Second Spirit Ring

A few days later, news arrived that the Clear Sky Sect had been forced by Spirit Hall to close off its Sect. For a time, both great empires felt Spirit Hall's tyranny, and even the border conflicts decreased.

Ning Bei went to the Council Hall to find Ning Fengzhi.

"Father, when can I go obtain my Second Spirit Ring?"

Ning Fengzhi had been in an exceptionally good mood recently because his wife was pregnant again and Ning Bei's Soul Power had broken through. A comfortable smile had remained on his lips.

"Oh? You can't wait any longer?"

Ning Bei smiled and scratched his head without speaking. With his Second Spirit Skill so close at hand, he was indeed rather excited.

"Then this time, I'll have Bone Grandfather take you to the Star Dou Great Forest."

Having received the answer he wanted, Ning Bei happily thanked him, then ran out of the Council Hall and headed straight for Gu Rong's residence, making Ning Fengzhi shake his head.

The gates to Gu Rong's residence might as well have been nonexistent to Ning Bei. He strode inside and found Gu Rong resting with his eyes closed.

"Bone Grandfather, I'm level 20. I can go obtain my Second Spirit Ring now."

Gu Rong smiled at the excited Ning Bei before him. He understood perfectly; he had been the same back then.

"So, Bei Er, have you decided what kind of spirit beast you need?"

Ning Bei had considered this question long ago. Since his Martial Soul did not require a spirit beast with a corresponding attribute—though it could not really be matched anyway—he only needed to find a Spirit Ring of a suitable age.

"Bone Grandfather, my Martial Soul doesn't have many requirements for a Spirit Ring's attribute, so a spirit beast close to a thousand years old will do."

Gu Rong frowned upon hearing that.

"Isn't close to a thousand years too dangerous? My own Second Spirit Ring came from a spirit beast barely over seven hundred years old, and I'm a Battle Soul Master."

Ning Bei felt utterly speechless after hearing that. He already thought he was being conservative. He had not directly chosen a thousand-year Second Spirit Ring. For one thing, a purple Second Spirit Ring would be too conspicuous. He could barely leave the house as it was; if he pulled something like that again, wouldn't he be even more imprisoned?

Second, and more importantly, he was afraid of pain.

"Bone Grandfather, Father and I discussed this already. My body can probably withstand the pressure of a Soul Grandmaster around level 28, which is already close to a Soul Elder. Anything below a thousand years will definitely be fine, and a yellow Second Spirit Ring won't stand out too much."

Gu Rong found that reasonable after hearing it and did not argue further. He told Ning Bei to make some preparations, then directly flew with him toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

After several hours of flying, the two arrived at their destination.

Returning here after two years, Ning Bei's excitement had not diminished in the slightest.

Gu Rong also reminded Ning Bei to stay close after entering the forest and not run around. The two began searching for a spirit beast of a suitable age.

Their luck this time was clearly not as good as when Ning Bei had come with Chen Xin last time. After searching for two days, the spirit beasts they found were either too young or too old.

However, Ning Bei did not complain. This was the normal state of Soul Hunting.

"Bei Er, it seems we won't find a suitable target today either. Let's rest here for the night."

Ning Bei looked around upon hearing that. Compared to other parts of the forest, this place was quite open and indeed suitable for resting.

"Then here it is. We have no other choice."

The two lit a fire. After eating some dry rations, Ning Bei leaned against a pile of rocks and began cultivating his Soul Power.

The Whale Rubber and his steadily increasing cultivation had greatly improved Ning Bei's physique. Going several days without sleep was no problem.

Just as Ning Bei was cultivating in peace, Gu Rong spoke and interrupted him.

"Bei Er, there's movement over there. Come, let's take a look."

With that, he moved toward the front.

Startled awake, Ning Bei followed Gu Rong's footsteps.

When they reached the edge of the woods and looked up, they found two snake-type spirit beasts locked in a fierce confrontation over prey.

The prey was a dead Soft Bone Rabbit.

After noticing it, Ning Bei muttered inwardly, Good heavens, these two snakes have chosen the Way to Death.

Of the two snake-type spirit beasts, one had small wings and a crest on its head, while the other was completely black.

Gu Rong's face immediately lit up with delight upon seeing them.

"Bei Er, those are a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent and a Black Water Python. That Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent is just under a thousand years old, while the other has exceeded a thousand years. What do you think?"

Gu Rong had judged this from the size of the crest. Ning Bei was delighted as well. After the initial excitement from arriving, he had passed the thrill and been left only with discomfort from the wilderness. Now, he could finally finish this and go home.

"Bone Grandfather, I want that Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent."

Gu Rong flashed forward at his words, arriving between the two confronting spirit beasts. He raised his hand and grabbed for the target's vital spot.

Sensing the threat, the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent immediately tried to flee.

The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent was a spirit beast famous for its speed. Ordinary Soul Elders could not even catch it. But that depended on who was pursuing it. Gu Rong was one of the rare Titled Douluo in the world. A little snake could not escape his grasp.

Before long, he caught it by its vital spot, leaving it unable to move. He used Soul Power to knock it unconscious, then carried the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent over to Ning Bei.

"Bei Er, come on."

Ning Bei took the prepared dagger from his Soul Tool and ended its life with one strike. Having gone through this once before, he no longer had any mental reservations.

A Deep Yellow Spirit Ring rose from the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's corpse.

Ning Bei immediately sat cross-legged, summoned the Pill Pagoda, and began using his Soul Power to draw in the Spirit Ring.

Gu Rong began vigilantly watching their surroundings as well. Chen Xin had told him about what happened last time. He could not let spirit beasts disturb Ning Bei while he absorbed the Spirit Ring.

Two hours later, Ning Bei opened his eyes excitedly.

"Bone Grandfather, I—"

What met his eyes was a ground full of unconscious spirit beasts.

"Bei Er, let's leave first. This isn't the time to talk."

Ning Bei had nearly forgotten that his Pill Pagoda attracted spirit beasts. He nodded at Gu Rong, who immediately grabbed Ning Bei by the back of the neck and flew into the distance.

"Bone Grandfather, could you use a different way of carrying me?"

Gu Rong ignored Ning Bei's cries and flew toward the edge of the forest at full speed.

Not long afterward, the two arrived at an uninhabited mountain range, and Gu Rong set him down.

"How was it, Bei Er? Was the Soul Skill suitable?"

Ning Bei rubbed his aching neck and shot Gu Rong a speechless glance.

"The Soul Skill is suitable, but my neck isn't."

Gu Rong looked toward the sky awkwardly at those words.

Ning Bei did not continue teasing him and activated his Second Spirit Skill.

A Jade Bottle appeared in his hand. He then summoned his Martial Soul, and his Second Spirit Ring lit up. A stream of liquid flowed from the second level of the Pill Pagoda and filled the Jade Bottle. Then several Elixirs of different colors appeared in his hand.

Gu Rong watched Ning Bei's actions with a puzzled expression.

"Isn't it a Pill Pagoda? Why is it pouring water all of a sudden?"

Ning Bei rolled his eyes at Gu Rong and explained the Elixir's effects.

"This liquid is called Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid. It can be absorbed through bathing to raise a Soul Scholar's Innate Soul Power, though its effects are quite limited."

Gu Rong's eyes widened. Something that could increase Innate Soul Power was truly unheard of. He immediately wanted to know just how limited those effects were.

"How effective is it?"

Ning Bei thought for a moment and said, "It works fairly well on Soul Scholars with Innate Soul Power below level 5. If they begin soaking in it daily at the age of four, they can probably reach level 5 Innate Soul Power. But for Soul Masters with Innate Soul Power above level 5, the effect is quite limited."