Wang Nan was awakened by a tremor.
It was still dark, but roars echoed from the Star Dou Great Forest's Mixed Zone. Trees continuously fell, and a large group of hundred-year and thousand-year Spirit Beasts frantically fled towards the outer perimeter.
Wang Nan stepped out of his tent and saw Yan Shaozhe looking grimly towards the depths of the forest.
"Teacher, what happened?" Ma Xiaotao also walked over from the other side.
"I'm wondering the same thing," Yan Shaozhe frowned. "It's possible that a very powerful Spirit Beast has appeared in the Mixed Zone, causing other lower-level Spirit Beasts to flee. However..."
Yan Shaozhe didn't finish the second half of his sentence. At his level of strength, he naturally knew that the Spirit Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest were also managed. How could the one in the core zone allow such chaos to occur?
"Then are we not getting our spirit ring?" Ma Xiaotao also looked towards the Mixed Zone, mimicking Yan Shaozhe, but with her current strength, she couldn't see anything beyond the dense trees.
"No, just wait a moment." Yan Shaozhe's mental force focused on the Spirit Beasts behind the fleeing group.
Those were the slower-moving Spirit Beasts, and a few particularly large ones stood out.
Yan Shaozhe subtly glanced at Wang Nan.
These few Spirit Beasts were not good at running, but they all possessed excellent strength. Once they fought, the earth would shake, making them good choices for Wang Nan.
"You two stay here and don't move. I'll be back shortly." With that, Yan Shaozhe's figure flashed and disappeared, leaving Wang Nan and Ma Xiaotao looking at each other in bewilderment.
"Don't worry," Ma Xiaotao said, finding a spot to sit down, unsure if she was speaking to Wang Nan or herself. "I'm still here. Teacher won't abandon us."
Wang Nan looked around. Because of the aura Yan Shaozhe had momentarily displayed, the nearby Spirit Beasts had already vanished. Seeing no danger, he simply sat down as well.
"My Spirit is a bit special; I can't fully control its power," Ma Xiaotao said, poking at the ashes of the burnt campfire with a twig. "So Teacher limits my daily cultivation time and doesn't let me interact too much with others, afraid I might hurt them."
Wang Nan looked at Ma Xiaotao's light pink eyes, listening to her tell stories from her childhood. After a full day of interaction, he found that Ma Xiaotao at this time was just a bit lively and talkative, far from the irritable person she would become later. Perhaps that was due to the influence of her Spirit.
One spoke, one listened, and time passed by minute by minute. It wasn't until the sun rose and the restless Spirit Beasts in the Mixed Zone calmed down that Yan Shaozhe returned. With a "bang," a massive Spirit Beast landed on the ground.
This was a Subdragon, or more precisely, a Rock Ridge Subdragon.
Its entire body was covered in dark yellow scales, its limbs were thick, its head had a pair of broken horns, its back was highly arched like a small mountain, and the tip of its tail was spindle-shaped, still thrashing and wildly striking the air.
"Although the Spirit Abilities provided by the same Spirit Beast vary for different Spirits, according to Shrek's existing records, the Spirit Abilities that a Rock Ridge Subdragon can provide are all area-of-effect Spirit Abilities, which should meet your needs."
Yan Shaozhe said, pressing a hand down, and the Spirit Beast quickly fainted.
"Its weak point is its neck. When you're ready, come over and acquire your spirit ring."
Wang Nan took a deep breath, released his Coiling Dragon Staff, and thrust it out. Soon, a purple spirit ring slowly rose.
He knew that the upcoming battle would depend on himself.
Seeing a Spirit Beast appear in his mental force sea for the third time, Wang Nan was no longer surprised. As soon as the Rock Ridge Subdragon appeared, he charged forward with his staff.
In the mental force sea, Wang Nan could teleport at will, already standing in an invincible position against a Spirit Beast not adept at speed. But it was still a thousand-year Spirit Beast, and a Rock Ridge Subdragon with outstanding defense. Several minutes of continuous attacks failed to cause substantial damage.
Wang Nan reluctantly stopped his attack. With his current fighting style, he might not be able to defeat it even by nightfall, and he needed to return outside to absorb the spirit ring as soon as possible. After much thought, he realized he had to rely on the light orb above his head.
The previous two times he absorbed spirit rings, the Spirit Beasts were caught by that light orb during their attacks, which allowed him to learn extra skills. So now, he had to lure the Rock Ridge Subdragon in front of him to attack proactively.
Thinking of this, Wang Nan stared intently into the Rock Ridge Subdragon's eyes, cautiously approaching step by step.
This Rock Ridge Subdragon was first startled awake by a terrifying aura, then had its horns cut off by a palm during its escape, then was knocked unconscious and became a spirit ring without its knowledge. When it regained consciousness, it found itself in a strange environment, having inexplicably taken hundreds of blows, and was momentarily stunned.
It wasn't until it saw Wang Nan's provocative gaze that it realized it had been attacked.
With a roar, the Rock Ridge Subdragon stirred up a gust of wind and blew it towards Wang Nan.
Wang Nan was not alarmed but pleased, continuing forward against the strong wind. He wasn't afraid of it attacking, only afraid of it not attacking.
The Rock Ridge Subdragon lifted its front legs and struck twice in the air, accompanied by yellow light flashing from its horns, and ripples spread outwards from its feet.
Wang Nan's face turned pale, feeling his entire mental force sea shaken.
Such power from just a thousand-year Spirit Beast. If he were to absorb higher-year spirit rings in the future, he wondered if he could withstand it.
However, this was not the time to think about such things. Wang Nan, relying on his home-field advantage, continuously flickered his figure, landing on the Rock Ridge Subdragon's back, avoiding attacks while his Coiling Dragon Staff continuously struck.
The Rock Ridge Subdragon roared again, its thick scales on its back all stood up, and its entire back began to shake.
Now is the time.
Wang Nan felt something, looked up, and saw the light orb shining brightly. The next moment, the Rock Ridge Subdragon beneath him vanished.
Yan Shaozhe had been observing Wang Nan, and seeing his aura gradually stabilize, he finally relaxed.
Having been away for so long, he naturally didn't just look for a fleeing Spirit Beast; he also went to the source of the disturbance.
Wang Nan needed a spirit ring that could provide area-of-effect attacks, and the very next day, a Spirit Beast disturbance occurred, and among the fleeing Spirit Beasts was a suitable Rock Ridge Subdragon. The whole thing seemed as if someone had arranged it behind the scenes.
However, when he arrived at the source of the disturbance, he found nothing except the headless corpse of a Spirit Beast. There were no signs of other people or Spirit Beasts, and no hidden tricks left by others were found within the Spirit Beast's body.
Now seeing Wang Nan successfully begin to absorb his spirit ring, Yan Shaozhe could only treat this matter as a coincidence.
Perhaps it was the arrangement of fate.