"First Spirit Skill: Triple Divine Claw!" Li Shen declared.
Bai Hua's eyes flared with divine light. In sync with her master's command, she swiped her paw, and three radiant slashes of golden energy shot forward. They cleaved through a thick tree in three clean arcs. A second later, the trunk collapsed into neat sections—each cut with surgical precision. But the slashes weren't done; they continued onward, cutting through two more trees before finally dissipating.
"Incredible," Ma Nuo whispered, stunned. "That's the power of a 4,000-year-old spirit skill."
"Hehe, there's one more thing," Li Shen said, grinning like a brat as the others looked at him with curiosity.
He turned to Bai Hua. "Bai Hua, come here."
Bai Hua blinked, tilting her head as she fluttered gently to his side, confused but obedient.
Li Shen smiled softly, placing one hand on her head, then suddenly under everyone's stunned gaze, Bai Hua dissolved into shimmering light.
That light condensed and reformed—no longer a beast, but a weapon.
In Li Shen's hand now rested a pure white katana. The blade was elegant and smooth like flowing water, and the hilt shimmered with golden runes. The entire weapon pulsed faintly, alive with spiritual energy.
It was in shape of an Katana, with its blade being Crystal white at edges and golden Crystalline at Spine, there is even a long whit tuff of threads attached to top of hilt top.
"Li Shen, what... what is that?" Ma Nuo asked, awe spreading across his face.
Li Shen nodded calmly. "This is Bai Hua's weapon form. She has three forms she can take. The first is the beast form you've all seen. The second is this—her weapon form. I was curious what shape she'd choose, and she chose the katana."
He ran his fingers along the blade reverently. It was light in his hands, yet he could feel the immense power sleeping within. In his mind he though, it will be an heavy greatsword but it turned out to be this.
As Ma Nuo looked closer, his eyes narrowed with growing realization. "A spirit companion that can shift between beast and weapon forms… Your martial spirit truly i like Spirit elder from Spirit hall, Li Shen."
Sisi stepped forward, eyes wide with curiosity. "What about the third form?" she asked.
Li Shen looked up and answered without hesitation. "The third form is her human form. Bai Hua can eventually take the shape of a human girl. However, in this form—unlike the previous two—she will be about 50% weaker."
"Human form?" Su Yuntao echoed in disbelief.
"Yes," Li Shen confirmed with a nod. "But that form is currently sealed. I'll need to absorb my second spirit ring before she can unlock it. Only then will Bai Hua be able to appear in her humanoid form."
Ma Nuo exhaled deeply, still processing. "Your martial spirit... it's giving you and us one surprise after another."
Su Yuntao stepped forward, eyes gleaming as he stared at the elegant katana in Li Shen's hand. "Can you still use your spirit skill even when she's in weapon form?"
Li Shen gave a faint smile and nodded. "I can."
Without hesitation, he stepped forward, raising the radiant katana as spiritual energy surged around him.
"First Spirit Skill: Triple Divine Claw!" he called out again.
Golden light ignited from the blade, concentrated for a heartbeat—and then, with a swift slash, three sharp arcs of golden energy erupted from the katana's edge. Like spectral claws, they streaked through the air, leaving glowing trails in their wake.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The attack tore through three thick trees in the distance, carving clean lines through their trunks as if they were made of paper. The trees stood still for a moment—then slowly tilted and collapsed in unison with a thunderous crash.
Silence followed.
"Damn, now I'm envious," Chen muttered, shaking his head and slapping his thigh in half-joking frustration. The others nodded, unable to hide the flicker of jealousy in their eyes.
Sisi chuckled. "To think Li Shen's first spirit ring is already stronger than most people's third…"
Su Yuntao sighed, arms crossed. "He really is walking a different path from us."
Ma Nuo clapped his hands once. "Alright, enough gawking—let's head back. Li Shen's already completed his first step as a Spirit Master."
He turned to Li Shen, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "From this point on, you no longer need to prove yourself against lesser Spirit Masters. Your path is set above them. Don't waste time or potential. From now on, all of us will teach you to the best of our capabilities."
Li Shen nodded calmly, his gaze steady. "Understood, Uncle Ma."
As the group moved through the quiet forest trails, their light chatter faded when they spotted two familiar figures in the distance.
"Hey… isn't that Master Yu?" Chen said, squinting. "And… Tang San?"
Everyone turned. Sure enough, Master Yu was limping heavily, his face pale and strained, while Tang San supported him with his body—his expression grim but composed.
Chen frowned. "What happened to them?"
Ma Nuo's eyes darkened as the pair approached.
"Shh," he said coldly, silencing Chen with a sharp look. His voice was laced with scorn. "What else can you expect from a waste? He knew he was useless, yet he brought a child into the Spirit Hunting Forest alone. If anything had happened, would he have taken responsibility? From now on, no one gets an entry pass unless they have proper combat strength."
Others nodded in agreement, though Chen scratched the back of his head nervously—it had been him who signed off on Master Yu's request. He said nothing, choosing instead to look away.
The air thickened with awkward silence as Tang San helped his teacher forward. Despite his limp and pale face, Yu Xiaogang managed a weak smile.
"Ma Nuo… everyone. It's good to see you. Can you… help us back?"
Ma Nuo stepped forward, his gaze narrowing. "What happened, Master Yu?"
Yu Xiaogang shook his head with tired regret. "A spirit beast ambushed us. Rare type. I underestimated its cunning."
Tang San added firmly, "We killed it, but before it died, it released a venom cloud. It… poisoned my teacher."
****
Like It?
Ream more at
patreon.com/be_king