Chapter 56 : Thick Armored Earth Dragon
3 days had already passed since Lin Mo and Ye Lingling entered the Soul Hunting Forest.
They had not ventured too deep into the core area. Instead, they remained within the range that Charmander could handle while searching for the Spirit Beast Lin Mo needed.
During the day, they followed streams and obvious tracks. At dusk, they found a safe place to rest. At night, they took turns keeping watch.
Charmander also needed rest, but it was the only one among them with real combat power, so the two humans had no other choice.
They could only let Charmander remain in a light sleep, ready to wake at any moment.
The forest suited Charmander perfectly. Returning here felt almost like coming home.
Its senses, far sharper than those of ordinary Spirit Beasts, helped the group avoid many hidden dangers.
It was no exaggeration to say that it was completely in its element here.
Ye Lingling had now seen Charmander's true strength with her own eyes, and it was far beyond the impression she had formed at the Medical Hall.
She had never imagined that this gluttonous, slightly silly looking Charmander could become so fierce the moment battle began.
An ordinary 100 year Spirit Beast was hardly worth its effort. Many could not even withstand a single Flame Strike.
More often than not, Charmander did not even need to use a Spirit Ability. A blast of its instinctive high temperature flames was enough to frighten ordinary Spirit Beasts into retreat.
Even so, Lin Mo never let Charmander kill recklessly.
In the past few days, they had only killed a single mountain boar that had just entered the 100 year level because it had attacked them first. They used it as food for the next few days.
As for the other Spirit Beasts they encountered, as long as they did not attack first, they were only driven away, not killed.
After all, the Soul Hunting Forest was a managed preserve, a place specifically set aside for Spirit Masters to obtain Spirit Rings.
Entering required a token issued by Spirit Hall, and wanton slaughter was strictly forbidden.
The reasoning was simple. You could not drain the pond just to catch every fish.
Spirit Beasts grew far more slowly than Spirit Masters.
If everyone killed without restraint, then later generations would find no high rank Spirit Rings left to obtain.
Besides, they themselves were the intruders here. If too much blood was spilled, it would only bring unnecessary trouble.
Thanks to Ye Lingling's storage Spirit tool, that bulky mountain boar did not go to waste.
As a fire attribute Spirit Master, controlling flames was second nature to Lin Mo. Even though it was his first time roasting meat, with only a few simple seasonings, the result still tasted excellent.
Even Ye Lingling, who usually had little interest in food, ate more than usual.
The remaining boar meat was stored back inside her storage Spirit tool.
At their current rate of consumption, the stored pork would only last another day or 2 at most.
Charmander's appetite was enormous, and in the Soul Hunting Forest it had to stay alert at all times. That constant vigilance consumed Spirit Power and made its appetite grow even more.
Lin Mo himself could eat just as much as Charmander. His unusual physique required a great deal of energy.
On the morning of the 4th day, sunlight filtered through the dense canopy and fell in scattered patches over an open clearing.
Hidden in the nearby brush, Lin Mo, Ye Lingling, and Charmander had already been waiting for quite a while.
All 3 of them were carefully suppressing their auras so they would not alert the Spirit Beast grazing ahead.
Following Lin Mo's gaze, Ye Lingling saw the creature currently chewing on some plant roots.
It was not especially large, but its limbs were thick and powerful, and its body was covered in heavy ochre scales that gleamed like stone under the sunlight.
Its tail was short but sturdy, and every casual sweep of it kicked up a cloud of dust.
"That's a Thick Armored Earth Dragon, a defensive land Dragon. Its temperament is fairly gentle, and it mainly feeds on plants."
Lin Mo lowered his voice until his lips were nearly brushing Ye Lingling's ear, afraid that even the slightest disturbance would alert the Spirit Beast that was still feeding in the clearing.
Ye Lingling felt the warm breath by her ear, and her ear twitched slightly, but she did not move away.
Instead, she also lowered her voice and asked, "Does it meet your requirements?"
Lin Mo narrowed his eyes, carefully sizing up the Spirit Beast while rapidly making calculations in his mind.
A moment later, he nodded and replied in the same low voice, "Judging by its size and the thickness of its scales, it should be around 600 years old."
"That's a bit lower than the theoretical upper limit of more than 700 years for a Spirit Grandmaster's 2nd Spirit Ring, but it still counts as an acceptable choice."
After traveling together for 3 days, and after spending half a year working side by side at the Medical Hall, Ye Lingling had thought she already understood Lin Mo fairly well.
But this trip kept showing her things she had not expected.
Besides his surprisingly decent skill at roasting meat, what impressed her most was his astonishing knowledge of Spirit Beasts.
No matter what kind of Spirit Beast they encountered, he could identify it at a glance.
He could clearly explain its habits, attack patterns, and approximate abilities.
He could even estimate its age with only a small margin of error.
For someone his age, that amount of knowledge was simply unbelievable.
As for Lin Mo's own explanation, it was simple enough.
Over the years, he had read through the libraries of both the elementary and intermediate academies, especially anything related to Spirit Beasts, which he had studied with extreme care because it was directly tied to the choice of his future Spirit Rings.
These 3 days had already proven that point.
Ye Lingling had also noticed that when Lin Mo spoke about dragon related Spirit Beasts, his understanding was especially detailed and precise.
These 3 days and nights of traveling together had quietly shortened the distance between them.
Compared to before, Ye Lingling had begun taking the initiative to speak more often when they were alone.
Although her words were still brief, she was no longer completely shut away in her own world.
Just then, the situation in the clearing changed without warning.
A blood red figure suddenly burst out from the forest like a phantom, carrying a strong scent of blood. It moved so fast that only an afterimage remained as it shot straight toward the Thick Armored Earth Dragon that was still feeding.
.....
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