Could it be...?
Ran Yuming suddenly thought of something.
He looked at the beehive on the ground, and a look of realization flashed in his eyes. He finally understood why the spirit ring had suddenly changed!
"So that's it~"
After a moment of silence, Ran Yuming sighed lightly.
"..."
Hearing this, Su Luoheng, who was still confused, turned his head and quickly asked, "Teacher, did you find the reason?"
"Yes."
Ran Yuming nodded and then looked at the remaining beehive on the ground with a hint of regret in his expression.
"The honey from the Blood Flame Bees is indeed attractive enough to lure the Golden-red Bear, but I forgot that the reason honey is so appealing to spirit beasts is that it helps them advance in rank. So, at first, this Golden-red Bear was indeed around 900 years old, but after consuming the beehive on the ground, it broke through to the thousand-year level."
"Teacher, then why didn't it show the characteristics of a thousand-year-old beast?"
Su Luoheng was even more puzzled since he also had some understanding of the Golden-red Bear.
"You defeated it too quickly. After advancing, its physical features need time to change."
As he spoke, Ran Yuming pointed to the Golden-red Bear's neck. "Look, Luoheng, the fur on its neck is already starting to turn crimson. If you had delayed a little longer, it might have fully transformed. But although its appearance still resembles a century-level beast, at the moment of its death, its spirit power had already reached the thousand-year level. That's why your spirit ring suddenly transformed from a hundred-year to a thousand-year one at the last moment."
"I see..."
Su Luoheng nodded in sudden understanding.
Ran Yuming sighed lightly, walked over, and patted him on the shoulder. "Luoheng, this is my fault for not considering things thoroughly, causing you to miss out on a good spirit ring."
"Teacher, this isn't your fault."
Hearing this, Su Luoheng shook his head.
Neither he nor Ran Yuming could have predicted that this Golden-red Bear would coincidentally break through from the hundred-year level to the thousand-year level just by consuming some beehive.
So this couldn't be blamed on Teacher Ran—sometimes, it's just bad luck.
His luck was truly terrible!
After searching the Jingyang Mountain Range for half a month with no results, he finally encountered a suitable spirit beast, only for it to suddenly advance in rank. Such rare occurrences that happen once in a century still managed to find him. His luck was really absurdly bad!
"..."
"Luoheng, once you've recovered your spirit power, we'll find another one. I have plenty of resources on hand, so we will definitely find the right second spirit ring for you."
As he spoke, Ran Yuming looked regretfully at the thousand-year spirit ring.
After all, it was the best spirit ring they had come across in the past few days. It was truly a pity to let it go to waste…
What a shame that the spirit ring produced by this Golden-red Bear was so close to being perfect, only to turn into a thousand-year-level one. Although it only seemed like a few dozen years' difference, the leap from a hundred to a thousand years is a qualitative change. The energy contained within it would be hard for a Spirit Grandmaster to handle.
It could be attempted, but there was no need to take the risk.
Besides, Ran Yuming didn't want his prized disciple to take any chances.
There would be more opportunities in the future. With honey, they were bound to find another suitable one sooner or later.
"..."
Ran Yuming shook his head with a sigh of regret. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Su Luoheng, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up.
"Teacher, wait."
Ran Yuming's eyes flickered, and his brows furrowed slightly.
"Luoheng, you're not thinking of…"
"Teacher, you mentioned that the royal honey from the Blood Flame Bees you gave me could increase my capacity to bear stronger spirit rings, and before this, you also bought me the thousand-year whale glue to consume."
"So… I believe my body is strong enough."
After a brief pause, Su Luoheng raised his hand and pointed to the faintly purple spirit ring, his tone firm and serious.
"I want to try absorbing this thousand-year spirit ring."
"..."
Ran Yuming had already guessed Su Luoheng's intentions. His tone became particularly serious, "Luoheng, don't act recklessly. The difference between a thousand-year and a hundred-year spirit ring is not minor. You can absorb a 999-year spirit ring, but a thousand-year ring carries far too much risk. I absolutely won't allow you to take that gamble."
"Teacher, but aren't you here?" Su Luoheng replied with a bright smile.
"What can I do—"
Before Ran Yuming could finish speaking, he suddenly recalled something, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You... did you see the blueprint for the spirit ring disruptor?"
"Yes."
Su Luoheng admitted with a sly smile and a nod.
"That day, while cleaning the lab as usual, I took a glance. So... with your design, if any problems arise while absorbing the second spirit ring, you'll be able to disrupt the process."
Ran Yuming frowned deeply and emphasized, "That device is still in the experimental stage!"
Su Luoheng, still smiling, said, "Teacher, I trust you, but surely you trust yourself, right?"
"You cheeky brat, stop trying to provoke me!"
Ran Yuming snorted, seeing right through his student's tactics.
When the goading failed, Su Luoheng put away his smile and spoke seriously, "Teacher, I really want to give it a try."
"..."
One wanted to try, the other didn't want him to take the risk. The two locked eyes, neither backing down.
"You, you stubborn kid!"
"Fine, if you want to try, then go ahead..."
After a long silence, Ran Yuming finally sighed.
He could see that Su Luoheng was serious. No matter how much he tried to dissuade him, it wouldn't work.
He knew his disciple's personality well.
"Thank you for allowing me, Teacher." Su Luoheng cupped his hands in gratitude, smiling brightly.
Ran Yuming glared at him, frustrated. "But let me remind you, the spirit ring disruptor is still not fully developed. If things go wrong, you'll need to rest for a week without cultivating or using your spirit power."
"That's enough, Teacher. I can afford a week."
Su Luoheng wasn't one to gamble with his future lightly. With the royal jelly, the whale glue, and Ran Yuming's spirit ring disruptor, he had enough confidence. The odds of successfully absorbing this thousand-year ring were about fifty-fifty, which gave him the courage to try.
Otherwise, with his cautious nature, he wouldn't take such a risk.
Most of the time, you can't wait for a guarantee of absolute success. A 50% chance was already good enough. He was young and had the time to take this gamble!
Becoming stronger is never easy.
Opportunities favor those who are prepared.
Caution and prudence are important, but sometimes, you also need to be bold and take risks.
And now, he wanted to try.
Just as he had told his teacher earlier: a seven-day recovery period was a risk worth taking!
"Royal honey has nourishing properties. Use the remaining half-bottle for the absorption."
"Thank you, Teacher."
Su Luoheng reached out and took the bottle.
Ran Yuming gave him a deep look and sighed, "You really don't let me relax, do you? Go ahead, before the spirit ring dissipates."