In the depths of the Spirit Beast forest, the atmosphere was tense and chaotic.
The roars of beasts echoed endlessly through the towering trees.
Leaves trembled violently as powerful shockwaves rippled through the forest.
At the center of the battlefield, two Spirit Masters stood side by side, desperately resisting the frenzied siege of numerous Spirit Beasts.
Behind them, a young girl sat cross-legged on the ground, her eyes closed as she concentrated on absorbing a spirit ring.
The faint glow of spirit power surrounded her body.
Clearly, she was in the most critical stage of the absorption process.
Any interruption could cause the absorption to fail—or worse, result in severe backlash.
Therefore, the two Spirit Masters guarding her could not allow even a single Spirit Beast to get close.
"Old Dragon, are you still holding up?"
One of the men laughed loudly while unleashing another powerful spirit skill.
"With so many ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts surrounding us, don't go and die by accident!"
"Hmph."
The other man snorted coldly.
"You should worry about yourself instead!"
"Hahaha! I specialize in defense. It's not that easy to kill me."
As the two men spoke, circle after circle of spirit rings revolved around their bodies.
Each possessed nine spirit rings.
These were not ordinary Spirit Masters.
They were Titled Douluos—the peak of power in the Douluo Continent.
The two of them fought fiercely, unleashing terrifying spirit abilities while keeping the encroaching Spirit Beasts at bay.
Their attacks caused trees to shatter and the ground to crack.
For a moment, the entire forest trembled under the pressure of their battle.
Not far away, Yu Xiaogang watched everything with wide eyes.
Although he had long known that his father, Yu Yuanzhen, was a Titled Douluo, this was the first time he had ever personally witnessed the battle of such powerful individuals.
The speed of their movements was almost impossible for him to follow.
Spirit power surged like raging storms.
Yu Xiaogang could only vaguely see flashes of light and shadow colliding in midair.
For a moment, he unconsciously held his breath.
Nearby, Yu Yuanzhen observed the Spirit Beasts surrounding the battlefield and could not help but inhale sharply.
"That one… is a Nether Wolf with around fifty thousand years of cultivation."
"And that one… a Death Demonic Beast around sixty thousand years."
His eyes widened slightly as he continued observing.
"There's even an eighty-thousand-year Crimson Scale Snake… and a ninety-thousand-year Golden Crystal Tiger."
"My goodness…"
"This scale of attack rivals a small beast tide."
Yu Yuanzhen shook his head in disbelief.
"How did they manage to provoke so many high-level Spirit Beasts?"
Normally, Spirit Beasts of such strength rarely appeared together.
Most of them possessed strong territorial instincts.
Yet now, several powerful Spirit Beasts had gathered in one place to besiege two Titled Douluos.
The situation was extremely unusual.
But after glancing toward the girl sitting cross-legged behind them, Yu Yuanzhen quickly understood.
The two Titled Douluos were protecting her.
As long as the spirit ring absorption process was ongoing, they could not retreat.
Otherwise, they would likely have already escaped with their strength.
Yu Yuanzhen made his decision immediately.
"Xiaogang."
"Go to that girl's side."
"We're going to help them."
Before Yu Xiaogang could respond, Yu Yuanzhen grabbed his shoulder and leapt forward.
With a powerful burst of spirit power, the two of them descended directly into the battlefield.
"Who's there?!"
The sudden arrival of a new presence startled the two fighting Titled Douluos.
Both instinctively prepared to attack.
However, when they clearly saw the newcomer, the expression of one of them—nicknamed Old Dragon—instantly changed.
A huge smile appeared on his face.
"Hahaha!"
"It's you, old dragon!"
Yu Yuanzhen laughed loudly in response.
"Both of our spirits are dragons."
"So which old dragon are you referring to?"
As he spoke, Yu Yuanzhen tossed Yu Xiaogang toward the area behind them—right beside the girl who was absorbing the spirit ring.
Then he immediately joined the battle.
Originally, the two Titled Douluos had been fighting under enormous pressure.
One specialized in attack.
The other specialized in defense.
Their cooperation allowed them to barely hold back the overwhelming Spirit Beast siege.
But the situation had still been extremely dangerous.
Now—
With Yu Yuanzhen joining the battle, the balance shifted immediately.
The formation changed to two attackers and one defender.
And one of those attackers was none other than Yu Yuanzhen, the Sect Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
His martial spirit—the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon—was recognized as the number one beast spirit in the world.
The moment he entered the battle, lightning exploded across the battlefield.
A massive dragon roar echoed through the forest.
The surrounding Spirit Beasts were forced to retreat under the overwhelming pressure.
The previously disadvantaged situation instantly transformed into an advantage.
Between attacks, the three Titled Douluos even had time to exchange jokes with each other.
Their cooperation gradually pushed the Spirit Beasts back.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang landed beside the girl.
Curious, he glanced at her.
Her appearance immediately caught his attention.
Her skin was fair and delicate.
Although she was still young, her facial features were already exceptionally beautiful.
Her jet-black hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall.
Occasionally, her slender eyebrows twitched slightly.
Perhaps the noise of battle was disturbing her.
Or perhaps the spirit power circulating within her body was causing discomfort.
With only a single glance, the girl left a deep impression in Yu Xiaogang's heart.
Still, he quickly shifted his attention back to the battlefield.
At this moment in his life, nothing was more important to him than cultivation and strength.
Watching the battle of three Titled Douluos was a rare opportunity.
Even if he could not fully understand their techniques, simply observing the spectacle was already valuable.
Of course—
From his perspective, it was mostly just watching dazzling special effects.
Their speed was far beyond what he could clearly follow.
However, accidents often arrived when one least expected them.
Just as Yu Xiaogang was concentrating on the battle—
Suddenly, a rapid series of footsteps sounded from behind him.
Rustle!
Yu Xiaogang reacted immediately.
He turned around sharply and drew the sword he carried with him.
His eyes locked onto the forest behind him.
A moment later—
A small figure burst through the bushes.
It was a Wind Baboon.
The creature stood about one meter tall.
Its body was covered in rough brown-yellow fur.
Its arms were unusually long, and its claws were sharp enough to tear through flesh.
The baboon leapt forward aggressively.
Yu Xiaogang narrowed his eyes.
"A Wind Baboon…"
With just one glance, he quickly estimated its age.
"Just over ten years old."
He exhaled in relief.
Fortunately, it wasn't a hundred-year or thousand-year Spirit Beast.
Otherwise, the situation would have been far more dangerous.
Gripping the sword tightly, Yu Xiaogang steadied his breathing.
When the Wind Baboon lunged forward—
He swung his blade upward in a swift slash.
Clang!
The strike interrupted the creature's momentum.
The Wind Baboon landed awkwardly and roared angrily.
It immediately charged again.
Its long arms swung wildly as its claws slashed toward Yu Xiaogang's body.
However, Yu Xiaogang was no longer the weak youth he once was.
Thanks to the strengthening effects of Whale Glue, his physical strength had improved tremendously.
In terms of raw physical ability, he was now comparable to a Spirit Master above level twenty.
He sidestepped smoothly.
The Wind Baboon's claws sliced through empty air.
At the same moment, Yu Xiaogang swung his sword again.
Slash!
A deep wound appeared across the creature's abdomen.
Blood splattered across the ground.
The Wind Baboon shrieked in pain.
Instinctively, it realized that the human before it was not an easy opponent.
Its eyes shifted toward the girl sitting on the ground.
She remained completely defenseless.
Immediately, the cunning creature changed its target.
It dashed toward her.
Yu Xiaogang snorted coldly.
"Hmph."
"Cunning beast."
Without hesitation, he rushed forward.
Although he had never met the girl before, his father had already decided to help protect her.
That was reason enough.
Relying on his powerful physique, Yu Xiaogang sprinted forward with explosive speed.
Even though he started later than the Wind Baboon—
He still arrived in front of the girl first.
Immediately, he circulated his spirit power.
The energy flowed into his arm.
He raised his sword.
Then—
Swish!
A brilliant flash of sword light cut through the air.
The blade slashed across the Wind Baboon's body with tremendous force.
The creature was instantly split in half at the waist.
Its two halves fell apart as blood sprayed into the air.
Several droplets splattered across Yu Xiaogang's face.
The crimson stains contrasted sharply with his youthful features, giving him an unexpectedly cold and ruthless appearance.
At that exact moment—
The girl finally opened her eyes.
The spirit ring absorption had been completed.
Her name was Bibi Dong.
The first thing she saw was the back of a young man standing protectively in front of her.
His sword was still raised.
The body of the Wind Baboon fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Thump.
The sound echoed clearly through the quiet space.
And at the same time—
A similar sound echoed within Bibi Dong's heart.
Her heartbeat.
For some reason, that single moment left an unforgettable impression.
The image of the young man's back standing before her.
The flash of the sword.
The falling body of the beast.
All of it was deeply engraved in her memory.
And that heartbeat—
Refused to fade for a very long time.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)