"Option Two: The Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger carries the direct bloodline of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Scarlet Flame Roaring Tiger Emperor. Back then, Xiao Wu's mother was hunted precisely because the Hundred-Thousand-Year Scarlet Flame Roaring Tiger Emperor invaded the Star Dou Great Forest, forcing the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape to join forces to drive it away.
If you absorb this spirit ring, you will encounter the Hundred-Thousand-Year Scarlet Flame Roaring Tiger Emperor in the future."
Reward: Amplification Item — Holy Grail
"Option Three: A 3,000-year spirit ring far exceeds the theoretical upper limit of a third spirit ring, which is just over 1,000 years. The risk is extremely high. For safety, choose a Spirit Beast within the theoretical third-ring limit of 1,760 years."
Reward: One level of spirit power.
---
Amplification item… Holy Grail?
Yin Zhang froze for a moment.
Wasn't this defensive equipment from a certain MOBA game?
If he remembered correctly, its effect was massively increasing survivability and rapidly restoring energy after combat.
He immediately opened the item's details.
[Holy Grail]
An equipment-type item originating from the Canyon Continent that has undergone miraculous transformation. After being equipped, it greatly increases the user's spirit power reserves and rapidly restores spirit power after exiting combat.
Yin Zhang was stunned.
This was basically a portable spirit power fountain!
With this item, he would never have to worry about running out of spirit power in future battles against other Spirit Masters.
So many spirit abilities—he could use them however he wanted!
Even fighting above his level wouldn't be a problem.
After absorbing the spirit ring of a 3,000-year Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger, so what if he was only a Spirit Elder?
Even Spirit Ancestors or Spirit Kings would be nothing!
The more he thought about it, the hotter his blood burned.
System, I choose Option Two! Holy Grail!
[Congratulations to the host for making a successful selection. The reward "Holy Grail" has been stored in the warehouse. The host may check it through the personal attributes panel.]
---
Host: Yin Zhang
Age: 10
Spirit: Charizard
Spirit Power: 31
Spirit Rings: Yellow, Purple
Spirit Abilities: Dragon Claw, Double Team, Azure Flame Shield, Flamethrower, Fire Dragon Evasion Kill, Dragon Tail
Spirit Bone: None
Items: Charcoal (Amplification)
Warehouse: Spirit Ring Age Enhancement Card (500 years), Spirit Bone Age Enhancement Card (500 years), Holy Grail (Equipment)
---
After the selection was completed and the reward stored away, Yin Zhang followed Qiangu Yuan toward the direction of the thunderous roars.
He was genuinely surprised.
He hadn't expected this Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger to possess the direct bloodline of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Scarlet Flame Roaring Tiger Emperor.
So that was the missing piece.
The true reason—never mentioned in the original story—behind Xiao Wu's mother's death, and why the Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape had not been at the Lake of Life.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast invading the Star Dou Great Forest was indeed an event big enough to force those two to act together.
It was just unclear which forest that Scarlet Flame Roaring Tiger Emperor was hiding in now.
"I'll go first and beat it until it's nearly dead," Qiangu Yuan said seriously. "Then you step in and absorb the spirit ring. A 3,000-year Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger is far too dangerous for a level-30 Spirit Grandmaster who hasn't absorbed a third ring yet."
As he spoke, Qiangu Yuan summoned his spirit—the Coiling Dragon Rod.
Seven spirit rings lit up around him: two yellow, two purple, and three black.
Without giving the Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger any time to react, Qiangu Yuan charged forward, rod in hand.
As a Spirit Saint, his speed was terrifying. He wasted no words.
Before the Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger could even respond, Qiangu Yuan was already upon it.
"ROAR——!"
A deafening roar exploded through the forest, forcing Yin Zhang—standing over ten meters away—to instinctively cover his ears.
"As expected of a Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger. Even from this distance, that roar is terrifying… Uncle Qian Gu isn't having an easy time either."
Bang!
Qiangu Yuan felt his ears vibrate violently and immediately sealed his sense of hearing.
He smashed the beast away with a powerful strike of his rod. Before it could rise again, he shouted:
"Third Spirit Ability — Dragon Trapped Ascending to Heaven!"
Qiangu Yuan leaped high into the air, gripping the Coiling Dragon Rod tightly.
A golden dragon burst forth from the rod, lifelike and majestic.
Coiling around the weapon, it was hurled downward with tremendous force.
"ROAR——!"
The dragon's roar echoed through the forest. Though not as loud as the tiger's, its overwhelming pressure surpassed the Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger by far.
The beast, which had merely been patrolling its territory moments ago, was ambushed without warning.
Rage and confusion surged within it—but that did nothing to stop its life force from rapidly draining away.
Seeing the Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger collapse into a massive pool of blood, Yin Zhang immediately flew over.
Landing on its back, he raised his sharp Dragon Claw and stabbed down without hesitation.
To ensure a clean, painless kill, he directly activated the spirit ability.
The dragon-type spirit power condensed around his claw, slicing effortlessly through flesh, tendons, and bone.
The enormous tiger's head was left hanging by nothing more than a thin layer of skin.
A deep purple spirit ring slowly formed and rose above the corpse.
The tiger's massive eyes widened to their absolute limit, filled with unwillingness.
Yin Zhang walked forward calmly, glanced at those eyes, and smiled faintly.
Then he retracted his spirit, sat cross-legged, and began absorbing the spirit ring.
Just like when he absorbed his first ring in the Soul Hunting Forest, the process consisted of four steps:
Breaking the ring.
Fighting the ring.
Transforming the ring.
Absorbing the ring.
The first two steps passed smoothly, and the latter two proceeded steadily.
Time slipped by.
Nearby, Qiangu Yuan carved off a thick chunk of thigh meat from the Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger, roasted it, and ate leisurely while watching Yin Zhang absorb the ring.
"Hiss—"
Biting into the peppery meat, Qiangu Yuan tore off a piece and swallowed it.
As he chewed, his gaze lingered on Yin Zhang, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
If that tomboy of mine were even half as capable as this kid, I'd have no regrets in this life…
When Qiangu Yuan was young, his entire focus had been on cultivation.
It wasn't until he reached the Spirit Emperor level and began aging that Jiang Mo and Qian Jun finally panicked, realizing he had no intention of marrying or having children.
They personally arranged a marriage for him within Spirit Hall, choosing someone with good character and decent aptitude.
Only then did Qiangu Yuan finally have a son and a daughter.
His eldest son had already cultivated to the Spirit Ancestor Realm and had been sent to a major city in the Star Luo Empire to serve as a deacon. After a few more years, he would return to Spirit City and rise quickly through the ranks.
His youngest daughter, however, was only a few years older than Yin Zhang. She was currently in the Elite Class of Spirit Hall Academy, serving as a powerful assault-type member of the seven-person team Spirit Hall planned to send to the finals next year.
Her appearance, figure, aptitude, and background were all top-tier—even within the Elite Class.
But her personality was a complete disaster.
A full-blown tomboy.
Every genius in the team had been turned into nothing more than a "brother" in her eyes.
That alone gave Qiangu Yuan endless headaches.