Douluo: Things You Live Long Enough to See [32]

"I'm fine."

The indifferent voice trembled slightly for some reason. Dugu Bo stood in front of Cheng Ying. The ten-thousand-year spirit ring had made him two centimeters taller, but he still had to look up at his teacher.

As he spoke, two yellow, one purple, and one black spirit rings emerged from his body and hovered around him. That single black ring now appeared almost dazzling.

"Teacher, I did it!" Dugu Bo said with a tremble, as if the pain from last night had yet to leave his body.

"It's good that you're alright!" Cheng Ying pulled him into a hug. The dialogue didn't quite match the moment, but the scene carried no dissonance at all.

Compared to whether his disciple could become the first on the continent to break the spirit ring limit, Cheng Ying cared far more about their safety.

Bathed in the morning light, this embrace between teacher and student looked like the most beautiful painting in the world.

After a while, Cheng Ying finally let go of Dugu Bo and sniffled discreetly. "Come on, show me your new spirit ability."

"Alright!"

Though Dugu Bo's face remained mostly expressionless, his swift movements revealed how eager he was.

"Use it on me!" Cheng Ying reminded him. With his cultivation, a four-ring spirit master wouldn't be able to harm him—unless they used the 81st strike of the Disorder Wind Hammer Technique.

Dugu Bo didn't hesitate. He had some idea of Cheng Ying's strength and wasn't worried about hurting him.

The pitch-black fourth ring glowed, and in the next moment, a spiderweb shot out—shockingly similar to Tang San's third spirit skill. Cheng Ying raised a hand to block, but the enormous range of the web still enveloped him.

Like a fisherman's net, the web tightened upon impact, wrapping around Cheng Ying. A spirit master of Dugu Bo's level wouldn't have been able to dodge it.

Cheng Ying didn't try to evade it either. He let the web constrict him, then gave it a light tug. With his strength, he could easily stretch it—but he couldn't tear it.

The web would grow thinner under tension but refused to break. Its toughness was impressive. A four-ring spirit master caught by it would likely struggle even to move, let alone break free.

It took Cheng Ying quite a while to peel off the sticky threads.

"It's definitely a powerful control-type skill. At the same level, if you're hit, escaping would be very difficult. Even ordinary sharp weapons would barely affect it."

"Only weapon spirits similar to scissors might break through it more easily. The only downside," Cheng Ying glanced at Dugu Bo, "is that there's no poison."

He looked somewhat apologetic—due to the effects of the two immortal herbs, Dugu Bo couldn't produce any poison. But if he hadn't consumed them, he wouldn't have been able to fuse with such a poisonous spirit ring in the first place.

"Oh right, is there a usage limit on your skill?" Cheng Ying recalled that Tang San could only use his three times a day.

"No limit, but it does consume a lot of spirit power—about 20% each use."

Though not perfect, Dugu Bo still looked pleased—even if it was hard to read on his face.

"Lack of poison is a pity, but not unsolvable. One day, your teacher will find you a spirit bone—that should fix the issue."

Spirit bones were hard to acquire, even with money, but Cheng Ying still intended to try.

Dugu Bo nodded, not doubting Cheng Ying's ability to find one at all.

"Let's go! We still haven't sorted out little Meng's spirit ring!"

Cheng Ying released his spiritual detection once more and began scouting for a spirit beast for Meng Shu.

"Senior brother's spirit skill is amazing! Do you think teacher can find me a beast just as good?" Meng Shu asked Tang Chen in a hushed tone.

"It depends on luck. Besides, you can't absorb a ten-thousand-year spirit ring," Tang Chen bluntly dashed his hopes.

But before Meng Shu could get too disappointed, Cheng Ying's eyes lit up.

"Lucky! There's actually one that fits—Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent! 6,000 years of cultivation! After it—it's flying west!"

Meng Shu's eyes sparkled. Ten-thousand-year spirit beasts were out of reach, but he knew that nothing could suit him better than this one.

Although technically a serpent, the Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent had the ability to fly and moved with incredible speed. As dragons and snakes shared a common ancestry, its compatibility with his spirit was extremely high. With luck, he might even gain flight at just four rings.

But its flying speed made it very hard to catch. Meng Shu doubted they'd get a chance.

Then—

Then he was suddenly grabbed by Cheng Ying and tossed onto his back. Looking down, he saw Tang Chen and Dugu Bo each being held in one of Cheng Ying's hands.

"Hold on tight! Today, your teacher will show you what it means to hunt like a shrimp-catcher!"

With that, Cheng Ying kicked off the ground and shot forward like a cannonball, flying just above the forest floor at high speed. The scenery blurred into streaks of light, and Meng Shu had to desperately cling to Cheng Ying's neck.

Cheng Ying's poor showing in the earlier battle had clearly led Meng Shu to underestimate him—but now, seeing this terrifying speed, Meng Shu realized his teacher's cultivation was monstrous.

The Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent also sensed its pursuers and darted through the forest, twisting and turning in an attempt to lose them.

But despite being a flight-specialized spirit beast, the difference in cultivation was too great. Cheng Ying's spirit-powered "shrimp-catching" narrowed the gap to just ten meters.

"You're the one. Tang Chen!"

With a flick, Cheng Ying tossed Tang Chen directly above the serpent's head. Without hesitation, Tang Chen summoned the Clear Sky Hammer and smashed the crimson serpent into the ground.

"Go! Finish it and the ring is yours!"

He then hurled Meng Shu from his back too, showing no intention of stepping in himself. It was just a thousand-year spirit beast—if his disciples couldn't handle it, they weren't worth training.

As expected, Meng Shu was ready. His Dragon Staff swelled mid-air, the dragon's head enlarging and biting down on the serpent's tail.

Landing, he used strength uncharacteristic of a Tool Spirit Master to slam the serpent into the ground in an over-the-shoulder throw.

Cheng Ying and Dugu Bo both landed nearby and made no move to help. A fallen phoenix was no better than a chicken. Dragged from the sky, the Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent was now being pummeled with Meng Shu's Dog Beating Staff Technique until it couldn't tell up from down. Clearly, he could finish it alone.

Tang Chen didn't intervene either. Defeating your spirit beast alone gave you stronger mental fortitude during absorption, which greatly increased safety.

Just as Meng Shu had beaten the serpent to its last breath, a panicked shout came from the distance:

"Not good! Daddy, the Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent was chased down by them!"

Looking toward the voice, they saw a little girl with blue vertical pupils running over, accompanied by a middle-aged Spirit Master also with vertical pupils.

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