A thousand-year fourth spirit ring and a ten-thousand-year fourth spirit ring were worlds apart, both in terms of the power of the spirit ability and the dramatic (and brag-worthy) impact they provided.
To retreat now felt like an unacceptable loss to Tang San. But failing to hunt a ten-thousand-year spirit beast was equally intolerable.
After wrestling with his emotions for a while, Tang San finally spoke.
"Boss… Dai, help me hunt… a thousand-year spirit beast instead."
"Just… make sure it's an evil one…"
Dai Mubai's lips twitched. At a time like this, you're still obsessing over evil spirit beasts?
The Giant Strength Gorilla was a vegetarian, merely using its strength to drive off other spirit beasts, yet Tang San had branded it "evil."
"Fine!"
Dai Mubai nodded. If it's a spirit beast, then it must be evil, right?
Using his strength and speed, Dai Mubai carried Tang San away from the enraged Giant Strength Gorilla, which had been relentlessly chasing them.
The escape was rough, with Tang San coughing up blood intermittently. His severe injuries and blood loss had left him woozy and barely conscious.
Suddenly, Dai Mubai's voice broke through his haze.
"Tang San, stay awake! There's a 4,300-year Clumsy Ox ahead. Do you want its spirit ring?"
Tang San rolled his eyes. Am I sleeping? I'm dying over here!
And what was this about a Clumsy Ox? Wasn't the plan to hunt an evil spirit beast?
"Boss… Dai…"
"The Clumsy Ox isn't… evil…"
Before Tang San could finish, Dai Mubai shook his head and replied with exaggerated seriousness.
"If it dares to eat grass today, who's to say it won't eat humans tomorrow?"
The Clumsy Ox species was known for its gentle nature. It was one of the few spirit beasts that neither attacked proactively nor had territorial instincts.
In fact, it was so docile that even when attacked, it rarely fought back. Reaching 4,300 years of age was a near miracle for such a defenseless creature.
Tang San: "???"
Good grief. I thought my ability to justify actions was top-notch. But Boss Dai, your skill at twisting facts to label innocence as evil truly shocks me.
Tang San wanted to retort but found himself at a loss for words.
To be fair, though the Clumsy Ox was gentle, it was a strength-type spirit beast. However, its strength was only slightly higher than that of an ordinary spirit beast of the same rank.
After some hesitation, Tang San reluctantly said, "Boss Dai, let's go with this Clumsy Ox."
No one could know how much resolve it took for Tang San to make this decision. With his current condition, continuing to hold out might lead to death from blood loss.
Facing the threat of death, Tang San had no choice but to compromise.
He couldn't blame Dai Mubai either. Dai Mubai had warned him before: the Giant Strength Gorilla was beyond his capabilities.
"Evil spirit beast, once I reach level fifty, I'll definitely return to hunt you down and claim your ring!"
Tang San vowed bitterly in his heart.
It was a shame he couldn't achieve the milestone of a ten-thousand-year fourth spirit ring.
Dai Mubai silently apologized to the Clumsy Ox in his heart. Sorry, buddy. You're the weakest one nearby, so you've been chosen.
As before, Dai Mubai used his Finger Spear to gravely wound the Clumsy Ox, leaving it on the brink of death. Tang San then mustered the strength to deliver the final blow, making it officially his kill.
Dai Mubai still didn't fully understand how the final blow was determined.
Was it the spirit beast itself, the will of the Douluo Continent, or some established rule?
If someone used Dugu Bo's poison to kill a spirit beast, would the kill be attributed to Dugu Bo or the person using his poison?
Perhaps I should ask Dugu Yan to experiment someday…
Time Passed
By the time Dai Mubai and Tang San left the Sunset Forest, it was already evening.
The entire hunt had taken three days and two nights.
Tang San was feeling slightly dejected. Before entering the forest, his spirit power had been at level 41. After absorbing four thousand-year spirit rings and two spirit bones, he had reached level 49.
Had the spirit beasts been slightly older, or had he absorbed a ten-thousand-year fourth spirit ring, his spirit power might have reached level 50, allowing him to obtain his fifth spirit ring as well.
Unfortunately, neither he nor Dai Mubai were capable of defeating a ten-thousand-year spirit beast.
Together, they might have been able to take down some ordinary ten-thousand-year beasts, but none that Tang San had his sights on.
Tang San remained silent, and Dai Mubai refrained from speaking. He was eager to return to the academy and inspect the storage space to see if the corpse of the Man-Faced Demon Spider contained an external spirit bone.
The Sunset Forest wasn't far from Heaven Dou City, and after another half-hour's journey, they returned to Shrek Academy just before the moon rose.
"Tang San, you're a key player in tomorrow's match. Get some rest," Dai Mubai said.
Tang San nodded. Adding spirit rings to his second spirit wasn't just about avoiding being targeted by other teams—it was about making a dramatic statement.
After the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament, Tang San planned to graduate from Shrek Academy.
He had long harbored a dream of establishing the Tang Sect in Another World, with himself as the first Sect Master.
Creating a sect wasn't an easy task. Without enough prestige, establishing a powerful sect was pure fantasy.
This tournament was Tang San's opportunity to build that prestige.
"I'll make the Tang Sect's name resonate across the entire Douluo Continent!"
Tang San swore silently.
Not long after he and Dai Mubai went their separate ways, a figure, covered in dust and fatigue, appeared. The man's cloudy gaze landed on Tang San, and his expression grew perplexed.
How could Tang San's strength have grown so quickly?
Something was definitely off. What had he done?
Could it be… some kind of forbidden technique?
In Douluo terms, this "forbidden technique" referred to methods used by "Fallen Ones" (Dark Spirit Masters in Soul Land II) to rapidly increase their spirit power.
After Tang San returned to his dormitory, Tang Hao finally revealed himself.
"Who's there?"
Tang San's eyes turned cold with vigilance. Who dared invade his dormitory to ambush him?
Tang Hao remained silent, his gaze filled with doubt as he observed Tang San.
When Tang San finally recognized the figure, his entire body trembled, his expression shifted dramatically, and his eyes instantly cleared.
"Father?"
How many years had it been?
Since leaving Holy Spirit Village at six years old, Tang San hadn't seen Tang Hao once.
Had it not been for his mature soul from another life, he might have forgotten Tang Hao's appearance altogether.
Eight years. Over eight long years…
(End of Chapter)