Wang Xing's idea was quickly put into practice, and some relatively young soul beasts became Wang Nan's training targets. After stopping and starting along the way and repelling several attacking soul beasts, the two finally reached their destination.
Obtaining spirit rings is not just a matter of blind luck. As Wang Xing had said before, he had been to the Star Dou Great Forest several times and naturally paid attention to several spirit beasts suitable for Wang Nan. Their first target was a four-hundred-year-old green-scaled python living nearby.
"That's it." The number of soul beasts around them had noticeably decreased, but Wang Nan and the others didn't let their guard down. As the largest soul beast colony, the Star Dou Great Forest was a place where soul beasts couldn't exist without being noticed. A decrease in numbers could only indicate that a more powerful soul beast had taken over the area.
After waiting for a while and seeing no movement around them, Wang Xing took out a small bottle from the storage soul guide and poured out some of the liquid inside.
"This is made with the urine of other soul beasts. I added something to make the smell more volatile. Soul beasts have a strong sense of territory, so it should be able to attract the Jade Scaled Python." Wang Xing sighed, "I hope it wasn't absorbed by someone else."
Fortunately, the worst situation did not happen. Not long after, a python, seven or eight meters long, slowly appeared.
It looked similar to an ordinary python, with a brown body and black, leopard-like spots on its back. The most eye-catching feature was the huge emerald green scale on its head, which almost covered the entire head and appeared crystal clear in the sun.
Wang Xing also released his martial soul. Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple—the five souls surrounded the Coiled Dragon Staff and moved slowly in rhythm.
"It seems we are lucky." Wang Xing observed for a moment, confirmed the age of the soul beast in front of him, and then, without hesitation, he exerted force on his feet and pounced into the air. The third soul ring lit up with a light purple glow, and the Panlong Stick in his hand was swung out, making a sharp sound in the air.
The Jade Scaled Python refused to retreat, coiling its body into a ball, curling up like a spring, and staring intently at Wang Xing. Just as its body was compressed to the extreme, it suddenly exerted its full strength, and in the blink of an eye, it was in front of Wang Xing.
"Bang--"
The power gap between the hundred-year soul beast and the soul king was still too large. When the Dragon Staff fell, the soul beast that was so aggressive just moments ago became motionless in the blink of an eye.
Wang Xing kicked the limp python twice, confirming it was unconscious, and then waved to Wang Nan. "Nan'er, come here, your first spirit ring has been found."
"What is this?" Wang Nan's eyes lit up as he looked at the bizarre python before him. As a Jade Scaled Python grows, its scales will develop in different states depending on the environment it lives in. The scales on this one covered its entire head, clearly marking it as no ordinary creature.
"Of course, the one I picked for you won't be ordinary." Wang Xing said, pointing to the scales on the top of the Jade Scaled Python's head. "See this green scale on its head? It must have been influenced by some kind of dragon-like soul beast. This isn't a snake scale, it's a dragon scale."
"Dragon scales, can it turn into a dragon?" Wang Nan said in surprise. For a moment, he remembered many scenes of snakes turning into dragons that he had seen in his previous life.
"How is that possible? It's just mutated due to the influence of dragon's aura. Dragons are the most advanced type of soul beasts, and they can't just change at will."
"So that's how it is." Wang Nan didn't delve into it. In his impression, there was a black dragon deep in the Star Dou Great Forest. It would be better not to discuss topics related to dragons here.
"Alright, get ready to absorb the spirit ring. With your physical strength, it's no problem for you to absorb a four-hundred-year spirit ring. Don't be nervous, take your time. I'll be watching you from the side, and I'll take action if anything unexpected happens."
"Okay." Wang Nan nodded, enlarged the Panlong Stick in his hand, and stabbed it into the top of the Green Scaled Python's head. The green scales shattered with a sound, and soon, a yellow soul ring slowly rose.
Wang Nan sat cross-legged next to the Jade Scaled Python, his Coiling Dragon Staff touching the spirit ring. At this moment, his consciousness uncontrollably left his body and entered the sea of spirituality.
"Why now?" Wang Nan's heart tightened. He had encountered this situation before, when his martial spirit awakened. It was also at that time that the ball of light appeared in his spiritual sea. He didn't expect it to happen again when absorbing a spirit ring.
After a brief moment of sensing, he could still sense his body meditating as usual. Normally, Wang Nan would have pondered what was happening, but right now, he was absorbing the spirit ring, a crucial moment that couldn't be interrupted.
Just as his consciousness was about to leave and return to his body, an uninvited guest appeared in his spiritual sea. With a brown body, black markings, and emerald green scales, the Jade Scaled Python he had killed in the outside world appeared in his spiritual sea.
"What's going on? Could it be the absorption of the spirit ring?" Wang Nan guessed. After all, this wasn't the first spirit beast he'd killed, and no other spirit beasts had appeared here. So, he could only guess it was the spirit ring.
"I've heard that when absorbing a spirit ring, the consciousness will conflict with the consciousness of the spirit beast in the spirit ring, but I've never heard of a spirit beast appearing directly in the sea of spirit. However, now is not the time to consider the reason. I have to find a way to deal with it first. There is another spirit ring outside waiting for me to absorb."
Facing a century-old soul beast, Wang Nan naturally didn't dare to be careless, but he wasn't overly nervous either. He had been to the Sea of Spirits countless times and was naturally familiar with the rules here.
Here, he could discover the slightest movement at the first moment, and the body condensed by his spiritual power could instantly appear anywhere in this space. Even if this body was broken up, as long as the lake below had not dried up, he could condense it again.
With such an advantage, even a hundred-year-old soul beast could be defeated.
The Green Scaled Python naturally didn't understand what was happening, but its instinct still made it pounce towards Wang Nan. Its huge body didn't affect its speed, and it was much faster than the tree snake it had encountered before.
Unfortunately, Wang Nan was always aware of the situation in the Spiritual Sea, so he was spotted as soon as it made a move. Wang Nan's figure kept flashing, and he easily dodged several attacks in succession.
After gradually becoming familiar with the Jade Scaled Python's attacks, Wang Nan moved his mind slightly, and ripples spread across the lake beneath his feet. A stick condensed and flew into Wang Nan's hand. He unleashed the stick techniques he had been practicing. After several rounds, the Jade Scaled Python couldn't even touch the corner of Wang Nan's clothes, but Wang Nan took the opportunity to swing several times.
The Jade Scaled Python was, after all, a hundred-year-old soul beast. Wang Nan's attack did not defeat it directly, but instead aroused its ferocity. The green scales on its head flashed with light, and streams of green light covered its entire body. Its speed was even faster than before.
"What a shame! If I were in the outside world, I would definitely not be able to dodge at this speed, but in my spiritual sea, teleportation is just a matter of thought."
After several missed attacks, the Jade Scaled Python seemed to have exhausted its strength and stopped attacking. Man and python stared at each other for a moment before Wang Nan took the initiative, teleporting behind the Jade Scaled Python and tentatively swinging his staff at it.