Douluo: Breathing Makes Me Stronger, Tang San Is Terrified!

After finishing all this, Lu Chen continued forward without looking back. What he sought were Plant Spirit Beasts, and Plant Spirit Beasts with supportive effects at that.

With a clear goal in mind, there was naturally no room for hesitation!

Before he knew it, Lu Chen had already spent more than ten days in the Star Dou Forest. Both his mind and body had been put through tremendous trials.

Almost every day, Lu Chen encountered several Spirit Beast attacks. Though his vigilance allowed him to escape danger each time, his nerves had remained taut, and he had barely gotten any proper sleep.

Hunting Spirit Beasts truly was a dangerous business!

That day, Lu Chen swung his Black Iron Sickle, cutting through the grass and vines blocking his path. After spending some time hacking out a trail—

His view suddenly opened up. A valley lay ahead, filled with vast swathes of red plants.

Lu Chen's pupils contracted, and delight appeared on his face.

"Red Blood Grass!"

Red Blood Grass, also known as Recovery Grass, could be crushed to produce a bright crimson juice resembling blood. It possessed an exceptionally potent effect in healing external wounds.

Upon seeing the vast field of Red Blood Grass, Lu Chen first felt a surge of joy, then immediately became alert.

Plant Spirit Beasts like Red Blood Grass, which could heal injuries, were generally surrounded by companion animal Spirit Beasts.

The Spirit Beast world was exceedingly cruel. Once injuries were sustained in battle and one fell into a weakened state from blood loss, other predators would set their sights on them.

Red Blood Grass could heal injuries, making it easy for it to form a companion relationship with certain powerful Spirit Beasts.

Thus, upon spotting the Red Blood Grass, Lu Chen immediately raised his guard. His gaze was sharp as lightning, his eyes blazing as he scanned the patch of Red Blood Grass.

Sure enough, a striped ferocious tiger slowly emerged from the valley. It had noticed Lu Chen as well, and its bloodthirsty beast eyes stared at him without blinking.

Lu Chen's heart sank. This was a Great King Tiger. Its name was certainly imposing, but it truly deserved it.

The Great King Tiger, King of the Forest, possessed terrifying strength and endurance. It was a born hunter, and a single tiger roar could kill some weaker Spirit Beasts.

Lu Chen took a deep breath, then strode forward without fear. For the sake of his First Spirit Ring, even if he faced a Great King Tiger, he would never retreat.

"Roar!"

Seeing that Lu Chen actually dared to approach on his own, the Great King Tiger opened its mouth and unleashed a tiger roar. Then, a blazing white energy blast shot from its mouth and bombarded Lu Chen's position.

Lu Chen's eyes widened. Fortunately, his reaction was fast enough. He immediately dropped down and rolled aside, dodging the energy blast.

The Great King Tiger seized the chance to launch a ferocious attack. It pounced at Lu Chen with lightning speed, then leaped when it drew close, opening its blood-filled maw to bite down on Lu Chen's head.

Lu Chen knelt halfway to the ground. Seeing the enormous tiger maw so close at hand, his heartbeat accelerated. Yet unexpectedly, he felt not the slightest fear. All he felt was vigorous battle intent and killing intent.

Lu Chen gritted his teeth, every muscle in his body tensing. He pushed off hard with his feet and slid toward the Great King Tiger's belly. His right hand swung the Black Iron Sickle as Soul Power continuously poured into it, causing the weapon to gleam with unprecedented sharpness.

Rip!

With the sound of flesh tearing apart, Lu Chen's Black Iron Sickle, which did not possess a single Spirit Ring, actually tore open the Great King Tiger's abdomen under his full-force swing.

Drip, drip!

Streams of blood flowed out, and the great tiger let out a pained cry. The pain stimulated its ferocity, and its beast eyes were filled with a gaze that wished to devour a person alive.

Yet Lu Chen was completely fearless. He rose from the ground, turned to face the Great King Tiger, and roared in fury. His eyes widened as he stared directly into the tiger's, assuming a stance that promised a fight to the death.

"Whimper!"

To Spirit Beasts, the more afraid you were, the more aggressive they became. But if you were aggressive enough, they would become afraid instead.

Faced with Lu Chen, who was prepared to fight to the death, the Great King Tiger whimpered. It had no desire to fight Lu Chen to mutual destruction, and finally tucked its tail before turning to flee.

Seeing this, Lu Chen also breathed a sigh of relief. After all, he did not yet have a single Spirit Ring. Relying only on his immense physical strength, he had not been entirely certain he could defeat the Great King Tiger.

Now that the Great King Tiger had fled, it was time for Lu Chen to inspect his gains.

He turned and entered the valley, looking at the endless patches of Red Blood Grass.

Decade Red Blood Grass!

Hundred-Year Red Blood Grass!

Millennium Red Blood Grass!

Deep in the valley, there was actually a Millennium Red Blood Grass. Lu Chen's pupils constricted, and a trace of indecision appeared on his face...

Four-Thousand-Year Cloud Mist Tea Tree

I choose you, Millennium Red Blood Grass!

After a period of hesitation, Lu Chen finally made up his mind.

The bold were fed to bursting, while the timid starved.

With the powerful physique that had allowed him to drive off a Millennium Great King Tiger barehanded, Lu Chen refused to believe that he could not absorb a Millennium Spirit Ring.

Having made his decision, Lu Chen walked up to the Millennium Red Blood Grass and swung the Black Iron Sickle in his hand, severing the three-meter-tall Millennium Red Blood Grass together with its roots.

Drip! Drip!

Drops of red liquid flowed from the severed roots of the Red Blood Grass. They looked exactly like blood, though they carried a strange fragrance.

Although the Millennium Red Blood Grass possessed exceptionally vigorous vitality as a Plant Spirit Beast, once its roots had been severed, its life had reached its end.

As the Millennium Red Blood Grass trembled, dense purple light floated out from its roots and leaves.

After several changes, it finally condensed into a purple Spirit Ring!

A purple Spirit Ring, a Millennium Spirit Ring!

This was originally a powerful Spirit Ring that could only be absorbed after one's Soul Power reached level thirty. Yet Lu Chen relied on his powerful physical constitution and decided to make it his First Spirit Ring.

While other Spirit Masters were still absorbing Decade Spirit Rings and Hundred-Year Spirit Rings as their First Spirit Rings—

Lu Chen dared to use a Millennium Spirit Ring as his First Spirit Ring. It had to be said that this was an attempt to break common sense.

Afterward, Lu Chen carried the Millennium Red Blood Grass on his shoulder and headed out of the valley.

He did not dare absorb the Spirit Ring here. During the absorption process, he would be unable to move freely.

If the Great King Tiger returned while he was absorbing the Spirit Ring and he could not move freely, he would be finished.

To absorb a Spirit Ring, he still needed to find a safe place!

Carrying the Millennium Red Blood Grass, Lu Chen vigilantly watched his surroundings for sudden Spirit Beast attacks as he moved swiftly onward, searching for a place to absorb the Spirit Ring.

About half an hour later, Lu Chen found a towering tree with a hollow in its trunk. It seemed to be a nest abandoned by some Spirit Beast.

Lu Chen climbed the tree and tested it. If he curled up his body, it could barely accommodate him, so he decided to absorb the Spirit Ring there.

He curled himself into the tree hollow and used the pack he carried with him to seal the entrance tightly.

Only after making every possible preparation did Lu Chen close his eyes. He activated the Meditation Method, connected with his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, and began absorbing the purple Spirit Ring of the Millennium Red Blood Grass.

Summoned by him, the purple Spirit Ring suddenly floated toward Lu Chen and slipped over the Blue Silver Grass in his palm. It then rapidly shrank until it merged into it.

In an instant, vigorous Soul Power brimming with life spread out. Nourished by that life force, Lu Chen's Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul trembled gently as it grew taller, stronger, and more vibrant at a visible rate.

That immense Soul Power also flowed back from Lu Chen's Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul into his body.

The vast Soul Power coursed through his meridians before finally reaching his dantian, seemingly intending to run rampant. However, unimaginable boundless Soul Power lay dormant within Lu Chen's dantian.

Suppressed by that boundless Soul Power, the Soul Power from the Millennium Red Blood Grass Spirit Ring became like a mouse seeing a cat—obedient and afraid to stir recklessly!

Under the absorption and refinement of Lu Chen's Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, that foreign Soul Power was ultimately completely dispersed and merged into his own Soul Power.

The entire process went exceptionally smoothly!

Absorbing a Millennium Spirit Ring had been somewhat risky for Lu Chen, but the result was even better than he had expected. He absorbed the Spirit Ring without suffering any harm.

The process of absorbing the Spirit Ring lasted about forty minutes. After those forty minutes, Lu Chen had completed this absorption.

Inside the tree hollow, Lu Chen opened his eyes, joy gleaming within them. The corners of his lips rose, revealing an irrepressible smile.

He thought in delight:

Absorbing a Millennium Spirit Ring was actually this easy. It seems I underestimated this body of mine. After absorbing my First Spirit Ring, my Soul Power directly surged to level twenty. Next, I need to find the Second Spirit Ring I need.

My First Spirit Ring came from the Millennium Red Blood Grass, and I'm extremely satisfied with its skill as well.

Blue Silver Revival. After using the First Spirit Skill, it can release a blue mist. Anyone bathed in the blue mist can rapidly recover from their injuries.

After completing the absorption of his First Spirit Ring, Lu Chen pushed away the pack blocking the entrance to the tree hollow, crawled out of the cramped space, and leaped from the towering tree to the ground.

With a thought, he summoned his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. A stalk of Blue Silver Grass grew out of thin air above his palm.

At the same time, a magnificent purple Spirit Ring rose beneath his feet.

Compared to his original Martial Soul, this Blue Silver Grass was taller, sturdier, and more lively. Blood-red patterns could be seen on its leaves, resembling veins.

This was the Blue Silver Grass after completing one round of evolution!

Lu Chen believed that as long as he persisted in absorbing Plant Spirit Beast Spirit Rings, his Blue Silver Grass would eventually evolve into a Variant Blue Silver Emperor!

Lu Chen laughed and said:

"My Blue Silver Grass has evolved, and the First Spirit Ring I absorbed fully met my expectations. With this healing skill, I won't have to fear getting injured in battle in the Star Dou Forest anymore."

With that, Lu Chen withdrew his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, shouldered his pack again, casually chose a direction, and walked forward to search for the Second Spirit Ring he needed.

Finding a suitable Spirit Beast in the vast Star Dou Forest was far from easy.

More than a month had passed since he absorbed the Millennium Red Blood Grass Spirit Ring.

Lu Chen had tirelessly searched the Outer Zone of the Star Dou Forest for over a month.

Although he had encountered quite a few Plant Spirit Beasts, none had been suitable for him. Either their type was unsuitable, or their cultivation age was unsuitable.

After searching so painstakingly for over a month, Lu Chen was exhausted. Today, he arrived at the edge of a lake, intending to wash his face and clear his mind.

However, after reaching the lakeside, Lu Chen looked toward the island in the middle of the lake and widened his eyes.

A massive tea tree grew on that island. Its branches and leaves were lush and emerald green, and a faint tea fragrance drifted over, refreshing Lu Chen's spirits.

Lu Chen exclaimed in delight:

"Cloud Mist Tea Tree! I actually found a Cloud Mist Tea Tree, and judging by its size, it's around four thousand years old. Heaven is truly helping me!"

The tea leaves picked from a Cloud Mist Tea Tree were a top-tier luxury for high society. Tea brewed from them could eliminate fatigue and restore one's energy with remarkable effect.

Among high society, there was a saying that one tael of tea was worth one tael of gold.

If Lu Chen brought this Cloud Mist Tea Tree back intact, the great nobles of the imperial capital would be willing to spend heavily to buy it.

A four-thousand-year Cloud Mist Tea Tree would fetch no less than four hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins.

But what Lu Chen needed now was not Gold Soul Coins, but a Second Spirit Ring suitable for him.

Blue Silver Grace

Lu Chen's First Spirit Ring had come from a Millennium Red Blood Grass. In his view, his Second Spirit Ring would be fully capable of absorbing the Spirit Ring of this four-thousand-year Cloud Mist Tea Tree.

The only thing standing between Lu Chen and it now was the lake beneath his feet. It was impossible for there to be no companion Spirit Beast around the Cloud Mist Tea Tree.

Looking at the clear, rippling lake, Lu Chen became extremely vigilant. This place was definitely not as safe as it appeared.

Lu Chen set down the pack on his back, turned, and entered the forest. Half an hour later, he returned to the lake carrying the corpses of two Nether Wolves.

Using his second Martial Soul, the Black Iron Sickle, Lu Chen sliced open the throats of the two Nether Wolves. Streams of blood immediately gushed out, and the entire lake was filled with the scent of blood.

After casually tossing the Nether Wolves, whose necks were still spraying blood, onto the lakeshore, Lu Chen turned and hid himself.

Lu Chen was extremely patient and would never act rashly.

He hid in the shadows and waited patiently for more than ten minutes.

Finally, ripples spread across the previously calm lake surface. Then, a colossal creature floated up from beneath the water.

Upon seeing the massive creature, Lu Chen inhaled sharply. It was an Iron Armored Crocodile.

Its powerful limbs, thick scales, and sharp teeth gleaming with cold light made it obvious that this Iron Armored Crocodile was not easy to provoke.

After observing it carefully, Lu Chen thought:

This Iron Armored Crocodile is four meters long and has at least four thousand years of cultivation, similar to the Cloud Mist Tea Tree. It seems this is the companion Spirit Beast of the Cloud Mist Tea Tree.

If I want to absorb the Cloud Mist Tea Tree's Spirit Ring, it seems I must deal with this Iron Armored Crocodile first.