At this moment, Yang Xiong was dumbfounded, staring blankly at the scene in front of him, which left him speechless.
All the Shrek members were present, while on the other side stood Dragon Duke, Serpent Lady, and Meng Yiran. It seemed the two sides were once again fighting over a spirit beast.
This spirit beast was only about one meter long, completely emerald green, its entire body covered in green armor plating with a pair of wings on its back.
Yang Xiong examined it carefully. It was a giant mantis, extremely unique, especially its forelimbs that resembled a pair of huge scythes, each taking up over a third of its entire body length.
This was a Gale Mantis, a predator in the forest. Although it belonged to the insect category and couldn't fly far, its forelimbs were extremely sharp and serrated. Mantis-type spirit beasts were known for their explosive speed and could kill their enemies in an instant.
However, the Gale Mantis was seriously injured. Its exoskeleton had been shattered, wings torn apart, and even one eye was blinded. Green blood was splattered everywhere.
Upon seeing Yang Xiong, Tang San quickly asked, "Yang Xiong, how is Xiao Wu?"
Yang Xiong shook his head. "I'm not sure. I ran into Teacher Lin on the way and asked him to help chase after her, but I think Xiao Wu should be relatively safe."
Tang San was shocked. "How is that possible? Why didn't you keep chasing her? She was taken by the extremely fierce Titan Giant Ape!"
Yang Xiong sighed. "Teacher Lin almost caught up, but in the final moments, someone else appeared. That person seemed to be a senior related to one of our classmates. We didn't see his face, but he made it clear that Xiao Wu's safety was guaranteed and warned us not to follow."
Everyone turned to look at Yang Xiong. Tang San urgently asked, "Who was it? How is Xiao Wu now?"
Yang Xiong looked toward Zhao Wuji. "We didn't meet the person, but Teacher Zhao should have. It was the same person who fought with him on the night we enrolled."
Tang San turned to Zhao Wuji. "Teacher Zhao, who was it? Can he really keep Xiao Wu safe?"
Zhao Wuji had been unsure, but he quickly realized who it was. "Don't worry, Tang San. He's a very powerful senior, far stronger than me. With his strength, Xiao Wu will definitely be safe."
Tang San was slightly relieved. "Teacher Zhao, who is he exactly? What level of strength does he have?"
Zhao Wuji glanced around, then shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure. But judging from everything, he might be your elder."
Tang San was confused. "My elder? That's impossible. My father is just an ordinary blacksmith. I've never even met any other relatives."
Tang San seemed to think of something and fell silent. Whether or not that person was his elder, at least he was powerful enough to protect Xiao Wu.
At this point, Dragon Duke suddenly shouted angrily, "Lin Gong! You again? Are you trying to bully us too much?"
Yang Xiong and Lin Gong both looked confused, clearly not understanding what had happened.
Zhao Wuji spoke with some helplessness. "Senior Dragon Duke, we truly didn't know you were hunting that Gale Mantis. Tang San just happened to kill it."
Dragon Duke was furious. "You've snatched spirit beasts from us again and again. Do you think we're that easy to bully?"
Everyone was at a loss for words. After all, Dragon Duke was the strongest present, already at the Spirit Douluo level.
Lin Gong sneered. "Old Dragon, that's not right. If you say this was your spirit beast, where's your name written on it? Besides, you're a Spirit Douluo and can't even handle a thousand-year spirit beast? That's quite embarrassing."
Dragon Duke roared back, "You damn bamboo! We haven't fought in decades. I'd like to see what progress you've made hiding in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."
Lin Gong ignored him. "This is the Star Dou Forest. Are you sure you want to fight here? And look more closely at the age of that Gale Mantis. I told you you're ignorant, and it turns out I'm right. You're leading others astray."
After Dragon Duke observed the Gale Mantis more closely, his expression darkened. Finally, he grudgingly said, "Damn bamboo, let's have a proper match outside the forest next time."
Lin Gong laughed. "Anytime. I just hope you aren't still blind then."
Dragon Duke snorted and left with his companions.
Once they were gone, Zhao Wuji asked, puzzled, "Yang Xiong, why did Dragon Duke give up on the Gale Mantis so easily?"
Yang Xiong pointed at it. "Normally, mantis-type spirit beasts are aged based on the patterns and armor on their back. This one has passed 1,900 years, very close to 2,000. If his granddaughter Meng Yiran absorbed it, she'd almost certainly explode and die."
"We already completed the spirit ring hunt. Why are we fighting with them again?"
Zhao Wuji replied, "During the fight with the Titan Giant Ape, Tang San's spirit power level broke through. He now needs a third spirit ring. He encountered the Gale Mantis while chasing the ape and decided to get the ring first to gain enough power to save Xiao Wu."
Yang Xiong nodded. "Tang San has always been decisive. It seems he believes the Gale Mantis suits him well."
Zhao Wuji looked worried. "Tang San, there's no need to rush to absorb a ring. We can search the forest more and find one better suited for your Blue Silver Grass."
"Gale Mantises are rare and powerful, but not necessarily compatible with your spirit."
Tang San wasn't conflicted. "Teacher Zhao, I believe this Gale Mantis suits me perfectly. According to my teacher's analysis, if I absorb it, my Blue Silver Grass will become faster, stronger in attack, and even more explosive."
Zhao Wuji said, "But this Gale Mantis has over 1,900 years of age. That's far beyond the norm for a third spirit ring. Your body might not be able to handle it."
Tang San replied firmly, "I'm confident in my body. I can handle it."
Even though everyone listed the risks, Tang San insisted on absorbing the Gale Mantis's spirit ring.
Yang Xiong was known for strong theoretical knowledge, and they hoped he might persuade Tang San.
But Yang Xiong shook his head. "Teacher Zhao, Tang San, absorbing a spirit ring is a personal decision. I can't make suggestions or take responsibility for it. All I can say is to be cautious."
Tang San simply nodded, then used the Zhuge Divine Crossbow to finish off the Gale Mantis. He sat down cross-legged to begin absorption, with Zhao Wuji guarding him. The others formed a circle to guard in all directions.
Ning Rongrong came over and asked, "Teacher Lin, why were you in the forest? How did you meet Yang Xiong?"
Lin Gong looked awkward and coughed. "Rongrong, I had something to take care of in the forest. I happened to see Yang Xiong in danger and helped him out."
Ning Rongrong was puzzled. "Teacher Lin, aren't you just a Spirit King? You dared to go after the Titan Giant Ape?"
Lin Gong looked helpless but didn't want to reveal he was actually a Spirit Douluo, as he was secretly protecting the children. "I'm skilled at tracking and surviving in forests. Don't forget, I have a plant-type spirit."
In the Star Dou Forest, a plant-type spirit was naturally suited to the environment, making training faster and perception sharper.
Everyone's attention turned to Tang San. His face was pale and contorted, blood beads seeping from his skin and turning into a bloody mist, making him look eerie.
His brows were tightly furrowed, teeth clenched, even his bones made cracking sounds, it was the kind of pain that pierced the marrow.
Tang San was already halfway through absorbing the spirit ring, so they couldn't stop him. Otherwise, he could be seriously injured or even die from an explosion.
Before the theory of spirit ring age was developed, many civilian spirit masters exploded trying to absorb rings beyond their limits due to lack of knowledge.
In a way, Yu Xiaogang contributed to civilian spirit masters, though his theories were originally exclusive to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and Spirit Hall, hence rejected by the greater spirit master world.
Civilian spirit masters had little say in the spirit master world. Only a few managed to absorb rings near the limit. Most were just grateful to get any spirit ring. Even strong figures like Dragon Duke and Lin Gong only had thousand-year fifth spirit rings, showing how much the ring age limit restricted commoners.
Even this Gale Mantis's age was nearly misjudged by both Dragon Duke and Zhao Wuji.
Everyone was deeply worried about Tang San. Lin Gong quietly asked Yang Xiong, "Do you think this kid can succeed in absorbing a ring beyond his level?"
Yang Xiong replied calmly, "For others, I'm not sure. But for Tang San, I think it won't be a problem. He has the best physical constitution among the Shrek Seven, maybe even among spirit masters of his level."
Lin Gong smirked. "You're not including yourself, are you? You're already level 26. Your second spirit ring must be pretty strong."
Yang Xiong smiled. "Sorry, I've already reached level 27, just broke through in the last couple of days. My third ring is still far off, so I'm not thinking about it yet."
Though they spoke softly, the others heard them clearly and were surprised. Yang Xiong had the weakest innate spirit power among them, but now he had caught up to Ma Hongjun and Zhu Zhuqing. Reaching level 7 of innate spirit power was a significant threshold.
If you want to read 40 advanced chapters and 3 new chapters daily, please subscribe to my : patreon.com/Moorowkeel