When Wu Ling left the forest, he suddenly shivered, as if he had passed through something.
It was almost dawn. The moon had already slanted toward the west. Wu Ling looked up at that unchanging moon and sighed. "The same night, the same moon, the same story, but a different ending."
"This was clearly a ghost story from Blue Planet. Why did it appear here? From the village chief at the beginning to the Ghost Sword later, none of them knew the truth. It looks like that lord the Ghost Sword mentioned is the real culprit."
"But if that existence can create something similar to a Reality Marble and keep a Titled Sage out, then at minimum it has to be a Ruler-level Titled Sage."
Wu Ling had indeed noticed the spatial abnormality as he was walking out. That fragile feeling was completely different from anything he had sensed before.
He had also called out to Ghost again, only to receive no response. It was at that moment that he confirmed his guess.
"But judging from the voice I heard after entering, that person does not seem to have any ill will toward me. Could they be sealed away, or trapped by some special circumstance?"
After thinking for a while and failing to reach an answer, Wu Ling chose to stop thinking. Once he was strong enough, he could come back and go through it again. Then he would know everything. For now, the most important thing was how to explain this... Forget it. He would tell the truth. Making up a story was too much trouble.
Wu Ling looked up toward the eastern sky. Three figures were flying toward him through the morning light.
He stood where he was and waited. A moment later, Ghost, Bibi Dong, and Lucius Cross descended from the sky and landed in front of him.
"Ling'er, are you hurt?" Bibi Dong asked with concern as she looked him over.
Wu Ling tilted his head. "I am fine, Teacher. But Teacher, why are you here? And why is Grandpa Ghost with you? Was he not beside me the whole time?"
Bibi Dong glanced at Ghost. Ghost then explained how he had been blocked outside.
"Eh? Grandpa Ghost, you were blocked outside? Then who was the voice telling me to keep walking?"
Bibi Dong's expression shifted. She was just about to speak, but Lucius Cross, who had remained silent behind her, spoke first. "Wu Ling, tell us everything that happened."
Wu Ling nodded. He slightly adjusted his wording, then described what he had seen and heard.
As Wu Ling explained, Bibi Dong, Ghost, and Lucius Cross slowly frowned. Whether it was a hundred-year weasel that could speak or an unprecedented weapon Soul Beast, even Lucius Cross, who had lived the longest among them, had never heard of such things.
By the time Wu Ling finished, they all clearly understood one thing. Inside that barrier-like inner space, there was another extremely powerful existence.
After hearing Wu Ling's story, Lucius Cross walked to the edge of the forest and stepped inside. Nothing happened.
"There is indeed a little abnormal residual energy in this space, but it has already become extremely faint. Is it because of Spirit Power level, or because of time? Wu Ling, you try."
Lucius's expression was grave as he asked Wu Ling to see whether he could enter again. Wu Ling obediently did as told. Under the three adults' gazes, he walked in, came out, and walked in again.
After watching him go back and forth three times with no effect, Lucius told him to stop.
"It seems to have closed," Lucius said solemnly.
As Spirit Hall's former Judgment Elder, Lucius Cross had eliminated countless powerful enemies who threatened Spirit Hall in his lifetime. Even the father of Sword Sage Vane Ash had died by his hand.
Now he knew that a powerful existence of uncertain alignment existed in the world, but he had no way to eliminate it. That displeased him greatly.
"Ling'er, you are level forty-three!" Bibi Dong's voice interrupted Lucius's thoughts. When he turned, he saw her checking Wu Ling's body with faint surprise.
"Yes, Teacher. After I absorbed that forty-thousand-year weapon Soul Beast far beyond my level, my Spirit Power rose to level forty-three." As he spoke, Wu Ling revealed his astonishing Spirit Rings: yellow, purple, black, black.
Lucius looked at those four Spirit Rings. His tightly furrowed brows eased slightly. "Forget it. As long as he exists, Spirit Hall will be safe for the next hundred years."
After confirming that Wu Ling had suffered no ill effects, Bibi Dong and Lucius left first. A nation could not go a day without its ruler. Though Bibi Dong was the Pope rather than an emperor, her duties were no lighter than an emperor's, especially with the annual Martial Soul awakenings approaching.
As for Lucius, he had to return to the Worship Hall and pray before the Angel God's statue for several hours as he did each day.
In the end, only Wu Ling and Ghost were left again.
"Grandpa Ghost, let us take our time going back. I want to familiarize myself with my fourth Spirit Skill along the way."
Ghost silently nodded. This time, he hid much closer to Wu Ling than before.
Feeling that familiar presence again, Wu Ling rolled his neck and lit up his fourth Spirit Ring.
A pitch-black figure clad in armor appeared above the Unregistered Spirit Origin, then merged into Wu Ling's body.
Black armor surfaced over Wu Ling. Dark mist wrapped around the armor, and six chain-like appendages extended from behind him.
This was the Servant Wu Ling had summoned with his fourth Spirit Ring: Lancelot (Berserker).
After two Assassins and one Caster, Wu Ling finally had a Servant with truly powerful physical ability. Berserker Lancelot's Strength and Endurance were both A-rank, and his Agility reached A+.
In terms of physical ability alone, all three of Wu Ling's previous Servants added together could not match him. Better yet, Wu Ling could enjoy that convenience without bearing the full consequences of Madness Enhancement.
Because the moment he learned who the fourth Spirit Ring had summoned, Wu Ling first split off a fourth clone. He let that clone, whose soul was connected to his own, bear the passive burden of Madness Enhancement, while he himself became a pseudo-Servant Lancelot with a clear mind.
Through that workaround, Wu Ling fully inherited Berserker Lancelot's Eternal Arms Mastery, pushing him another step forward on the road of technique. What remained was to integrate all those skills and walk his own path, so that even without Spirit Skills, he could still possess terrifying skill.
But his current task was to completely master the body amplified by Berserker Lancelot's possession. After that, he would gradually stack his first, second, and fourth Spirit Rings together until he could fully control his own strength. And the best way to master a body was constant movement.
Half a month later, Wu Ling, now able to control the first, second, and fourth Spirit Rings at the same time, returned to the outskirts of Spirit City by running the whole way.
"Whew. Running for half a month made me sticky all over. I will go back, take a shower, rest, then prepare to cultivate."
When Wu Ling passed through the city gate, there was no ridiculous scene of guards looking down on him and refusing to let him enter.
He easily returned to the outside of his courtyard, where he found his steward pacing anxiously.
"Old Li, why are you outside?"
"Young Master, you are back!" the steward cried in delight, then immediately grew worried again. "Young Master, please go inside quickly. A certain Miss Cross is looking for you."
"Miss Cross? Could it be Aurelia Cross?"