Preparations

A thousand-year second spirit ring could indeed give Xiao Yu combat power far beyond others of the same rank, but that was by no means entirely a good thing.

Absorbing a spirit ring beyond one's level would inevitably draw the attention of the major factions once word spread. Unless Xiao Yu had an extremely powerful backer, those factions would certainly seize him without hesitation and force him to reveal the method for absorbing spirit rings beyond his level.

Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the reclusive Clear Sky Sect all possessed Titled Douluo-level experts. Hui Huo, a Soul Douluo, and Miao, a Soul Sage, could never intimidate every faction by themselves.

Therefore, Xiao Yu had quite a few preparations to make before hunting his second spirit ring. Fortunately, he had the system, and while browsing the system shop earlier, he had discovered items that could disguise spirit rings.

Moreover, in order to better withstand a thousand-year spirit ring beyond his level, Xiao Yu had asked Hui Huo to obtain some Whale Rubber for him—preferably ten-thousand-year-grade Whale Rubber.

Whale Rubber was a special substance extracted from a whale's brain. It had excellent nourishing effects for soul masters, strengthening the body and enhancing the toughness of muscles, bones, and meridians, thereby increasing one's endurance. It seemed that the effects of Whale Rubber had only been discovered during the era of Douluo II. Huo Yuhao, jokingly called the plane's chosen son, had once consumed a piece of ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber. According to Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, a single piece could increase Huo Yuhao's ability to withstand spirit rings by at least a thousand years.

During the era of Douluo I, the effects of Whale Rubber had yet to be discovered. Because of its extremely yang and potent medicinal properties, it had even been used as an aphrodisiac. It was not particularly rare.

Even so, ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber was not something one could obtain at will. Not everyone had the luck to stumble upon a bargain like Huo Yuhao. Hui Huo, whose Bennu Bird martial soul allowed him to fly, had traversed half of the Heaven Dou Empire and ultimately only managed to procure two thousand-year pieces.

Xiao Yu had long been mentally prepared for this, so he did not feel too disappointed. If ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber could improve his endurance by over a thousand years, then thousand-year Whale Rubber should still provide a few hundred years' worth of improvement. Combined with the exceptional quality of his martial soul, absorbing a spirit ring around thirteen to fifteen hundred years old should not pose much of a problem.

"Hui Huo, I'm counting on you!"

Whale Rubber needed to be softened before consumption, and the best method was undoubtedly roasting it over fire. Hui Huo's martial soul was closely tied to flames, saving Xiao Yu the trouble of starting a fire himself.

Hui Huo nodded. He had never been much of a talker. Taking the Whale Rubber, he circulated his Soul Power and summoned black flames to scorch it.

In the original story, Ma Xiaotao, then only a Soul Emperor, had melted ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber. Hui Huo possessed Soul Douluo-level cultivation, and the black flames of his Bennu Bird martial soul were no weaker than those of Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul. In mere moments, the Whale Rubber, which had initially been somewhat hard, melted and released a strange fragrance.

"Young Master, please."

Sensing that the heat was right, Hui Huo immediately circulated his Soul Power and guided the softened Whale Rubber over to Xiao Yu.

Watching the steam continuously rise from the Whale Rubber, Xiao Yu could not help being extremely cautious. He fanned it lightly for a while before carefully tearing off a small piece and putting it into his mouth.

The Whale Rubber had a strong fishy taste upon entering his mouth, but it soon transformed into a warm current that flowed into his stomach. More than that, once it entered his abdomen, a faint fragrance seemed to echo within him before escaping through his nostrils. The sensation was truly rather strange.

In this way, Xiao Yu spent about five minutes swallowing both pieces of Whale Rubber in small bites.

As the Whale Rubber was digested, a scorching current began flowing from his abdomen toward his limbs and every part of his body.

Besides widening Xiao Yu's meridians, this warm current seemed to have other effects. Though his body was still that of a child, it seemed to be showing faint signs of a reaction.

However, Xiao Yu, who knew the original story, was well aware of Whale Rubber's side effects and had prepared for them in advance. The moment he sensed the signs, he immediately calmed his mind and circulated his Soul Power, guiding the warm current.

Under the guidance of his Soul Power, the heat that had been rampaging through Xiao Yu's body began to nourish his meridians in an orderly fashion. An indescribable comfort spread throughout his entire body.

After a long while, Xiao Yu opened his mouth and exhaled a breath of hot air. Slowly opening his eyes, he finished absorbing the Whale Rubber.

"Hui Huo."

Xiao Yu turned to glance at Hui Huo, who had been standing guard beside him, and nodded lightly. Then he said, "Call Miao. We're leaving for the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain my second spirit ring."

"Yes, Young Master."

Before long, the three set out for the Star Dou Great Forest. As for the academy, Miao spoke to the headmaster and informed him that Xiao Yu had broken through to level twenty and needed to leave the academy to obtain his second spirit ring. Naturally, the headmaster had no reason to refuse.

"Young Master, have you decided what type of spirit beast you want your second spirit ring to come from?"

Hui Huo's martial soul was the Bennu Bird, while Miao's was the Demon Butterfly. In their Martial Soul Avatar states, both could fly for extended periods. After leaving Kaiser City, they carried Xiao Yu and flew directly toward their destination. Seeing that they were nearly at the Star Dou Great Forest, Miao asked the question.

Xiao Yu had made extensive preparations for obtaining his second spirit ring, and naturally, that included choosing the spirit beast from which to obtain it.

He immediately replied, "My First Spirit Skill gave me the ability to enhance my own attributes, so for my Second Spirit Skill, I want an offensive spirit skill focused on dealing damage. It also needs to suit my martial soul. I think it would be best to obtain it from a dragon-, lion-, or tiger-type spirit beast with darkness attributes. Naturally, a dragon-type spirit beast would be the best choice."

"Not bad."

Hui Huo immediately nodded. "I had planned to make the same suggestion after we arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest. I didn't expect the Young Master's thoughts to align with mine so perfectly."

Miao caught the implication in Hui Huo's words and immediately asked, "Hui Huo, do you already have a suitable spirit beast to recommend to the Young Master?"

Hui Huo nodded. "While searching for Whale Rubber for the Young Master, I passed through the Star Dou Great Forest several times and took the opportunity to look for suitable spirit beasts. At the boundary between the outer and central regions in the northeastern corner of the forest, I found a Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon. Its cultivation is around fifteen hundred years. Its cultivation is not particularly high, yet it can suppress several nearby spirit beasts with two to three thousand years of cultivation and has become the overlord of that area."

"Good. Hui Huo, I'll have to trouble you to lead the way."

Xiao Yu nodded. In the original story, aside from a few dragon species that possessed true dragon bloodlines, most spirit beasts with "dragon" in their names were draconic subtypes. This Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon, with cultivation of around fifteen hundred years, was certainly one as well. Even so, a draconic subtype was unquestionably among the stronger spirit beasts of the same rank.