Chapter 107: The Spirit Rock King Beast

"Xiao Mu, don't you want to obtain your spirit ring first?" the shopkeeper asked.

"No, I cannot find a spirit ring of a suitable age for my current needs at the moment. As for my other martial soul, its spirit rings cannot be obtained by hunting spirit beasts. Let's focus on what your next spirit ring should be, Shopkeeper," Muyang replied.

"You tell me, Xiao Mu. I don't know much about spirit beasts," the shopkeeper said.

"Shopkeeper, for your second ring, you will need to head deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest. It is nearly impossible to find a spirit beast of the right age on the outskirts. Furthermore, your martial soul, the Kagune, is quite unique; ordinary spirit beasts simply aren't compatible with it," Muyang explained.

"I'll listen to you, but is it really safe to go deep into the Star Dou Great Forest? The spirit beasts inside..." the shopkeeper hesitated.

"Don't worry about that. As long as we don't encounter a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast, you should be able to handle it. Even if we do run into one, I actually have the strength to put up a fight," Muyang said.

Snow Empress watched Muyang, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity. She hadn't been with Muyang for very long, yet he was already capable of contending with a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast—a fact she hadn't realized. While a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast meant nothing to her in the past, Muyang was only at the second-ring stage! Most people at the second-ring level could barely fight a thousand-year spirit beast, and even then, only one that had just reached that threshold. Yet, Muyang could challenge a hundred-thousand-year beast.

What convinced the Snow Empress that Muyang was truly capable of such a feat were his spirit skills and his recovery speed. His spirit skills seemed to operate like laws of nature, possessing a mandatory execution effect. As for his recovery speed, even she—a Snow Spirit—had to admit she was inferior. While the healing process of a Snow Spirit was visible to the naked eye, Muyang’s recovery was so swift that even when one used spirit power to track it, it was difficult to catch, and even if one could see it, it made little difference.

The Crystal Rock Beast is a creature born within mineral veins. It possesses immense defensive power, physical strength, and speed. Because it is a creature born of ore, its spiritual power is also exceptionally strong. It shares the ability to fire crystals just like the Ukaku Kagune, capable of incredible piercing power. Its only weakness is that it only appears within mineral veins, and it has extremely high requirements for the quality of those veins. The birth of a Crystal Rock King Beast is a one-in-ten-thousand occurrence.

As luck would have it, Muyang and his group found a mineral vein home to a Crystal Rock King Beast.

Surrounding the Crystal Rock King Beast were eight Crystal Rock Beasts, all nearing the thousand-year mark. The King itself was over twelve thousand years old—exactly the spirit beast the shopkeeper needed.

Muyang’s two grey spirit rings manifested. With his first spirit skill, he marked all eight Crystal Rock Beasts, then pulled out his bribe-gun and aimed it at his own head.

"Bang!"

Muyang’s head did not explode like a watermelon. The barrage of bullets merely grazed the surface of his skin without penetrating deeply.

Simultaneously, a vital point on one of the Crystal Rock Beasts caved in. Though it didn't kill the creature, it was rendered incapable of further combat.

At that moment, the Crystal Rock King Beast reacted, roaring loudly at its surroundings as if to intimidate them.

Muyang and his group were not deterred. They moved instantly. Muyang fired several shots at the King, shattering some of its surface crystals. The shopkeeper joined in, activating his first spirit skill, "Flash," firing a volley of purple crystals. However, they only left a few marks—less damage than even Muyang's bribe-gun had dealt—which served to highlight the King's formidable defense.

Muyang ignored the lack of effect. Seeing that their initial efforts were insufficient, he donned his red armor of the World Kagune and struck the King with a heavy blow, cracking its hide. The shopkeeper then utilized his transformed state, striking the exact same spot Muyang had hit. The Crystal Rock King Beast shattered, and a black spirit ring rose into the air.