Obtaining a Soul Ring

Fang Mo nodded slightly. The earlier speculation had now been answered.

Wait, if Spirit Dong'er had uncovered those memories, wouldn't Fang Mo be in serious trouble now?

In his previous life, he had read plenty of fanfics that tormented Tang San or Yu Xiaogang.

With classic characters like Brother Jie and A-Wei in them.

And those plotlines about Yu Xiaogang picking up soap...

Just recalling it made goosebumps rise all over Fang Mo's body.

Fang Mo shook his head wildly, forcing his mind back to normal.

After the Rakshasa Scythe shattered, the Rakshasa Divine Power had taken on his Martial Soul's devouring attribute, indirectly increasing the age of his Soul Rings through the Rakshasa Scythe.

That had only been a guess at the time.

But now that Spirit Dong'er had confirmed it, he became increasingly certain that this method was feasible.

"If this really works, do you know what it means?"

Fang Mo lowered his voice.

A sharp glint flashed through Dong'er's eyes. "It means you can walk a path no one before you has ever taken.

"You won't need to rely on luck like ordinary Soul Masters do to absorb high-age Soul Beasts.

"You can first absorb low-age Soul Rings, then gradually raise their age by devouring the Soul Power of other Soul Beasts."

"But there's still one prerequisite."

Dong'er interrupted his train of thought. "Your body is still too fragile. Although it has been strengthened by Whale Rubber, its carrying capacity is still far from sufficient."

"So I need a Soul Ring. With the foundational boost from a Soul Ring, my physical condition will improve drastically, and the upper limit of what my meridians can endure will rise as well."

Spirit Dong'er simply watched Fang Mo, a rare trace of approval appearing in her eyes.

Her phantom slowly sank into the darkness, leaving behind one sentence before she departed:

"Get stronger quickly. I don't want to sleep again."

Several days later.

As usual, Fang Mo arrived at Bibi Dong's study before the hour of the dragon.

At that moment, a middle-aged man dressed in a Spirit Hall uniform stood before Bibi Dong's desk, holding a thick report in his hands.

Fang Mo recognized him at once.

He was the head of Spirit Hall's Spirit Beast Research Department, responsible for managing the distribution of Soul Beasts around Spirit City.

Bibi Dong sat behind her desk, reading through the report with a slight frown.

"Teacher."

Fang Mo saluted from the doorway.

Bibi Dong looked up at him, then gestured for him to enter.

Bibi Dong closed the report in her hand.

She slowly rose and walked straight up to Fang Mo. Within her violet eyes was a glimmer Fang Mo had never seen before.

It seemed to be anticipation.

"Fang Mo, it is time for you to attach your first Soul Ring."

Fang Mo's heart suddenly leaped. Had the moment he had been waiting for finally come?

Bibi Dong continued:

"I have already had people screen suitable Dark-type Soul Beasts. Your first Martial Soul leans toward darkness and spiritual attributes, so the most suitable type of Soul Beast is..."

As she spoke, Bibi Dong slowly opened the report and pointed to one line.

"Shadow Wolf. Between four hundred and six hundred years old."

Fang Mo lowered his head to look.

Shadow Wolves were pack-type Soul Beasts, skilled in concealment and ambushes. Their Soul Skills mainly consisted of dark-type attacks.

A four-hundred-year Shadow Wolf.

According to a certain theoretical master's doctrine, the maximum age for a first Soul Ring was 423 years.

Fang Mo only found it troublesome at that moment. How was he supposed to explain it to Bibi Dong?

With his current physique, he could easily withstand a six-hundred-year, or even seven-hundred-year, Soul Ring.

After thinking it over carefully for a while, Fang Mo decided to take things one step at a time.

"Fang Mo."

Bibi Dong's voice pulled him back to reality.

"What are you thinking about?"

Fang Mo immediately composed himself and raised his head. "This disciple was thinking... can this disciple handle a five-hundred-year Shadow Wolf?"

The corner of Bibi Dong's lips curved slightly. It was an extremely faint arc, but Fang Mo caught it.

"Who said you would handle it yourself?"

"Go back first!"

"Make sure you rest early tonight. We leave at dawn tomorrow."

The following morning.

The northern gate of Spirit City.

Fang Mo stood beside a black carriage, looking up at the golden Spirit Hall emblem on its side.

The carriage before him was even larger than the one that had brought him to Pope Palace last time.

"Get in."

Bibi Dong's voice came from inside the carriage.

Today, she was not wearing the Pope's ceremonial robes. Instead, she wore a dark-purple armored robe, cinched at the waist with a dark-gold belt. Her long hair was tied high, revealing her slender neck.

She was not wearing the Pope's crown.

Yet the pressure radiating from her was even greater than when she wore it.

Fang Mo quickly climbed into the carriage and sat opposite Bibi Dong.

The carriage slowly began moving, following Spirit City's main road out through the gates.

"For this trip outside the city to hunt Soul Beasts, two squads of the Pope's Guard will accompany us, besides you and me."

Bibi Dong closed her eyes and leaned against the back of her seat. "You have only one task: choose your Soul Beast, then attach your Soul Ring. You need not worry about anything else."

Fang Mo obediently nodded.

His mind was racing.

The Rakshasa Scythe's devouring ability... if he wanted to test it, he had to do so when Bibi Dong was not paying attention.

But would Bibi Dong ever fail to notice?

She possessed Twin Martial Souls. Her perception of Soul Power fluctuations far exceeded that of ordinary people. No abnormal change in Soul Power could escape her senses.

Unless...

"Unless I conceal it for you."

Dong'er's voice echoed faintly within Fang Mo's Spirit Sea.

Fang Mo asked inwardly:

"You can do that?"

"The Rakshasa Scythe is my fragment. My connection to it runs deeper than yours."

Dong'er's voice carried a trace of laziness.

"When you use the devouring ability, I can wrap the fluctuations it creates in Rakshasa Divinity, making it appear to be an ordinary Soul Ring attachment reaction."

"What about the risks?"

"The risk to you is overloading your meridians." Spirit Dong'er's voice remained somewhat languid.

"I meant the risk to you."

Spirit Dong'er froze upon hearing that. She had never experienced the kind of concern Fang Mo showed today.

After a pause, she said, "The risk to me is the consumption of a little spiritual power."

"However, if that woman helps stabilize your meridians, the risk can be reduced to the minimum."

Fang Mo fell silent for a moment.

Having both Pope Bibi Dong and Spirit Dong'er protect him meant he would have to reveal part of his secret before Bibi Dong.

But not all of it.

"I understand."

Fang Mo said inwardly.

Dong'er did not speak again.

Three hours later.

The carriage stopped at the edge of a dense black forest.

This was Gloomy Forest north of Spirit City, one of the primary habitats of Shadow Wolf packs.

Fang Mo jumped down from the carriage and looked up.

The forest's trees were tall and dense, their canopies nearly blocking out all sunlight. The air within was damp and cold, permeated by a faint scent of decay.

The two squads of the Pope's Guard had arrived ahead of them and established a temporary camp at the forest entrance.

There were ten Soul Masters in total, with the weakest already at the Soul Elder level. All wore standard Spirit Hall armor and carried weapons at their waists.

Bibi Dong walked to the center of the camp, her gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"From this moment on, everyone enters combat readiness."

Her voice was not loud, but everyone present heard it clearly.

"Hunting target: a Shadow Wolf around four hundred years old. Kill one only. Drive off the rest."

The guards answered in unison.

Bibi Dong turned to look at Fang Mo.

"Stay behind me. Do not move more than three steps away from me."

"Yes, Teacher."

The group entered Gloomy Forest.