The Right Way to Choose Spirit Rings

"You've thought it through very thoroughly." Bibi Dong withdrew from her thoughts, lightly tapping the table with her fingertips. Her tone carried approval. "It happens to align perfectly with what I had planned for you."

She raised her hand, and a wisp of black Soul Power gathered at her fingertips, sketching the phantom of a palm-sized spider in the air.

The spider was pitch-black all over. Its eight legs were slender and sharp, its fangs glimmered with an eerie blue chill, and a faint poisonous mist lingered around it.

"For the Death Spider Emperor's First Spirit Ring, I chose the Venom Soul Demon Spider." Bibi Dong's voice was calm and firm.

"It is one of the finest among spider-type soul beasts, famed for its neurotoxin. Its venom is not lethal, but it can numb the meridians. A soul master of the same rank will be unable to move the moment they are touched by it. Even soul masters three or four ranks higher will have their movements slowed."

Back then, Bibi Dong's Death Spider Emperor First Spirit Ring had come from a four-hundred-year Venom Soul Demon Spider. It had accompanied her through her earliest and weakest years.

"Your martial soul is even more special than mine: One-Soul Two-Forms. The two powers can be used interchangeably. If you use the Venom Soul Demon Spider as your First Spirit Ring, its toxin can be used not only with the Death Spider Emperor, but also applied to the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor's spider silk, doubling its power."

As she spoke, she turned her fingertips. The black phantom faded away, replaced by a spider with a metallic sheen.

This spider was somewhat smaller. Its abdomen was swollen, and several strands of hair-thin silk trailed from its rear. It looked unremarkable, yet it gave off an oddly sharp air.

"For your Second Spirit Ring, I chose the Thousand-Thread Demon Spider," Bibi Dong continued.

"This soul beast's spider silk is famously tough, and it naturally carries a weak corrosive effect. It specializes in eroding an opponent's spiritual power, making it the bane of soul masters with weak spiritual power."

A thousand-year Thousand-Thread Demon Spider possessed extremely strong control abilities. Almost no one of the same rank could break free from it, and it could even restrain certain ten-thousand-year soul beasts with weak bloodlines.

"You are still young, so focus on laying a solid foundation first. Once your cultivation is higher and your body is strong enough, no matter what soul beast you want, Mother will hunt it for you."

Bibi Xu listened attentively. He knew full well that his mother was smoothing over every road she had traveled and every pitfall she had encountered for him. She had calculated the soul beast types, their ages, and the effects of their soul skills with absolute precision. They were all the optimal choices most suited to the Spider Empress Martial Soul.

For anyone else, let alone accurately selecting these two soul beasts, they might not even know about the Thousand-Thread Demon Spider's soul-devouring trait.

"Thank you, Mother. You've considered things far more thoroughly than I have," Bibi Xu said sincerely.

"Silly child." Bibi Dong laughed softly and reached out to ruffle his hair, her voice gentle. "If I don't think for you, then who should I think for?"

Mother and son exchanged a glance and both smiled. Warm morning sunlight fell over them, easing the cold solitude that had long filled the hall.

After they finished laughing, Bibi Dong's expression suddenly became more solemn. Changing the subject, she said, "Speaking of Spirit Ring ages, there is something I need to discuss with you. You've been taking Whale Rubber every month for the past year. After a full year, your physical strength has far surpassed that of children your age, even exceeding that of many teenage soul master apprentices. Given your foundation, your First Spirit Ring... may not necessarily need to remain at the hundred-year limit. To be safe, we can look for soul beasts below a thousand years but on the older side. If we find one suitable enough, it may not be impossible to attempt a thousand-year ring."

At the mention of Whale Rubber, Bibi Xu was taken aback as well, then recalled what had happened a year ago.

At the time, he had only been five. One night, he had been reading an obscure collection of ancient miscellanies with Bibi Dong when the book happened to mention Deep-Sea Whale Glue.

He had casually remarked that, if properly refined, Whale Rubber was a top-grade body-tempering medicine. It could greatly strengthen the body, broaden the meridians, and raise the limit for Spirit Ring absorption.

The instant those words left his mouth, Bibi Dong's face darkened.

Who on Douluo Continent did not know what Whale Rubber was?

It was refined from the brain marrow and fat of deep-sea giant whales. Its yang energy was fierce and overbearing, and it had always been used in common markets as an ingredient for aphrodisiacs. It was not something fit to be spoken of openly and even carried somewhat indecent connotations.

Bibi Dong's tone had immediately turned cold. She said that children should not read such miscellaneous, improper books, and asked whether something like that was something he could consume carelessly.

If it had been any other child, a scolding from their mother would probably have silenced them.

But Bibi Xu was not truly a five-year-old child. Calm and unhurried, he had explained it to Bibi Dong point by point: its aphrodisiac effects came from the excessive fiery energy in unrefined Whale Rubber, which ordinary people had no way to refine, causing their internal heat to surge.

But if it were refined with medicinal ingredients of extreme cold attributes, such as Cold Moon Lotus Dew and Ice Marrow Fluid, and repeatedly tempered for forty-nine days, most of the fiery energy could be neutralized. The intense yang energy would become a mild nourishing force, seeping into the muscles, bones, and meridians to temper the body.

He had explained even the refining steps, the proportions of the ingredients, and the method of guiding the Soul Power during refinement with complete clarity and well-organized reasoning. It did not sound like something he had made up on the spot.

Bibi Dong had been half-convinced and half-doubtful, but when she saw the certainty in her son's eyes, she ultimately did not reject the idea outright.

Secretly, she found Spirit Hall's finest pharmacists and had them repeatedly test the method Bibi Xu described. They failed more than a dozen times and spent nearly two months before finally producing Whale Rubber with mild medicinal properties and greatly reduced fiery energy. When it came time to test the medicine, she personally took it for three days. Only after confirming that it had no side effects and truly could nourish the body did she dare let Bibi Xu use it.

Even so, she remained incomparably cautious.

Afraid that any residual fiery energy might affect the child's development, she strictly controlled the dosage. He was allowed to take it only once a month, and only a small spoonful each time.

Moreover, after every dose, she personally stayed by Bibi Xu's side, using her pure Soul Power to help him guide the medicine's effects and spread them through the muscles, bones, and meridians across his body, tempering his physique bit by bit. She would not allow even the slightest trace of fiery energy to accumulate within him.

She had kept this up for an entire year.

The results were astonishing.

Bibi Xu was only six now, yet the toughness of his muscles and bones and the breadth of his meridians had already surpassed the level of ordinary soul masters in their teens. His vitality was remarkably abundant.

Even during his usual meditation and cultivation, his Soul Power circulated far faster than that of children his age. This solid physical foundation was his greatest confidence in daring to consider a "thousand-year First Spirit Ring."

"I'll listen to Mother." After pondering for a moment, Bibi Xu spoke seriously. "Once we reach the soul beast hunting area, we'll assess the situation first. If there's a suitable one and the odds are good, we'll give it a try. If not, we'll follow the original plan and choose a hundred-year soul beast. Steady progress is what matters most."

That was what Bibi Xu said, but inwardly, it was another matter entirely. Higher Spirit Ring ages were still quite helpful in the early stages. If he could choose a higher one, he naturally would not choose a lower one.

"You're right to think that way." Bibi Dong nodded approvingly. "No matter how great one's talent is, an unstable foundation is merely a castle in the air. When it comes to Spirit Rings, it is better to have none than settle for something inferior. Safety will always come first. With me here, I naturally won't let you be wronged, but I will never let you gamble with your body either."

At this point, she paused before adding, "Oh, right. She has also been taking Whale Rubber for more than half a year."

Bibi Xu raised an eyebrow. He knew exactly who this "she" was.

Half a year ago, Qian Renxue had secretly slipped into the Holy Maiden Hall to play with him and happened to arrive while he was taking Whale Rubber.

After refinement, the stuff carried a faint milky fragrance. The little girl had thought it was some delicious snack and insisted on having a taste.

Bibi Xu refused, saying it was a body-tempering medicine and could not be consumed casually. But Qian Renxue had been spoiled by Qian Daoliu since childhood. Once her temper flared, she pleaded and pestered him relentlessly, until she finally brought the matter before Bibi Dong.