Chapter 6: Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear
As soon as Qian Yang finished speaking, he couldn't wait to turn and rush out of the room. His short legs moved quickly as he ran all the way toward the Hall of Worship. The Spirit Hall in the early morning was still somewhat quiet. The guards in the corridor only had time to bow when they saw his hurried appearance before his figure disappeared around the corner.
"Grandpa! Let's go! We're going to the Star Dou Great Forest!" Just as he rushed into the main hall of the Hall of Worship, Qian Yang shouted at the top of his lungs, his tone filled with uncontrollable excitement.
Before his voice could fade, a golden figure instantly appeared before him. Looking at his panting grandson, Qian Daoliu shook his head helplessly and with a smile, "You brat, what's the rush? The spirit ring won't run away on its own."
But in the next second, Qian Daoliu's gaze narrowed slightly. He keenly sensed that the aura on Qian Yang's body was completely different from yesterday—the spirit power fluctuations that originally carried a hint of childishness had now become condensed and heavy, closer to the stable circulation of a Spirit Master nearing the threshold of obtaining a spirit ring. The blood and Qi emitted by his Physical Body were also several times stronger than those of children his age, as if he had undergone a tempering similar to absorbing rare body-strengthening treasures. He slowly reached out his hand, and a gentle golden spirit power seeped into Qian Yang's body like a thread, carefully probing his physical condition.
When the spirit power finished its circuit and confirmed that there were no abnormalities in Qian Yang's body, and that his Foundation had instead become increasingly stable—his meridians widened and resilient like those trained through external strengthening—Qian Daoliu nodded in relief, a flash of approval in his eyes. "It seems you put in quite some effort last night. Let's go, Grandpa will take you to the Star Dou Great Forest today to find a spirit ring worthy of the god slaying spear."
With that, Qian Daoliu bent down to pick up Qian Yang. Golden light flared around them, and the two of them shot out of the Hall of Worship like an arrow from a bow, speeding toward the Star Dou Great Forest. Qian Daoliu's speed was extremely fast; the clouds beneath his feet receded rapidly, and mountains and rivers constantly passed through their vision. His movement resembled the instantaneous bursts of speed seen from high-level Titled Douluo in Douluo lore. In just half a day, a vast, lush forest emitting a primal aura appeared below—one of the three great Spirit Beast forests of the Douluo Continent, the Star Dou Great Forest.
Hovering above the forest, Qian Daoliu pointed to a tiger basking on a rock below and said to Qian Yang, "Xiao Yang, what do you think of that four-hundred-year Vajra Tiger? Its strength attribute is quite compatible with the killing power of the god slaying spear, and it would be stable enough as a first spirit ring. For a first ring, something within the four-hundred-year limit is the safest choice."
Qian Yang looked in the direction Qian Daoliu pointed. He saw that the Vajra Tiger had a vigorous build, pale gold fur, and the character for 'King' on its forehead exuded a bit of majesty; it was indeed a good hundred-year Spirit Beast. But he had already set his goal. He shook his head, his eyes darting as he used a pre-planned reason: "Grandpa, no, the god slaying spear seems dissatisfied with this Vajra Tiger. I can feel it resisting."
Hearing this, Qian Daoliu did not doubt him—Divine Rank Spirits were inherently full of spirituality, much like the legendary spirits possessed by top geniuses such as Tang San, and it was only logical for them to have the consciousness to choose their own spirit rings. He nodded and continued to patrol above the Star Dou Great Forest while holding Qian Yang, his gaze constantly scanning the Spirit Beasts below for a more suitable target.
Before long, three brown bears covered in dark gold fur appeared in their field of vision. They were gathered under a large tree, digging into the ground with sharp claws. Their bodies were as massive as small mountains, and every swipe of their claws easily left deep marks on the ground, demonstrating terrifying destructive power far beyond ordinary thousand-year Spirit Beasts. Qian Yang's eyes instantly lit up—during these six years, he hadn't been idle. Not only had he memorized the Spirit Beast Encyclopedia in the Spirit Hall's Library, but he had also frequently run to pester knowledgeable elders like Yue Guan to teach him how to identify plants and Spirit Beasts. At this moment, he recognized the origins of these three Spirit Beasts at a glance.
"Grandpa! Those three bears! Choose them!" Qian Yang grabbed Qian Daoliu's sleeve excitedly, his voice trembling slightly.
Qian Daoliu followed his gaze, and after seeing the appearance of the three brown bears clearly, his expression changed instantly. He immediately stopped him, "Absolutely not! Those are Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bears, top-tier existences among Beast Spirits, and extremely aggressive! Look at the smallest one; its spirit ring age is at least one thousand two hundred years. At your current age, absorbing a thousand-year spirit ring is too dangerous. One slight mistake and you'll suffer the backlash of the spirit ring!"
He had long heard of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's power. An adult Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear could even contend with a Titled Douluo-level expert purely through physical strength. Even for a cub, the energy of its spirit ring far exceeded that of ordinary thousand-year Spirit Beasts. Qian Daoliu could never let Qian Yang take this risk.
But Qian Yang was exceptionally firm. He looked up at Qian Daoliu, his tone carrying an unquestionable seriousness, "Grandpa, I can do it! Besides, the god slaying spear also wants this Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's spirit ring; it's guiding me! You saw it yesterday too, my body has already become much stronger. I will definitely be able to withstand the energy of a thousand-year spirit ring!"
Qian Daoliu looked at Qian Yang's determined eyes and thought of his surging physical strength last night and the uniqueness of a Divine Rank Spirit. Although he still had concerns, he also understood that once this child made up his mind, he would not change it easily. He shook his head helplessly and finally relented, diving toward the three Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bears while holding Qian Yang.
The golden figure fell like a shooting star. Before Qian Daoliu's Titled Douluo pressure had even fully unfolded, the three Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bears below sensed the danger. The largest Dreadclaw Bear suddenly raised its head, its dark gold fur standing on end and its sharp claws glinting coldly as it let out a low roar, its killing intent surging like a tide, trying to intimidate the intruder. But before it could make another move, Qian Daoliu simply raised his hand, and an invisible golden spirit power firmly trapped the three Dreadclaw Bears like a cage, suppressing even their ability to move.
Whether it was the massive adult Dreadclaw Bear or the one-thousand-two-hundred-year-old cub, in the face of Qian Daoliu's absolute strength, they were like lambs to the slaughter. They didn't even have the strength to struggle and could only let out unwilling roars.
Qian Yang took a deep breath and gripped the god slaying spear in his hand. The pitch-black shaft gleamed with a faint red light under the sun, as if it also sensed the impending slaughter and was vibrating slightly, resonating with the violent aura of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear. He walked slowly to the cub Dreadclaw Bear trapped by the spirit power. Seeing the fear and anger in its eyes, he felt a hint of pity, but he also understood that this was the Law of survival in the Spirit Master World—just like the hunting of Spirit Beasts for rings seen throughout Douluo Continent, strength was built upon such choices.
Qian Yang raised the god slaying spear, aimed at the cub Dreadclaw Bear's heart, and stabbed down without hesitation! The moment the long spear pierced the body, the god slaying spear seemed to come alive. The pitch-black shaft instantly erupted with a blinding red light, and a powerful suction force came from the tip, crazily devouring the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's life force and spirit power, far more domineering than ordinary Spirit absorption.
The cub Dreadclaw Bear's body shriveled at a rate visible to the naked eye, and the light in its eyes gradually dimmed. After only a few breaths, it completely lost its life aura. A rich purple spirit ring slowly rose from its body and hovered in mid-air, emitting the violent energy belonging to a thousand-year spirit ring, far denser than typical rings of the same level.
Qian Yang dared not delay. He immediately sat cross-legged and reached out his hand, guiding the purple spirit ring toward his body. The moment the spirit ring touched him, a power far more violent than Whale Glue energy surged into his body, impacting his Meridians and internal organs like a rushing flood. Qian Yang felt as if his entire body was being scorched by fire and pierced by ten thousand steel needles. The intense pain made him instantly clench his teeth, his forehead covered in cold sweat and his face turning pale.