Jin Bao felt very secure on Du Lude's back because Du Lude's spirit power formed a simple protective barrier, preventing him from feeling the wind on his face. He wasn't put back on the ground until they had been running for about half an hour.
Du Lude began to stand guard while Jin Bao's father started to recover his spirit power.
It wasn't that Jin Ge's spirit power was exhausted, but he had consumed quite a bit. He had continuously released his Second Spirit Ability just now, and although it only lasted for half an hour in total, a third of his spirit power had already been spent.
Soon, Jin Ge opened his eyes and took out a short sword.
Du Lude began to recover his spirit power. Since his consumption was relatively small earlier, his recovery speed was also faster.
Jin Ge looked at Jin Bao. "Son, I'm going to teach you something now. In the wild, especially in a place like a Spirit Beast forest, you must always ensure you have half of your spirit power. Once you get close to this limit, you must stop and recover. Don't be afraid of the trouble; when you're away from home, safety is the most important thing."
Du Lude quickly finished recovering his spirit power. "Master, Young Master, we can continue our journey." As he spoke, he moved to carry Jin Bao on his back again.
However, Jin Bao refused. "Dad, how much longer until we reach the target area?"
Jin Ge looked at Du Lude.
Du Lude said, "Young Master, if we're lucky, we can arrive within an hour and find a suitable Spirit Beast to serve as your spirit ring."
Jin Bao said, "It's not even noon yet, I want to walk by myself. After all, I will be a Spirit Master in the future. My teacher told us that even a Support-type Soul Master needs a good physique. I can't always let my teammates carry me when I go out in the future!"
"This..." Du Lude looked at Jin Ge.
Jin Ge broke into a smile. "Haha, as expected of my son, to have such awareness! Good! Dad will walk with you! However, our speed won't be slow!" With that, he started running first.
Jin Bao hurriedly followed, with Du Lude bringing up the rear.
Although Jin Ge said the speed wouldn't be slow, without using a Spirit to accelerate, the speed really wasn't very fast.
Despite being a Spirit Ancestor, Jin Ge had neglected his Cultivation for several years. His physical fitness was no longer what it was in his prime, and he had also grown stout.
Stopping and starting along the way, Jin Bao felt as if his physical strength had increased slightly. They took two hours to reach a place that should have taken one, only arriving at the target location after finishing lunch at noon.
This was a small mountain in the forest; their target was a pile of scattered rocks at the foot of the mountain.
"See those caves and the fallen trees? That was done by the Gold-Devouring Rats," Jin Ge said, pointing at the scenery ahead.
Jin Bao looked over and saw holes in those large rocks, while on the ground, many trees had been gnawed through.
"Although the teeth of a Gold-Devouring Rat can penetrate iron and stone when driven by spirit power, if they don't use spirit power, even trees can wear down their teeth," Jin Ge explained.
"Then, how should we lure these Gold-Devouring Rats out?" Jin Bao looked at his father; at least on the surface, he didn't see a single Gold-Devouring Rat.
"Gold-Devouring Rats love to gnaw on metal. Naturally, the better the metal, the more it attracts them. Your father has prepared for this!" Jin Ge said proudly.
Then, Jin Bao saw him take out a fist-sized rock with a gold coin embedded in it.
"Go!" Jin Ge forcefully threw the rock toward the rock pile, and it landed accurately in an open space.
Soon, pairs of eyes appeared inside the caves.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."
The sounds of rats spread, and the Gold-Devouring Rats that had initially poked their heads out all retracted back.
Soon, a large rat half a meter long with two golden stripes on its back crawled out.
"The cultivation of a Gold-Devouring Rat is determined by the golden stripes on its back. This one is a bit over two hundred years old, it won't do!" Jin Ge said.
Du Lude nodded and underwent Spirit Possession. Immediately after, he slapped his hands on the ground, and his First Spirit Ring lit up.
"First Spirit Skill, Earth Spike."
A sharp Earth Spike grazed the side of this Gold-Devouring Rat's body, blood flowed out, and the rat was knocked aside.
"Squeak—!" This Gold-Devouring Rat let out a howl.
"Squeak squeak!" An even larger Gold-Devouring Rat ran out. On its back, there were three full stripes and one golden stripe that was almost a full length.
This Gold-Devouring Rat was nearly four hundred years old!
"Son?" Jin Ge looked at his son, Jin Bao. Although some people had absorbed a four-hundred-year spirit ring as their First Spirit Ring, as someone who had been through it, he knew the pain of absorbing a spirit ring.
Jin Bao nodded. "This is the one!"
Anyway, it was less than four hundred years, so it definitely wouldn't exceed his body's endurance. As for the pain, he believed he could endure it. If he couldn't even endure this bit of pain, would he be worthy of the chance of Transmigration? Would he be worthy of his Spirit!
"Good son! Old Du, do it!" Jin Ge patted his son's head, his expression becoming serious.
"Third Soul Skill, Attack Enhancement!"
The third soul ring on Du Lude's body also lit up.
"Third Soul Skill, Rock Collision!"
Du Lude jumped up, curled his body into a ball, and spun as he charged toward that Gold-Devouring Rat.
With the support of two Third Soul Skills, the Gold-Devouring Rat was knocked directly to the ground.
Although Du Lude only used his Third Soul Skill, he used his claws to sever the Gold-Devouring Rat's legs when he got close.
Immediately after, Jin Ge's Second Spirit Ability lit up. Du Lude, who had landed next to the Gold-Devouring Rat, grabbed its tail, kicked off quickly, and jumped back to Jin Ge's side once more.
"Master, Young Master, I have fortunately accomplished the mission." Du Lude placed the half-dead Gold-Devouring Rat in front of Jin Bao, his right hand keeping the rat's head pressed down for fear that it might bite Jin Bao in a final burst of strength.
Jin Ge handed the short sword to Jin Bao. "Stab through its eye and crush its brain."
Jin Bao took the short sword, aimed at the Gold-Devouring Rat's eye, and stabbed down hard.
At this moment, the Gold-Devouring Rat began to struggle but was held down firmly by Du Lude's hands.
Until a yellow spirit ring floated out, Du Lude then withdrew his Spirit and stood aside.
As for the Gold-Devouring Rats over there, the two-hundred-year-old one took the opportunity to snatch the rock with the gold coin and dove into a hole.
"It's daytime now, and Gold-Devouring Rats don't like sunlight. Combined with the strength we just showed and the fact that we killed their leader, they naturally won't dare to hunt us down. However, son, you must absorb the spirit ring as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the scent of blood can easily attract other Spirit Beasts," Jin Ge said, looking at Jin Bao.
Jin Bao nodded, sat cross-legged next to the Gold-Devouring Rat, and took a deep breath.
'It must be the Spirit Ability I want!'
He released his Spirit and used his spirit power to draw the spirit ring.
The nearly four-hundred-year-old spirit ring, under the guidance of Jin Bao's spirit power, flew over and settled around him.