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Clap! Clap! Clap!!
Xiao Xue and Ye Lan offered a round of applause for the splendid battle that Zhu Zhuqing had just contributed.
Ye Lan praised her, saying, "Zhuqing, that was beautifully done! To think you could win in such a clean and decisive manner! You've actually developed the 'Nether Hundred Claws,' a skill that I considered useless for a speed-type Spirit Master, to such an incredible degree!"
"Zhuqing truly is worthy of being my greatest disciple!"
Hearing Ye Lan's commendations, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes instantly curved into the shape of crescent moons.
At that moment, the soreness in her right wrist from using the 'Nether Hundred Slashes' instantly vanished.
Xiao Xue remarked with a sigh, "The Phantom Shadowcat possesses extreme speed, teleportation, and physical immunity. Under normal circumstances, it's practically invincible! And yet, Zhuqing, you defeated it by relying on your combat instincts. That is truly amazing!"
Zhu Zhuqing said, feeling a little embarrassed, "Sister Xiao Xue, you're the one who's amazing. You are now a rank forty-seven Spirit Ancestor! And your sword skills are certainly not any worse than my own abilities!"
Ye Lan thought to himself: She's not a rank forty-seven Spirit Ancestor.
Ye Lengling said with concern, "Zhuqing, once I have healed the injuries on your back, you should prepare to absorb the spirit ring!"
"Alright, thank you, Sister Lengling!" A warmth spread through Zhu Zhuqing's heart.
Ning Rongrong quickly interjected, "Zhuqing, you haven't thanked me yet! My spirit ability's support was timely, wasn't it? Rongrong also deserves some of the credit for killing that Phantom Shadowcat!"
"Pfft, thank you, Rongrong!" Zhu Zhuqing laughed.
Everyone was amused by Rongrong's playful demand for credit.
After a good while, Zhu Zhuqing's injuries were completely healed by the 'Nine Heart Sacred Begonia.'
Once Zhu Zhuqing had regulated her breathing, she began the process of absorbing the Phantom Shadowcat's spirit ring.
As Zhu Zhuqing pushed past her limits to absorb the spirit ring, Ye Lengling once again used her 'Nine Heart Sacred Begonia' to continuously heal Zhu Zhuqing, repairing the internal damage caused by the spirit ring's relentless assault on her body.
Watching Zhu Zhuqing clenching her teeth, Ning Rongrong asked curiously, "Teacher, what kind of spirit ability will Zhuqing obtain?"
Ye Lan explained, "The Phantom Shadowcat is an extremely suitable match for Zhuqing's Sacred Shadow Cat. Whether it's the Phantom Shadowcat's lightning-fast displacement or its shadow state that grants immunity to physical attacks, both are excellent for Zhuqing."
"Even if she only ends up with 'Shadow Claw,' its power would still be quite terrifying. All in all, Zhuqing has profited greatly this time!"
Hearing Ye Lan say this, Ning Rongrong excitedly wrapped her arms around his.
A short while later, Zhu Zhuqing slowly awakened.
Ning Rongrong went forward and asked, "Zhuqing, how did it go? What is your spirit power rank now?"
Zhu Zhuqing announced excitedly, "I am already a rank thirty-six Spirit Grandmaster! And I obtained the spirit ability 'Shadow Transformation'!"
Dugu Yan exclaimed with excitement, "Zhuqing, is that true? Is that the spirit ability that grants immunity to physical attacks?"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded in confirmation.
Ye Lan then inquired, "Zhuqing, what are its specific effects?"
Zhu Zhuqing detailed, "'Shadow Transformation' allows my Sacred Shadow Cat to convert from a physical entity into a body of shadow, increasing my speed by one hundred percent for a duration of ten seconds."
"During those ten seconds in my shadow form, all physical attacks will pass directly through my body."
"The 'Shadow' state will only disappear after ten seconds have passed, or at the exact moment I launch an attack."
Ning Rongrong's eyes sparkled, feeling incredibly happy for Zhu Zhuqing. 'Shadow Transformation' was just too powerful!
Ye Lan pondered for a moment before saying, "Zhuqing, your ability to acquire 'Shadow Transformation' is likely related to your Martial Soul, the Sacred Shadow Cat. 'Shadow Transformation' is an incredibly fitting skill for the Sacred Shadow Cat!"
According to Ye Lan's Martial Soul theory based on bloodline factors, the type of spirit ability one obtains is determined by the combination of the Martial Soul's bloodline factors and the spirit beast's bloodline factors.
With the exception of extremely inert Martial Souls like the 'Nine Heart Flowering Crabapple,' the spirit abilities of most Martial Souls are related to the spirit beast's bloodline factors. The Sacred Shadow Cat's bloodline factor library must have contained an ability like 'Shadow Transformation,' and since 'Shadow Transformation' is also one of the Sacred Shadow Cat's innate talent skills, it wasn't strange at all for Zhu Zhuqing to obtain a god-tier skill like 'Shadow Transformation.'
Zhu Zhuqing tightly gripped Ye Lan's large hand and said gratefully, "Thank you, Teacher. The only reason Zhuqing has been able to become so powerful in such a remarkably short period of time is all thanks to your theories and your support!"
Ye Lan fondly ruffled Zhu Zhuqing's hair and said with a smile, "You are my greatest disciple, after all. When you become famous throughout the Douluo Continent, your teacher will also be able to share in the glory!"
Zhu Zhuqing did not believe Ye Lan's words for a second; Ye Lan was definitely not the kind of teacher who would instruct students merely for the sake of pursuing fame.
The Silver Wolf spoke up, "Little Lan, now that Zhuqing has obtained her spirit ring, the last one we need is your third spirit ring, right?"
Ye Lan nodded his head in agreement.
Dugu Bo asked with great curiosity, "Little Lan, your second spirit ring managed to reach the thousand-year level! Surely your third spirit ring isn't going to reach the ten-thousand-year level, is it?"
"Hahaha, Grandpa Dugu, you think too highly of me! Although my physical constitution has met the standard, my spiritual power has not yet reached the level of a Spirit King. So, I will have to miss the opportunity for a ten-thousand-year spirit ring for my third ability!" Ye Lan replied with a laugh.
"That's true, that's true. However, Little Lan's fourth spirit ability is absolutely destined to be at the ten-thousand-year level!" Dugu Bo declared, his spirits high.
Ten thousand years?
One thing Ye Lan didn't tell Dugu Bo was that, although he couldn't make a ten-thousand-year plant-type spirit beast like the 'Thousand Stamen Healing Heart Flower' directly offer itself as a sacrifice, by relying on his Nature Domain and his suppressive power over all natural life, if he were to defeat a ten-thousand-year plant-type spirit beast, then communicating with it through his Nature Domain to make it offer a sacrifice would likely no longer be difficult.
The prerequisite for Ye Lan to command a plant to directly offer a sacrifice was that the plant's rank could not exceed his by more than two major tiers.
For instance, since Ye Lan was currently a rank thirty Grand Spirit Master, he could only command plant-type spirit beasts below ten thousand years, equivalent to a human Spirit Ancestor, to directly offer a sacrifice.
For plant-type spirit beasts over ten thousand years, he could not directly command them.
Although he could obtain a ten-thousand-year spirit ring by first defeating the beast and then communicating with it afterward, he chose not to use this method for several reasons:
First, he didn't have a particularly strong need for a ten-thousand-year ring right now. His Martial Soul and physical talents had already evolved to their peak, so the enhancement to his Martial Soul from a ring of any ten-thousand-year level would be nearly identical.
As for the strength of the spirit ability, for Ye Lan, that was not determined by the spirit beast's age, but rather by his 'Optional Spirit Ability' selection.
Second, he was not certain if the 'Optional Spirit Ability' selection would work on abilities obtained from a sacrifice. If it didn't, he would waste a precious opportunity to choose his skill.
Third, even if 'Optional Spirit Ability' could select from a sacrificed skill, what if he failed to find a desirable ability among the options?
Should he absorb it or not? If he absorbed it, the spirit ability might not fit into the system of skills he was carefully constructing.
If he didn't absorb it, would the sacrifice of a ten-thousand-year plant-type spirit beast be in vain?
These were all his subjects, and he did not want to see any of them make a needless sacrifice.
Fourth, he had already found a suitable spirit beast, one that had an extremely high probability of yielding the spirit ability he desired!
Xiao Xue asked with concern, "Ye Lan, what is your target spirit beast?"
Ye Lan stated decisively, "A nine-thousand to nine-thousand-nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine-year 'Eris Symbiote'!"
Dugu Yan was puzzled, "Ye Lan, what kind of spirit beast is that? Why have I never heard of it before?"
Ye Lan smiled. "It's perfectly normal that you haven't heard of it. I learned about it from the travelogue of a Spirit Master. Due to its unique life form, I named it the 'Eris Symbiote' after a goddess from mythology!"
Xiao Xue asked, "The 'Eris Symbiote'? Why choose that? Shouldn't the Blue Silver Grass choose a plant-type spirit beast?"
Ye Lan would never reveal the existence of his 'Optional Spirit Ability' selection. Instead, he explained, "The 'Eris Symbiote' is an extremely terrifying existence."
"At the thousand-year level, it can already defeat a ten-thousand-year spirit beast."
"An 'Eris Symbiote' over nine thousand years old possesses combat power comparable to a twenty-thousand to thirty-thousand-year spirit beast. Its life force is incredibly formidable, and my Blue Silver Grass follows the path of life, which is why I have chosen it."
"As for what it looks like, you will all find out in a little while," Ye Lan said mysteriously.
"So that's how it is. We shouldn't delay any longer, let's set off!" said the Silver Wolf, subsequently leaping onto the back of the Diamond Tiger.
This was also the Silver Wolf's first time riding a tiger-type spirit beast. Compared to domesticated horses, riding a tiger-type spirit beast was far more exciting.
Not only was it much faster, but it was also incredibly impressive and stylish!
Dugu Yan asked with curiosity, "Ye Lan, where are we heading next?"
"Xiong Er, Da Ju, charge in that direction!" After directing the two simple-minded beasts, Ye Lan explained, "Once we pass through the Shadowy Forest, we will arrive at the border of the Black Forest."
"At the edge of the Black Forest, we will be able to see a range of volcanoes in the distance. We will then continue onward in the direction of the volcanoes. The 'Eris Symbiote' resides at the junction between the Black Forest and the active volcanoes."
After a long while, Ye Lan's party passed through the Black Forest and arrived at the foot of the volcanic mountains.
The smell of sulfur constantly wafted through the air. In the distance, the air above the volcano's crater was distorted beyond recognition, and the temperature in the vicinity was extremely high.
With the exception of Xiao Xue and Ye Lan, everyone's clothes were soaked through with sweat.
Ning Rongrong hugged Ye Lan's arm, continuously rubbing her face against the cool back of his hand.
Seeing this, Dugu Yan, not to be outdone, hugged Ye Lan's other arm to cool herself down as well.
Noticing everyone's sweaty appearance, Ye Lan instantly activated the second form of his 'Ancient Beast's Touch.'
He transformed the 'Water Flame' into countless fine droplets of water mist. As the countless droplets evaporated, they absorbed the heat, and the temperature of the air surrounding Ye Lan instantly dropped.
Feeling the cool, refreshing mist, Dugu Yan and Ning Rongrong looked at Ye Lan with eyes sparkling in admiration. As expected of you!
Ye Lan, the omnipotent god!
After cooling everyone down, Ye Lan's party began to walk on the black cobblestones, starting their search for any trace of the 'Eris Symbiote.'
Ye Lan frowned. Besides the hot springs and the bare cobblestones, there was absolutely no sign of any spirit beast in the vicinity.
Ye Lengling, however, noticed something unusual about the scorching, constantly boiling hot spring. In the center of that boiling spring, there was actually a thin layer of floating ice, which was constantly shifting between a frozen and a melted state.
"Ye Lan, is that the 'Eris Symbiote' you're looking for?" Ye Lengling asked, pointing at the floating ice in the boiling spring.
Upon seeing the floating ice, Ning Rongrong murmured, "This hot spring is so strange. How can ice form on top of boiling water?"
Ye Lan immediately activated his Golden Eyes, looking in the direction Ye Lengling was pointing.
Through his enhanced vision, Ye Lan discovered two faint glows beneath the hot spring: one was an ice-blue light, and the other was a flame-red light.
Ye Lan said excitedly, "That's right, the 'Eris Symbiote' is right below the hot spring!"
Ye Lan then added, "All of you wait here while I go deal with it. Do not interfere. I want to test my own strength!"
"Alright!" The group nodded decisively. They had no doubt that Ye Lan would lose.
Ye Lan walked to the edge of the boiling hot spring, and countless clouds of white steam rushed towards his face.
A golden light flashed in Ye Lan's pupils as he stared at the faint spirit glow at the bottom of the lake.
At this moment, Ye Lan could finally see the bottom of the hot spring clearly.
There was no magma or geothermal heat at the bottom of the spring at all. The source that caused this pool of water to boil was the 'Eris Symbiote' lying dormant at the lakebed.
Seeing that the 'Eris Symbiote' remained motionless, Ye Lan decided to first drag it ashore.
A golden spirit glow erupted from Ye Lan's entire body, and countless strands of Blue Silver Grass began to grow from the bottom of the 'hot spring.'
After the 'Golden-Patterned Blue Star Emerald Vines' emerged, they rapidly spread towards the center of the 'hot spring.'
In just a short while, the faint ice-blue and flame-red glows were completely covered by the golden light of the 'Blue Silver Grass.'
Just as Ye Lan was manipulating the Blue Silver Grass to drag the 'Eris Symbiote' ashore…
BOOM!
In the next instant, the 'hot spring lake' exploded, sending a geyser of boiling water and violent steam more than ten meters into the air.
Countless shreds of 'Blue Silver Grass' were sent flying everywhere along with the erupting boiling water. Ye Lan was not the least bit surprised by this outcome.
This was, after all, the 'Eris Symbiote,' a spirit beast comparable in power to one over twenty thousand years old!
After the hot spring exploded, the originally faint ice-blue and flame-red glows at the bottom of the lake instantly became brighter, and the blue and red lights began to approach the shore where Ye Lan stood, step by step.
A moment later, as the 'Eris Symbiote' approached the shore from the lakebed, step by step, something astonishing happened. The 'hot spring lake' began to exhibit two distinct states.
The left side was a violently boiling spring, while the right side was a continuously freezing sheet of ice.
CRACK!
The layer of ice was directly shattered by the ice-blue antlers of the 'Eris Symbiote' as it emerged onto the shore!
The first thing that appeared before everyone's eyes was the 'Eris Symbiote's' unique head!
On the side of the boiling spring was a molten dragon head. The dragon's eyes emitted a lava-like glow, and scorching red steam spewed from between its mouth and nose. The scales on the molten dragon head's region gleamed with a dark red luster.
Breaking through the ice was a frost wolf head adorned with the branched antlers of an elk. The wolf head's pupils flowed with an ice-blue spirit light, and every cold breath it exhaled could freeze the nearby boiling lake water.
Following closely behind, the upper body of the 'Eris Symbiote' slowly revealed itself.
The Eris Symbiote's upper body resembled that of a colossal armored bear, with the molten dragon head and the frost wolf head occupying the left and right sides of the massive bear's torso, respectively.
On the chest of the bear's body were two enormous, ferocious cores, one red and one blue, connecting to the molten dragon head and the frost wolf head.
THUD!
After revealing half of its body, the 'Eris Symbiote' crouched slightly, pushed off with great force, and leaped onto the shore in an instant.
At this time, the full figure of the 'Eris Symbiote' was completely revealed. This 'Eris Symbiote' stood at a height infinitely close to ten meters.
This indicated that the 'Eris Symbiote's' age was infinitely close to ten thousand years.
Ning Rongrong murmured, "What a bizarre spirit beast. It actually has two heads, and it's a symbiosis of ice and fire!"
Zhu Zhuqing added, "No wonder Teacher said it could rival a spirit beast of over twenty thousand years. Its aura is so powerful!"
Ye Lan looked at the incredibly powerful 'Eris Symbiote' and instantly activated his 'Eight-Sided Exquisite Heart' to analyze its strength. He only had a general understanding of the 'Eris Symbiote'; he would never fully trust the contents of a travelogue.
On an intuitive level, he knew he had to go all out.
If he didn't use his full strength, he would absolutely lose all face in front of his students. To prevent his esteemed image from collapsing, he had no choice but to fight with everything he had!
AWOOOO!
The wolf head of the 'Eris Symbiote' let out a long howl towards the sky. It was extremely displeased that this golden-haired human had disturbed its afternoon nap.
A human?
Merely one of its playthings!
The molten dragon head, without a second thought, directly condensed a deep-red ball of lava and spat it towards Ye Lan.
Ye Lan's figure flashed, and he instantly used his normalized 'Flash Step' to teleport two meters away.
BOOM!
The 'Lava Ball' instantly blasted apart the black cobblestones on the ground, leaving behind a deep crater of orange molten rock where it struck.
After seeing the attack power of the 'Eris Symbiote's' dragon head, Ye Lan casually remarked, "Don't be in such a hurry! Let's take our time and play!"
Afterward, blue and red lights erupted from Ye Lan's entire body.
"Ancient Beast's Touch!"
"Complete Blood Armor!"
Eight thick, jet-black tentacles instantly tore through Ye Lan's clothes, emerging from his back.
The black surface of the Ancient Beast's Touch glowed with a faint blue light. After activating the 'Ancient Beast's Touch,' Ye Lan's spirit power instantly increased by fifty percent.
But it wasn't over. His spirit power was further amplified by one hundred and thirty percent.
This spirit power was perfectly infused into all the blood in Ye Lan's body, and then the blood within him began to circulate rapidly.
His heart rate instantly tripled, and Ye Lan's body temperature rose sharply as countless clouds of blood mist steamed out from his pores.
After Ye Lan activated the 'Complete Blood Armor,' his strength, speed, and defense were all greatly enhanced.
The cost, however, was the need to use five units of battle-ready Blue Silver Grass to constantly convert into life force to supply Ye Lan with fresh blood.
After activating both states, Ye Lan's body slowly rose into the air, with two of the 'Ancient Beast's Touch' tentacles gradually lifting him several meters high.
Compared to before, when Ye Lan could only look up at the 'Eris Symbiote,' he now only needed to slightly raise his head to see its dragon head and wolf skull.
Just as the molten dragon head was about to condense another 'Lava Ball,' Ye Lan activated 'Flash,' instantly disappearing and leaving only a golden streak of light in his place.
BANG!
A golden crescent moon appeared in front of the molten dragon head.
Ye Lan, stacking the speed of his 'Flash,' used his leg to instantly kick the molten dragon head's chin.
The molten dragon head let out a muffled grunt. The 'Lava Ball' that was about to be launched instantly exploded inside its mouth, causing countless clouds of black smoke and flames to erupt from the dragon head's nostrils.
The molten dragon head shook its head vigorously and immediately opened its draconic mouth to dissipate the heat.
On the other hand, what surprised Ye Lan was that he could actually feel a burning sensation on the back of his leg.
In other words, the total spirit power of a nine-thousand-year 'Eris Symbiote' was equivalent to that of a peak Spirit King!
If its total spirit power wasn't at the level of a peak Spirit King, its flames would be fundamentally incapable of causing any harm to Ye Lan.
After Ye Lan kicked the 'Molten Dragon Head,' the frost wolf head spat a blue 'Cold Current' directly at the golden-haired man.
Even before the 'Cold Current' hit him, Ye Lan felt a bone-chilling cold.
His skin broke out in countless goosebumps, and his pores contracted sharply.
"Flash Step!"
Ye Lan instinctively used Flash Step to dodge the 'Cold Current,' moving to the side of the 'Eris Symbiote's' wolf head.
This time, he didn't use his leg or fist to attack the frost wolf head, but instead directly swung his 'Ancient Beast's Touch' tentacles at it!
SMACK!
After being whipped by the 'Ancient Beast's Touch,' the frost wolf head interrupted its 'Cold Current' and merely shook its head.
The attack from the 'Ancient Beast's Touch' was completely ineffective, and the tentacle that had struck the 'Frost Wolf Head' was instantly frozen stiff.
Ye Lan frowned. After two probing attacks, he learned that the 'Eris Symbiote's' defense was also comparable to that of a peak Spirit King.
Having been hit twice in a row, the 'Eris Symbiote' was thoroughly enraged, and the blue core on its chest flashed.
The 'Eris Symbiote' used all four of its limbs, its speed dramatically increasing, and its massive bear-like body instantly appeared in front of Ye Lan.
The 'Eris Symbiote's' bear paw, even larger than Ye Lan's entire body, blurred into an afterimage as it swiped towards Ye Lan's head.
The moment he saw the afterimage, Ye Lan was startled.
Its body is so massive, yet its speed is so fast!
The 'Eris Symbiote's' speed was comparable to that of an ordinary Spirit King!
Just as the fierce wind accompanying the bear paw grazed past Ye Lan's cheek, he transformed into a streak of light, disappearing from his original spot once again.
In the brief moment that the dragon and wolf heads were stunned by Ye Lan's disappearance, countless golden-red meteors flew towards the 'Eris Symbiote's' left rear flank.
"Flash!"
"Infinite Meteor Strike!"
After amplifying his six 'Ancient Beast's Touch' tentacles with his self-created spirit ability enhanced by the wolf species, Ye Lan launched a full-scale attack on the 'Eris Symbiote.' The 'Ancient Beast's Touch' tentacles turned into black and red afterimages that assaulted the 'Eris Symbiote.'
In just an instant, the 'Eris Symbiote' was struck more than a dozen times by whips packing the power of a Spirit King!
The back of the 'Eris Symbiote' was instantly torn open, and countless black scales mixed with blood were sent flying everywhere by the 'Bloody Meteor Shower.'
AWOOOO!
ROAR!
The 'Eris Symbiote' let out a painful howl, and then the blue core on its chest flashed once more.
The massive body of the 'Eris Symbiote' was instantly covered by a layer of 'Ice Armor.'
The countless tentacles of the Ancient Beast's Touch that struck the 'Eris Symbiote' now whipped against the 'Ice Armor,' as if they were striking a mountain of bone-chilling ice.
Ye Lan instantly felt his 'Ancient Beast's Touch' become incredibly stiff, and with every strike, the tentacles would be torn open, revealing the purple flesh and blood beneath.
But Ye Lan didn't mind engaging in a battle of attrition with the 'Eris Symbiote,' using his life force.
He had an abundance of nothing else, except life force.
Even if the 'tentacles' became stiff or shattered, the 'Blood-Gold Meteor Shower' continued to strike the 'Eris Symbiote' again and again!
The countless strands of Blue Silver Grass within his body crazily converted into life force to repair the broken 'Ancient Beast's Touch.'
The molten dragon head noticed that the golden-haired human still refused to give up his attack even after it had activated its 'Ice Armor.' Although the 'Ice Armor' could block a significant portion of the damage, the golden-haired human's crazed and reckless demeanor was unsettling. The red core on the 'Eris Symbiote's' chest flashed, and a red light emanated from its massive body.
A spherical energy shield, resembling molten lava, enveloped the entire body of the 'Eris Symbiote.' With the added protection of the 'Lava Shield' and the 'Ice Armor,' the 'Eris Symbiote' completely ignored Ye Lan's 'Blood-Gold Meteor Shower.'
At this point, when the repaired 'Ancient Beast's Touch' broke through the 'Lava Shield' only to turn into shredded meat upon hitting the 'Ice Armor,' the 'Eris Symbiote' felt as though the golden-haired human was merely giving it a massage.
The 'Blood-Gold Meteor Shower' was now completely unable to inflict even the slightest bit of damage on the 'Eris Symbiote.'
AWOOOO!
The frost wolf head threw its head back and howled, mocking the golden-haired human for overestimating his own abilities!
(End of Chapter)