Maintaining a steady pace to conserve his spirit power and energy, Mubai reached the nearest town to the Star Dou Forest by noon. After a quick lunch, he made his way into the forest.
Entering the outer ring of the Star Dou Forest, his system suddenly chimed in.
[A CHECK-IN SITE IS LOCATED — OUTER REGION OF STAR DOU FOREST!]
"Hmm, just as I thought," Mubai nodded to himself.
The system Site Check-in feature rewarded him for visiting famous locations or landmarks. Prior to this, he had taken a detour to visit Shrek Academy again.
As he speculated, he was able to check in there and was rewarded with a unique spirit fusion technique. This technique didn't rely on harmonization between the users or any similar requirements and could be used with anyone—though it grew stronger when there were bonds between the users.
What he didn't expect, however, was that the vast Star Dou Forest would be divided into distinct regions. He assumed there would be inner regions where spirit beasts of over ten thousand years old resided and a core region where the Savage Beasts and the Silver Dragon King dwelled.
"Check-in here," he instructed.
[CHECK-IN AT THE OUTER REGION OF STAR DOU FOREST SUCCESSFUL — OBTAINED CUSTOM 100 000 YEARS SPIRIT RING!]
Mubai stared at the notification in disbelief before chuckling to himself. "Well, that just solved my need to hunt for a spirit ring."
A hundred-thousand-year spirit ring as a third spirit ring? That would be unprecedented in the current history of the Douluo Continent, and he was all in for it. The best part was that this spirit ring would be exactly what he wanted, whether it came from a never-before-seen species or one long thought extinct.
He mused, "If the outer region is this generous, what could the inner and core regions hold? I should check the inner region first."
With that thought in mind, Mubai ignored the young spirit beasts in the outer region of the Star Dou Forest and ran deeper into its depths. The forest was vast, its vegetation lush and dense, making it difficult to find his way as the thick canopy blocked out the sunlight.
From time to time, he had to climb a tree to catch a glimpse of the sun, ensuring he was always moving in the right direction. After what felt like hours, a prompt finally appeared.
[A CHECK-IN SITE IS LOCATED — INNER REGION OF STAR DOU FOREST!]
"Finally! Yes, check in now!"
[CHECK-IN AT THE INNER REGION OF STAR DOU FOREST SUCCESSFUL — OBTAINED DARK DEVILGOD TIGER SPIRIT!]
[NOTICE! DARK DEVILGOD TIGER SPIRIT IS COMPATIBLE AND HAS OPPOSITE YET COMPLEMENTARY WITH THE HOST'S EVIL-EYE WHITE TIGER!]
[TWO METHODS ARE AVAILABLE FOR INTEGRATING THE DARK DEVILGOD TIGER SPIRIT:
1) TWIN SPIRITS: THE DARK DEVILGOD TIGER SPIRIT WILL BECOME THE HOST'S SECOND SPIRIT.
2) SPIRIT FUSION: THE DARK DEVILGOD TIGER SPIRIT WILL FUSE WITH THE EVIL-EYE WHITE TIGER SPIRIT, GIVING BIRTH TO A POWERFUL DIVINE-CLASS SPIRIT. HOWEVER, THE HOST MUST RESTART HIS CULTIVATION WITH AN INNATE FULL SPIRIT POWER OF LEVEL THIRTY!]
His jaws dropped and his eyes widened. 'Coincidence? I think not,' Mubai thought, a knowing grin spreading across his face.
The Dark Devilgod Tiger was an extremely powerful spirit beast, in legend, it was said to be a White Tiger that had been corrupted by a Devil God. This caused a mutation that transformed the attribute of light of the White Tiger into darkness, producing black wings of corruption and scorpion-like Devilgod Hook for a tail.
It made perfect sense that it would be compatible with the Evil-Eye White Tiger spirit of his, which shared the same bloodline but had also undergone a significant mutation. Its spiritual attribute could potentially suppress the Dark Devilgod Tiger's corrupting attribute of evil and the conflicting light and darkness attributes within him might even achieve a balance, like yin and yang.
Hence, his choice was obvious. "Let's find a secluded place to fuse them," Mubai decided.
He carefully made his way out of the forest's inner region, seeking a remote and secluded corner in the outer region where the spirit beasts were weak and strong spirit masters were scarce.
Eventually, he found a quiet clearing surrounded by thick foliage. Climbing deftly up into one of the towering trees with the thickest canopy, he settled onto a sturdy branch.
"This should do," Mubai murmured, scanning the area one last time to ensure there were no threats nearby.
Satisfied, he took a deep breath and focused. "System, fuse them."
The moment he gave the command, a powerful energy surged out and through him, causing the air around him to hum with intensity and crackled.
Mubai's body tensed as the two spirits within him started to react.
The Evil-Eye White Tiger spirit roared to life, its form materializing on his right—white fur shimmering with light and its eyes glowing with a penetrating gaze. Opposite it, the Dark Devilgod Tiger spirit emerged, its shadowy black wings spreading wide, its dark energy crackling like lightning.
The two spirits approached each other, their glares sending sparks and their contradicting energies clashing in a fierce struggle.
The light of the Evil-Eye White Tiger pushed against the darkness of the Dark Devilgod Tiger, while the dark spirit's corrupting force sought to engulf the purity of the white tiger.
For a moment, it seemed as though they would tear at each other, the entire tree shook with their combined might. But then, a shift occurred. Mubai's spiritual power surged, bridging the two forces.
Slowly, the two contrasting energies began to merge, their violent interaction ceasing as they intertwined, like the complementary of yin and yang force.
The white tiger's radiant light began to darken, taking on a deeper, obsidian-like hue, while the Dark Devilgod Tiger's furs grew streaks of glowing silver, symbolizing the balance achieved between them.
The two spirits fused into a single entity, combining the attributes of both—the intense light of the Evil-Eye White Tiger and the dark, corrupting power of the Dark Devilgod Tiger. The spirit rings left by the Evil-Eye White Tiger melted into its body.
The fused spirit had a noticeably bulkier build, its body covered in a radiant, pristine-white fur coat adorned with pitch-black stripes that seemed to swallow light. From its shoulder blades sprouted a massive pair of wyvern-like wings, with an additional set emerging from its back. These wings featured black membrane skin with a white feathered coat and ended in claws.
The head bore pointed, horn-like ears, with four razor-sharp fangs—two long and two short—protruding from its maw. Its facial ruff and spiky mane, extending down to its shoulders, were fully black, contrasting sharply against the light fur.
Its eyes, glowing like eclipses set against black scleras, radiated an intense aura. On its forehead, the glyph for "king" (王) was boldly emblazoned, signifying its dominance over Tiger spirits and spirit beasts alike. A longer, more prehensile tail ending in a deadly fork-like tip completed its formidable appearance.
Breathing out in relief, Mubai opened his eyes, now gleaming with a mysterious white light with a pitch black darkness at its center—the sign of balance he had achieved, a harmonious blend of light and darkness, strength and spirituality.
After the fusion completed, he felt a fundamental transformation within him. His physical strength was incomparable to what it was before, his soul power was more potent and of higher quality, and could seamlessly shift between light and dark attributes, while his spiritual power skyrocketed to an unbelievable level. He practically perceived the world in a new light.
[THE HOST'S INFORMATION HAS BEEN UPDATED!]
Although he was already aware of the changes in his body and the power he gained from the fusion, Mubai wanted to see the details in his status. However, he felt it would be unwise to keep the guest below waiting for much longer.
In fact, the fusion of his two spirits had caused quite a commotion across the Star Dou Forest, even reaching the core area. The sheer power pressure of the event was enough to drive away lower-level spirit beasts, while the Savage Beasts in the core area were either indifferent or unconcerned.
However, the guest waiting for him below was none other than the Dark Devilgod Tiger. It had sensed the familiar aura and corrupting energy of the Devil God, but that aura had suddenly vanished—or rather, it had mixed with another and transformed into something entirely new and unnatural.
The Dark Devilgod Tiger had come for one reason: to consume the source of this paradoxical existence. As a spirit beast that thrived and evolved by devouring others, a being like Mubai represented the pinnacle of delicacies, something that could potentially elevate its cultivation to a hundred thousand years.
The Dark Devilgod Tiger had been forced to live on the perimeter of the Star Dou Forest after being driven out by the two overlords of the inner region. If it could surpass the hundred-thousand-year mark, it would surely repay the humiliation it had suffered tenfold.
"Coincidentally, I need spirit rings for my spirit," Mubai remarked, a predatory smile curling his lips as his gaze locked onto the Dark Devilgod Tiger.
As Mubai's predatory smile widened, the Dark Devilgod Tiger let out a low, rumbling growl, its eyes glowing with malice. The two stared each other down, the tension thick in the air. Mubai knew that despite the beast's impressive power, he had a trump card that would level the playing field.
With a quick burst of energy, Mubai unleashed his new skill, one gained from the fusion of the Dark Devilgod Tiger and his Evil-Eye White Tiger spirits. The air around them warped and twisted, a dark energy enveloping the area. "Life and Death Arena!" Mubai declared, his voice echoing through the forest.
The ground beneath them transformed, turning into a desolate, shadowy battleground encircled by a dim barrier of dark light. The once towering trees of the Star Dou Forest faded into the background, replaced by jagged rocks and twisted roots.