"What's the problem?" Oscar asked, looking completely confused.
Ye Yin simply chuckled. "It's too small."
[Resentment from Oscar +30!]
Under Teacher Zhao's lead, the group resumed their search for a suitable Spirit Beast within the vast Star Dou Great Forest. Two days passed without any luck. That night, everyone made camp under the shelter of a thick, ancient tree. As their teacher, Zhao Wuji naturally took on the responsibility of the night watch.
After a quick dinner, Zhao Wuji instructed everyone to head to their tents and get some rest. However, he called Ye Yin aside to speak with him privately.
"Are you getting anxious, Ye Yin?" he asked, his voice low.
Ye Yin shook his head. "No. There's no point in being anxious. We just have to let nature take its course."
Zhao Wuji clapped a heavy hand on Ye Yin's shoulder, a look of approval on his face. "That's a good mindset to have. So, what are your thoughts on your third spirit ring? If you're really aiming for a ten-thousand-year one, we'll have to go back to Shrek Academy first. The Dean and I would have to come out with you alone. I can't protect this whole group if we run into a ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast by myself."
In Zhao Wuji's view, just finding a Spirit Beast of a suitable age for Ye Yin was already a massive challenge. Ye Yin's first and second spirit rings were both at the thousand-year level, which was already unprecedented. Should his third spirit ring be five or six thousand years old? Or perhaps even seven or eight thousand? Could he even attempt to absorb one at the ten-thousand-year level? He had already defied the recommended limits for his first two rings, so it was a real possibility.
Ye Yin, however, had already made up his mind. The age of the third spirit ring wasn't the most important factor. The difference between a thousand-year ring and a ten-thousand-year ring was only 100,000 resentment points in his system. What truly mattered was the external Spirit Bone he knew he could get from a Man-Faced Demon Spider. A random external Spirit Bone cost 500,000 resentment points, but a specific one required a full 1,000,000 points. That external Spirit Bone was his true goal.
"Teacher Zhao, there's no rush," he said calmly. "Let's just keep looking around the outer area for a suitable thousand-year Spirit Beast. If we really can't find one, then we can leave."
Zhao Wuji nodded in agreement. "Alright. We'll search for one more week. If we still find nothing, we'll head back."
Suddenly, the relaxed expression on Zhao Wuji's face vanished. In an instant, he grabbed Ye Yin's shoulder and pulled the boy behind him. An incredibly cold and powerful aura exploded from his body as he let out a low roar. He summoned his Spirit without hesitation, and the Vigorous Vajra Bear instantly possessed him.
"Everyone, get out of your tents, now!" Zhao Wuji bellowed, his deep voice easily cutting through the canvas.
In a flash, seven figures burst out of their tents.
"Teacher Zhao, what's wrong?" Dai Mubai asked, his eyes scanning the dark forest.
Zhao Wuji didn't answer. He just stared intently into the darkness ahead. The thick trees in front of them began to sway and groan, pushed aside as if they were mere saplings. A moment later, a gigantic black ape, easily seven or eight meters tall, stepped slowly into the clearing.
"The King of the Forest… the Titan Giant Ape!" Zhao Wuji exclaimed, his voice tight with shock. "Respected King of the Forest, we mean no offense. If this is your territory, we are willing to withdraw immediately."
The Titan Giant Ape remained silent, taking another slow, heavy step forward.
A shiver went down Zhao Wuji's spine. He activated his first five spirit rings, holding nothing back except his fourth. With a powerful grunt, he launched himself toward the Titan Giant Ape. At almost the same time, everyone else launched their own attacks at the colossal beast.
Ye Yin's first spirit ring flickered continuously. He unleashed his first Spirit Ability, Curse. Three beams of black light shot out and sank into the massive beast, carrying the effects of Baldness, Slowness, and Gluttony. Instantly, the thick black fur on the Titan Giant Ape's head began to fall out in clumps, revealing a large, shiny bald spot.
"Hahahaha!" Ma Hongjun couldn't help but burst into laughter. "It's a bald ape!"
[Resentment from Titan Giant Ape Er Ming +50!]
The Titan Giant Ape reached up and touched its now-smooth head. Its eyes glowed with fury.
"ROAR!"
An earth-shaking roar erupted from its throat, followed by a wave of black energy that blasted outwards. Everyone was sent flying by the force of the shockwave. The Titan Giant Ape was truly enraged. As the energy wave dissipated, its massive body moved with terrifying violence. It leaped into the air at a speed that was almost impossible to follow, its huge body blotting out the moonlight as it descended from the sky, aiming to crush the students below.
Even with Ye Yin's slowness curse, the Titan Giant Ape's speed was unbelievable.
Reacting instantly, Ye Yin wrapped his left arm around Ning Rongrong and his right arm around Zhu Zhuqing. Pushing his speed to its absolute limit, he managed to dive out of the impact zone just as the giant ape came crashing down. Tang San and Dai Mubai grabbed Ma Hongjun and dragged him to safety as well. Xiao Wu was never in the direct path of the attack, but it quickly became clear that the Titan Giant Ape's target was her all along. It reached out a massive hand and snatched her up.
"BEAST!" Zhao Wuji roared, all caution gone. His seventh spirit ring finally lit up. He activated his seventh Spirit Ability, Spirit Avatar, and his body instantly transformed into a brown-yellow giant bear that stood over five meters tall. In terms of size, he now looked like he could actually challenge the Titan Giant Ape.
He then grabbed something with his massive bear paw and shoved it into his mouth: a black garlic clove. A fifty-percent, all-attribute boost surged through him. A wave of immense power washed over Zhao Wuji, and he felt incredibly strong. The only strange side effect was that his brown-yellow fur had turned completely black, making him look like a giant black bear.
"I've turned black, but I've also gotten stronger?" Zhao Wuji mumbled to himself. A little change in color was nothing compared to a fifty-percent increase in all his attributes. Combined with the thirty-percent boost to his speed and strength from Ning Rongrong's support, Zhao Wuji's confidence soared.
A little Titan Giant Ape? He could handle it easily! Even Tang Hao wouldn't dare to face him now, so what was this Spirit Beast going to do?
Zhao Wuji's sixth spirit ring flashed. "Sixth Spirit Ability, Vigorous Vajra Cannon!"
He slammed his paws together in front of his chest. A powerful force condensed into a huge ball of white light, which shot out with a deafening roar. The attack slammed into the Titan Giant Ape, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
"The Titan Giant Ape is nothing special," the giant black bear grinned.
BANG!
Before the dust from his attack even settled, a massive black fist smashed directly into the Vigorous Vajra Black Bear's face with a sound like thunder. A shockwave erupted from the point of impact. The giant bear, Zhao Wuji, was launched backward like a cannonball, flying for several hundred meters before crashing violently into the ground, carving a deep trench in the earth.
With just one punch, Zhao Wuji's Spirit Avatar was broken. He lay half-dead in the dirt, blood spilling from the corners of his mouth.
Zhao Wuji coughed weakly. "Damn it… This Titan Giant Ape is too strong!"
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