As dusk gradually blanketed the forest, Du Feng's strength slowly returned during his rest. By the time he had fully recovered, the Thousand-Pound Ants had begun their nightly activity.
Before long, the group spotted one of them. Unfortunately, it was far too young—its cultivation was only a few decades old.
Jiang Mu spoke with calm confidence.
"Now that we've found the Thousand-Pound Ants, their nest should be somewhere nearby. Let's pick up the pace and search for it directly. Judging from the strength of ant colonies in the outer forest, the strongest one here is likely no more than a thousand years old. Du Tu can capture one that fits the age requirement, and Feng'er can kill it and absorb the spirit ring."
The three of them immediately quickened their pace. Not long after encountering the first ant, they soon located the nest.
It lay hidden beneath the massive roots of a decaying ancient tree, like a concealed underground kingdom. Lines of Thousand-Pound Ants marched in and out of the entrance, carrying the carcasses of soul beasts and fragments of plants in their mandibles.
The moment Du Tu saw the colony, he released the aura of a Soul Emperor.
In an instant, every Thousand-Pound Ant present trembled violently. Overwhelmed by the terrifying pressure, none of them dared move. Their legs went limp as they collapsed helplessly onto the ground.
Without even summoning his Martial Soul, Du Tu leapt forward. In a flash, he appeared beside a Thousand-Pound Ant whose age seemed most suitable and struck it with a single palm.
The ant instantly went limp and collapsed.
Du Tu then leapt back, carrying the ant with him. Surprisingly, the rest of the colony remained completely silent—none of the chaos one might expect erupted.
He tossed the unconscious ant onto the ground a short distance from Du Feng.
"Feng'er," Du Tu said calmly, "you can kill it now and absorb its spirit ring. Your mother and I will guard you."
As he spoke, he handed Du Feng a sharp dagger.
After hearing his father's words, Du Feng stepped forward. Taking the dagger firmly in his hand, he drove it straight into the Thousand-Pound Ant's head.
The creature sensed its life rapidly fading and began to struggle violently. Unfortunately for it, Du Tu's palm strike had already shattered its muscles. Its struggle was meaningless—it could only wait helplessly for death.
Soon, a faint yellow light began to gather above the corpse of the Thousand-Pound Ant.
Gradually, the light condensed into a yellow spirit ring.
Even without touching it, Du Feng could clearly sense the tremendous energy contained within.
He couldn't help but marvel at the power of a hundred-year spirit ring. If the energy inside a mere century-old ring was already so intense, how terrifying must the power of thousand-year or ten-thousand-year spirit rings be? With his current body, that level of energy would probably tear him apart instantly.
Taking a deep breath, Du Feng summoned his Martial Soul—the Purple Crystal Violent Bear—and guided the hundred-year Thousand-Pound Ant spirit ring toward himself.
Then he sat down cross-legged and began absorbing the energy contained within the ring.
As his consciousness sank inward, Du Feng felt as though he had entered a strange world colored in shades of yellowish brown. In this world, he himself had transformed into a purple crystal bear.
Standing alone in the vast earthen landscape, Du Feng was still bewildered when clusters of yellow-brown light began appearing across the ground, surging toward him and flowing into his body.
As more and more of the light entered him, Du Feng felt his body growing heavier. His muscles seemed to tear apart before rapidly rebuilding themselves, becoming stronger each time.
Pain spread through his entire body, causing him to groan softly.
Seeing this, Du Tu and Jiang Mu, who were standing nearby, immediately grew tense. They watched him closely, worried that something might go wrong during the absorption process.
Gradually, Du Feng adapted to the pain.
Then suddenly, he felt as though invisible shackles within his body had been shattered. A wave of lightness spread through him, replacing the previous heaviness.
The sensation was indescribably wonderful, and Du Feng let out a comfortable sigh.
Seeing his expression change from pain to pleasure, Du Tu and Jiang Mu immediately understood that the absorption process was proceeding smoothly. The tension in their hearts finally eased.
Half an hour later, Du Feng had completely absorbed the power of the spirit ring and slowly emerged from that blissful state.
He realized that he had successfully completed the process of absorbing the spirit ring.
From this moment on, he had transformed from a mere Spirit Warrior into a true Spirit Master.
Du Feng opened his eyes and examined his body, quickly noticing the changes.
His physique had become far more robust, and the clothes that once fit him perfectly were now slightly too small.
More importantly, he could feel power surging through every part of his body. The enhancement brought by the hundred-year spirit ring had caused a dramatic transformation in his physical abilities.
For the first time, Du Feng truly felt what it meant to possess strength.