Big Beard’s first and third rings flared, massively boosting his defense.
He took point, taking the Thunder Python’s attacks head-on.
Senluo and Tuxedo Man attacked from the flanks, while the remaining Great Spirit Masters harassed it, disrupting its attack rhythm.
The team worked seamlessly together, quickly leaving several gashes on the python’s underbelly.
Roar!
The Thunder Python roared in fury, trying to whip its body to swat Big Beard away.
However, it was even more enraged by the five Great Spirit Masters constantly harassing it.
“There’s our opening.” Senluo and Tuxedo Man’s eyes sharpened.
The python’s agitation had exposed its weak point.
Senluo’s fourth ring lit up.
His massive frame became even more exaggerated, muscles bulging like granite beneath his fur.
He let out a low growl, stomped hard, and leaped onto the python’s back, pinning it to the ground with overwhelming strength.
Tuxedo Man’s third ring lit up with a purple glow.
His slender staff transformed into a pillar half a person thick, swirling with purple light.
He hoisted it with both arms and brought it crashing down onto the python’s vital spot—its “seven inches” (the heart).
Pinned by Senluo, the python couldn’t break free in time.
Bang!
Bang!
Tuxedo Man relentlessly smashed the vital spot.
Faint traces of blood appeared at the corners of the python’s mouth.
Hiss!
The python’s horn gathered lightning, sending currents pulsing across its entire body, trying to shock Senluo off its back.
But backed by a thousand-year skill, the electricity wasn’t enough to make him let go.
Plus, Big Beard had now locked down the python’s tail, completely immobilizing it.
The electricity only made Senluo roar in pain.
Bang!
Another brutal strike hit its vital spot.
Its struggles grew weaker and weaker until its life force faded to a flicker, and the team finally stopped attacking.
“Spirit Master Tie Li, hurry!” Senluo yelled to Tie Li hiding in the distance.
“Coming!”
Tie Li could see the python was at death’s door, and he needed to deal the final blow himself.
Its vital spot was a bloody mess, with shattered white bone visible beneath the pulp.
“Here.
Stab it through the eye.
Its skull is too hard,” Senluo said, handing him a dagger.
“Got it.”
Tie Li took the dagger and drove it through the snake’s eye into its brain, snuffing out its last spark of life.
A yellow spirit ring floated up.
A deeper shade of yellow!
This meant more perfect attributes.
With the team guarding him, Tie Li didn’t have to worry about safety.
He sat cross-legged and began absorbing the ring.
Seeing him fully focused, Tuxedo Man finally spoke up.
“Boss, I think this Thunder Python might have reached eight hundred years.” “What?
Why didn’t you say so earlier?” “Its horn had been damaged by another beast previously, so I couldn’t gauge its exact age from the length.
I could only estimate.
I thought it might be six hundred,” Tuxedo Man explained uncertainty.
“This…”
Tie Li couldn’t hear their conversation; his mind was entirely focused on the absorption.
But this time felt different from the last.
An inexplicable sense of bloating made him incredibly uncomfortable, and the flow of spirit power felt like needles piercing every inch of his body.
As Tie Li gritted his teeth and endured, the Millennium Thunder Python Inner Core began to spin.
Strands of energy flowed from the core into every corner of his body, greatly alleviating the searing pain.
Watching him absorb the ring, the team breathed a sigh of relief.
“It must be six hundred years.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to absorb it,” Senluo said.
“Yeah, maybe I misjudged it.”
However, Tie Li didn’t wake up from his meditation for a long time, causing their recently relaxed hearts to tense up again.
Absorbing a ring was a critical process; they didn’t dare interrupt him.
All they could do was pray he was safe.
For Tie Li, the process was agonizing, but with the inner core’s help, it remained within his limits.
After successfully absorbing the ring, the energy from the core that had been soothing the pain wasn’t absorbed by his body; instead, it surged into the spirit ring itself.
This process lasted for three full hours.
The team members couldn’t help but wipe imaginary sweat from their foreheads.
They all realized something was abnormal.
But they were powerless to help; it was all up to Tie Li.
Finally, two rings materialized beneath him, and Tie Li woke up.
They were the distinct yellow of century-old rings, but the surface of the second ring had a very faint purple pattern on it.
It was inconspicuous, but it was undeniably there.
Seeing him awake, Senluo’s eyes showed both relief and embarrassment.
“Spirit Master Tie Li, we apologize.
The python’s horn was damaged, and we misjudged its age.” Senluo took out a pouch of a hundred gold coins to compensate him.
“Well, it was a close call, but I’m fine.
If possible, Captain Senluo, how about giving me that damaged horn as compensation?” “Of course, no problem!” Senluo laughed.
A pristine horn was valuable, but a damaged one wasn’t worth much.
Using it to do a favor was a great deal.
Tie Li didn’t hesitate.
He took his dagger, cut open the skull, and extracted the horn.
After death, a spirit beast’s bones loosen, making it easy to remove.
He also carved out about twenty catties of premium meat for his upcoming meals.
He touched his storage ring, stowing both the horn and the meat.
The team then cleaned up the battlefield.
They hauled the massive corpse back to town, loaded it onto a carriage, and returned to Dragonking City together.
After entering the city gates, Tie Li parted ways with them.
He had felt the danger of absorbing a ring beyond his limit.
Without the inner core’s help, he might have been pushed to the brink of death.
He was also grateful for the Spirit Bone; his enhanced physique had been a crucial factor.
After absorption, his spirit power broke through to level twenty-two.
Initially, his first thought upon becoming a Great Spirit Master was to register at the Spirit Hall and claim the monthly stipend of ten gold coins.
But he couldn’t do that now.
He had only become a one-ring Spirit Master a year ago.
Jumping eleven levels in one year was too absurd.