Bai Shu, his face dark, ultimately took Xiao Wu back to the room and summoned Xie Biyan as well.
"Old Xie, conceal this place. Don't let anyone notice anything unusual." After giving Xie Biyan that instruction, Bai Shu turned to the innocent-looking Xiao Wu and said sternly,
"Alright, you can condense your Spirit Ring now. Your physique has improved greatly, so in theory, you should be able to withstand a Millennium Spirit Ring. Try your best, but don't force yourself."
Xiao Wu understood the gravity of the matter too. She did not dare test Bai Shu's patience again and obediently sat down cross-legged, closing her eyes as the Soul Power within her began to circulate.
Bai Shu watched curiously from the side. Being able to personally witness a Human-Form Spirit Beast condense its own Spirit Ring made him the first person on the continent to do so.
The principle behind a Self-Condensed Spirit Ring was simple. When Spirit Beasts transformed into humans, they sealed their excess power essence within their bodies, then directly turned it into Spirit Rings whenever needed.
As Xiao Wu began to condense it, an illusory Spirit Ring gradually emerged beneath her.
The instant it appeared, it was bright yellow. As time passed, its color slowly deepened, shifting from pale yellow to dark yellow as its radiance grew increasingly brilliant.
"So this is a Self-Condensed Spirit Ring—self-sufficient. This kind of rule really is miraculous." Seeing this scene, Xie Biyan could not help but sigh.
"Miraculous? This is nothing more than a helpless compromise made after the Spirit Beast race was driven to the brink." Bai Shu shook his head with a sneer.
Xie Biyan looked at Bai Shu in confusion, clearly unable to grasp the deeper meaning behind his words. Just as he was about to ask further, a sudden change occurred!
The Spirit Ring, whose color had been steadily deepening, suddenly churned violently like boiling water! Xiao Wu's delicate body trembled sharply, her little face turning deathly pale in an instant as fine beads of cold sweat seeped from her forehead.
"Mm..." She let out a pained groan, as though some invisible pressure was viciously crushing down upon her soul.
The Spirit Ring's light flickered erratically. Fine cracks even appeared across its surface, faintly showing signs that it might shatter!
"How could this be? Does condensing a Spirit Ring require more than just physical strength?" Bai Shu's brows immediately furrowed. With no time to hesitate, he directly released his Martial Soul, and his Life Domain instantly enveloped Xiao Wu.
As pure life energy continuously poured into her, Xiao Wu's complexion improved slightly, but the Spirit Ring's collapse did not completely stop. Xie Biyan's brows tightened as well.
"Young Master..."
"What is it?" Bai Shu did not turn around. He remained focused on channeling vitality into Xiao Wu, green light blazing from his palm.
"This... I seem to sense an extremely special force preventing Xiao Wu from condensing a Millennium Spirit Ring."
There was a trace of alarm in Xie Biyan's voice, because that force possessed an exceedingly high quality and carried an indescribable authority, far surpassing the Soul Power of Douluo Continent!
"It isn't merely obstructing her. It is more like... punishment! Punishing all those who attempt to overstep the rules! If I had not cultivated Dou Qi before, giving me senses unlike ordinary people, I likely would not have noticed this peculiar force either!"
Bai Shu's gaze turned cold. "An extremely special force? Punishment? Could it be that the God Realm has imposed some kind of restriction on Human-Form Spirit Beasts too? Old Xie, can you remove it?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Biyan carefully sensed it for a moment, then shook his head gravely.
"No, Young Master. The quality of that force is too high. My Soul Power collapses the moment it touches it; I simply cannot contend with it. However... its total amount does not seem vast, like water without a source. If Young Master can continue repairing Xiao Wu's body, perhaps... we can exhaust it completely!"
Bai Shu relaxed upon hearing that and snorted. "Water without a source? Then this will be easy!"
Wasn't it just a contest of endurance? He still had seven and a half Chaos Lotus Seeds in reserve. He refused to believe he could not outlast it.
Even so, the process was far more difficult than he had imagined.
That force seemed to sense Bai Shu's interference and suddenly became violent.
The vitality Bai Shu poured out at full force vanished like a clay ox entering the sea, draining far faster than expected.
In less than half an hour, the Soul Power of this Soul Grandmaster in his twenties had nearly run dry.
Fortunately, the conversion efficiency of the Chaos Lotus Seed was exceptional.
Whenever his Soul Power ran low, he only needed to move his thoughts and refine a small portion of that half-seed. Boundless life energy would then replenish him like a burst riverbank, allowing him to keep going.
Sweat slid down Bai Shu's temples, and his complexion turned faintly pale. Such prolonged, high-intensity output posed an enormous test to his mental strength.
Finally, after consuming one and a half Lotus Seeds, that lofty force seemed to exhaust its last trace of energy and quietly retreated.
When a wisp of deep purple quietly bloomed from the very core of the Spirit Ring, then instantly spread and swiftly dyed the entire ring, Xiao Wu's condition stabilized as well.
It worked!
Bai Shu slowly withdrew his hand and secretly let out a breath. Several strands of hair across his forehead had already been soaked with sweat.
Yet he knew clearly that he likely had one more reason to become enemies with the God Realm.
Xie Biyan killing Tang Hao could be considered an offense against the Asura God, but it had ultimately been an individual act. Helping a Spirit Beast break the rules, however, meant standing against every god in the God Realm.
Besides, he could not possibly take the path of inheriting a godhood in the future. That would mean completely tying his fate to the God Realm, which would be detrimental to his plan to leave this world.
And there was also that portal mission he had discovered earlier.
The more Bai Shu thought about it, the more his head hurt. He could only hope the God Realm would not notice anything for the time being. As long as he had time to develop, he would not be afraid even if they truly came for him.
About another quarter of an hour later, the Millennium Spirit Ring shimmering with a purple halo finally slowly withdrew its radiance and sank into Xiao Wu's body.
Her tightly shut lashes trembled lightly before she slowly opened her eyes.
The moment she did, Xiao Wu impatiently released her Martial Soul. One yellow and one purple Spirit Ring spiraled upward, and she excitedly jumped to her feet before rushing toward Bai Shu.
"Wow! It's really purple! Bai Shu, look! My second ring is a Millennium Spirit Ring too! I did it!"
Seeing the pure, untainted joy on her face, a rare gentle smile appeared on Bai Shu's pale face. He reached out and lightly patted her head.
"Mm, I saw it. After making such a huge fuss, at least my Immortal Herb wasn't wasted. By the way, when you were condensing it... did you feel anything unusual?"
Xiao Wu tilted her head in confusion. "Anything unusual? No. It just felt a little stuffy at first, like something was pressing down on me. But then it got better. My whole body felt warm and comfortable, just like when I ate your Lotus Seed."
Bai Shu nodded thoughtfully, ultimately choosing not to tell Xiao Wu about what had happened earlier.
Afterward, Bai Shu asked Xiao Wu about her Soul Power Level. As expected, driven by the potent medicinal effects of the Narcissus Jade Marrow Bone, Xiao Wu had only just broken through level twenty, yet her Soul Power had already surged all the way to an astonishing level twenty-four!
Excluding the one level granted by the Spirit Ring, that Immortal Herb had raised her Soul Power by a full six levels!
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