55: Chapter 55 Under the Fire Dragon Lizard

After letting the two Spirit Beasts watch the cave entrance, Bai Qi turned and returned to the cave.

The inside of the cave had completely quieted down, with only the sound of bubbles bursting in the lava lake and Liu Erlong's steady breathing.

The integration of the spirit ring was a slow process. The black halo slowly descended from above her head; for every inch it dropped, a trace of Soul Power seeped from the spirit ring and entered Liu Erlong's body.

Her eyes were closed, her brows slightly furrowed, and fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.

Bai Qi stood to the side looking at the dead Earth Core Fire Dragon Lizard, somewhat speechlessly covering his eyes and rubbing them. If he had known that the Dragon God Seal's appearance could make any Spirit Beast with dragon lineage submit directly, why would he have gone to all that trouble?

After rubbing his eyes, Bai Qi sat not far from Liu Erlong, took out a new tea set, brewed some tea for himself, and occasionally glanced toward the cave entrance.

Fortunately, after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, there was no movement outside the cave except for the two Spirit Beasts Bai Qi had set to guard the entrance.

Liu Erlong's absorption had entered a critical stage.

Her face was somewhat pale, her lips were tightly pursed, and the fingers resting on her legs were trembling slightly.

Bai Qi knew that absorbing this ten-thousand-year spirit ring was a massive test for both the body and the mind.

Although Liu Erlong had already absorbed an Immortal Herbs, the backlash from this ten-thousand-year spirit ring still couldn't be underestimated; after all, the age of this spirit ring already exceeded that of the eighth spirit ring absorbed by most Spirit Douluos.

Bai Qi just sat quietly to the side drinking tea, because he knew that her absorbing this spirit ring was only a matter of time.

After another half an incense stick's time, the black spirit ring finally merged into her body.

Liu Erlong opened her eyes and let out a long breath of turbid air. Her breathing was still a bit hurried, but the light in her eyes was brighter than before.

Eight spirit rings rose from beneath her feet—two yellow, two purple, and four black—slowly rotating in the dark red light of the cave. An eight-ring Spirit Douluo.

Liu Erlong clenched her fists, feeling the surging Soul Power within her body, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.

She stood up, stretched her limbs, and looked at Bai Qi in front of her.

"It's done."

There was a trace of hard-to-detect excitement in her voice. She knew she would reach the level of a Spirit Douluo sooner or later, but Bai Qi's appearance had helped her reach it at least a year early.

Bai Qi nodded and said with a smile.

"Congratulations, Teacher Erlong. What is your eighth Spirit Ability?"

Hearing this, Liu Erlong closed her eyes to feel it for a moment and said.

"Earth Fire Red Dragon Flame. The specific effects will have to wait until actual combat to be fully understood."

Bai Qi nodded. The power and usage of a Spirit Ability indeed needed to be slowly explored through battle.

Liu Erlong retracted her Spirit, glanced at the corpse of the Earth Core Fire Dragon Lizard on the ground, then looked at Bai Qi and said.

"Let's go, it's time to head out."

Bai Qi responded, and the two walked out along the crevice they had come through.

As for those two Earth Core Fire Dragon Lizards, after not hearing any movement inside for a long time, they slowly crawled in. Finding no one but the corpse, they crawled over, dragged the corpse to a corner, and moved into the cave themselves.

They exited the cave. After staying underground for most of the day, it was already dawn when they came out. Stepping out of the high-temperature zone and breathing the air filled with the scent of vegetation, they felt much lighter.

Liu Erlong stretched and took a deep breath, her pace much lighter than when they arrived.

Bai Qi followed behind her, and the two walked back along the path they had come.

Before they had gone far, they suddenly heard a noisy sound ahead. There were human voices and the roars of Spirit Beasts.

In Bai Qi's perception, there were five people ahead—an elder and some young people facing a Spirit Beast. He said.

"Someone is fighting up ahead."

Liu Erlong heard it too and frowned.

"Should we go around?"

Bai Qi thought for a moment and shook his head.

"Let's go take a look. In case they've run into trouble, we'll help if we can."

Liu Erlong didn't object. The two quickened their pace and walked toward the direction of the sound.

Passing through a dense forest, in the clearing ahead, several people were struggling in a fight against a massive Iron-back Bear.

The Iron-back Bear's defense was extremely strong, almost invulnerable; the attacks from those people only left shallow white marks on its body.

One elderly man caught Bai Qi's attention. He wore a grey long robe, had white hair, and the spirit rings on his body glowed with two yellow and three purple—he was a Spirit King.

The other young people's cultivation was even weaker, with the highest only being just over level forty.

The Iron-back Bear's cultivation was around fifteen thousand years, more than a level stronger than them.

If it weren't for the Iron-back Bear's slow speed, these people would have been unable to hold on long ago.

Bai Qi didn't hesitate. After saying a word to Liu Erlong, he walked straight out.

"Do you need help?"

The old man turned and saw Bai Qi. He was stunned for a moment, then his gaze fell on the five spirit rings on Bai Qi's body—one yellow, two purple, two black.

The old man's pupils shrank suddenly, and even his voice changed.

"This young friend, you..."

Bai Qi didn't wait for him to speak. His fifth spirit ring lit up: Spacetime Dragon Shadow Assault.

Then Bai Qi's figure vanished from the spot and appeared directly behind the Iron-back Bear, striking down with a punch.

After being hit, the Iron-back Bear's body suddenly stiffened, and then it crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The young people watched, dumbfounded.

As for that Spirit Beast, after it scrambled up, it knew it couldn't afford to provoke Bai Qi and ran away dejectedly.

"Thank you, young friend, for your assistance."

The old man came back to his senses, walked quickly to Bai Qi, and bowed deeply with hands clasped.

Bai Qi waved his hand and asked casually.

"How did you get into trouble with this Iron-back Bear?"

The old man sighed and said.

"We originally came to gather herbs. I don't know what happened with that Spirit Beast, but it suddenly lunged out and chased us. Thanks to you, young friend, otherwise we might have been in grave danger today."

Bai Qi nodded and didn't ask more, continuing forward with Liu Erlong.

Behind them, the old man and the young people remained in place, looking at his back and whispering about something.

Liu Erlong walked beside him with a smile on her face and said.

"That strike of yours really gave them a scare."

Bai Qi smiled and didn't respond.

The two quickened their pace and stepped out of the Sunset Forest's range before dark.

A road appeared ahead, with a few simple inns on both sides.

Bai Qi glanced at the sky. The sun had already set, leaving only the last trace of twilight on the horizon.

"Teacher Erlong, let's stay here for the night and continue our journey tomorrow."

Liu Erlong nodded.

The two walked toward an inn.

The inn wasn't large, with only a manager and a waiter.

The manager was a fat old man in his fifties. Seeing the two enter, he hurriedly rubbed his hands and came forward to greet them.

"Two guests, are you here for a meal or to stay the night?"

Bai Qi took out several gold coins from his storage ring and placed them on the counter.

"Two rooms, and prepare a table of food."

The manager's eyes lit up when he saw the gold coins. He quickly took them and said attentively.

"Alright! Please wait a moment, guests, I'll go prepare right away."

Bai Qi and Liu Erlong sat down at a window seat.

Before long, the dishes were served. Four dishes and a soup—it was quite substantial.

Liu Erlong ate a few bites, looked at Bai Qi, and asked.

"Xiao Qi, what are your plans for the future?"

Bai Qi took a bite of food, thought for a moment, and said.

"Stay at Lanba Academy for now. Then participate in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament and win the championship. After that... we'll see."

Liu Erlong heard this, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and she didn't ask further.

After finishing the meal, the two returned to their respective rooms.

Bai Qi lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about his next plans.

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling are coming to Lanba Academy, and Xiao Wu and the others still need to be brought over from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

As he thought, he slowly closed his eyes.