The Northern Mountain Range, one of the largest mountain ranges within the Tianhun Empire, originates from the Far North Ice Field and ends at Heaven Dou City, the capital of the Tianhun Empire. It stretches for nearly two thousand kilometers and is home to numerous powerful Spirit Beasts, ranging from weak Ten-Year Spirit Beasts to mighty Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts. It is even said that the legendary 100,000-Year Soul Beast exists within it, though no one has ever seen one, or those who did have all perished.
Anyang City is located at the foot of the Northern Mountain Range, and the back mountain of Beihe Village connects to the outer reaches of the Northern Mountain Range. The three of them only took an hour and a half to enter the outer Northern Mountain Range. They arrived at a flat grassy area where many large and small caves dotted the ground, clearly indicating that a clan of Moon Shadow Rabbits lived here.
They were very lucky and immediately discovered a three-hundred-year-old Moon Shadow Rabbit.
"Dad, let's attack together," Zhu Ziyang said to Zhu Changhe.
"Alright!" Zhu Changhe agreed and immediately summoned his Spirit.
Zhu Ziyang also released his Spirit and attacked the feeding Moon Shadow Rabbit from the left. Zhu Changhe attacked from the right, his second spirit ring lighting up as his second Spirit Ability, Obscure Scythe, was instantly released, striking at the Moon Shadow Rabbit with a faint, ghostly glow.
Such violent movements naturally startled the Moon Shadow Rabbit. It leaped forward without hesitation, but failed to notice another dangerous person on its left. Zhu Ziyang keenly grasped the Moon Shadow Rabbit's trajectory, instantly releasing his first Spirit Ability. A grayish-white blade qi mercilessly struck the Moon Shadow Rabbit mid-leap, instantly severing its two hind legs.
The light yellow spirit ring behind Zhu Ziyang glowed, as if celebrating his successful strike.
The Moon Shadow Rabbit, having lost its two hind legs, instantly lost balance and fell to the ground, wailing. Its eyes revealed pain and unwillingness, and its front paws struggled, trying to escape. However, without its hind legs, it no longer had the strength to support its escape. Moreover, it felt its life ebbing away.
"Excellent!" Zhu Ziyang smiled proudly at the sight. He then retracted his Spirit and called out to Jiang Nannan, "Nannan, come quickly."
"Coming!" Jiang Nannan, who had been hiding to the side, immediately responded. Her pretty face showed a hint of fear, a touch of worry, but mostly excitement.
"Come, girl, end its life," Zhu Changhe said to Jiang Nannan, placing the now-powerless Moon Shadow Rabbit in front of her.
"Mm!" Jiang Nannan nodded, summoned her courage, took out a dagger, gritted her teeth, and plunged it into the Moon Shadow Rabbit's head.
A yellow spirit ring appeared, and Jiang Nannan sat cross-legged, beginning to absorb her first spirit ring.
For some reason, Zhu Ziyang felt a bit nervous. If Jiang Nannan failed to awaken the Moon's Bloodline after absorbing this spirit ring, then her second spirit ring could only be from another Moon Shadow Rabbit. But attaching spirit rings from the same Spirit Beast would be a waste of her spirit ring slot.
Zhu Ziyang could only pray that she would succeed on the first try!
What reassured Zhu Ziyang was that Jiang Nannan's process of absorbing the Moon Shadow Rabbit's spirit ring was very smooth. Once she successfully absorbed it, everything would become clear.
Soon, Jiang Nannan stood up, her bright eyes filled with joy and excitement.
"Nannan, how is it? What's your first Spirit Ability?" Zhu Ziyang quickly ran to the little girl's side and asked.
Zhu Changhe also looked over curiously, wanting to know about his son's confident, tradition-breaking choice. He wondered if his son was too arrogant, or if the thousands of Tender Bone Rabbit Spirit Masters were too foolish. It was truly intriguing.
"Hehe!" Jiang Nannan looked at Zhu Ziyang's curious and eager face, first smiling, then proudly declared, "My first Spirit Ability is called Moon Shadow Body. It can double my speed, double my jumping power, and increase my body's flexibility by fifty percent. When there's a moon, the effect doubles!"
The little girl couldn't help but giggle as she spoke.
"Good heavens, such a Spirit Ability came from a hundred-year spirit ring!" Zhu Changhe exclaimed, his eyes filled with shock. He was certain now; those Tender Bone Rabbit Spirit Masters were all fools. They hadn't seen as clearly as his son, a six-year-old child!
Zhu Ziyang, on the other hand, let out a complete sigh of relief and also became excited. Excellent, Jiang Nannan had lived up to expectations, directly awakening the Moon's Bloodline of the Soft Bones Rabbit. The development path he had designed for Jiang Nannan was flawless and could proceed step by step!
He was greatly invigorated!
"Alright, the mission is complete. Children, let's go back," Zhu Changhe said to Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan after properly handling the Moon Shadow Rabbit's corpse. "I'll make you spicy rabbit meat when we get back!"
The group did not linger in the Northern Mountain Range and returned to Beihe Village that same evening.
They stayed at home for one night.
After returning home, Jiang Nannan excitedly told her mother, Bai Xinyi, that she was now a one-ring Spirit Master. Bai Xinyi was naturally overjoyed, tears streaming down her face. Mother and daughter embraced and wept until Jiang Nannan realized she couldn't let her mother be too sad, so she stopped crying and comforted Bai Xinyi.
After bidding farewell to Bai Xinyi, they returned to Anyang Academy.
Upon returning to the academy, Zhu Ziyang's life reverted to a three-point-one-line routine: practicing his Spirit, occasionally attending classes, reading, and cultivating the Great Bright Art. This cycle repeated day after day. While others found such a monotonous and dull life, Zhu Ziyang himself enjoyed it immensely and found it very pleasant.
— —
One day.
Zhu Ziyang, who was cultivating in his dorm, suddenly stood up, his face expressing indescribable joy.
"Yang-ge, what's wrong?" Zhu Ziyang's movements caught the attention of Jiang Nannan, who was practicing writing. Seeing Zhu Ziyang so excited, she couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Nannan, do you know? I succeeded! I successfully researched a better meditation method!" Zhu Ziyang jumped off the bed, rushed to Jiang Nannan's side, picked her up in her astonished gaze, and then excitedly spun her around.
"Really? That's truly wonderful!" Jiang Nannan suppressed her inner shyness and congratulated him with a smile. She knew Zhu Ziyang had always harbored ambitions to optimize and perfect meditation methods, but she hadn't expected Yang-ge to be so remarkable, succeeding in such a short time.
"Mm! Nannan, do you want to try it?" Zhu Ziyang put Jiang Nannan down and then asked.
"Of course!" Jiang Nannan agreed without hesitation.
Zhu Ziyang was deeply moved. He handed the meditation method, which he had named Zhu Clan Meditation Method, to Jiang Nannan. Jiang Nannan immediately sat cross-legged and began to experience it.
Watching Jiang Nannan's decisive actions, Zhu Ziyang felt an indescribable touch.
Returning to the Zhu Clan Meditation Method, this meditation method was ultimately created by Zhu Ziyang over nearly six months, building upon the research findings of countless predecessors over thousands of years and integrating his own Great Bright Art. It possessed entirely new effects. Zhu Ziyang envisioned that its efficacy would be at least one to two times stronger than currently popular meditation methods, and it also had a function that all previous meditation methods lacked: it could indirectly strengthen the body!
Just the ability to strengthen the body alone was enough to ensure the Zhu Clan Meditation Method would be passed down through the ages.
Zhu Ziyang decided that once Jiang Nannan finished experiencing it, if the effects met his expectations, he would teach it to his parents, making the Zhu Clan Meditation Method truly a family heirloom of their Zhu family.
If the Great Bright Art could be taught to others, Zhu Ziyang would certainly pass it down as well. Fortunately, the Xiao Guangming Breathing Method could be taught, which could also be considered a form of inheritance. There would always be someone among his descendants who would be recognized.
Cough, cough, it's too early to talk about these things now.
Jiang Nannan circulated it once, then immediately opened her eyes, which were filled with shock and joy. She looked at Zhu Ziyang, her voice laced with delight, and said, "Yang-ge, you're amazing! My spirit power circulation speed has doubled!"
Excellent, it met expectations!
Zhu Ziyang immediately knew he had succeeded. Facing Jiang Nannan's praise, he laughed heartily and said, "Hahahaha, that's natural. Nannan, you absolutely must not tell outsiders about this meditation method. This will be my Zhu family's ancestral meditation method!"
Hearing Zhu Ziyang's words, Jiang Nannan's face turned red, much to her chagrin.