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"My third spirit skill is Spirit Power Amplification," Ning Rongrong announced, her voice filled with quiet satisfaction. "The boost ratio is forty percent, and it has also elevated the boost of my first and second spirit skills to forty percent as well."
Her revelation came as no surprise. This was an inherent property of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's spirit skills—a synchronized progression of power across all its support buffs.
"What's more," Rongrong added, "not only is the spirit power consumption for my third skill very low, but the cost for my first and second skills has significantly decreased along with it."
Su Wen and the others nodded in approval. It was clear that the Starshine Unicorn spirit ring was an exceptional fit for her, providing both the necessary amplification and the efficiency required for a sustained battle.
"We should continue moving deeper," Su Wen suggested.
"I have to say, the spirit beasts on this Evil Spirit Island are remarkably rare," Xiao Zhan remarked, looking around at the dense foliage.
Though it was a relatively small island, it was entirely covered by primeval forest, spanning an area roughly one-third the size of the Sunset Forest. The concentration of spirit beasts was dense, and many species that were considered legendary or near-extinct on the mainland seemed to thrive here.
By the seventh day of their trek, the group arrived at a gloomy, chilling pond area.
"There's poison here." Dugu Bo's expression turned solemn as he stared at the dark waters. He condensed a glob of green spirit power and shot it into the pond. Sensing the reaction of the water through his energy, he made a quick judgment. "The toxin is extremely potent."
Su Wen activated his Spirit Phantom Pupil in secret, scanning the depths of the frigid pond. Beneath the surface, he detected a powerful, churning spirit power fluctuation.
"Careful. There's a spirit beast at the bottom," Su Wen warned.
As he channeled his ocular power, Gu Rong and Dugu Bo sensed a slight ripple of mental energy. They assumed he was using a high-level spiritual sensory technique to probe the depths.
"If it can contaminate a pond of this size with such potent toxins, its poisonous nature must be extraordinary," Dugu Bo noted. "If the age and species are right, it might be perfect for Yan'er."
With those words, Dugu Bo possessed his martial soul. His presence expanded until he seemed like a colossal serpent hovering over the water. He lunged into the depths.
A piercing hiss erupted.
BOOM!
The surface of the pond exploded upward in a massive geyser. Dugu Bo's figure retreated rapidly, and surfacing before him was a Dragon-Scorpion, its body wreathed in a thick, visible miasma of toxic gas.
The beast was massive—nearly twenty meters in length—covered from head to tail in deep purple scales that shimmered with a metallic, obsidian sheen. It possessed four powerful limbs and a scorpion tail that looked hard enough to crush steel. At the end of that tail was a large, exquisitely sharp stinger glowing with a sinister violet light, as if a concentrated reservoir of venom was pulsing just beneath the surface.
The Purple-Scaled Toxic Dragon-Scorpion glared at the group with a pair of vertical, violet-black pupils.
"A Toxic Dragon-Scorpion," Su Wen identified, his eyes narrowing. "A mutated scorpion-type spirit beast possessing draconic bloodline. Its scales are already turning black—it should be very close to the ten-thousand-year mark, but hasn't quite reached it yet. It's perfect for Sister Yan. Moreover, the draconic features on this specimen are very distinct, which means its dragon bloodline is quite rich."
Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan's eyes lit up simultaneously.
For Dugu Yan, the age was perfectly aligned with her current limits. Furthermore, being a scorpion-type, it would significantly enhance the toxicity of her Jade Phosphor Serpent. Finally, the rich draconic bloodline offered a level of quality that was hard to find elsewhere.
It was, quite simply, the most perfect choice for her fourth spirit ring.
Dugu Bo, recognizing the opportunity, let his spirit power erupt. A terrifying pressure descended upon the pond, causing the Dragon-Scorpion's pupils to contract in sudden, instinctive terror.
To avoid scaring away potential prey, both Dugu Bo and Gu Rong had been suppressing their auras. Even when Dugu Bo first attacked, he hadn't unleashed his full might. Now that the Titled Douluo's true pressure was unveiled, the Dragon-Scorpion turned to flee.
However, against a Titled Douluo, how could a sub-ten-thousand-year spirit beast escape?
Especially since its toxins meant nothing to the Poison Douluo.
The Dragon-Scorpion lashed out with its violet stinger, but Dugu Bo didn't even bother to dodge. He swiped his serpent tail, batting the stinger aside effortlessly, then closed the distance to coil around the beast.
The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor's body tightened. The immense physical pressure forced a pained screech from the Dragon-Scorpion. Opening his massive jaws, Dugu Bo revealed chilling fangs and bit deep into the creature's thick, fleshy neck, pumping his own toxins into its system.
The Dragon-Scorpion fought back frantically, but its struggles grew weaker by the second.
As it reached the brink of death, Dugu Bo called out, "Yan'er, release your poison."
Normally, finishing off such a creature is dangerous; a weak spirit master could be poisoned or injured in the beast's final death throes. But Dugu Yan was different. Following her grandfather's instruction, she possessed her martial soul and unleashed her third spirit skill: Jade Phosphor Purple Poison.
Dugu Bo guided her purple venom into the beast's system, merging it with his own high-level toxins. The Dragon-Scorpion's thrashing eventually ceased, and it fell still.
A deep purple spirit ring slowly rose from the carcass. Within the purple hue, faint flickers of black were already beginning to manifest—a sign that it was on the very cusp of becoming a ten-thousand-year ring.
"Yan'er, begin the absorption."
While Dugu Bo cleared a toxin-free space for her, he began collecting rare materials from the beast's remains. "Watch out for that initial spirit power impact," he cautioned.
Absorbing a ring so close to the ten-thousand-year mark was no easy feat. Even with the Spirit Ascension Method to mitigate the pressure, it took Dugu Yan ten full hours to refine the essence.
Su Wen and the others set up camp by the pond. Dugu Bo stood guard while the rest entered a meditative state.
It wasn't until the next morning that Dugu Yan finished. As her spirit power fluctuations spiked sharply, Su Wen and the others woke from their meditation.
"Grandpa... I think I've reached Rank 45?"
Dugu Yan looked at her own hands in disbelief. She knew that the medicinal efficacy of the immortal herbs she had taken previously hadn't been fully exhausted, but seeing her rank jump so high after the absorption left her dazed.
Rank 45 was, frankly, absurd for a new fourth-ring spirit master.
Dugu Bo, however, was beaming with pride. This was remarkably similar to Su Wen's situation back then.
Su Wen had reached Rank 47 after his fourth ring, but he had absorbed a twenty-thousand-year Mirror Image Beast ring. While it seemed like the age gap was only double, the context was different: Su Wen had exceeded the "normal" fourth ring limit by fifteen thousand years, whereas Dugu Yan had exceeded it by less than five thousand.
"Rank 45!" Gu Rong and Xiao Zhan both wore expressions of shock.
They had only recently been stunned by Su Wen's rapid climb from four rings to five, but they hadn't personally witnessed the immediate aftermath of his fourth ring breakthrough.
"Rank 45..." Ning Rongrong muttered, her face full of envy. "I'm only at Rank 38. Rank 45 feels so far away..."
The atmosphere grew thick with a sense of "Versailles"—the humble-bragging of geniuses who were achieving the impossible as if it were routine.
(End of Chapter)