Ch.16: First Spirit Ring(2)
Shortly after.
On the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, the morning mist had yet to lift completely.
Dew clung to every leaf, and the faint cry of distant beasts echoed through the haze.
A teacher, Lin Kun, raised his hand, signaling the team to stop.
The five students at the front immediately reacted, forming a tight circle as their spirit power subtly flared.
Behind them, the rest of the junior students spread out in practiced unison, taking their assigned positions.
"Remember the formation," said Liu Kong, the burly second instructor, his tone calm but edged with authority.
"Defense system in front, agility-attack on both wings, control in the center, support at the rear."
"Begin!" Lin Kun commanded.
In an instant, the five lead students burst into motion, taking their positions while directing the others as they had rehearsed countless times.
A deep growl rose from among them.
With a senior student, Shan Tie stepped up.
His soul power surged as his body expanded, skin turning a metallic gray.
A deep yellow spirit ring spun around him as a rhino-shaped phantom enveloped his form.
"Spirit, possession!"
The Iron Armored Rhinoceros merged with his body, transforming him into a living fortress at the front line.
On the left, Shan Que drew back her bowstring, ice crystals forming midair as her long, azure hair drifted in the windless air.
Her eyes glowed the same crystalline blue as the frost misting her breath.
On the right, Mu Ling blurred into motion, her Shadow Wolf spirit lending her unmatched speed and agility, her figure a flicker between the trees.
At the center, Liu Yan pressed his hands to the soil.
Green light pulsed beneath his palms as vines erupted from the ground, writhing like serpents ready to strike.
Behind him, Bai Zhou strummed her seven-string zither, each note rippling with energy that connected every fighter in a shimmering thread of spirit power.
Lin Kun watched from the branches of a tall tree, hands clasped behind his back.
Liu Kong stood nearby, leaning casually against another trunk, the faintest hint of pride in his eyes.
"What do you think, Captain Yun?" Lin Kun asked, nodding toward the five leading students. "Ready for the city guard after graduation?"
"No," Yun Mo said before catching himself. He paused, coughed lightly. "Ahem—I mean, still rough around the edges, but decent for senior academy students."
Even as he spoke, his gaze sharpened.
A faint pulse of spirit energy brushed against his senses, a beast nearby.
"Thirty meters ahead, to the left," someone muttered.
The students tensed.
Shan Tie's eyes narrowed. "Should we proceed with Plan C?"
"Mm." Mu Ling nodded. "Sister Bai, Spirit Link first."
Bai Zhou struck her strings—
"Ding!"
Golden threads of light shot outward, linking one out of every five students.
The faint glow around their bodies pulsed in sync, minds and senses intertwining through the auxiliary ability Mind Resonance.
"Go!" Shan Que cried.
Shan Tie charged forward like a thunderclap, his heavy steps shaking the ground.
Branches splintered as he tore through the brush, and then the creature appeared.
An Ice Crystal Fox burst from the undergrowth, its fur shimmering like blue glass, a crystalline horn gleaming on its brow.
Frost mist trailed in its wake as it snarled, its aura freezing the air around it.
"A seven-hundred-year Ice Crystal Fox!" Mu Ling called, already cutting off its retreat.
The fox's horn flared, and a barrage of ice lances exploded outward, slicing through the air like shards of glass.
Trees cracked and splintered; frost spread across the forest floor.
Shan Tie roared, his first ring lighting up.
"First Spirit Ability: Iron Armor Protection!"
The projectiles struck him in a storm of ice and steel, sparks and frost bursting outward.
He stood firm, each cone shattering harmlessly against his reinforced body.
"Control!"
Liu Yan thrust his hands forward—vines erupted from the ground, binding the fox's limbs.
The vines shimmered faintly as toxins spread through their thorns.
"Now!"
Shan Que leapt high, drawing her bow midair.
Frost energy surged around her as she shouted, "First Spirit Ability: Frost Arrow Feathers!"
Hundreds of crystalline feathers materialized and rained down like a blizzard.
The ground quaked with the impact, trees shattered, and shards of ice glimmered in the rising mist.
Each arrow struck precisely between the vines, piercing vital points.
The fox shrieked, a haunting cry echoing through the forest. Ice spread chaotically, freezing chunks of soil and leaves before its body finally collapsed, blood blooming red across the frost.
"Su Zhong!" Liu Kong said.
A young student stepped forward, his spirit aura aligned with the fox's element.
In one smooth motion, he drove his blade through the beast's eye.
The fox went still, and a bright yellow ring rose from its corpse, glowing softly.
He sat cross-legged, closing his eyes to begin absorption.
A seven-hundred-year-old first ring, something unseen in the original Douluo world, but here, with the help of medicine and proper training, many people can achieve it.
Those with strong foundations could even absorb rings nearing nine hundred years of age if their spirit and body allowed it.
Battle after battle followed, some students finding suitable rings, others not.
The city guards and teachers intervened only when higher-level beasts appeared, their mere presence enough to send lesser ones fleeing.
As Lu Sheng observed, the repetition of these encounters began to make sense.
It wasn't just about obtaining rings; it was about teamwork, rhythm, and discipline.
He didn't make friends, but he became familiar with the city guards and the instructors of Qinglong Academy.
Sometimes, he joined the fights himself, honing his control and instincts.
And just like that, the days passed, a rhythm of battle, growth, and silence beneath the ancient trees of the Star Dou Great Forest.
...
It's been a little over two weeks since the spirit hunting team entered the Star Dou Forest.
Just like every season, things were going smoothly.
The coordination between the city guards, academy instructors, and students was near flawless.
As long as no one ran off chasing solo glory, the chance of any real accident was almost nonexistent.
Even after two weeks, their efficiency didn't drop.
One team handled reconnaissance, looking out for danger and opportunities, protecting the main camp.
Another group worked on scouting and locating spirit beasts suitable for the next student's hunt.
A third gathered food, herbs, and supplies from the forest.
And when time they grouped together to subdue spirit beast, allowing students to actively participate and gain experience.
The rhythm was well established: efficient, calm, and strangely mechanical.
Lu Sheng had come to appreciate the order behind it.
He'd learned more about survival and tracking than any book or instructor could have taught him.
Every morning started before dawn, every night ended with at least 2 students obtaining their spirit rings.
Though he had yet to get his, it was not like all of this was just a waste of time.
This fruitful trip had turned his theoretical knowledge into something tangible, experience.
The screen before him quietly reflected his progress.
[Survival Lv.5 (25%) → 5 (75%)]
[Tracking Lv.7 (28%) → 7 (78%)]
[Cooking Lv.6 (20%) → 6 (59%)]
[Group Battle Lv.8 (48%) → 9 (02%)]
[Teamwork Lv.8 (40%) → 8 (94%)]
Yes he also participated not only in tracking, helping with cooking but also with battles.
At first the adults accompanying were reluctant.
But as soon as he possessed his martial spirit they experienced how easy battles become when you have a black mage casting debuff by your side.
And his work was even simple mostly just standing their exerting pressure on the opponent and progress will follow.
He closed the panel, looking toward the distant flicker of campfires.
A faint mist drifted through the forest, making the air feel cool and sharp.
'This forest… it's alive in ways the city could never be.'
For most students, this trip was only about obtaining a spirit ring, their another step for making a leap in cultivation.
For him, it was another opportunity to learn and improve.
To improve and to learn more about other people.
And today was another day was he watched a advanced academy student obtaining his 2nd spirit ring.
Lu Sheng sat on a fallen tree branch, his gaze steady. The scene before him was both inspiring and oddly amusing.
Like how worried someone is thinking suitable beasts won't appear, then what if ring absorption did not go as thought.
Then and curiosity for spirit ring ability and then decision to whether publicly expose it or not.
He exhaled slowly, half amused, half thoughtful.
"Now I am just curious when my turn will come."
Russlte!
Soon the sound of bushes came, followed by 2 adults coming his his view.
One was a tall, muscular man appearing to be in his middle age, with his ever-present grin, he was obviously the captain of the city guards, Mr. Yun Mo.
While other people he got introduced to in these few days of his stay here, a man called Shan Dong, a talented recruit in city guards, they say.
"Haha, don't worry. You will also get your spirit beast soon."
"Hn." Lu Sheng just nodded, seeing that it was the captain of the city guards, Yun Mo.
Shan Dong, beside Yun Mo, then spoke.
"Our scouting team returned just now. They have found the tail of White tailed Illusion Lizard. We will probably encounter it tomorrow."
At that phrasing, Yun Mo could not help but comment.
"Hahahaha, that's right! It's the tail of white tailed lizard we got!" He said, holding his stomach, looking at Lu Sheng. "Don't worry, Boy, we got this."
Though Lu Sheng also had an urge to laugh but he held it in.
"I hope so, seeing almost everyone being their own spirit rings. I was feeling a bit envious."
He said, looking at the student who was done with his 2nd spirit ring.