Fire Spirit Kite

The two walked side by side along the outer perimeter of the forest, fragmented light filtering through the gaps in the leaves to cast dancing, dappled spots upon the ground.

Various spirit beasts rustled through the dense jungle undergrowth from time to time, though most were small in stature. Whenever a sound echoed, Mo Li would curiously turn his head to look.

As a transmigrator, this was his first time seeing so many wild spirit beasts, and his heart was filled with novelty.

After spending nearly the entire morning, the two finally arrived at the core area of the Sunset Forest.

Within the core, the sounds of birds chirping and beasts roaring echoed incessantly. In the mere half-hour since they had entered the heart of the forest, they had already encountered no fewer than ten thousand-year spirit beasts.

In this place, spirit beasts below the thousand-year level had become a rarity.

Upon entering the core, Liu Erlong had already quietly circulated her spirit power, ready to react to any sudden situation at a moment's notice.

"The bloodline of the Fire Spirit Kite is quite rare among avian types, and its attributes are gentle; only in the core of the Sunset Forest is it possible to find one."

Liu Erlong explained to Mo Li while keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings.

She hadn't been idle over the past three days; she had buried herself in the library to research a wealth of information before finally deciding on the Fire Spirit Kite as the first spirit ring for Mo Li.

To ensure Mo Li's martial soul was developed to its maximum potential, the Fire Spirit Kite was a rare and excellent choice. Since she had never seen his martial soul before, there were no precedents to refer to.

Mo Li nodded. Since entering the Sunset Forest, he had been activating Peering at Heaven and Earth from time to time to observe his surroundings. The cultivation technique granted him an incredibly keen sense of perception, making this the perfect place to utilize it.

However, maintaining Peering at Heaven and Earth placed a burden on his mental energy, so he needed to rest periodically.

"As expected of a gathering place for spirit beasts, the spirit energy is truly dense."

Mo Li looked around and sighed to himself.

The two continued to search the core area for another hour.

"Skree—!"

A sharp bird cry pierced the air, and a look of joy immediately appeared on Liu Erlong's face.

"Found it!"

Mo Li naturally heard the cry as well, but before he could react, Liu Erlong had already grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward the source of the sound.

Having spent the better part of the day trekking through the jungle, Liu Erlong was already growing impatient. If she hadn't been worried about encountering a ten-thousand-year spirit beast and being unable to protect Mo Li, she would have long since stopped holding back and used her spirit power to clear a path.

The Fire Spirit Kite moved through the forest with extreme speed, and its small frame made it incredibly agile in the Sunset Forest. Even with Liu Erlong in full pursuit, she had nearly lost its trail.

"Sister Erlong, over there."

A strange light flickered in Mo Li's eyes—the effect of Peering at Heaven and Earth.

Though the Fire Spirit Kite was fast, it could not hide from his sight. He only needed to track the kite's unique pale-red spirit energy, a function that left him pleasantly surprised.

Liu Erlong glanced at him with a hint of astonishment, then pursued the direction Mo Li pointed without hesitation.

Just as the two passed through another dense thicket, a fiery red avian silhouette brought them both to a halt.

On a tall branch ahead, a spirit bird with a body of fiery red stood proudly. Its head held a look of intelligence, and most eye-catching of all was the elegant, long tail feather trailing behind it.

"It's exactly a six-hundred-year-old Fire Spirit Kite, how wonderful!"

Liu Erlong looked at the kite's tail feathers and couldn't help but smile.

Immediately, spirit power surged from her body, and a massive fire dragon manifested behind her.

The Fire Spirit Kite was difficult to track in the jungle, and now that it had finally stopped, she didn't want to spend another afternoon searching this forest.

With her martial soul manifested, Liu Erlong transformed into a streak of crimson light. As her spirit power surged, she instantly intimidated the Fire Spirit Kite, and in the next instant, she snatched it in her claw.

Only a few seconds had passed by the time she flashed back to stand opposite Mo Li. Behind her, the ancient, sky-shading tree where the Fire Spirit Kite had been perched had already collapsed with a thunderous crash.

"Sister Erlong, you're amazing!"

"It's up to you now; I can't help you with the absorption of the spirit ring."

Liu Erlong's expression was grave as she dropped the stunned Fire Spirit Kite onto the ground.

Even though Mo Li's physique was stronger than that of an ordinary spirit master, absorbing a six-hundred-year spirit ring was, in her view, completely contrary to common sense, and she couldn't help but feel deeply worried.

Mo Li nodded with a smile, drew a dagger, and stepped forward, intending to end the Fire Spirit Kite's life.

"Sister Erlong, what are you..."

Mo Li paused, looking in confusion at Liu Erlong, who had suddenly reached out to stop him.

Liu Erlong's brows were tightly locked, her face full of anxiety as she stared at him. After a long moment, she whispered:

"You must succeed!"

Looking at Liu Erlong, Mo Li took a deep breath and then nodded firmly.

He approached the Fire Spirit Kite, hesitated no longer, and with a swift motion of his blade, cleanly ended its life. He sat cross-legged on the spot and began to absorb his first spirit ring.

A bright yellow spirit ring rose from the body of the Fire Spirit Kite and settled over Mo Li's hand.

Raging black flames surged from within his body, and the Nine Nether Sparrow manifested behind Mo Li, beginning to absorb this spirit ring that exceeded theoretical limits.

Liu Erlong stood by Mo Li's side, her long black hair fluttering in the wind, betraying the unease in her heart.

At this moment, Mo Li had no spare focus to pay attention to the outside world; all his concentration was poured into the fiery red spirit energy rampaging within him.

As the spirit power from the Fire Spirit Kite's ring surged into his body, the meridians within Mo Li felt a sense of fullness like never before.

However, this surge of foreign soul power was exceptionally violent, rampaging through his body like a wild horse. Had his physique not been superior to that of an ordinary person, his meridians would likely have been torn apart long ago.

Although he was able to endure it, the physical agony was unavoidable.

You want to run wild inside my body!

Mo Li kept his mind clear, seizing the brief gaps in the soul ring's power surges to desperately mobilize his own soul power in resistance.

Every time his black soul power came into contact with the fiery red soul power, it would devour a portion of the soul ring's energy, strengthening itself in the process.

Under this cycle of attrition, it was unclear how much time had passed before the soul ring absorption ritual gradually drew to a close.

Outside, Liu Erlong was burning with anxiety. Especially when Mo Li had first begun absorbing the soul ring, watching his body tense and tremble from the intense pain, she could barely stand to look. She could only pace back and forth, trying to distract herself.

It was not until Mo Li's aura gradually stabilized that she finally set her heart at ease and let out a slow sigh of relief.

Another hour passed.

Mo Li still had his eyes slightly closed, but on the ground, the body of the Fire Spirit Kite had been completely consumed by black flames.

Liu Erlong glanced at the grass before coming to sit opposite Mo Li, her beautiful eyes fixed on the young man before her.

Because he had finished absorbing the soul ring, Mo Li's appearance had undergone some subtle changes.

The most intuitive change was his stature; he had grown over ten centimeters taller, and his once-youthful face seemed to have shed some of its immaturity, revealing the refined features of a young man.

Looking at Mo Li, who seemed to have grown up so much in an instant, Liu Erlong felt a sense of daze. The little child in her memories who loved to follow closely by her side had gradually developed such mature and resolute contours, leaving her feeling both moved and a little lost.

Yet, in front of her, this Mo Li still seemed like a child who would never grow up.

Thinking of this, a radiant smile involuntarily bloomed on her face.

Mo Li happened to open his eyes at that very moment, his gaze refocusing on Liu Erlong's face.

At this moment, Liu Erlong's smile was bright and her temperament gentle, her eyes seemingly sparkling under the sunlight. Her black dress outlined her slender, graceful figure, adding a touch of charm, though her gaze seemed somewhat lost in thought.

Mo Li reached out and waved a hand in front of her.

"Sister Erlong, what are you looking at?"

"Nothing... you succeeded?"

Liu Erlong snapped back to reality, looking somewhat startled. Her eyes shimmered with brilliance as she carefully scrutinized the Mo Li before her.

Although Yu Xiaogang's theories had been shattered and she should have felt disappointed, seeing Mo Li safe and sound, the emotion surging in her heart was pure joy.

Mo Li smiled as he stood up and clapped his hands. A bright yellow soul ring rose from beneath his feet—it was exactly the one formed by the six-hundred-year-old Fire Spirit Kite.

"See? The real deal."