The moment Lin Yuan stood, he immediately felt the difference.
Spirit power flowed through his body like a living river.
Before, his cultivation had resembled a sealed reservoir.
No matter how much power accumulated, it lacked a proper outlet.
Now that barrier was gone.
His first spirit ring had completed something fundamental.
The yellow ring revolved quietly beneath his feet.
Yet what truly drew attention wasn’t the spirit ring itself.
It was the pressure.
The atmosphere around him had changed.
Several nearby spirit masters subconsciously adjusted their footing.
The invisible weight surrounding Lin Yuan felt noticeably heavier than before.
Not enough to affect strong spirit masters.
But enough to be noticed.
Xu Mingshan observed silently.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Most spirit masters experienced obvious increases in spirit power after absorbing a ring.
Lin Yuan’s improvement seemed deeper.
Almost qualitative rather than quantitative.
The vice hall master crossed his arms.
“How do you feel?” Lin Yuan closed his eyes briefly.
His senses expanded outward.
He could feel the earth beneath his feet.
The movement of spirit power within his body.
Even the subtle shifts in air pressure around him.
The world felt clearer.
Sharper.
More responsive.
Then he focused on the spirit ring.
A faint understanding emerged instinctively.
The first spirit skill.
Every spirit master received one.
The question was always what form it would take.
Lin Yuan slowly opened his eyes.
“I need to test it.” Several spirit masters smiled.
That was expected.
Xu Mingshan pointed toward an empty section of the valley.
“Go ahead.” The surrounding group stepped back.
Everyone was curious.
The Heavy Mountain Ape possessed powerful earth attributes.
Combined with the Asura Prison, the resulting ability could be unusual.
Lin Yuan walked toward the center of the clearing.
The yellow spirit ring began rotating faster.
Spirit power circulated.
The connection between martial soul and spirit ring activated.
For a brief moment, he felt the pressure within the Asura Prison respond.
Then— The spirit skill activated.
Boom.
Nothing flashy occurred.
No explosions.
No beams of light.
No dramatic visual effects.
Instead, the ground beneath Lin Yuan sank several centimeters.
A circular area roughly ten meters wide formed around him.
The air itself seemed to become heavier.
Leaves drifting through the clearing suddenly fell faster.
Dust settled instantly.
Even small stones pressed deeper into the earth.
Several spectators widened their eyes.
Han Feng took a step forward.
Then stopped.
He could feel it.
Weight.
Not overwhelming.
But unmistakable.
Xu Mingshan’s gaze sharpened.
A gravity-type ability.
Rare.
Extremely rare.
Lin Yuan maintained the skill while observing its effects.
Spirit power drained steadily.
Not too quickly.
Manageable.
Within the affected area, everything experienced increased gravity.
The effect wasn’t enormous yet.
Perhaps double normal gravity.
Maybe slightly more.
Still— For a first spirit ring, it was impressive.
The skill deactivated several moments later.
The pressure vanished.
The clearing returned to normal.
Han Feng immediately approached.
“Interesting.” Lin Yuan nodded.
Very interesting.
The ability aligned almost perfectly with his expectations.
Not because it was powerful.
Because it fit.
The Heavy Mountain Ape had strengthened the natural characteristics of the Asura Prison rather than creating something unrelated.
That meant future spirit rings could continue building upon the same foundation.
A specialized path.
A stronger path.
Xu Mingshan stepped forward.
“What will you call it?” Spirit skills often received names from their users.
Lin Yuan considered briefly.
Then answered.
“Gravity Domain.” Several people exchanged glances.
A bold name.
Technically, it wasn’t a true domain.
Not yet.
But nobody argued.
The ability certainly possessed domain-like characteristics.
The vice hall master nodded slowly.
“A fitting name.” The expedition spent another hour in the valley afterward.
The younger spirit masters congratulated Lin Yuan.
Some more enthusiastically than others.
A few clearly remained skeptical.
After all, a first spirit ring was only the beginning.
Real strength still required years of growth.
Lin Yuan didn’t mind.
He wasn’t interested in proving himself through words.
Results would come naturally.
As the expedition prepared to move again, Han Feng walked alongside him.
“What’s your current rank?” Lin Yuan checked briefly.
The increase surprised even him.
“Level thirteen.” Han Feng whistled.
A three-level increase.
Excellent.
The Heavy Mountain Ape’s spirit ring had provided considerable benefits.
“Looks like you’ll catch up faster than expected.” Lin Yuan smiled faintly.
“Not that fast.” Han Feng laughed.
For the first time, the relationship between them felt more natural.
Not senior and junior.
Not genius and observer.
Simply fellow spirit masters walking the same road.
As the group resumed its journey, Lin Yuan quietly focused on the changes within himself.
The Asura Prison felt different.
Stronger.
More complete.
Yet another change had occurred as well.
A subtle one.
The chains surrounding the prison inside his spiritual world seemed slightly clearer than before.
As though the spirit ring had strengthened them.
Or fed them.
The thought lingered in his mind.
Hours passed.
The forest gradually shifted around them.
The rocky terrain gave way to thicker vegetation.
Towering trees blocked most sunlight.
Ancient roots twisted across the ground.
This region felt older.
More dangerous.
Even the spirit masters became noticeably more cautious.
Near sunset, the lead scouts returned once more.
Their expressions were serious.
Xu Mingshan immediately noticed.
“What happened?” The scout lowered his voice.
“We found ruins.” Several nearby spirit masters looked surprised.
Ruins weren’t unheard of.
But they were uncommon.
Especially deep within spirit beast territory.
The scout continued.
“Ancient ruins.” Xu Mingshan frowned.
“How ancient?” The scout hesitated.
Then answered.
“Older than Spirit Hall records.” Silence followed.
That was a significant statement.
The vice hall master’s expression became thoughtful.
Ruins often contained opportunities.
Ancient knowledge.
Rare treasures.
Lost history.
Unfortunately, they could also contain danger.
A great deal of danger.
The scout looked uneasy.
“There was something else.” Xu Mingshan’s eyes narrowed.
“What?” The scout swallowed.
“We found symbols.” A strange feeling appeared in Lin Yuan’s chest.
The scout continued.
“Black chains.” For a moment, the forest seemed to become completely silent.
Lin Yuan felt the hidden fragment inside his pack grow warm once more.
And deep within his spiritual world— The chains of the Asura Prison trembled.