"You guys are pushing it!" Xiao Hongchen protested.
"Tsk..." Miss Meng let out a soft, displeased 'tsk,' but ultimately didn't continue to provoke her older brother.
Releasing her embrace from a certain person, the young woman naturally stood by his side, then continued to ask with a radiant smile:
"By the way, Ming'an, you still haven't chosen your first spirit ring? It's been over a month now."
"No rush, I'll wait until Grandfather Kong returns," Kong Ming'an said, completely unconcerned.
His Grandfather Kong was very invested in the matter of his first spirit ring. Taking advantage of having just come out of seclusion, at a time when everyone thought he was still in seclusion, he went out personally to find a Spirit Beast for him.
Hmm... a ninety-eighth-ranked, twin spirits, proficient in "Ring Explosion," and nearly a tenth-ranked Soul Engineer, going out to help him find the Spirit Beast he wanted... this sense of security was very real.
As expected, Grandfather Kong was the most reliable.
Not continuing the topic of his spirit ring, Kong Ming'an chatted with the Hongchen siblings, mainly about the use of the Ring Tempering Method.
For the two of them, who had already successively Broken Through to the two-ring level and whose physiques had grown to the Spirit Elder stage, they now had the foundation to begin cultivating the Ring Tempering Method.
Kong Ming'an naturally had no intention of hiding anything and began to explain the precautions for the Ring Tempering Method to them.
And just as Kong Ming'an was explaining to them, the heavy alloy door of the laboratory quietly slid open.
Kong Ming'an was the first to realize something and quickly looked up, seeing Kong Deming, dressed in a long robe and looking somewhat travel-worn.
"Grandfather Kong?" Kong Ming'an was slightly surprised, not expecting his Grandfather Kong to return so soon.
"Elder Kong!" Xiao Hongchen, beside him, was slightly respectful.
"Grandfather Kong, you're back!" Meng Hongchen was equally respectful, but her address was much more intimate than Xiao Hongchen's.
Kong Deming nodded slightly, his expression a bit tired, but his eyes still bright.
With calm eyes, he skillfully walked to the center of the laboratory, then slowly took out a cylindrical container from his portable spirit tool. It was about half a person's height, made entirely of silver-white metal, and inscribed with countless complex Seal runes on its surface.
"Is this... a Beast Sealing Platform?" Kong Ming'an asked tentatively.
Kong Deming nodded slightly, giving an affirmative answer.
Kong Ming'an was slightly curious. A Beast Sealing Platform, as its name suggested, was used to Seal Spirit Beasts. In terms of rank, it was an eighth-ranked spirit tool.
This thing also had an advanced version, which was the God Sealing Platform that Sealed the Snow Empress.
Placing the Beast Sealing Platform steadily on the special platform in the center of the laboratory, Kong Deming casually raised his hand, activating the surrounding spirit tool arrays to form multiple Energy containment fields.
Meng Hongchen curiously stepped two paces closer, looking at the silver-white pillar radiating powerful Seal fluctuations, and unconsciously asked in a low voice:
"Grandfather Kong, what kind of Spirit Beast is Sealed inside?"
Kong Deming's gaze swept over the Beast Sealing Platform, and he calmly uttered three words: "Thorny Dragon."
Upon hearing this name, Kong Ming'an's usually calm and unwavering eyes flickered slightly, and he quietly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
Thorny Dragons are an extremely rare type of sub-Dragon Spirit Beast with spatial attributes.
They are born with the ability to control the power of space, not only possessing bizarre attacks and unparalleled speed but also capable of short-distance Teleportation. Their sharp tails can even tear space, and their potential is limitless.
When they reach a very high age, they can even open up an exclusive spatial battlefield and control a spatial Thorny Dragon Domain. Among spatial attribute Spirit Beasts, they are considered excellent, perfectly matching his expectations for his first spirit ring.
It should be known that to ensure his first spirit ring was to his liking, he had made several plans.
Initially, he had set his sights on the depths of the Evil Demon Forest, hoping to capture a mutated Evil Eye Tyrant with spatial attributes, or even one with temporal attributes.
But ultimately, considering that it was the territory of Ye Xishui, the den of the Holy Spirit Cult, and that an Evil Emperor was dormant deeper within, the risk was simply too great.
For the sake of his Grandfather Kong's safety, he ultimately decided to give up.
His core requirements remained clear:
The Spirit Beast's attribute must be high-tier enough, with "Time," "Space," and "Fate" being the first choice for super-standard attributes, followed by other ultimate attributes, such as Spirit Beasts with Ultimate Ice attributes like the Ice Jade Scorpion.
Besides this, if possible, he could also choose a "Silver Heroic Beast."
If none of the above were available, then he would directly go to the Jingyang Mountain Range to capture the "Silver Moon Wolf King" with seven elemental attributes. This was the worst-case fallback.
Of course, the situation was not as bad as he thought; in fact, it even exceeded his expectations!
His Grandfather Kong's trip this time actually brought back an exceptionally rare spatial Spirit Beast, the Thorny Dragon!
This was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise.
Research progress was smooth, cultivation was going well, and now he had a satisfactory Spirit Beast... It felt like everything had been going smoothly recently, and his luck was good... Beside him, watching his grandson's slightly excited eyes, Kong Deming, however, gazed at him, his tone becoming exceptionally solemn:
"Ming'an, although this Thorny Dragon just Broke Through to ten thousand years and was coincidentally caught by me during its weak period, if it produces a spirit ring, the Energy contained within it will definitely far exceed that of an ordinary ten-thousand-year spirit ring."
"Are you... are you really absolutely sure?"
Even though he had personally witnessed his grandson create miracles countless times, and even though he sensed the powerful physique within his grandson that far surpassed his peers, and even many high-ranked Spirit Masters,
But... a tenth-ranked Spirit Master absorbing a ten-thousand-year spirit ring, this seemed somewhat fantastical... If he didn't know his grandson's temperament, he would never have gone to find a suitable ten-thousand-year spirit ring for him.
Kong Ming'an raised his eyes, meeting his Grandfather Kong's worried gaze, and a relaxed smile appeared on his face, his voice clear and confident:
"Don't worry, Grandfather Kong, I can't say ten out of ten... but nine out of ten is probably accurate."
It is well known that absorbing a ten-thousand-year spirit ring not only requires a powerful physique to withstand the immense Energy impact but also an invisible and even more perilous hurdle—Soul shock.
Ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts already possess considerable Soul power, and the resentment and Soul remnants generated upon their death form an impact within the spirit ring, directly affecting the absorber's mental sea. At best, it causes mental damage; at worst, it turns them into an idiot.
Under normal circumstances, a Spirit Master's mental and Soul strength can only resist Soul shock when they reach the Spirit King stage.
But for Kong Ming'an, this was precisely the least problematic issue.
How to deal with Soul shock?
The answer was extremely simple: directly and fundamentally purify and eradicate the Soul remnants of the Spirit Beast that lingered on the spirit ring! Without the Spirit Beast's Soul, there would naturally be no shock.
"Elder Yi," Kong Ming'an murmured in his heart.
"Hehe... don't worry."
An old but somewhat amused voice echoed in Kong Ming'an's mental sea.
"...I haven't been idle for this past year or so. Just leave the lingering resentment of a mere ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast to this old man."
Kong Ming'an relaxed slightly.
"Then I'll trouble Elder Yi."
"It's a small matter."