Learn from Lei Feng, Find Joy in Helping Others

Just as in Fang Yuan's memories, this Man-Faced Demon Spider had indeed dropped an external spirit bone.

This external spirit bone was contained within the spirit ring produced by the Man-Faced Demon Spider. Anyone absorbing this spirit ring was, in fact, absorbing both the spirit ring and the spirit bone at the same time.

The energy contained within a Man-Faced Demon Spider's spirit ring was already violently ferocious. Naturally, its spirit bone was no less so.

The difficulty of absorbing both a spirit ring and a spirit bone at once was easy enough to imagine.

In the original timeline, even Tang San had no idea how many times he had pushed himself beyond his limits before successfully making both the spirit ring and external spirit bone his own.

Others lacked the protagonist's halo, so their only outcome would naturally be exploding to death.

Under the pretext of helping Meng Yiran, Fang Yuan had drawn out the spirit bone from the spirit ring's energy and hidden it within the Supreme Immortal Aperture.

As for this Man-Faced Demon Spider's spirit ring, although it had become Tang San's third spirit ring in the original work, Fang Yuan had already made better preparations for the current Tang San. There was naturally no need to collect everything.

Once he had finished fishing in troubled waters, Meng Yiran, who sat cross-legged on the ground, had completely stabilized as well.

Most of the energy in the Man-Faced Demon Spider's spirit ring had been absorbed by her body, while a small portion had entered her martial spirit.

With that, her body was able to bear the burden.

After a while, Meng Yiran's beautiful eyes slowly opened.

Three spirit rings—two yellow and one purple—danced up and down around her, gleaming brilliantly.

The appearance of the purple spirit ring signified that she had successfully absorbed the Man-Faced Demon Spider's spirit ring.

She blinked, but her gaze did not first turn toward Meng Shu or Chao Tianxiang. Instead, it fell on Fang Yuan.

"Were you the one who helped me just now?" Her tone was full of doubt.

Fang Yuan merely stood to one side with a faint smile, saying nothing.

"Yiran, how do you feel now?" Chao Tianxiang had long been frantic with worry. Unable to hold back any longer when she saw Meng Yiran open her eyes, she hurriedly asked about her condition.

Meng Yiran lowered her gaze and sensed herself for a moment before saying, "Grandmother, I feel very good now. At first, the energy carried within that spirit ring was immense and vicious, like scalding water tearing through my body.

"But just when I was about to be unable to hold on, I suddenly felt help from outside. It reduced a portion of that energy, allowing me to refine it successfully."

After she finished speaking, Meng Shu, Chao Tianxiang, and Meng Yiran all turned their eyes toward Fang Yuan.

Meng Shu spoke. "Sir... no, little brother Fang Yuan, how did you do that just now? Given my granddaughter's condition at the time, what method did you use to stabilize her?"

Asking about another person's methods was somewhat impolite, but with his emotions in turmoil, Meng Shu could not concern himself with such details.

For some reason, Fang Yuan's attitude toward Meng Shu was rather warm. He smiled and replied,

"It is truly an honor to be called little brother by Senior Dragon Duke. The method I used is actually quite simple. It is my fourth spirit skill, Adaptation Gu.

"If someone tries to swallow a huge pancake in one bite, he will surely choke to death. But if he adapts and eats only half while holding the other half in his hand, he can fill his stomach while saving food for later.

"My fourth spirit skill, Adaptation Gu, produces just such an effect. I split the energy of that Man-Faced Demon Spider spirit ring into two portions. One portion was absorbed by your granddaughter and became her spirit ring, while the other was stored in her martial spirit. Once her physical condition is strong enough, she can absorb it to increase her spirit ring's age."

Fang Yuan's explanation was simple and easy to understand. Upon hearing it, the three of them suddenly understood.

However, their expressions were all somewhat strange.

Chao Tianxiang muttered, "I've lived for so many years, yet I've never heard of a spirit ring with such a peculiar ability. It truly is unheard of."

Meng Shu seemed to realize something. "Could it be that you stopped us and had my granddaughter absorb the spirit ring at once because you saw that the Man-Faced Demon Spider's age was too high, and wanted to step in and protect her during the process?"

Hearing Meng Shu say this, both Chao Tianxiang and Meng Yiran looked as though they had come to a realization. Their gazes toward Fang Yuan softened considerably.

So this young man had noticed something was wrong long ago. His seemingly rude and inexplicable actions earlier had actually been an act of helping others?

Fang Yuan was briefly stunned, then smiled. "It was merely a small effort. You two helped me greatly earlier, so how could I stand by and do nothing?"

Meng Shu immediately realized that Fang Yuan was referring to how he and Chao Tianxiang had used their martial spirit fusion skill to stop the fleeing Myriad Beast Demon Spirit.

However, after Fang Yuan had helped their granddaughter absorb her spirit ring and they learned that he bore no ill intent, Meng Shu no longer found the matter so terrifying when he recalled it.

He laughed heartily. "Little brother Fang Yuan is truly righteous. A small kindness need not be repaid with a spring of gratitude. Your temperament suits this old man perfectly. If our ages were not so far apart, I would have wanted to become sworn brothers with you!"

Chao Tianxiang smiled as well. "Yes, this old man of mine likes loyal and righteous people. How old are you now?"

They could tell that Fang Yuan was not very old, but they did not dare make a rash guess about his precise age.

Among spirit masters, quite a few possessed methods to preserve their youthful appearance. One could not necessarily judge someone's age by their looks.

Fang Yuan smiled faintly. "This junior is only twenty-five this year. I am indeed rather far younger than you, Senior."

There was a calm, carefree air in his laughter, but the only response was the soft sound of wind rustling through the forest.

Meng Shu and the other two stood dumbfounded, silent as the grave.

After a long while, Meng Shu's dry voice sounded again. "You... are twenty-five?"

Fang Yuan turned his gaze toward him. "What is it? Is there a problem?"

Meng Shu's voice became somewhat strange. "Then, at twenty-five, you killed a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast earlier? And absorbed its spirit ring?"

Fang Yuan smiled. "I was merely lucky."

The three of them swallowed in unison.

What did he mean, merely lucky? The way he said it made it sound as though he liked cutting things close!

After a while.

Fang Yuan stood by himself to one side, his eyes half-closed. In the distance, Meng Yiran was holding her Snake Staff martial spirit and testing her new spirit skill.

Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang had finally managed to accept the truth. At this moment, the way they looked at Fang Yuan had changed drastically.

The two quietly drew close together, avoiding not only Fang Yuan but even their granddaughter Meng Yiran.

"Old man, what do you think of this young fellow? Would he be a suitable match for our Yiran?"

Chao Tianxiang gestured with her eyes toward Fang Yuan as she asked Meng Shu.

Meng Shu sounded rather frustrated. "Old woman, your habit of playing matchmaker has acted up again. What we should be considering is whether Yiran is worthy of Fang Yuan.

"At only twenty-five, he already possesses the cultivation of an eight-ringed Soul Douluo, on par with me, and his eighth spirit ring is a terrifying hundred-thousand-year one. At this rate, he will almost certainly become a Titled Douluo before forty. What a terrifying talent that is!"