Jin Bao had never imagined his father could be so decisive. But thinking about it, it made sense: the steward was a three-ring, attack system Spirit Elder. His Spirit was the Razor-Clawed Pangolin, and his spirit ring allocation was one white, one yellow, one purple. His own dad's Spirit was Sapphire, a four-ring support system Spirit Ancestor with two yellow and two purple rings. With Dad's buffs, the steward could briefly explode with the battle strength of a powerful combat Spirit Ancestor. Forget century-old Spirit Beasts—Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts wouldn't be a problem either.
By the time the sun set and the moon rose, they were so far away they couldn't even see the city walls. Only then did Jin Bao whisper, "Dad… had you planned all along to take me hunting for a spirit ring?"
He clearly saw the corner of his father's mouth twitch. "Of-of course! You're my son! Naturally your dad has to help with your First Spirit Ring! Besides, your school teacher pulled such an irresponsible stunt; when you get back, I'm definitely filing a complaint with your principal!"
If only you weren't smiling so awkwardly.
Jin Bao closed his eyes. There were wool blankets in the carriage, so he didn't have to worry about being cold at night.
There was no quilt, but the seat was wide enough that as long as he didn't roll over it could double as a bed.
"Thanks, Dad! Good night." Jin Bao shut his eyes.
He knew that by tomorrow they'd reach the edge of the Spirit Beast Forest; once inside, a good rest would be hard to come by, so tonight he had to sleep well and store up energy.
When he woke the next day, Jin Bao found himself lying on a bed—not one from home.
Judging by the décor, it had to be an inn.
"You're awake, son. Come eat breakfast; we're heading into the forest today."
The door opened and his father's smiling face appeared.
"This is the best inn in the little town. Drink more of this porridge, but don't stuff yourself. We won't be able to ride in the forest later. Tell me what you like and I'll stash it in the spirit tool."
Jin Bao took a sip of porridge, then downed the whole bowl. He grabbed a loaf of bread and ate three.
"Pack those waters and breads!"
He knew his father's spirit tool—five cubic meters—usually held odds and ends. They'd left in a rush, so there probably hadn't been time to clear much space.
spirit tools were curious things. Society had advanced in some ways, yet regressed in others.
spirit tool craft was one such regression.
Supposedly, the old nobility monopolized not only the paths to Cultivate as a Spirit Master but also the forging methods of spirit tools, to prevent commoners from gaining power that could threaten their rule.
In the end it hadn't worked; in that great upheaval the old aristocracy and their methods were swept away by the tide of history.
Today's spirit tool techniques were mostly pieced together from broken relics dug out of ancient ruins—or simply grave goods.
You only had to channel spirit power into them for deadly effect. Even a one-ring Spirit Master could, under the right conditions, ambush and kill a two- or even three-ring Spirit Master. Such potent weapons naturally terrified the rising common Spirit Masters.
Centuries later, the forging of weapon-type spirit tools was lost; only secret factions still held the craft of defensive types. Space-type spirit tools had hit a Bottleneck—any on the market larger than three cubic meters were relics found or repaired.
Thus, space-type spirit tools were precious; the bigger the space, the rarer.
Hearing his son, Jin Ge smiled awkwardly. In truth, after Jin Bao's question last night he'd already calmed down—but having gone this far in front of his boy, how could a father back down?
So he braced himself, told Du Lude to whip the horses, cradled Jin Bao with spirit power so he felt no jolt, and drove straight to this little settlement outside the Spirit Beast Forest, where they checked into this inn.
Though called a town, it was really just village-sized and unrecognized by the authorities. If any Spirit Beasts charged out of the forest, the people here would be first to suffer.
Moreover, residents had to register their household at a nearby city; otherwise they couldn't even get a Spirit Awakening or attend school.
After breakfast the three left the settlement and soon entered the forest.
While not a famous Spirit Beast Forest, the depths supposedly held many Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts. Most creatures here were ten- or hundred-year, so only three-ring or lower teams dared come.
Incidentally, the "year" prefix denoted a beast's Rank of Cultivation—like human titles such as Spirit Master or Spirit Grandmaster—not literal age. Still, left alive, most Spirit Beasts did live a long time.
Before Jin Ge's group entered, several people approached offering escort services.
With a child like Jin Bao and Jin Ge's expensive clothes, these common Spirit Masters saw easy money.
But when the steward flashed his three spirit rings, they backed off—none of them could match a Spirit Elder.
Inside the forest Jin Bao gazed around: every plant, stone, and creature fascinated him. This was his first real contact with such a place in this new frame of mind.
This World had ordinary animals too—Spirit Beasts whose spirit power hadn't reached the ten-year level and couldn't form spirit rings were counted as common beasts.
Crucially, they couldn't reinforce their bodies with spirit power, so even a carnivore was no match for a ten-year herbivorous Spirit Beast.
Still, nourished by spirit power, their meat, fur, and organs were valuable—prime income for one- or two-ring common Spirit Masters.
Watching the little creatures dart through grass and brush, Jin Bao relaxed.
Du Lude spoke up: "Master, young master, Gold-Devouring Rats range through the southwest middle forest. If we want speed, we'll have to pick up the pace."
He stepped in front of Jin Bao and crouched, back turned.
"Son, let Du Lude carry you. I'll use my Spirit Ability to boost our speed so you can find your beast sooner." Jin Ge summoned his Spirit—a blue triangular sapphire.
"Second Spirit Ability—Speed Boost!"
A ring of blue light swept across the three of them; then Du Lude and Jin Ge sprinted deeper into the forest.