Chapter 9: Chapter-9 Absorbing Spirit Ring
As the days passed, one had already gone by and I still hadn't broken through to the 10th level. But on the second day, I finally did and I was pleased with myself. So I headed to Master Yun's house, eager to receive my first spirit ring. When he saw that I had broken through to level 10, he followed me to a nearby location.
"Which spirit ring do you want?" he asked, turning to face me.
"You decide for me, Master Yun," I replied. "I've studied how to make medicine and treat people, but I don't have much knowledge of spirit beasts."
He raised an eyebrow at my answer. "Before you go hunting for spirit rings, you should at least have basic knowledge of soul beasts," he stated, then went on to explain.
"At a young age, spirit beasts are not as intelligent as humans. It's not until they reach 100,000 years old that they gain the same intelligence and can even talk. Before then, they mature gradually. For example, a 10,000 year old pink mist lady queen has the intellect of a child.
"Some spirit beasts, however, are nobles or royalty in the spirit beast world and have unique bloodlines. They have the intelligence of a human and can even talk before reaching 100,000 years old.
"When a spirit beast dies, it leaves behind something called a spirit ring. This ring contains all the cultivation the spirit beast accumulated throughout its life, as well as its innate abilities. The grade of the ring is determined by the spirit beast's age or cultivation level. Spirit Masters kill spirit beasts to obtain their spirit rings, which they need at each 10th bottleneck, meaning at ranks 10, 20, 30, 40, and so on.
"Sometimes, when a spirit beast below 100,000 years old dies, it leaves behind a spirit bone. Above 100,000 years old, it's guaranteed to do so. Every spirit bone comes with its own unique ability and attribute, depending on the spirit beast it came from. For example, a spirit bone from a Blazing Lion is likely to have a fire attribute.
"There are seven kinds of spirit bones: one for each limb, the torso, the head, and an external one. When a 100,000 year old spirit beast produces a spirit bone, it will produce one for a spot where the spirit master doesn't already have a spirit bone. Strange, isn't it?"
Master Yun ended the conversation there, not bothering to thank me for my time or offer any praise.
"After explaining everything to me, Master Yun picked me up from my back and started flying towards our destination. Suddenly, he stopped and dropped me on the ground, landing slowly. He asked if I had a map, and I gave it to him. Upon seeing the map, he asked where we should go to hunt for a martial spirit ring. I replied that the closest one seemed to be the Sunset Forest, and he agreed to go there.
We finally arrived in the Sunset Forest after some time. As we entered deeper into the forest, we searched for a suitable spirit beast, but finding one was difficult. On the third attempt, we finally found one that Master Yun proclaimed was lucky for me to find. He explained that the spirit beast we saw was the Golden Peacock, a rare and regal spirit beast associated with the holy attribute. It was known for its stunning feathers infused with holy energy and its ability to control the elements and purify the air. It was approximately 500-600 years old.
Master Yun then ordered me to attack the soul beast first, but I was shocked because as a level 10th soul master, I couldn't compete with the 600-year-old spirit beast. Hun Yu's martial soul was released. He could feel the power flowing through him, lending strength to his limbs and sharpening his senses. He could sense the spirit beast's movements, even though it was trying to flee. Despite his best efforts, however, the arrow missed its mark and the beast escaped.
Seeing this, Master Yun stepped in and seriously injured the beast with just one move.
He threw the seriously injured beast near me and gave me a knife to kill and absorb its soul ring. But upon seeing the beast in pain, I asked Master Yun if we could spare it. He slapped me on the head and slowly began to explain, his words tinged with arrogance, "Thinking of peace while spilling blood is something only humans can do. Balance is what keeps the world going. The longer you live, the more you realize that reality is just made of pain, suffering, and emptiness. When a man learns to love, he must bear the risk of hatred." With these words, reminding me that the harsh reality of the world is not always kind.
Hun Yu stood near the injured soul beast, his hand tightly gripping the knife given to him by his master, Master Yun. He felt a mixture of sadness and determination as he prepared to end the beast's suffering.
"Hurry up, Hun Yu," Master Yun said impatiently. "End its suffering and absorb the spirit ring. You should know the process by now, I shouldn't have to explain it to you every time."
Hun Yu nodded, feeling a twinge of frustration at his master's arrogance. He took a deep breath and ended the beast's suffering with a swift stroke of the knife. A spirit ring emerged from the beast's body, and Master Yun approached Hun Yu, explaining the process of absorbing the ring.
"Summoning the martial soul is the first step," Master Yun said haughtily. "This will create an energy field around you that will attract the spirit ring. And don't mess it up like last time."
Hun Yu gritted his teeth and summoned his martial soul, feeling the energy field around him expand and the spirit ring drawn towards him.
"Now, you must use your mental and spiritual energy to absorb the spirit ring," Master Yun continued. "This process is different for each soul master, but it should be a piece of cake for someone with your abilities."
Hun Yu focused his energy, feeling the spirit ring enter his body. He let out a triumphant roar as he felt his power increase exponentially. He opened his eyes and looked at Master Yun with a mix of satisfaction and anger.
"Thank you, master," Hun Yu said through gritted teeth. "I couldn't have done it without you."
Master Yun looked at Hun Yu with a smirk, enjoying the fact that he had pushed his student to his limits.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
-- Power
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