Chapter 41: Desire Soul Garment and Shadow Scythe
Under Bibi Dong's direction, Ruo Ling eventually selected an immortal herb for Dugu Bo.
It was the Earth Dragon Gold Melon, a plant especially beneficial for spirit masters with dragon bloodline martial spirits.
That single vine bore two golden fruits—enough to benefit both the old man and his granddaughter.
Thinking back to the original Tang San, who never spared Dugu Bo even one herb, Ruo Ling couldn't help but feel like a saint.
"Xiao Ling, your spirit power seems to have risen again?" Bibi Dong noticed the change at once.
"Yes, Teacher, I've reached rank 30," Ruo Ling nodded.
That wasn't just a simple breakthrough—the medicinal energy of the immortal herbs was still circulating within him. Once he absorbed his third spirit ring, he estimated he could reach level 38 or 39 easily... perhaps even 40.
With his current soul and body strength, absorbing a ten-thousand-year ring would be no problem at all.
Combining such spirit power with the residual potency of the herbs—Ruo Ling could hardly imagine the result.
Tang San, how can you possibly compare? I'm ten years old and already close to forty!
In the original timeline, Tang San had reached rank 40 at fourteen only after taking the immortal herbs—yet now, without them, he would be left hopelessly behind.
Ruo Ling shook his head slightly.
Invincibility was such a lonely thing.
"Since you've reached rank 30, Xiao Ling, let's get your spirit ring here in Sunset Forest," Bibi Dong said softly, her violet eyes gleaming.
She had wanted to take him away from the 'dangerous' Icefire Yin Yang Well for some time.
The remaining herbs were meaningless to her—her focus was on completing the Rakshasa God's trial and achieving divinity.
"Then I'll trouble Teacher. For my third ring, I intend to hunt a ten-thousand-year beast," Ruo Ling said firmly.
Bibi Dong hesitated, her lips parting, but seeing his unwavering gaze, she swallowed her words.
A third ring of ten thousand years? Unheard of. Yet Ruo Ling had already defied every expectation.
"As long as you understand the risk, I won't stop you," she replied gently before taking him in her arms and soaring into the sky.
...
For the next week, Ruo Ling and Bibi Dong explored every corner of the Sunset Forest.
It was not as vast or dangerous as the Star Dou Great Forest, but it still housed a few ten-thousand-year beasts.
On the second day, Ruo Ling found his target: a Shadow Scythe Weasel, just over ten thousand years old.
It was an extremely rare agility-type spirit beast—dual-attribute in darkness and poison, known to prowl under the cover of night.
Its toxin, like that of the Ghost-Faced Scorpion, was a hallucinogenic venom that tormented enemies with nightmarish illusions—killing not through pain, but through madness.
Ruo Ling couldn't have chosen a better match. Once he decided, Bibi Dong struck swiftly and killed the creature.
After absorbing its spirit ring, Ruo Ling gained a new ability—his third ring skill: Shadow Scythe.
An extraordinarily rare weapon-type spirit ability.
He could now manifest a scythe forged entirely of darkness, laced with the weasel's hallucinogenic venom.
Wielding it, Ruo Ling transformed instantly into a front-line assault spirit master.
Moreover, the scythe could channel energy into a devastating slash called Dark Severance, a high-density single-target attack of ultimate darkness with overwhelming destructive force.
When using it under martial spirit fusion, Dark Severance evolved into Soul Reap, an attack that bypassed defense entirely to strike directly at the opponent's soul—strong enough to damage or even destroy their martial spirit.
It was monstrous.
Bibi Dong's expression when he demonstrated it was a mix of astonishment and disbelief—she truly looked at him as though he were some kind of terrifying anomaly.
Afterward, they continued searching for a suitable beast for his second martial spirit, the Desire Soul.
Mental-type creatures were even rarer than dark ones, but on the seventh day, they found one.
A Blue-Feathered Spirit Wraith, thirteen thousand years old—a humanoid beast with enchanting beauty, adept at weaving illusions and killing within them.
At first sight, Ruo Ling was overjoyed. If he could gain an illusion-crafting soul skill, combined with his Desire Soul, it would be an unstoppable synergy.
But clearly, the Desire Soul had its own will.
After absorbing the spirit ring, he did not learn an offensive ability but rather a support-type skill—the Desire Soul Garment.
When cast upon a target, it enveloped them like a cloak.
Anyone blessed by the garment gained levitation and flight—gliding like a phantom—while receiving a 30% increase to all attributes and a 30% boost to movement speed.
The boost scaled with the number of spirit rings tied to the Desire Soul, gaining an additional 10% per ring, and could only be applied to one person.
An extraordinarily powerful support ability.
After the ninth ring, it would grant a 90% increase to all attributes and a 90% boost in speed.
When fused, the skill gained an additional effect—the wearer could ignore one fatal blow.
It was much like Xiao Wu's Invincible Golden Body, yet even stronger.
Though a little surprised, Ruo Ling was pleased.
He imagined it now—
Hand gripping the Shadow Scythe, wrapped in the Desire Soul Garment…
Part assault, part agility, part control master through his dark threads—and with the Desire Soul's support abilities, he could even fill the role of a support-type spirit master.
A true all-around combatant.
"Xiao Ling, what's your spirit power level now?" Bibi Dong asked, interrupting his satisfied daydream.
Ruo Ling focused briefly, sensing his flow of energy—and frowned.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Only level 37," he said, shaking his head.
It was less than he had hoped.
Bibi Dong's lips twitched faintly. She could hear the dissatisfaction in his tone.
Only 37? And he was unhappy? Did he expect to ascend straight to godhood?
Ruo Ling, however, truly wondered why his cultivation was a bit behind his expectation.
With two ten-thousand-year rings and the lingering power of the herbs, even an average master would've reached level 40. For him to stop at 37 felt strange.
Could it be because the Crow Shadow Puppet, now of Ultimate Darkness attribute, required more energy to evolve?
He pondered quietly, sensing his power—it was much denser than before.
Indeed, spirit masters with ultimate elemental attributes had slower progress beyond the Soul Elder stage, at least until Soul Saint level.
That would only become known thousands of years later, in Douluo II. There was little about it in Spirit Hall's records.
Still, Ruo Ling felt it wasn't just the Crow Shadow Puppet.
Could my Desire Soul be evolving into an Ultimate Spiritual Attribute spirit as well?
He raised an eyebrow slightly. Whatever the case, it wasn't a bad thing.
Even as a double ultimate spirit wielder, cultivation would slow—but Tang San would never catch up.
"Enough, Xiao Ling," Bibi Dong sighed softly. "To be level 37 right after advancing to Soul Elder is already exceptional. Don't chase perfection too quickly."
Ruo Ling chuckled and nodded.
"Teacher, shall we return to the Icefire Yin Yang Well now?"
Bibi Dong paused, tapping her lips lightly before smiling. "Mm. Let's return first and inform Elder Ju. Have him escort Dugu Bo back to Spirit Hall for registration."
"Then we'll visit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."
"You still want their Split Mind Control Technique, don't you?" she added with a playful wink.
(END CHAPTER)
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