit Ring for your second ring is indeed possible with your physical constitution. But a Ghost Tiger... Wu Ling, are you trying to obtain a clone?

"However, such Clones are generally only temporary, and they do not have much ability to learn. Your plan may fail."

Wu Ling waved his hand unconcernedly. "Don't worry, Grandpa Ghost. I'm still somewhat confident about this. After all, have you ever seen a first Spirit Skill like mine?"

Seeing Wu Ling so confident, Gui Mei fell silent again. Indeed, Wu Ling's Martial Soul could not be judged by conventional reasoning. After all, even a Taillow had granted such an absurdly powerful Spirit Skill. Then having a Ghost Tiger grant a clone that might help with cultivation did not seem all that difficult to accept.

"Fine. You understand your own situation best, so decide for yourself."

In the blink of an eye, Gui Mei vanished from before Wu Ling again. Wu Ling's smile gradually disappeared as well, and he could only wash the leftover dishes expressionlessly.

After washing the tableware clean, Wu Ling put it back into his Storage Ring to await its next use.

Wanting to complete his goal as quickly as possible, Wu Ling did not rest properly. Instead, he used cultivation to replace most of his sleep, then took a brief nap.

After recovering to his peak condition, Wu Ling set off again. He first identified his direction, then began heading toward the middle reaches of the river.

Along the way, Wu Ling encountered several Spirit Beasts blocking his path. However, since it was still nighttime, most were snakes or insects. Only an owl and a lone wolf were animal-type Spirit Beasts.

Near dawn, around four or five in the morning, Wu Ling arrived at his destination.

As soon as he entered the Ghost Tiger's territory, Wu Ling made a discovery. He suddenly crouched beneath a bush and looked at the vivid red stains on the green leaves, a suspicion forming in his heart.

"This blood is quite fresh. It looks like it has been less than half an hour. The Ghost Tiger is probably enjoying its meal right now, so attacking it by surprise would be the best opportunity.

"But a thousand years is still a thousand years. It is better to be cautious. The sun will rise in less than an hour, and attacking after sunrise would not be bad either.

"However, I first need to determine its location."

Following the blood trail, Wu Ling slowly ventured deeper into the forest. As he went farther in, the traces of blood became more numerous.

Eventually, he arrived outside a clearing. At its center stood a massive boulder nearly five meters tall.

Seeing a hole at the top of the boulder, Wu Ling guessed, "This is probably the Ghost Tiger's nest. Other than that Ghost Tiger corpse, there is nothing else around here, so I just need to wait here...

"Wait, a Ghost Tiger corpse!"

Wu Ling suddenly realized something. He looked carefully at the corpse again and confirmed that it was a Ghost Tiger.

"What is going on? Who killed the Ghost Tiger? Were all the bloodstains I followed the Ghost Tiger's? What am I supposed to do about my second Spirit Ring?"

Just as Wu Ling frowned in thought, a dark creature tinged with purple crawled out of the hole in the boulder.

Wu Ling was slightly stunned when he saw that Spirit Beast.

"What a turn of fortune! No wonder the Ghost Tiger was killed. If this thing became my second Spirit Ring, wouldn't it be even better than a Ghost Tiger?"