While Xiao Wu was finishing off the candied haws, Yu Yan began to recount his general experiences during this trip to the Sunset Forest.
To be honest, Yu Yan felt there wasn't much to say about this journey; everything had gone smoothly, with almost no surprises.
Aside from Ma Zhiyu's fierce Honey Badger Spirit and the matter of his two abilities from a single ring, everything else could be glossed over.
"So, the first spirit ring you absorbed might actually exceed the 423-year limit mentioned in that Grandmaster's Spirit Master theories?"
After hearing about his experience, Xiao Wu noticed the key piece of information in Yu Yan's words.
"I just think it's possible."
Yu Yan took out the single horn of the Ice Fire Sub-Dragon Lizard he was carrying and displayed it before Xiao Wu, explaining to her:
"The most accurate way to judge the age of an Ice Fire Sub-Dragon Lizard is by looking at the horn on its head; every centimeter represents fifty years."
"The length of this horn exceeds 8 centimeters, which means the spirit ring I absorbed is over 400 years old. As for the exact age, since I didn't have measuring tools with me, I couldn't make an accurate judgment. We'll find a place to measure it later."
Yu Qingfeng and the others hadn't noticed this, but Yu Yan, who had a fair understanding of Ice Fire Sub-Dragon Lizards, discovered it as soon as he got close to the beast.
"You dared to go ahead and absorb it without knowing the exact age? Weren't you afraid of failing and having your body explode?"
Knowing that Yu Yan had taken another risk, Xiao Wu couldn't help but question him.
This guy was really too reckless; he didn't seem to value his life at all.
"It wasn't really that much of a risk. Um... when the spirit ring rose up, I could clearly feel that I could absorb it. And it turned out to be true; I didn't feel too much pressure during the absorption. Perhaps the age limit of my first spirit ring could have been pushed a bit higher, closer to five hundred years."
Speaking of this topic, Yu Yan felt a slight bit of regret for being a little too cautious.
He secretly resolved that for his second spirit ring, he would strive to get as close to a thousand years as possible.
Xiao Wu had originally wanted to persuade Yu Yan not to take risks, but who would have thought he would use the topic to lament that the age of his spirit ring was too low?
By the looks of it, he would probably take another risk for his second spirit ring.
No way, next time I must follow him and keep an eye on him. I can't let him be so reckless.
While Yu Yan was making his secret resolution, Xiao Wu was also making one: she absolutely could not let him take risks blindly.
"So, you have two Spirit Abilities from just one spirit ring?"
Not wanting to continue the previous topic, and fearing Yu Yan might overthink it or even act on it, Xiao Wu used Yu Yan's usual method to change the subject.
"Yes, Frost Scale Armor and Blazing Breath are the signature abilities of the Ice Fire Sub-Dragon Lizard. Frost Scale Armor has very strong defense. Next time we duel, I'll let you feel the despair of being unable to pierce my defense."
Yu Yan, who had always been suppressed by Xiao Wu, made a bold declaration. He wanted to regain some Face in this regard.
"Hmph~, that's not necessarily true. I'm no pushover either."
Xiao Wu raised her small pink fist and pointed it at Yu Yan's head, showing off her strength.
"I'm a First Ring Spirit Master now. You'd better be more polite, or I might just flatten you."
Yu Yan clenched his fist and bumped it against Xiao Wu's pink fist, countering her without any hesitation.
"Tch—as if I'm not a First Ring Spirit Master too."
As she spoke, energy-formed rabbit ears appeared on Xiao Wu's head, and her pupils became increasingly crimson. A yellow spirit ring, significantly deeper in color than Yu Yan's, floated around her.
Looking at the color of this spirit ring, Yu Yan realized that Xiao Wu had definitely taken his words to heart; her first spirit ring had surpassed the 423-year limit.
"Where did you get that spirit ring?"
Pretending to be startled by Xiao Wu's spirit ring, Yu Yan 'calmed down' slightly before asking. He wanted to see how Xiao Wu would make up this story.
"That is a long story. After you left, I..."
In Xiao Wu's story, after Yu Yan left, she focused intently on her Cultivation and successfully reached Rank 10 after just a couple of days.
She had originally intended to wait for Yu Yan and the others to return so that Big Brother Yu Qingfeng could take her to hunt for a spirit ring.
But two days ago at dawn, while she was on a mountain outside the city trying to sense the purple qi in the rising sun, a massive eagle appeared in the sky.
As the great eagle passed over her, for some unknown reason—perhaps it was startled—it loosened its talons, dropped its prey, and flew off into the clouds above at extreme speed, disappearing from sight.
The falling prey accurately plummeted toward her as she watched from below; it was the kind of thing she couldn't even dodge.
Seeing that she couldn't avoid it, she immediately reacted. A second before the eagle's prey could hit her, she delivered a kick, sending the prey flying.
After confirming there was no danger, she went over to observe the thing she had kicked away, only to find it was actually a dead rabbit Spirit Beast.
Because she had delivered the final blow, a yellow hundred-year spirit ring condensed from the rabbit Spirit Beast, ready for her to absorb.
After checking the rabbit Spirit Beast repeatedly and confirming the ring was over four hundred years old, she sat cross-legged on the ground, absorbed it, and successfully became a First Ring Spirit Master.
"To think such a good thing would happen to you. Your luck is a bit too good! Oh, right, what is your First Spirit Ability?"
Yu Yan was very surprised. He hadn't expected that in the few days he was gone, Xiao Wu's storytelling skills would have improved so much.
Her previous stories were basically obvious lies at a glance, but now she could make a story self-consistent. Rapid progress!
It seemed that reading more books really did have its benefits.
Yu Yan knew exactly what was going on with Xiao Wu's spirit ring, so he didn't press her further on the details.
"Of course! I am the luckiest person ever."
Very satisfied with Yu Yan's attitude, Xiao Wu puffed out her chest and explained her First Spirit Ability: "Speaking of my First Spirit Ability, my luck was explosive. It's a 45% increase to all attributes, with an additional 1% increase for every Rank I gain. How about that?"
"This luck of yours is truly a bit ridiculous. I admit, I'm envious."
Yu Yan spoke with genuine emotion; he truly envied such a powerful Spirit Ability.
"Hehehe, I think so too."
Xiao Wu grinned widely, laughing very happily.
"Since you've also become a Spirit Master, Xiao Wu, we should go to Spirit Hall as soon as possible for your Spirit Master Rank advancement certification. As a world-renowned Spirit Master organization, we'll need Spirit Hall's Spirit Master certification for many things in the future."
The tokens issued by Spirit Hall were equivalent to a graduate's diploma; many jobs for earning gold coins required showing a Spirit Hall token.
Yu Yan's future growth plans would require a significant amount of money.
"Mhm, I'll listen to you."
With Yu Yan as her external brain, Xiao Wu didn't need to think too much. She just had to follow what he said; after all, it was impossible for Yu Yan to harm her.