Chapter 10: Su Mo's Second Spirit Skill, Storage Spirit Tool
A thousand-year Soul Ring and a hundred-year Soul Ring were indeed completely different.
The moment it entered his body, Su Mo's brows furrowed sharply, his body trembled violently, and his face instantly turned pale.
Qian Xunji subconsciously took a step forward, his right hand already raised, ready to intervene and interrupt at any moment.
Bibi Dong almost cried out in alarm, covering her mouth with her hands as her eyes turned red.
But in the next moment, Su Mo's brow slowly relaxed, his body's trembling gradually subsided, and the pallor on his face faded, restoring a normal healthy color.
Only then did Qian Xunji stop in his tracks and slowly lower his hand.
...
Time passed minute by minute.
The surroundings were very quiet, with only the occasional roar of a Soul Beast in the distance.
This time, the absorption process took longer than before.
After a full two sticks of incense worth of time, Su Mo finally opened his eyes slowly.
He stood up, stretched his somewhat stiff limbs, and a smile appeared on his face: "Teacher, I succeeded."
He paused, sensing the Soul Power within his body, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes: "My Soul Power has now reached the peak of Rank 25; it won't be long before I break through."
"Rank 25?!"
Everyone was instantly shocked.
After absorbing two Soul Rings, Su Mo had actually jumped directly from Rank 20 to Rank 25, an increase of five whole ranks.
There were three main reasons Su Mo could reach his current strength: first, absorbing Soul Rings beyond his level; second, the whale glue; and third, his Martial Soul absorbing the Blood Qi of the Soul Beasts.
Qian Xunji suppressed the shock in his heart and asked, "Xiao Mo, how is the effect of your Second Spirit Skill?"
Su Mo said, "For the Second Spirit Skill, I call it Asura Blood Armor. It can enhance my defensive capabilities and strength. The amplification is also one hundred percent, and there is no time limit."
Both of Su Mo's Martial Soul Abilities provided percentage-based boosts, meaning that as his strength increased, the amplification effects of these Martial Soul Abilities would become stronger and stronger.
Qian Xunji took a deep breath, a hint of complexity appearing in his gaze as he looked at Su Mo.
In just a few short days, Su Mo had brought him far too many surprises.
"Alright, it's getting late now," Golden Crocodile Douluo suddenly spoke up. "Let's rest here for the night and head back tomorrow."
It was mainly because Su Mo and Bibi Dong were too young; after a day of exertion, they needed proper rest.
Qian Xunji nodded, took out three tents from his spirit tool, and began setting them up with practiced movements.
The tents were quickly pitched, arranged in a triangular formation with an open space left in the middle.
Qian Xunji then cleaned the carcasses of the Soul Beasts hunted earlier, cut them into suitable chunks of meat, skewered them with branches, set up a campfire, and began roasting the meat.
Fat dripped onto the charcoal fire, making a sizzling sound and sending up plumes of white smoke.
The aroma of meat soon wafted through the air, particularly enticing in the evening forest.
Bibi Dong sat by the fire, taking the roasted meat handed to her by Qian Xunji and eating it in small bites.
Su Mo sat beside her, also quietly eating the roasted meat.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill,
Qian Xunji stood up: "Uncle Gold Crocodile, Xiao Mo, Dong'er, you all go and rest. I'll keep watch tonight."
Among the four, Golden Crocodile Douluo was of a higher seniority than him, so he naturally couldn't let the elder keep watch.
Su Mo and Bibi Dong were still children and needed rest even more after a tiring day, so it fell to him, the Pope, to personally keep watch.
Golden Crocodile Douluo did not decline; he nodded slightly and got up to enter his tent.
Just as Su Mo was about to return to his own tent, Bibi Dong suddenly spoke, her voice tiny and carrying a hint of embarrassment: "Teacher, I... can I stay in the same tent as Junior Brother?"
She lowered her head, her two small hands twisting together.
This was her first time spending the night in a Soul Beast forest; the surroundings were pitch black, and the roars of Soul Beasts came from the distance from time to time.
Those sounds seemed exceptionally clear in the night, making her feel a bit uneasy.
A smile appeared on Qian Xunji's face: "Of course you can."
Seeing this, Su Mo's heart stirred slightly.
In the Spirit Hall orphanage, although the two of them were together every day, the male and female dormitories were separate, and they never stayed together at night.
Suddenly having to sleep together...
He wasn't a real child after all; his psychological age was much older than his appearance. Being asked to sleep with a six-year-old girl felt a bit strange, giving him a vague sense of guilt.
But seeing Bibi Dong's frightened look, he didn't say anything.
Soon, the two entered the tent.
The tent wasn't large, just enough for two adults to lie side by side, but since they were both children, it was quite spacious.
The ground was covered with soft fur, making it very comfortable and warm to lie on.
Bibi Dong lay beside Su Mo, with a small distance between them.
The tent was very quiet; only the crackling of the campfire outside and the faint cries of Soul Beasts in the distance could be heard.
After a moment of silence, Bibi Dong suddenly spoke in a low voice: "Su Mo, I'm scared... can I hold you while I sleep?"
It was late now, and the tent was pitch black; her slightly flushed little face could not be seen, nor could the hint of shyness and anticipation in her eyes.
Su Mo gave a soft "mm" in response.
Bibi Dong scooted closer to him, reached out her arm, and gently hugged his arm.
She buried her face next to his shoulder and closed her eyes, feeling inexplicably at ease as a faint smile played on her lips.
The tent was very quiet and very warm.
The night passed in silence.
...
At noon the next day.
The four of them returned to Spirit City.
Golden Crocodile Douluo went straight back to the Hall of Worship.
He still had to give a detailed report to High Priest Qian Daoliu regarding this Soul Ring hunt, especially concerning Su Mo's Martial Soul situation.
Inside the The Pope's Palace,
Qian Xunji sent someone to fetch two exquisite bracelets from the treasury. They were entirely silver-white, with similar styles, looking like a pair.
"Dong'er, Xiao Mo." Qian Xunji handed the bracelets to them. "These are spirit tools I prepared for you. They have about a dozen cubic meters of storage space, enough to store your daily necessities.
In the future, any important items can be stored inside."
In this era, spirit tools were extremely rare existences.
The method for creating spirit tools had long been lost; existing spirit tools were basically passed down from ancient times. Every single piece was worth a fortune and could only be found by chance.
Having a dozen cubic meters of storage space was already considered large among Storage Spirit Tools.
Only a major power like Spirit Hall could possess them.
"Thank you, Teacher." Su Mo and Bibi Dong took the bracelets and thanked him in unison.
Bibi Dong held the silver-white bracelet, her eyes sparkling as she turned it over and over, unable to put it down.
Su Mo put the bracelet on his wrist to try it out; the size was a bit large.
Qian Xunji nodded slightly: "Su Mo, I will take you to the Hall of Worship in a while. The High Priest wants to see you."
"Okay, Teacher."
Qian Xunji nodded and looked at Bibi Dong: "Dong'er, you go back to your chambers to rest first. Tomorrow, I will arrange the next study plan for both of you."
"Okay, Teacher," Bibi Dong responded obediently, took another look at Su Mo, and then turned to leave the The Pope's Palace.
"Let's go."
Qian Xunji led Su Mo toward the Hall of Worship.