A purple Spirit Ring!
A thousand-year level!
Li Zhexian collapsed to the ground, utterly spent.
It may have looked like he struck with just one sword…
But in truth—
That single attack had used up every bit of his Spirit Power.
If it hadn't killed the female Greenblade Mantis, he would've had no choice but to flee.
After recovering a bit of strength,
Li Zhexian staggered over to the rising purple Spirit Ring.
His dirt-streaked but handsome face flashed with hesitation.
"After devouring the male mantis, the female evolved into a thousand-year soul beast…"
"This far exceeds the absorption limit for a first Spirit Ring."
"But if I don't absorb it…"
"It'd be a huge waste!"
"Who knows how long it'll take me to find another suitable one?"
"Besides, the older the Spirit Ring, the more powerful the Spirit Ability!"
He tipped his celadon gourd back and took a deep swig.
Feeling the gradual recovery of his Spirit Power, the hesitation in his eyes gave way to resolve and defiance.
"With a chance like this in front of me—if I pass it up, I'm no longer Li Zhexian!"
"With my Wine Martial Soul's healing properties, I will succeed!"
Without delay—
Li Zhexian sat cross-legged on the forest floor.
With each gulp of wine, his drained Spirit Power refilled rapidly.
He pushed his condition to its peak.
His eyes gleamed as he began absorbing the Spirit Ring.
HUMMMMM—!
The purple ring pulsed with strange energy, surging into his body with sharpness and speed—the signature traits of the Greenblade Mantis.
"Grrgh!"
He grunted, a trace of blood slipping from the corner of his mouth.
Blue veins bulged from his forehead, and his skin felt as if it were being pierced by countless blades.
The thousand-year Spirit Ring's energy rampaged inside him like a wild beast. His blood vessels swelled and writhed beneath his skin like violet dragons, squeezing out beads of blood.
Normally, even elite geniuses with top-tier physical strength could only manage a 400–500 year first ring—and that was already considered extraordinary.
But Li Zhexian?
He was attempting to absorb a thousand-year Spirit Ring right off the bat.
It was unthinkable.
He clenched his teeth tightly.
His blood-soaked white robe clung to his back.
His fingers dug deep into the soil, and his dark eyes burned with steely resolve.
"I said it before…"
"I, Li Zhexian…"
"Am no ordinary man!"
"I endure what others cannot, do what others dare not!"
"Like the roc that rides the wind, soaring ninety thousand miles in a day!"
"Now—ABSORB!"
The celadon gourd floated into the air before him.
He snatched it up and poured the wine—now mixed with the blood in his mouth—down his throat.
His battered body began to heal.
Li Zhexian pushed himself harder, drawing in the Spirit Ring with everything he had.
HUMMMMM—!
The purple ring quivered.
Its vast energy crashed into him like floodwaters bursting through a dam.
His healing body tore again under the force—
But then he drank more wine—
And the cycle repeated.
Wounds. Healing. More wounds. More healing.
Over and over—
A torturous ordeal not unlike hell itself.
Yet throughout the process, his body grew stronger.
The purple Spirit Ring floating before him gradually began to fade into his form.
A stick of incense's time passed.
Li Zhexian lay on the ground, panting.
His face was pale, his body exhausted.
But at the corner of his lips—
A smile appeared.
"I did it…"
He closed his eyes, and the smile widened, full of reckless joy.
"Hahaha—I really did it!"
The process of absorbing a thousand-year Spirit Ring was unimaginably dangerous.
He had only succeeded thanks to the Wine Martial Soul's healing properties.
Anyone else would've exploded on the spot.
Half an hour later, Li Zhexian felt restored.
He summoned his Qinglian Sword.
The three-foot-six-inch blade floated before him.
The lotus pattern etched on the blade glowed with a strange bluish-green light.
The gleaming sword edge radiated a piercing cold—just looking at it made the eyes sting.
This… was a sword.
A weapon of pure killing intent, honed to lethal sharpness.
A flash of clarity struck him—
He understood what this Spirit Ring had given him.
Qingfeng Yiduan — Greenblade Severance
A sword technique centered on speed and edge.
"A thousand-year Spirit Ring… it better live up to its reputation."
Gripping the hilt, Li Zhexian's gaze sharpened.
"Qingfeng Yiduan!"
The instant the sword flashed—
The entire forest was bathed in greenish-blue light.
He slashed sideways—
A razor-sharp arc split through the air with a piercing shriek, reaching a giant tree in the blink of an eye—so fast even the afterimage barely had time to form.
SHIING—
The blade met the trunk with zero resistance.
And it didn't stop—
The slash continued, cutting clean through the massive tree.
The trunk stood for three breaths…
Then tipped over slowly, the cut surface smooth as glass, not a splinter in sight.
Li Zhexian sheathed his sword.
Not a speck of dust clung to the blade.
"Perfect."
He was thoroughly satisfied with this strike.
It made every bit of suffering worth it.
After testing the technique a few more times,
Li Zhexian looked down at himself.
His tattered white robe was soaked in blood.
"Hmm… Before I look for my second Spirit Ring, I should probably clean up a little."
Not because he needed to stay tidy in the Star Dou Great Forest—
But because reeking of blood would make him a magnet for soul beasts.
A few minutes later—
Li Zhexian found a stream on the forest outskirts.
It was a little over a meter deep, and crystal clear.
He thoroughly checked both upstream and downstream.
No danger.
"The forest is huge. Doubt I'll run into anyone. Time for a bath!"
He stripped down—
Splash!
And dove into the water.
A refreshing bath after a brutal ordeal—second only to drinking in terms of pleasure.
Meanwhile…
A few hundred meters away, deeper in the woods—
PSSHHK—
Blood sprayed across the leaves.
A two-meter-long wolf-type soul beast collapsed, a faint white Spirit Ring rising above it.
Zhu Zhuqing stood over the corpse, face calm and indifferent.
She didn't even spare it a glance. Her jet-black eyes held no emotion.
"Training's over. Time to head for Shrek Academy."
She had originally intended to leave the forest—
But noticing a few drops of blood on her pale arm,
She changed direction and headed toward a nearby stream.
Splash, splash~
Zhu Zhuqing knelt beside a large rock at the water's edge, carefully washing her arm.
Once she was done—
She stood up, and instinctively glanced upstream.
Then she saw it:
A completely naked man, floating on his back, drifting slowly down the stream.
Zhu Zhuqing: "…"
Her Martial Soul was Hell Spirit Cat, granting her excellent vision.
She saw everything.
No matter how cold and reserved she usually was, she was still a girl in her teens.
This sight—
Was simply too much.
Her icy expression turned bright red in the blink of an eye.
Flustered and furious, she gritted her teeth and shouted:
"Pervert!"
Li Zhexian was in bliss.
After such torment, this cool mountain stream was heaven—second only to wine itself.
Eyes closed, he let himself float along with the current.
Completely relaxed, he let his guard down—
He didn't even realize someone else was nearby.
Until—
"Pervert!"
His eyes flew open.
He immediately dunked his body underwater, leaving only his head visible.
Panicked, he scanned his surroundings.
"Where's the pervert?!"
He looked around—
No one.
Except for a very beautiful girl, standing at the water's edge, face flushed with a mix of rage and embarrassment, glaring straight at him.
Realization hit him.
She's calling me a pervert?
Zhu Zhuqing's dark eyes locked onto the boy in the water, her teeth clenched tight.
"W-Why aren't you wearing any clothes?!"
Li Zhexian frowned.
"Are you crazy?"
"I'm bathing. Why would I wear clothes?"
Zhu Zhuqing's face turned an even deeper red.
Whether it was from anger or embarrassment was unclear.
"You're bathing in broad daylight?!"
"What if someone else had seen you?"
Li Zhexian stood up—
Water dripping down his upper body.
Zhu Zhuqing immediately turned her head away.
Seeing her slender neck flush with color,
Li Zhexian slapped the water, sending up a graceful splash.
"'Women and petty men are the hardest to raise and please.'"
"What, is the Star Dou Great Forest your private property?"
"Before bathing, I made sure no one was upstream or down."
"I took every precaution—except for the part where a female pervert shows up."
Returning fire with fire.
Who are you calling a pervert?