"…Although Dugu Bo has a strange temperament, judging from the original story, his attitude toward Tang San never wavered. Once he truly acknowledges someone, he treats them wholeheartedly. Not to mention that my teacher is his old friend—and later on, I'll be able to save not only his son, but also Dugu Bo himself and his granddaughter, Dugu Yan."
"With that kind of relationship, there's no way I'll be inferior to the Tang San from the original work!"
The night before, Yin Zhang had stayed at a hotel in the small city.
He took the Charcoal item out of his warehouse. After releasing his spirit, he merely brushed against it—and the item instantly fused into his spirit.
Opening his personal status panel, Yin Zhang was pleasantly surprised to find a brand-new section had appeared.
[Host]: Yin Zhang
[Age]: 10
[Spirit]: Charizard
[Spirit Power]: 31
[Spirit Rings]: Yellow, Purple
[Spirit Abilities]: Dragon Claw, Double Team, Azure Flame Shield, Flamethrower, Fire Dragon Evasion Kill, Dragon Tail
[Spirit Bone]: None
[Items]: Charcoal
[Warehouse]: Spirit Ring Age Promotion Card (500 years), Spirit Bone Age Promotion Card (500 years)
Aside from the Spirit Bone slot—which was still empty, as always—everything else looked excellent.
After absorbing the Charcoal into his spirit, Yin Zhang sensed that he could remove it at will, but there was no reason to do so.
More importantly, the boost provided by Charcoal to his fire-type abilities was immediately noticeable.
Both Flamethrower and Fire Dragon Evasion Kill had become significantly stronger.
Take Flamethrower, for example. Under normal circumstances, it produced a standard column of flame—but after equipping Charcoal, the diameter of the fire pillar was clearly much larger.
Thinking about this, Yin Zhang couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
If only every choice rewarded a Pokémon item like this…
After soaring through the sky for a while, Yin Zhang finally lowered his altitude.
As he glided downward, Qiangu Yuan came into view.
Earlier, high up in the sky, Qiangu Yuan had been nothing more than a small black dot to Yin Zhang—yet he had somehow kept pace the entire time.
"Hey, Uncle Qiangu," Yin Zhang called out with a grin. "How does it feel to run wild on the ground? Feeling like you've returned to your passionate youth?"
Qiangu Yuan was holding the Coiling Dragon Rod and was just about to enter the Star Dou Great Forest when he heard laughter overhead.
His face immediately darkened.
"Just keep flying. One of these days you'll get snatched up and eaten by a flying-type spirit beast!"
"Uncle Qiangu, all you know how to do is scare people," Yin Zhang retorted. "We're only at the outermost area of the Star Dou Great Forest. Flying spirit beasts usually stay deeper inside, and most of the ones near the edge haven't even reached the hundred-year level. If they really dared to fly out, passing Spirit Masters would turn them into drinking snacks within minutes!"
"Besides, I'm already at the Spirit Elder—cough, pseudo–Spirit Elder—realm. Who eats whom isn't so clear!"
Despite his bravado, Yin Zhang still descended a bit lower.
Behind him, a pair of massive orange-red fleshy wings continued flapping steadily.
The gusts stirred up by the wings made Qiangu Yuan feel rather uncomfortable. After some time, the two finally arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest.
The atmosphere inside the forest was remarkably pleasant. Yin Zhang retracted his spirit and continued on foot alongside Qiangu Yuan.
"Since you said earlier that you want your third spirit ring to be around three thousand years old, let's stop wasting words and head straight for it," Qiangu Yuan said seriously. "Before leaving, I checked the academy's library and confirmed several known spirit beast habitats—but the information is already several years old."
"No one knows whether those beasts have migrated, been killed by other spirit beasts fighting over territory, or hunted by Spirit Masters. Be mentally prepared—this trip may take quite some time."
Qiangu Yuan spoke methodically as his mind worked at full speed.
Yin Zhang nodded, surveying the surroundings.
"The Star Dou Great Forest really is different from the Soul Hunting Forest. Just in terms of variety alone, it far surpasses it. Spirit beasts that are rare in the Soul Hunting Forest can be found everywhere here."
Qiangu Yuan nodded in agreement.
"Of course. The Soul Hunting Forests scattered across the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires were all established through cooperation between Spirit Hall and the two empires hundreds of years ago. Large tracts of land were enclosed, trees planted, and spirit beasts captured from places like the Star Dou Great Forest and relocated there to be raised—specifically for Spirit Masters to hunt and absorb spirit rings."
"Isn't that a great contribution our Spirit Hall has made to the Spirit Master world?"
Qiangu Yuan took out a sheet of white paper with a crude hand-drawn map on it.
Several spirit beast habitats had already been marked.
The closest one to them belonged to a 2,900-year-old Azure Flame Elephant Turtle.
Yin Zhang froze. "Uncle Qiangu… are you seriously planning to have me absorb a turtle's spirit ring?"
"When I considered it as an option, I carefully consulted the relevant records," Qiangu Yuan replied calmly. "In short—just trust me."
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
A wolf pack leapt out from ahead.
They weren't Nether Wolves like the ones Yin Zhang had encountered in the Soul Hunting Forest outside Nuoding City two years ago—but Howling Moon Wolves, their entire bodies snow-white.
Their spirit rings were highly sought after by Spirit Masters across the continent. Even more so, their snow-white pelts were adored by noble ladies in the Spirit Master world.
Their claws and fangs, thanks to the Howling Moon Wolf's natural cleanliness and grooming habits, required no polishing at all—perfect for direct display as artistic treasures.
Even a newborn Howling Moon Wolf could be captured and auctioned off, purchased by wealthy families as a pet for exorbitant prices.
As for older wolves or dead ones—their bones were extremely tough, pure white, and immensely valuable.
From head to toe, the Howling Moon Wolf was nothing short of a walking treasure.
Qiangu Yuan clenched his hand, and the Coiling Dragon Rod appeared in his grasp.
Seven spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and three black—erupted beneath him, radiating overwhelming pressure.
The Howling Moon Wolf pack didn't dare linger and fled at once.
Afterward, Yin Zhang asked in confusion,
"Uncle Qiangu, aren't you tempted at all by so many Howling Moon Wolves?"
"If we followed them back to their lair, we might even find their ancestral burial ground."
As a high-intelligence spirit beast, even a ten-year-old Howling Moon Wolf possessed the intelligence of a three-year-old human child.
Wolf packs with the means would excavate massive underground tombs beneath their territory—used as cemeteries for successive wolf kings and other wolves deemed worthy of burial.
Qiangu Yuan's expression turned slightly wistful.
"Actually… when I was young…"