Chapter 18: Departure

"So, you've been messing with me this whole time?" Tang San clenched his fists, gritting his teeth as he stared at Hu Jiu, wishing he could just punch him.

He couldn't believe it; they were talking about changing the Douluo Continent, and it turned out all he had to offer was nonsense? Because of a lack of time?

"Haha, don't be mad! It's not completely useless! For example!"

"For example what?"

"For example, you can multitask! Even if it's not true multitasking, you can train your body to form instinctual responses, which is a form of multitasking!" Hu Jiu said with a smug smile.

"You mean...?" Tang San's eyes lit up; now that was more like it.

"That's right! As long as you work hard, even the heavens can be defied! Young man, keep pushing yourself!" Hu Jiu said, patting Tang San on the shoulder with a satisfied expression.

"Get lost! Your reasoning doesn't convince me. I still can't let you choose the Sky Swallowing Toad as your Spirit Ring." Tang San pushed Hu Jiu's hand away, still opposing the idea of Hu Jiu joking about his future.

"Alright, then I'll keep making things up—uh, I mean, I'll keep talking." Hu Jiu almost slipped up.

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

"Hey! You two were secretly chatting behind my back! Hu Jiu, what are you doing?" Just then, Xiao Wu suddenly popped up.

It turned out that Hu Jiu and Tang San had been outside for quite a while, which made Xiao Wu suspicious. They had promised to stick together, so where had they gone?

"Xiao Wu, you came at just the right time! You help me convince Xiao Jiu!" When Tang San saw Xiao Wu arrive, his face lit up, and he quickly spilled the beans about Hu Jiu wanting to choose the Sky Swallowing Toad as his Spirit Ring.

Of course, he also mentioned Hu Jiu's idea that Spirit Rings could be improved through cultivation.

"Are you stupid? Since Xiao Jiu has already explained the method, why not just give it a try and see? It's really a waste for someone with such a big head." Xiao Wu shot Tang San a glance, thinking he was being foolish.

"Right! I can just try it and see!" Xiao Wu's words made Tang San suddenly realize that if Spirit Rings could indeed be enhanced through cultivation, then it wouldn't be a bad idea for Hu Jiu to choose the Sky Swallowing Toad after all.

"By the way, Xiao Jiu, didn't you say you had more reasons? Let's hear them." Just as Tang San was about to head back to experiment, he suddenly remembered that Hu Jiu had mentioned having other reasons earlier.

"Oh, that! There's not much to say, I just want to obtain a Spirit Skill and use it as a template to recreate another Spirit Skill." As a member of a great imitation culture, borrowing and mimicking is just instinct, right!

This way, the Spirit Skill could be upgraded through Idle.

Of course, he couldn't let Tang San hear this.

"I can't shake the feeling that everything you're saying today is a lie," Tang San said, looking at Hu Jiu with suspicion.

"Not at all! Impossible!" Hu Jiu quickly denied it. Thankfully, his skill of lying with his eyes wide open hadn't faded, or he would have been exposed today.

Of course, it wasn't entirely a lie; if Spirit Ring skills couldn't be upgraded through Idling, he really would need to research that direction.

After that day, Tang San entered a frenzy of research. Besides eating with Hu Jiu, he was hardly seen at all.

Meanwhile, Hu Jiu was also making final preparations for hunting a Spirit Ring.

His preparation involved Idle waiting. He noticed that the Soul Power Meditation Method and Five Senses Enhancement Technique on his AFK Panel were about to reach level five, while the Soul Power Control skill was set to upgrade to level three. He decided to wait until they all leveled up before setting off.

The Soul Power Meditation Method wasn't much of a concern, but the key was the Five Senses Enhancement Technique. After this skill was upgraded, it would greatly assist him in the Spirit Hunting Forest.

Through enhanced vision, smell, and hearing, he would have significant help in both finding Spirit Beasts and avoiding them. Additionally, there were various dangers, such as poisonous insects, scattered throughout the forest.

Hu Jiu placed great importance on his safety. In such a dangerous place as the Spirit Hunting Forest, it was crucial to prepare adequately.

Five days later, the Soul Power Meditation Method reached level five, increasing his cultivation efficiency by forty percent.

The Five Senses Enhancement Technique reached level five, allowing him to detect all kinds of smells within two hundred meters. His ears could hear sounds from up to five hundred meters away, and his vision became even clearer. Standing at a height, he could distinguish the appearance of people from a mile away.

His Soul Power Control also reached level three through Idling. At this level, he could run quickly along tree branches. Additionally, his control over his Soul Power was significantly enhanced. By concentrating Soul Power in his legs, he could increase his running speed, and by focusing it in his hands, he could amplify his strength and speed.

In short, just the improvement in the level of Soul Power Control elevated Hu Jiu's overall strength to a new tier.

"Xiao Jiu, I've confirmed the method you mentioned, and it's indeed feasible." On the sixth day, Tang San hurried over to Hu Jiu with a beaming expression.

"Really successful?" Hu Jiu exclaimed in disbelief.

"However."

"What do you mean, however?" Hu Jiu was still immersed in the shock brought on by Tang San.

"However, this requires very strong Soul Power Control ability, and compared to the cultivation of Soul Power, the speed of improving the Spirit Ring is painfully slow. At my current cultivation speed, it might really take a year to increase the Spirit Ring's lifespan by one year," Tang San said with a helpless shrug, feeling regretful about this answer.

He had thought it was a great discovery that could change the world, but it turned out to be a useless ability. If it weren't for his strong mental resilience, Tang San might have been disheartened.

"Wasn't this already expected?" Hu Jiu had anticipated this result. Raising the level of a Spirit Ring was not an easy feat.

"Alright, I've decided to go to the Spirit Hunting Forest to obtain a Spirit Ring tomorrow. Xiao San, do you have any problems on your end?"

"No problems. I'll talk to Master in a bit; we can leave at any time," Tang San nodded, indicating there were no issues.

"Then it's tomorrow. Let's go and ask Xiao Wu to take a leave with us." The management at Nuoding Primary Spirit Master Academy was quite strict, and this time they would need at least two or three days to return, so requesting leave in advance was essential.

Of course, a leave of absence with a legitimate reason wasn't much of an issue. After all, obtaining a Spirit Ring was a significant life event, and the Academy could understand that.

The leave was approved smoothly; the Academy leaders granted it easily, but they reminded them to pay attention to their safety and informed them that the Academy wouldn't be responsible for anything that happened. On this point, the Academy even had them sign a disclaimer.

That night, as Xiao Wu's excited voice filled the air, Hu Jiu went to sleep with a heart full of anticipation.

Early the next morning, Hu Jiu, Xiao Wu, and Tang San quickly packed up and set off. The Spirit Hunting Forest was about four hundred miles from Nuoding City, and since Tang San had been there once, everything felt familiar to him.

They purchased drinking water, food, and tents for overnight stays, and after getting everything ready, they finally hired a carriage to set off for the Spirit Hunting Forest.

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