Douluo Dalu - Volume 05 - Star Dou Forest Read online

  While speaking, she still gestured with her fist at Tang San.

  Of course, this clearly didn’t hold any force behind it.

  Dragon Duke and Serpent Grandmother smiled at each other, again nodding to Zhao Wuji, with this brought their granddaughter to soar away, they still had to immediately find their granddaughter another spirit beast, then extremely quickly leave this place. They could not guard against the threat of the Titan Giant Ape.

  Oscar moved closer to Tang San’s side smiling mischievously,

  “San-er[ Oscar uses (儿), a diminutive suffix, in this case meaning something like “son”.], pleasurable or not?”

  Tang San somewhat speechless glared at him,

  “What pleasurable? Get me another Recovery Sausage.”

  Oscar laughed,

  “I your father have a big sausage.”

  With his vulgar spirit incantation, he directly handed over a sausage to Tang San.

  Turning towards the Man Faced Demon Spider’s corpse, by now, dense purple light had already condensed above the corpse, just the most ideal time to absorb it. Looking at it, Tang San’s previously somewhat relaxed expression once again tightened, he immediately remembered: Xiao Wu still waited for his help.

  Eating the sausage, He walked over and sat by the side of the Man Faced Demon Spider,

  “I will trouble everyone.”

  Zhao Wuji gave Tang San a nod, waving his hand, the students crowded around with Tang San in the middle, carefully guarding. With their protection, Tang San no longer needed to worry about common spirit beasts threatening him. He was finally able to wholeheartedly absorb the formidable spirit ring before him.

  Raising his right hand, the blue light produced by the Blue Silver Grass Spirit gradually appeared in Tang San’s palm. Taking a deep breath, Tang San summoned the Man Faced Demon Spider’s spirit ring.

  The purple light like it had been waiting for a long time and finally found an opening, just starting to feel Tang San’s spirit, immediately like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea rushed towards Tang San.

  Watching the dark purple light in a moment about to envelop Tang San’s body, Zhao Wuji also couldn’t help but be shocked. Such strong spirit power fluctuations, this Man Faced Demon Spider had after all cultivated for how many years?

  Tang San as the person involved felt it even more clearly. He only sensed a tremendous heat flow towards him and abruptly into him, still without waiting for his reaction, that boiling like a raging flame began to burn his body.

  The Man Faced Demon Spider in itself was certainly tyrannical, and the spirit ring it formed was ruthless. Intense energy entered within Tang San and began to break and remold his body.

  Although the energy contained within the spirit ring wasn’t conscious, it still basically wasn’t something Tang San’s consciousness could control.

  Under the powerful spirit power fluctuations, Tang San only felt like his body was bursting open. The violent pain immediately made him belch up a mouthful of blood.

  Everyone surrounding him were simultaneously startled, they had also absorbed spirit rings, but it was still the first time they came across anything like this.

  Zhao Wuji said in a low voice:

  “This Man Faced Demon Spider’s spirit ring is excessively tyrannical. Wanting to absorb it isn’t easy. Right now he can only trust himself, when absorbing the spirit ring he can’t take support from any outside force, otherwise it will only bring about the reverse effect. Right now we can only believe in Tang San being able to receive it and return to us.”

  What Zhao Wuji didn’t say was, the more difficult a spirit ring was to absorb, the greater the resulting effect would be. After all if its attached energy was tremendous, the generated spirit ability would naturally also be extremely awesome.

  ……

  Meng Shu and Chao Tian-Xiang brought Meng Yiran towards the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

  Chao Tian-Xiang continuously watched her granddaughter, ever since leaving the Shrek Academy party, Meng Yiran had all along bowed her head in silence, apparently reflecting on something.

  “Yiran. What are you thinking about?”

  Chao Tian-Xiang asked.

  Meng Yiran was roused from her chain of thought by her grandmother’s voice,

  “I was thinking about what Tang San said. Grandma, you say whether I should later use that Penetrating Bone Needle?”

  Chao Tian-Xiang smiled, saying:

  “If you feel good with it, use it. Although that needle’s appearance is somewhat unusual, finding people to make it isn’t strenuous. It’s still my first time seeing such a long needle, unexpectedly it’s five cun.”

  Dragon Duke Meng Shu suddenly said.

  “That kid Tang San really isn’t bad, not only talented, but also without a bit of arrogance, he’s a rare talented person. It’s a pity he didn’t agree to join our clan, otherwise, before reaching twenty, he would inevitable be able to bring the clan to new heights.”

  Chao Tian-Xiang sighed lightly, saying:

  “A golden carp within a pond, on meeting storms becomes a dragon[ This one is a pain to translate. It’s close to a line from a poem in the famous 1989 comic by Ma Wing-Shing (马荣成/馬榮成) Feng Yun/Fung Wan “Wind and Cloud” (风云/風雲) also variously adapted as “The Storm Riders”. The full poem is (金鳞岂是池中物，一遇风云便化龙；九霄龙吟惊天变，风云际会潜水游), which a daring person might butcher by translating as

  A golden carp within a pond, meeting storms (wind and cloud) thus becomes a dragon;

  Nine heavenly dragons’ cry change the sky, at storm’s edge will dive and swim

  What confuses the issue somewhat is that here “golden carp” (金鳞) is misspelled as the homonym “golden (female) unicorn” (金麟) which differ only in one radical, and by a quick google seems to be a common typo. Further confusing the issue is that the top hits on a google search will refer to the erotic web novel by Monkey by the same name (金鳞岂是池中物) about a street hoodlum growing up to become a business tycoon.

  In any case, I can’t find an explanation of it and won’t be bothered reading the comic to figure it out, so you get a best fit translation.]. It’s not only Tang San, I saw those several children were all very outstanding. I truly don’t know from where Zhao Wuji found these outstandingly gifted children. I heard Zhao Wuji say, they appeared to be from some Shrek Academy, how come I haven’t heard the name of this academy?”

  Meng Shu said:

  “That’s all unimportant. Although the others looked to be pretty good, but I feel that compared to Tang San they are still somewhat lacking. Yiran, what did you think about Tang San?”

  Meng Yiran was distracted a moment, a light flashing in her eyes. Finally she couldn’t help but say:

  “He’s just a mature child.”

  Recalling Tang San’s solemn face, she couldn’t help but add,

  “He really didn’t seem only twelve years old.”

  Meng Shu smiling said:

  “I’m asking what you think about him.”

  Meng Yiran was already sixteen, just the age of first awakening of love and on her own extremely acute, somewhat understood the vague meaning in grandpa’s words.

  “Grandpa. Aren’t you trying to coerce mismatched mandarin ducks[ Idiom: Misarranging matches through mistaken identification of couples. Mandarin ducks are a common symbol for lovers - as are most birds in pairs.]? I’m three years older than him, how would it be possible?”

  She had just had her sixteenth birthday, and indeed was three years older than Tang San.

  Meng Shu laughed,

  “Age is no problem, ‘woman three years older, holds a golden brick’[ This rhyme (nu da san, bao jin zhuan 女大三,抱金砖) is part of a series of how various age differences in couples improves married life. Rhymes don’t translate well to English.].”

  Meng Yiran’s charming face blushed,

  “Grandpa, you……”

  Me
ng Shu said:

  “What? You’re not willing? Still think his appearance is too ordinary?”

  Meng Yiran snorted, saying:

  “It goes without saying he’s ordinary. From his clothes it can also be seen he isn’t the child of some famous family. I truly don’t understand, why when he uses a crippled spirit like Blue Silver Grass his cultivation speed is still so fast.”

  Meng Shu scowled,

  “Girl. When did you become a person who judges by appearance? That child Tang San cannot be as simple as you say. How can you know he doesn’t come from a prestigious house? Blue Silver Grass? Have you ever seen a Spirit Master that could cultivate Blue Silver Grass above thirtieth rank? Furthermore what he said about hidden weapons, these added together are enough to prove this child is out of the ordinary.”

  Meng Yiran seeing grandpa become somewhat angry, couldn’t help but stick out her tongue,

  “Don’t get angry grandpa, let’s speak of this matter again later. We can’t say whether we’ll meet him again in the future.”

  Meng Shu sighed softly,

  “The younger generations will do all right on their own. In your own matters make your own decisions. Only, grandpa’s old eyes aren’t decorations. In a person’s life, one has only one opportunity, possibly extremely brief, if one is unable to grab it, it will be lost at once.”

  Chao Tian-Xiang gripped Meng Shu’s hand,

  “All right. Old codger, don’t say it so gravely, first helping Yiran find a suitable third spirit ring is most important. Other matters can be spoken of again later. Once we’ve returned, we will first ask around about this Shrek Academy.”

  ……

  Part 3

  The Shrek Academy group’s gazes had right now all become stares. Surrounded by everyone, sitting in the middle with legs crossed Tang San already looked in bad shape, his entire person enveloped within a layer of light red mist.

  The red within the mist was not at all the light of spirit power, but Tang San’s blood.

  Not long before, along with violent spirit power fluctuations over his body, Tang San’s skin had begun to overflow with a layer of fine drops of blood. Along with spirit power rising into the air, it became this kind of light red mist.

  Tang San’s brows were tightly locked, lips closed tightly, his body continuously convulsing violently. Adding to the drops of blood leaking through his skin, it was obvious that he was currently in severe pain.

  Within the mist, from time to time transmitted the sound of bones snapping. Each time gave everyone around him a kind of hair raising feeling, but that third spirit ring that should emerge following absorption had all along not showed its true nature, this proved Tang San still could not completely absorb the Man Faced Demon Spider’s spirit ring.

  Dai Mubai worried asked Zhao Wuji in a low voice:

  “Teacher Zhao, if it goes on I’m afraid Tang San will be in danger.”

  Zhao Wuji’s brows were equally tight,

  “I know, but, right now we even more can’t interrupt him, otherwise, the result would be even more severe. Right now we can only watch his willpower. He should be capable of absorbing the energy this spirit ring bestows. Only his body’s condition isn’t at all optimal, and this Man Faced Demon Spider spirit ring’s energy is in itself excessively ruthless. Under these kinds of circumstances, I hope Tang San is able to surmount the mountain pass, otherwise……”

  The pain which Tang San currently endured only he knew. From the energy of the Man Faced Demon Spider’s spirit ring, he felt his whole body seemingly cut by countless sharp blades, there was nowhere his internal organs weren’t hurting, the tyrannical energy unceasingly tore apart his body, constantly putting him in extreme pain.

  In fact, what Zhao Wuji said had a mistake. Because the Man Faced Demon Spider was so rare, even if it was Grandmaster, it would still have been very difficult to determine its cultivation interval. The largest spirit power which a Spirit Master was able to absorb for the third spirit ring was on the one thousand seven hundred years level, reaching the fourth spirit ring they were able to absorb spirit rings around five thousand years of cultivation. The fifth spirit ring upper absorption limit was twelve thousand years or so, the sixth spirit ring absorption limit was twenty thousand years. The seventh spirit ring within thirty thousand years to fifty thousand years, determined by different Spirit Masters’ different attributes. Reaching the eighth spirit ring, it was possible to absorb the spirit ring of a spirit beast over fifty thousand years. Only the final ninth spirit ring had the possibility of absorbing a hundred thousand year spirit ring. Of course, among known Spirit masters, nobody had been able to absorb a hundred thousand year spirit beast for their last spirit ring.

  This Man Faced Demon Spider Tang San killed, had actually already surpassed two thousand years. Although it was just recently, it still already exceeded the limit of what Tang San could absorb for his third spirit ring. This was also the most significant reason why although Grandmaster knew the enormous benefit of the Man Faced Demon Spider to Blue Silver Grass, he did not approve of him looking for this kind of spirit ring.

  In the fight, Tang San simply estimated the Man Faced Demon Spider’s actual strength, but he overlooked one point: that Man Faced Demon Spider had after all already been injured by Dragon Duke Meng Shu. With the kind of strength Meng Shu had, the injuries he gave the Man Faced Demon Spider would naturally substantially influence its strength.

  Tang San’s circumstances were greatly different from the majority of Spirit Masters. Because he had dual spirits, in addition to also cultivating Mysterious Heaven Skill recorded in Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, his body’s resilience was much better than an ordinary person’s. Ordinarily, if it was some common spirit beast, absorbing a two thousand year or so for his third spirit ring was already without too much of an issue, after all, that was where his body exhibited its advantage.

  But this Man Faced Demon Spider couldn’t be some ordinary spirit beast, its own ruthlessness and power made the spirit ring also become extremely tyrannical, adding to Tang San’s body not being in optimal condition, he immediately sunk into huge crisis.

  If Tang San’s circumstances could be calculated, then, he could in the end only have one result. His body would be unable to bear the shock of the Man Faced Demon Spider’s energy, bursting and dying. After all, that energy already exceeded the scope of what he could absorb.

  But, some things couldn’t be calculated. For example, willpower and conviction.

  As his willpower alone reached a certain resolute degree, or perhaps by possessing a matchless stubborn conviction, frequently miracles would appear.

  The current Tang San, although enduring incomparable pain, in the depths of his heart possessed an extremely stubborn conviction: that was to save Xiao Wu.

  Relying on this conviction, he unyieldingly withstood wave after wave of pain. Even if blood already seeped out over his body, he still withstood the tyrannical energy of the Man Faced Demon Spider spirit ring.

  From a certain point of view, Xiao Wu being snatched by the Titan Giant Ape on the contrary helped Tang San. A spirit ring surpassing the absorption limit would admittedly produce a huge crisis, but when successful, the benefits would be equally tremendous.

  The tyrannical energy fluctuations unceasingly grew stronger, the blood mist around Tang San’s body also became more and more distinct. Within the blood mist, even a faint fishy smell seeped out, unknown whether it was impurities within Tang San’s body or the Man Faced Demon Spider’s poison.

  While everyone were worried like cats on a hot tin roof, suddenly, the echo of a soft footstep grabbed Zhao Wuji’s attention.

  “Who?”

  Zhao Wuji’s ice cold gaze turned to look in that direction, spirit power suddenly amassing, this was already Tang San’s most crucial moment, he couldn’t let any person or maybe spirit beast disturb him.

  “Teacher Zhao.”

  A slender silhouette ran out of the forest. Seeing he
r, not just Zhao Wuji paused, the others also couldn’t help staring blankly, suddenly coming running out of the forest, unexpectedly was Xiao Wu.

  Right now Xiao Wu cut a somewhat sorry figure, her clothes were greatly damaged, the orderly scorpion braid on her head had also become disheveled, but her her complexion was extremely healthy, compared to before apparently a bit more mature.

  “Xiao Wu, you didn’t die?”

  Just as Oscar said this he became aware that his words were somewhat unpleasant.

  Xiao Wu snapped:

  “Did you hope I would die? What is this? This mist……, Heavens, what’s happened to little San?”

  Seeing Tang San within the light red mist, Xiao Wu’s heart immediately tightened, rushing over.

  She had been carried here by the Titan Giant Ape. Although the area of Star Dou Great Forest was extensive, if the forest king Titan Giant Ape wanted to find the Shrek Academy party here it was hardly difficult, all spirit beasts could be its eyes. After Xiao Wu was delivered to the vicinity, the Titan Giant Ape just quietly left.

  “Don’t disturb him, he’s absorbing the third spirit ring.”

  Zhao Wuji hurriedly stopped Xiao Wu.

  Xiao Wu involuntarily cried out:

  “But, how could absorbing the third spirit ring become like this?”

  Turning her head to look at the Man Faced Demon Spider’s corpse to the side, she more or less understood,

  “It’s a Man Faced Demon Spider. Not good, this Man Faced Demon Spider’s cultivation age exceeds two thousand years, Grandmaster said, a Spirit Master’s third spirit ring limit was one thousand seven hundred sixty years, little San he……”

  Zhao Wuji stared blankly,

  “How do you know this Man Faced Demon Spider has cultivated two thousand years?”

  Xiao Wu at this became aware of what she let slip,

  “The Man Faced Demon Spider’s cultivation will be seen from the length of its legs. You see, this Man Faced Demon Spider’s legs already surpass three metres, this is the mark of cultivation age exceeding two thousand years. Don’t tell me you all didn’t know thousand year spirit beast cultivation will engender some clear change with each each millennium passed? Like hundred year spirit beasts will change with each cultivated century, and like ten thousand year spirit beasts will change according ten thousand years?”