As Max and Arlecchino landed on the island shrouded in a high density of space energies, they began to examine the terrain. The island was massive — around 100 kilometers in diameter — and shaped like a round, bluish dome suspended over the sea.
"Most low-end beasts live on the outer area," Arlecchino said as Max nodded. They stayed mostly near the outer ring of the island, and during their exploration, they encountered many mid-tier and high-tier space-aligned spirit beasts. Some looked like crystalline crabs, others resembled sharks that swam through solid ground. But eventually, after several hours of exploration, they found what they were looking for — a Draconic Cobra, over 7,000 years old.
"Just immobilize him, and then I'll kill him and absorb the ring," Max said. Arlecchino gave a simple nod, her eyes locked onto the beast.
Without hesitation, she released the full pressure of a Level 99 Ultimate Douluo. The air rippled, and the one-horned Draconic Cobra—a mighty creature of over 7,000 years—froze in place. Its slit-like eyes widened as the immense spiritual suppression crashed down upon it. The beast trembled, unable to move, and within seconds, it collapsed into a semi-conscious state, overwhelmed by her aura alone.
Max stepped forward calmly, his right arm flashing as a long blade extended from it — the manifestation of his external Spirit Bone. Without a word, he drove the blade through the Cobra's eye with surgical precision.
The creature jerked violently, but it was already too late. A low hiss escaped its throat before it finally went still. From its body rose a pure, radiant purple Spirit Ring, shimmering with spatial distortions.
Max sat cross-legged beside it, eyes closed, and began the process of absorbing the ring as Arlecchino stood watch, silent and deadly as ever. The aura of the Draconic Cobra coiled around him like a vortex, resisting his will at first — but Max's spiritual pressure, bolstered by the Abyss Vortex and the resilience of the Leviathan's spirit bone, soon overpowered it.
The ring sank into his body.
Boom!
A sharp pulse erupted from his chest as spatial runes flickered across his arms and face. The air around him distorted wildly for a moment, flickering like shattered glass before settling.
Max opened his eyes and stood up.
"What skill did you get?" Arlecchino asked him.
Max raised his hand, and the spirit ring shimmered around him. A phantom image of the One-Horned Draconic Cobra appeared and suddenly lunged forward to attack the tree in front of them — but midway through, it distorted like it had stepped through a tear in space and reappeared directly in front of the tree, obliterating it from existence.
"It's called Void Strike — a long-range space-type skill," Max explained. "It releases a phantom of the One-Horned Cobra, and midway through its charge, it jumps through space and reappears at the target."
Arlecchino nodded with a faint smile. "Efficient. Now let's go see your next Spirit Ring."
She turned and began walking toward the lake, where space energy shimmered faintly over the surface like distorted glass.
Suddenly, the System's voice echoed in Max's mind:
[Host, with your enhanced bodyand latent spiritual foundation, you can safely absorb a 21,000-year Spirit Ring.]
[Note: While your soul and energy can endure Spirit Rings up to 500,000 years, your current physical body is the limiting factor.]
Max nodded slowly, absorbing the information. He didn't need to force it. His spirit power could handle absurd levels, but his body still needed to catch up — and that would happen, one Spirit Bone at a time.
"Let's find a beast worthy of that number," he said, eyes scanning the mist ahead as the two moved deeper into the distortion-riddled region of the island.
As they moved deeper into the unusually dense energy region of the island, the landscape subtly changed. The air felt heavier, more charged, and small traces of spatial energy tingled across their skin. The trees grew wider apart, and some twisted oddly, but not unnaturally — as if shaped slowly over time by the invisible influence of concentrated space-element energy.
It was in this zone that they finally found their next target.
The ground rumbled softly, and an ancient pressure settled over the area — not overwhelming like a 100,000-year beast, but undeniably strong. From behind a ridge of moss-covered rocks, a massive creature stepped forward.
A Crystal-Back Bear.
Standing nearly four meters tall, its body was layered in prismatic crystalline armor that reflected the light with golden glints. Thin veins of metallic gold coursed through its limbs, glowing faintly as it moved. It exuded a powerful mixture of Space and Gold element energy, and its age, as confirmed by the system's prompt, was 20,500 years.
[Target Identified: Crystal-Back Bear — Age: 20,500 Years — Type: Space / Gold Elemental]
[Suitability for Host: High. Estimated Compatibility: 91%]
Max narrowed his eyes as the bear let out a guttural roar, vibrating through the ground like a drumbeat. The terrain around it cracked from the force, golden shards of crystal poking out of the earth as a natural defense reaction.
"Perfect," Max said calmly. "This one's mine."
"You want me to step in?" Arlecchino asked, tilting her head.
"Yes, just immobilize it," Max replied calmly.
Without hesitation, Arlecchino released her Level 99 Ultimate Douluo pressure once more. The sheer weight of her aura surged outward, and the Crystal-Back Bear, caught unprepared, froze in place — its instincts screamed at it to run, but its body wouldn't obey. A moment later, it collapsed, unconscious from sheer fright and suppression.
Max approached without delay. His eyes glinted coldly as his right arm moved with surgical precision. A blade flashed into existence — his external spirit bone taking form — and he drove it directly into the bear's eye.
The beast let out a strangled, dying growl, but it was over in an instant.
From its massive corpse, a dark black Spirit Ring slowly rose and hovered above it, pulsing with powerful energy.
Max sat down cross-legged and began to absorb it without a word. Arlecchino stood nearby, watching quietly, her expression unreadable.
After a while, the ground trembled faintly as the final surge of spirit energy settled into Max's body. He exhaled and slowly opened his eyes, the black Spirit Ring now floating behind him as a completed mark of his triumph.
Arlecchino approached, tilting her head. "So, what skill did you get this time?"
***
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