Chapter 16 First Soul Ring
Upon returning to Spirit Academy, the two shared a brief farewell at the fork in the road and headed back to their respective residences.
Jiang Bai didn’t return to his dormitory immediately; instead, he went to the cafeteria to borrow a stove to heat the whale glue.
He looked at the bowl of thick, scalding liquid before him, which emitted a strange, fishy-sweet scent.
Jiang Bai took out a ceramic jar, carefully poured the liquid whale glue inside, tightened the lid, and stored it in his bracelet.
Only after finishing all this did he return to the dormitory.
Inside the dormitory, both Yan and Xie Yue were present.
Seeing Jiang Bai return, the two only spared him a glance and said nothing.
Jiang Bai grabbed a change of clothes and a towel, then walked into the dormitory bathroom.
Once prepared, Jiang Bai stripped off his clothes and sat in the bath bucket filled with cold water, unable to suppress a shiver.
He took a deep breath, retrieved the still-warm ceramic jar from his bracelet, opened the lid, and looked at the thick liquid inside. Without hesitation, he tilted his head back and gulped down the entire jar of scalding whale glue!
"Ugh—!!"
The moment the liquid entered his mouth, Jiang Bai’s eyes widened, and a muffled groan of pain escaped his throat!
That sensation was far from as simple as drinking hot soup!
An extreme heat accompanied by an indescribable, fishy burning sensation spread from his mouth and throat all the way down. Everywhere it passed, the pain caused his muscles to tighten instantly, and his vision clouded with black patches!
He gritted his teeth firmly, forcing himself to swallow the last bit of liquid.
Soon, an unimaginable torrent of heat exploded in his stomach!
Wild heat surged frantically toward his limbs and bones, every meridian, every bone, and every inch of muscle!
He felt as if he had been thrown into a furnace; his skin turned flush red instantly, and veins bulged hideously on the surface of his body.
The cold water in the bath bucket even began to emit wisps of white steam where it touched his body!
An unknown amount of time passed—perhaps fifteen minutes, perhaps half an hour—before that burning sensation within his body finally began to subside slowly.
Jiang Bai’s tense body gradually relaxed. He panted heavily, like a dying fish that had finally returned to the water.
The cold water in the bath bucket, originally clear, had now become somewhat black and murky, mixed with sweat and the few Impurities forced out of his body.
A strong burning sensation still lingered in his mouth and lungs, making every breath he took sting with pain and his voice turn hoarse.
After resting for a while longer, Jiang Bai finally gathered a bit of strength to shakily climb out of the bath bucket.
He first poured out the blackened water from the bucket, then rinsed his body repeatedly with cold water until the redness on his skin faded slightly. Finally, he wrapped himself in a large bath towel and walked out of the bathroom with unsteady steps.
Coming to the full-length mirror in the room, Jiang Bai carefully examined his reflection.
His skin still retained a faint flush, but overall he looked fine. Instead, he now possessed a faint, warm luster, unlike the slightly sallow complexion he had before.
He reached out to touch his arms, chest, and abdomen. He could clearly feel that his muscles had become firmer and more elastic, with his physical lines becoming subtly more defined.
Clenching his fists, a sense of power far more abundant than before welled up within him.
His strength, endurance, resilience, and the toughness of his Meridians had all been significantly enhanced.
This way, my first spirit ring should at least be at the five-hundred-year level!
The strengthening of his body meant he could accommodate the energy of a more powerful spirit ring!
He just didn’t know how best to explain it...
He shook his head, temporarily suppressing this worry. The priority was to sense the changes in his Soul Power.
Whale glue should also be able to stimulate a bit of Soul Power.
He carefully sensed the accumulation of Soul Power at his Dantian...
As expected!
The Rank 10 Bottleneck, which he had estimated would take another month to reach, was now clearly perceptible!
That thin barrier preventing further growth of Soul Power was right before him!
Now, he could absorb his first spirit ring at any time and become a true Spirit Master!
Amidst his joy, Jiang Bai suddenly noticed that the atmosphere in the dormitory was a bit strange.
He turned to look at Yan and Xie Yue’s beds.
He saw that the two had retreated into their blankets at some point, wrapping themselves tightly and only exposing half their faces. They were looking at him with terrified eyes, their bodies trembling slightly.
Especially when they saw him looking over with a flushed face and burning eyes, the two shuddered in unison and pulled their blankets even higher, clutching them tightly as if guarding against some ferocious beast.
Jiang Bai: "..."
...
Two and a half days later in the afternoon, Jiang Bai headed to the back mountain as usual.
He didn’t go to his usual Cultivation spot, but instead slowed his pace on the road as if admiring the scenery.
Sure enough, before long, that familiar golden figure appeared at the other end of the path.
"Hehe, Senior!" Jiang Bai immediately put on a bright smile and went to meet her, his hands rubbing together unconsciously and his eyes sparkling as he looked at Qian Renxue.
"Um... about my first spirit ring... do you think it can be arranged now?"
Qian Renxue stopped her pace, her purple eyes sweeping over him as a trace of surprise flickered through them. "You had a Breakthrough? So fast?"
How long has it been? This guy rushed from Rank 9 to Rank 10 already?
But considering Jiang Bai’s almost self-torturous cultivation schedule and his nearly obsessive drive to become stronger, it seemed... somewhat reasonable?
She carefully sensed Jiang Bai’s aura; it was indeed much more solid and thick than before, and his Soul Power fluctuations had reached the critical point of Rank 10.
"Alright, come with me."
Qian Renxue didn’t ask further questions and turned decisively, walking toward the direction of her villa.
Jiang Bai was overjoyed and hurried to follow.
Arriving once again before that exquisite detached villa, Qian Renxue didn’t lead Jiang Bai inside but instead beckoned an attendant to deliver an order.
Shortly after, accompanied by the rhythmic sound of hooves and rolling wheels, a squad of knights in silver light armor brought a carriage with several cages to the front of the villa.
Each cage was half-covered with a black cloth.
"Uncover them," Qian Renxue commanded.
The knights pulled away the black cloths, revealing the Spirit Beasts inside the cages.
In the first cage was a Fire Dragon.
It was covered in dark red scales, with a small protrusion on its head and sharp, grim teeth in its mouth.
However, it was currently listless. There was a significant wound on its abdomen with dark red blood slowly seeping out. Its eyes were fierce, and its dragon tail was only half its original length.
In the second cage was a Giant Rock Rhino lying there panting heavily, with several scars on its body.
The third cage held a Lightning Eagle.
The fourth cage contained a Golden-Light Sabertooth Tiger.
The four Spirit Beasts were of different types, each with its own strengths, but without exception, they were all high-quality four-hundred-year Spirit Beasts!
Jiang Bai was shaken, his gaze slowly scanning the four Spirit Beasts.
The Spirit Abilities of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda were fixed; theoretically, there were no specific requirements for the type of Spirit Beast, as long as the age was appropriate and the attributes didn’t conflict.
However, dragon-type Spirit Beasts, even if they were only sub-dragons, usually provided stronger physical modification and feedback to a Spirit Master’s body compared to other Spirit Beasts of the same Rank.
Moreover, this looked like a pure-blooded sub-dragon!
But why does this Fire Dragon only have half a tail?
After a moment of thought, Jiang Bai pointed to the first cage: "I’ll take this Fire Dragon."
Qian Renxue nodded and gestured to the lead knight.
The knights immediately took away the other three cages, leaving only the one containing the Fire Dragon.
Qian Renxue then took out a cold, gleaming steel longsword from her storage spirit tool and handed it to Jiang Bai.
"Kill it, then guide the spirit ring into the villa to absorb it. It’s quiet inside, and no one will disturb you."
She pointed toward the villa’s entrance.
"Thank you, Senior!"
Jiang Bai solemnly took the longsword. It felt heavy in his hand, the blade glinting with a cold light.
He walked to the cage and looked at the dying Fire Dragon, which still glared at him with fierce eyes.
He felt no extra pity; in this World, the relationship between Spirit Masters and Spirit Beasts was one of hunter and prey.
Jiang Bai took a deep breath, aimed for a spot just above the Fire Dragon’s heart, and plunged the longsword in!
Puchi!
The sword pierced through its body. The Fire Dragon’s body convulsed violently, letting out a low, pained hiss. The fierce light in its eyes dimmed rapidly until it was completely extinguished.
A bright, deep yellow spirit ring radiating a scorching aura slowly emerged from the Fire Dragon’s corpse, hovering in mid-air and rotating slowly.
A trace of an imperceptible anomaly flashed through Jiang Bai’s eyes.
Then, he began to use his will to guide the deep yellow spirit ring.
The spirit ring obediently drifted toward him, and following his steps, they entered the interior of the villa together.
Once inside, Jiang Bai sat cross-legged on the soft carpet and began to absorb the spirit ring.
Qian Renxue looked at the bright spirit ring inside the room, her brow furrowing slightly. She felt something was off, but she couldn’t pinpoint what.
Was it an illusion? Or a trick of the light?
Qian Renxue was puzzled.
Suppressing her slight doubt, Qian Renxue asked the two knights who remained to handle the Fire Dragon’s corpse, "Are you sure this batch of Spirit Beasts were all around the four-hundred-year mark?"
A knight immediately bowed and answered with certainty, "Reporting to Young Lord, this batch of Spirit Beasts was personally appraised by the accompanying deacon. It is confirmed that they are all around four hundred years old."
Hearing this, Qian Renxue nodded and thought no more of it.
Perhaps it was just the light or the angle that had caused her to missee.
She waved her hand. "Clean up the corpse."
"Yes!"
...
Inside Jiang Bai’s Sea of Consciousness.
The Fire Dragon’s Soul had eyes as wide as copper bells.
It looked in disbelief at the massive Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda emitting a blue light before it.
Then, the first floor of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda suddenly erupted with a dazzling light.
An extremely strong suction pulled it inside.