Ch.24: Deal and 5th Spirit Ring

Yue Guan carefully considered Dugu Xin's proposal and realized it was a beneficial arrangement. Seeing the effects of the pills, he believed that with the aid of his book, Dugu Xin could create even more potent elixirs. So, he agreed to the deal.

"Very well, little friend. You can have the book," Yue Guan said, handing it over. He then produced a Spirit Token and presented it to Dugu Xin. "This is my Spirit Token. With this, you will possess the same authority as me within Spirit Hall. I hope you will remember our agreement when the time comes."

Dugu Xin was elated to have convinced Yue Guan. "Thank you very much. I won't forget this favor," he assured the Titled Douluo. After their conversation, he decided to meditate to recover his soul power. He approached the unconscious body of the Fifteen Ton Ant Emperor he and Bibi Dong had battled and used the "Heaven Snake Poison Pill Technique" to extract the poison from the spirit beast's body, replenishing his soul power.

After an hour, everyone was back in top condition. Yue Guan reminded Bibi Dong to quickly deliver the finishing blow to the ant before it died, and she did so promptly. Dugu Xin and Luo Tian then headed to the location where Luo Tian had fought the green Fifteen Ton Ant Emperor. The area was marked with holes and slash marks from their intense battle. Dugu Xin took a cautious approach as they reached the spirit beast. Using his first Spirit Ring, he pierced its skull through its eye, delivering a fatal blow. A black spirit ring appeared above the ant's body, indicating a successful kill. Luo Tian encouraged Dugu Xin, saying, "Brat, let's go and get your spirit ring."

Dugu Xin nodded and began absorbing the spirit ring. Although its remnants were formidable, they couldn't overcome Dugu Xin's 'Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Spirit.' After two hours of intense absorption, he successfully integrated the spirit ring into his power.

"Level 53. Not bad," Dugu Xin remarked after completing the process. However, something caught his eye—a glimmer on the ant's left arm. Upon closer inspection, he confirmed his suspicion: it was a spirit bone, specifically the left-arm bone.

Luo Tian noticed and commented, "Your luck isn't bad, kiddo. That soul bone will be a great asset in your future."

Dugu Xin acknowledged, "I know, old man, but I'll absorb it later. For now, we should leave."

Luo Tian agreed, and before their departure, Dugu Xin used his storage ring to store the corpses of the three Fifteen Ton Ant Emperors. Yue Guan remained to guard Bibi Dong as she finished absorbing her spirit ring.

...…

As Dugu Xin and Luo Tian set up camp for the night, they reflected on the day's events. Luo Tian couldn't help but be impressed with Dugu Xin's ability to convince the Titled Douluo, Yue Guan, to stop recruiting him. Dugu Xin contemplated his recent acquisition of the fifth spirit ring. 'Now that I've obtained my fifth spirit ring, I should find an opportunity to refine my fifth soul core,' he thought. 'While the remnant energy of the Fifteen Ton Ant Emperors should be enough, I don't think they are suitable for me. I'll feed them to the 'Spirit' and then decide what to do.'

'That went surprisingly well' Luo Tian thought and sighed, "This kid managed to convince that Titled Douluo from Spirit Hallto stop recruiting him.'

Dugu Xin proceeded to take the corpses of the soul beasts out of his storage ring and summoned his massive spiritual companion, the 'Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Spirit,' which had now grown to an impressive size of 68 meters. "Dine on them, and then return to refine their bodies and energy," Dugu Xin instructed the Spirit.

The massive entity nodded and promptly devoured the three soul beast corpses, before returning to the spiritual sea to begin the refining process. With the Spirit handling the refining, Dugu Xin decided to test out his 5th spirit ring. With a nod from Luo Tian, Dugu Xin summoned his martial soul, and five spirit rings emerged from beneath his feet, one yellow, two purple, and two black spirit rings. Dugu Xin entered a state of martial soul possession, and then he unleashed his 5th spirit skill, "Earth Ant-Serpent Emperor Slash." The air was charged with anticipation as a blood-red glow enveloped his fingertips, forming moonblade-like projections, each around 10 meters in size. Dugu Xin directed the deadly slashes toward a nearby tree. As the crimson moonblades made contact with the tree, it was sliced cleanly through, and the massive trunk fell to the ground with a resounding crash.

Luo Tian couldn't help but be impressed by the sheer power and precision of the attack. "Impressive, kid. That's quite the spirit skill you've got there."

After displaying his fifth spirit ring, Luo Tian retrieved the soul bone that he had obtained earlier from the Ant Emperor they had defeated. He handed it to Dugu Xin with a stern expression. "Here you go, kid. This soul bone came from the Ant Emperor you killed. Hurry up and absorb it."

Dugu Xin nodded in gratitude and began the process of absorbing the soul bone. After an hour of absorption, he completed the process. Luo Tian inquired, "What did you gain from it?"

Dugu Xin explained, "Surprisingly, I acquired a defensive skill: 'Fifteen Ton Rampant Barrier.' It's a pure defensive skill that, when activated, envelops me in an intense gray light forming a protective carapace-like armor over my entire body. It's more akin to physical armor than energy-based defense. The skill's defense is formidable, capable of withstanding the full-powered attack of a Hyper Douluo."

Luo Tian nodded in approval. "That's good. Now, as long as you have enough soul power, you can fight without fearing for your life."

Dugu Xin agreed with a smirk, "Yeah, you won't get rid of me that easily." Dugu Xin decided to venture out in search of food, saying, "I'll go hunt for some food. Try not to die while I'm away."

Luo Tian chuckled, "Hah, as if you could get rid of me that easily."

Dugu Xin set off to forage for food, leaving Luo Tian to his own devices in the camp, he quickly located a 5,000-year-old Spirit Flames Deer and began the hunt. As he pursued his prey, Dugu Xin contemplated his thoughts, 'I suppose maintaining a friendly relationship with Spirit Hall makes sense. Despite their flaws, they awaken normal children's martial souls and hunt down evil Spirit Masters, keeping their numbers in check to prevent trouble.'

He sighed, recognizing that the world of Spirit Masters was more complex than what was shown in the series. Dugu Xin returned to the campsite with the 5,000-year-old Spirit Flame Deer and placed it over the fire to finish cooking. While the meat slowly roasted, Luo Tian emerged from his meditation. The battle with the three Fifteen Ton Ant Emperors had aggravated his old wounds, and even Dugu Xin's pill helped immensely it didn't heal them completely. Luo Tian tore a piece of cooked meat from the deer's leg and savored it. After finishing his meal, he glanced at Dugu Xin with a hint of gratitude. "Not bad, your cooking skills are improving."

Dugu Xin replied with a smirk, "Of course they are. I even went through the trouble of obtaining 500-year-old Flaming Honey from a Parasol Fire Tree."

Luo Tian chuckled, "You smelly brat, trying to boast in front of me? Your culinary achievements are still far behind mine."

The conversation took a more serious turn as Luo Tian addressed Dugu Xin. "Listen, kid. You've noticed the increasing tensions between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Dou Empire. While there might have been temporary peace in the last year or two, I fear that the upcoming Spirit Tournament might ignite a significant conflict between the two empires. With your family's support and your status as a Spirit King, you should be able to ensure your safety in the impending conflict."

Dugu Xin nodded in agreement. Over the length of their hunt, they had encountered numerous spies from the Star Luo Empire, including a Spirit Saint who met his end at Dugu Xin's hands with relative ease. Acknowledging the situation, Luo Tian continued, "There are undoubtedly traitors within the Heaven Dou Empire. Otherwise, with these many spies, they wouldn't be able to operate so covertly. This border pass is no longer as secure as we once thought. Dark forces are at work, and I'm afraid that war is on the horizon. "

Meanwhile Dugu Xin was also having his own thoughts 'This war could be the reason we see fewer Titled Douluo on the Douluo Continent. If my intuition is correct, the scale of this upcoming conflict between the two empires will be no less significant than the future battles involving the Raksha God, Sea God, and Angel God. If even tens of Titled Douluo fall in this war, I need to grow stronger—fast.'

Dugu Xin's expression turned serious as he asked, "Teacher, is war truly inevitable?"

Luo Tian responded solemnly, "If the strength of the empires is relatively equal, war can be avoided. However, with the Heaven Dou Empire's three sects vastly surpassing the Star Luo Empire in power, it's likely that war will break out as the Star Luo Empire seeks to inflict as much damage as possible before the Heaven Dou Empire can fully prepare. Ultimately, the outcome of the war will be determined by the number of high-level Titled Douluo."

Luo Tian's expression hardened as he continued, "There's something else that concerns me. Despite the Heaven Dou Empire's clear advantage, there are still traitors among us. This is suspicious in itself, and I worry that other external forces may be involved. That's why I want you to rapidly increase your strength, in case we need to face unforeseen challenges."

"Well, we'll talk more about it tomorrow. For now, let's sleep," Luo Tian suggested. In the middle of the night, Dugu Xin was awakened by the presence of a snake-type spirit beast. Intrigued, he investigated the source of the disturbance and came face to face with a small white snake with purple accents.

"Hmm, what are you little guy doing?" Dugu Xin questioned the tiny serpent.

The small snake hissed at Dugu Xin defensively, trying to appear more intimidating. However, Dugu Xin found its attempts quite cute. He decided to pick it up, but the little snake flew towards him, coiled around his finger, and attempted to bite him.

Dugu Xin found this interaction rather amusing. "Now what do we have here? You're quite the feisty one, aren't you?" He sat down cross-legged and took out a piece of meat. The little snake saw the meat and made a move for it but was caught by Dugu Xin. It struggled in his grasp, desperately trying to reach the tasty morsel. "I'm afraid you'll have to ask nicely if you want it."

After some time, the small snake seemed to give in. It coiled around Dugu Xin's palm and gave him a pitiful look. Satisfied, Dugu Xin offered the piece of meat, which the snake eagerly devoured.

"See? That wasn't so hard," Dugu Xin remarked, and the snake appeared content. As the tiny serpent enjoyed its meal, Dugu Xin couldn't help but think about its peculiar circumstances. "I can clearly see that you're barely 80 years old, yet you're surviving in the inner area, which is filled with 10,000-year-old spirit beasts. You remind me of Medusa from Battle Through the Heavens, so, in her honor, I shall call you Xiao Cai."

Upon hearing its new name, the snake looked at Dugu Xin with eyes filled with happiness and coiled around his shoulder, eventually falling asleep. "Good idea, Xiao Cai," Dugu Xin said with a smile before drifting off to sleep with the snake curled up on his chest. The next morning, Luo Tian was the first to wake up and was greeted by the sight of a white snake with purple accents coiled on Dugu Xin's chest. Amused, he couldn't contain his laughter. "Hahaha... Kid, where did you find that white worm?"

His laughter stirred Dugu Xin and Xiao Cai awake. Dugu Xin, looking a bit annoyed, responded, "What happened, old man? Did your injuries make you lose your marbles?"

Luo Tian, still chuckling, replied, "Kid, where did you get that snake?"

Dugu Xin explained, "I found it last night trying to eat our remaining meat. I found it cute and decided to keep it."

Luo Tian teased, "Oh, so you have this soft side, eh?"

Dugu Xin retorted, "Bite me, old man. Before we head back, there's something I must do."

Luo Tian, intrigued, asked, "What is it, kiddo?"

"I need to find something that can help me create my 5th soul core."

Luo Tian's eyes widened in astonishment. "What did you say? And what do you mean by 5th? You have more than one?"

Dugu Xin explained, "Calm down, old man, or you'll announce our presence to the entire inner area. It's my second cultivation technique. I can create a soul core every 10 ranks."

Luo Tian, having regained his composure, inquired further, "What are the drawbacks? Even if it allows you to create something only a Titled Douluo has, it should still be limited."

Dugu Xin replied, "There are no drawbacks as long as there's enough energy. I can use Heaven and Earth treasures, spirit beast corpses, or Heaven and Earth energy. Otherwise, I'd kind of... die."

Luo Tian let out a sigh of relief. "Phew. It seems it's still limited, but the benefits of forming so many cores outweigh the trouble of obtaining Heaven and Earth treasures or energy."

Dugu Xin continued, "Don't worry, I plan to leave this technique only for the future head of the Hall of Souls and not give it to anyone else."

Luo Tian agreed, "That's for the best. Let's get going then. We have only two weeks left before we must return for the tournament."

Dugu Xin nodded. Before departing, he shared some of their remaining meat with Xiao Cai, who consumed it eagerly. The little snake was then placed inside his Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse, and together with Luo Tian, they set off to explore the inner area of the Star Dou Great Forest in search of the perfect energy source for Dugu Xin's next soul core. However, despite a day and a night of searching, Dugu Xin found nothing suitable to use. Dugu Xin contemplated his situation, thinking, "The effects of my four soul cores are sufficient for now. I'd love to create a bloodline core, but I'd need a Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor at least 50,000 years old to evolve my martial soul. It would be a waste to create a bloodline core otherwise."