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After several more days of travel, the group finally reached the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. Dai Weisi's first task was to find a suitable spirit beast for Anna.
"Sacred White Tiger, Possession!"
"Evil Eyes of Ice and Fire, Open!"
One eye red, the other blue—once activated, the Evil Eyes of Ice and Fire made Dai Weisi look as though he had opened the legendary Byakugan. In terms of vision, it far surpassed even Xiao San's Purple Demon Eyes.
Moreover, due to ingesting the Piercing Autumn Dew, he could now see through disguised spirit beasts. Even someone like Xiao Wu would be completely exposed before him.
Dai Weisi scanned the surroundings, paying particular attention to the nearby trees. Not even a single leaf could escape his sharp gaze.
After searching for a full hour, he encountered numerous plant-type spirit beasts, but either their cultivation years were insufficient or their attributes were incompatible.
Anna had already consumed the Black Jade Divine Bamboo, evolving her martial soul into the Black Jade Divine Grass. She had also taken the Ninth-Grade Green Spirit Pill to improve her physique. Therefore, her second spirit ring could now withstand absorption from a beast with at least two thousand—possibly even twenty-five hundred—years of cultivation.
"Brother Vis, I saw a Ghost Vine—it might be suitable for Nana. But it looks really strange," Zhu Zhuqing murmured from her perch in the tree. Upon hearing this, Dai Weisi quickly leapt to her side and gazed at the blood-red Ghost Vine she had spotted.
The Ghost Vine was a terrifying plant-type spirit beast, known for its powerful neurotoxins. If its sharp thorns pierced flesh, the toxins would rapidly spread, dissolving the victim into pus, ultimately becoming fertilizer for the vine.
When attacking, it would also release countless minute seeds that could parasitize an enemy's body and absorb their nutrients.
Tang San had once slain a 700-year-old Ghost Vine and gained his second spirit skill: Parasitism.
Observing the vine, Dai Weisi was surprised. Normally, Ghost Vines were green to camouflage themselves among autumn leaves, making them hard to detect by spirit masters or natural predators.
But this particular Ghost Vine was a dark crimson, strikingly conspicuous like a Red Chain Snake. Could it be a mutated spirit beast?
Dai Weisi muttered, "This mutated Ghost Vine has a cultivation of roughly 2,200 years. If we kill it, Nana should be able to acquire a skill similar to Parasitism."
"Parasitism... that's actually a decent spirit skill."
Among Tang San's first five spirit skills, Dai Weisi felt that only the second—Parasitism—retained utility in the later stages.
He didn't even want to comment on the first, third, and fourth skills. Tang San had such a powerful martial soul in the Blue Silver Emperor, yet he insisted on playing around with poison.
As for the fifth skill, Blue Silver Overlord Spear, while it was a weapon-type spirit skill that could have been formidable in close combat, Tang San instead used it as a throwing weapon, treating it like a hidden weapon. That confused Dai Weisi.
Hidden weapons rely on the element of surprise. Tossing something as large as a Blue Silver Overlord Spear made no sense. Where was the stealth in that?
Parasitism, however, was entirely different. If used well, it could truly catch an opponent off guard.
With that in mind, Dai Weisi turned to Anna and asked, "Nana, what do you think of this Ghost Vine? If you absorb its spirit ring, you should gain a very useful skill."
Anna replied without hesitation, "Brother Vis, I'll follow your lead. Whatever spirit ring you say I should absorb, I'll absorb it."
"Alright then, we'll go with this Ghost Vine. Since it's a mutated spirit beast, its power exceeds that of an ordinary one, and the skill it yields should be superior as well."
With that, Dai Weisi issued an order to Lin Qiuyang: "Dean Lin, I'll be counting on you."
"Your Highness, this is a spirit beast with over two thousand years of cultivation. Can Miss Anna really handle it?"
Lin Qiuyang hesitated. Anna's talent surpassed even Dai Weisi's. She was an exceptional prodigy. If anything happened to her, he would be devastated.
"Don't worry, Dean Lin," Anna reassured him. "I've consumed both the Black Jade Divine Bamboo and the Ninth-Grade Green Spirit Pill. My body is now far stronger than the average person's. Plus, my martial soul is known as the King of Plants. Absorbing plant-type spirit rings will go very smoothly for me."
Since Anna herself had agreed, Lin Qiuyang said no more. "Very well, then."
He summoned his Black Iron Sword and stabbed toward the Ghost Vine from atop the tree. A burst of sword energy tore through the air, slashing straight for the mutated Ghost Vine!
Swish!
The sword energy storm swept across the Ghost Vine, leaving it battered and broken as it crashed to the ground.
"Miss Anna, now's your chance!" Lin Qiuyang called out.
"Got it!"
In response, Anna unleashed her Black Jade Divine Grass martial soul. Instantly, five inky-black vines slithered forth like serpents and struck the fallen Ghost Vine, binding it tightly.
"First Spirit Skill: Bloodthirsty Bind!"
In a flash, the Ghost Vine's life force was completely drained by the Black Jade Divine Grass. The beast perished, and a violet spirit ring emerged from its body, floating in the air.
Anna sat cross-legged, channeling her spirit power to draw the ring toward her martial soul and began silently refining the energy within.
Just as she had claimed, her Black Jade Divine Grass, the king of plant-type martial souls, made the process of absorbing a plant-type spirit ring remarkably smooth.
Two hours passed, and although the cultivation of this mutated Ghost Vine far exceeded the limit for a spirit master's second spirit ring, Anna showed not the slightest sign of pain.
Seeing this, Dai Weisi's heart leapt with joy. "Great! Nana has passed the danger phase. Now all that's left is to absorb the spirit ring's energy!"
Beside him, Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged a smile. Lin Qiuyang, still in disbelief, said, "I never expected Miss Anna's talent to be so astonishing! A second spirit ring from a millennium beast—this is something I've never seen in my life."
Lin Qiuyang regarded Anna with a look usually reserved for monsters, thinking, No wonder she's the Crown Prince's disciple—truly gifted beyond measure.
He had originally assumed the Crown Prince's talent was unrivaled throughout the world, yet here was someone even more remarkable!
Another half hour passed before Anna slowly opened her eyes. At that moment, her spirit power erupted explosively.
She surged straight to the rank of a level 27 Grand Spirit Master, then quickly climbed to 28, 29, and ultimately pushed herself to level 30.
"Already reached level 30? So fast!" Dai Weisi murmured. Having consumed the Black Jade Divine Bamboo and the Ninth-Grade Green Spirit Pill, and absorbing a second spirit ring with over two thousand years' cultivation, Anna had surpassed normal limits.
Additionally, she had not slackened in her training these days and had absorbed plenty of plant nutrients. Breaking through to level 30 in one burst was entirely justified.
Upon awakening, Anna's first glance was toward Dai Weisi, smiling warmly: "Brother Vis, I did it! My spirit power has surpassed level 30. Next, you have to help me get a third spirit ring!"
"Level 30!" the Zhu sisters exclaimed in astonishment. "Nana, you've already broken through level 30?"
"Heh heh, helping you get spirit rings is of course no problem. But Nana, tell us about your second spirit skill first?"
"Sure! My second spirit skill is called Parasitic Seeds," Anna explained. "It allows me to release seeds that parasitize other living beings, absorbing their spirit power and life force to strengthen myself!
My first skill only absorbs spirit power from plants and plant-type spirit beasts, but this second skill lets me absorb nutrients from any living creature!"
(End of chapter)