Chapter 187: Rare Blood Ring

The ring looked as if it were crafted from the Blood Crystal itself, faintly shimmering, with an antique design.

Su Li looked at the ring and couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

Gong Xiao saw it and exclaimed in surprise, “How did you get another ring? Is that a Spiritual Source equipment too?”

Su Li replied, “I acquired it from slaying the Blood Crystal Beast last time. I can finally use it today.”

Gong Xiao’s lips parted slightly. She was speechless, filled with envy.

She was already jealous that Su Li possessed four pieces of equipment. Now he had a fifth.

Su Li focused on sensing the properties of the Rare Blood Ring.

“Name: Blood Ring. Ability: Increases strength by 1,000 jin. Skill: Blood Crystal Cannon. Special Ability: Can communicate with other Blood Crystal Beasts as a companion.”

Sensing the attributes of the ring, Su Li was once again impressed by the Blood Crystal Beast’s essence. The Blood Ring, formed from the creature’s crystal, was extraordinary. It instantly boosted his strength by 1,000 jin, pushing his maximum power to 5,500 jin (approx. 2,750 kg or 6,060 pounds). Furthermore, it possessed a powerful skill, effectively combining the functions of both armor and a weapon.

The most astonishing ability was that the ring caused other Blood Crystal Beasts to view him as one of their own, granting him the ability to communicate with them. This meant he could potentially tame a Blood Crystal Beast.

Of course, that assumed he could find a live one.

This small ring contained truly incredible power.

He then sensed the data for the “Blood Crystal Cannon” skill. Like his dual sword techniques, “Blood Crystal Cannon” unleashed all its stored energy in a single, powerful burst, followed by a cooldown period until the energy was fully restored.

“Having this ring is like having an extra weapon? And it boosts my strength by 1,000 jin! That’s impressive; it’s better than my current weapons.”

Seeing Gong Xiao’s envious expression, Su Li smiled. “Don’t be jealous. You’ll get one too, eventually. I estimate there are many Rare Beasts in the deep water. Once we are stronger, we can actively hunt them. Then we can have as many pieces of equipment as we want.”

Gong Xiao shook her head. “That’s ill-advised. Our enemies are also evolving. Just now, I really didn’t agree with you diving down alone to hunt. You might be lucky once or twice, but no one is lucky forever. We don’t know what lies in the deep water. It’s best not to take that risk.”

Su Li acknowledged her concern. He could feel her genuine worry for him. He smiled. “Don’t worry. I won’t be so reckless again. I was only so impatient because I was just ten Spiritual Sources short. It won’t happen again.”

Having advanced to Level 8 and acquired the Blood Ring, Su Li felt he had taken another qualitative leap in strength. He was in an excellent mood.

“Speaking of which, I really envy that Tao Bingjun’s ability. He didn’t have to fear any danger. He could just dive into the deep water to hunt. If he ran into a powerful monster, he could just ‘resurrect using a corpse’ and come back to life. If that guy were still alive, he would have grown to an unimaginably terrifying level by now.”

Su Li suddenly felt relieved. He was fortunate he had dealt with Tao Bingjun when he was still Level 6. If the man had been allowed to evolve further, he would have become an extremely dangerous individual.

Gong Xiao had almost forgotten about Tao Bingjun. Hearing Su Li mention him reminded her. She nodded. “Yes, his ability was truly terrifying. I wonder if there are other people with similar abilities. A person who doesn’t fear death can continuously hunt monsters in the deep water. Their growth rate would be astonishing.”

She now understood why Su Li was so desperate to level up. In this world, to remain at the absolute pinnacle, one needed not only superior talent and aptitude but also to work harder than anyone else.

Su Li mused, “I just thought of Jiang Shuijue’s ‘Mist Maze.’ I have an idea: we could form a deep-water hunting team with her. Based on our experience over the past few days, there are likely many Rare Beasts hidden in the deep water. Each Rare Beast can provide us with Spiritual Source equipment. The problem is encountering a monster we can’t defeat. But with Jiang Shuijue, it’s different. If we encounter a monster we can’t fight, she can deploy the ‘Mist Maze,’ and we can seize the opportunity to escape. I just wonder how effective her ‘Mist Maze’ is underwater.”

He thought of their close call with the Lion-Scorpion Cinder Beast. Jiang Shuijue had deployed the Mist Maze to trap the monster, which allowed them to escape. He had previously thought the escape-oriented Spiritual Source Technique was not very useful in a fight, but now he realized its vital importance for deep-sea exploration.

Without such a contingency, even he wouldn’t dare dive into the unknown depths.

Gong Xiao, hearing him mention Jiang Shuijue, smiled faintly. “You two will make a perfect team.”

Su Li felt her tone was a little strange, so he changed the subject. “Have you noticed Ling Yi?”

“Hmm?” Gong Xiao was slightly confused. She shook her head. “I haven’t paid much attention to him. All I know is he doesn’t talk much. Why?”

Su Li smiled faintly. “I noticed he’s often secretly watching you. I think he has feelings for you.”

Gong Xiao showed no reaction. She said calmly, “Nonsense. I’ve barely spoken to the man. We have almost no interaction. Where would those feelings come from?”

Su Li said, “A fair lady is worthy of a gentleman’s pursuit. You are so beautiful, it’s normal for men to be attracted to you…”

He suddenly noticed Gong Xiao’s expression darken. He immediately stopped teasing her.

Gong Xiao is beautiful and has a great figure, but her personality is a bit strange and very serious. She can’t take a joke. Su Li sighed inwardly. He had noticed that as Gong Xiao’s strength increased, her demeanor changed. She grew more imposing. When she looked stern, she had an air of authority that made people hesitant to joke with her.

Jiang Shuijue, on the other hand, was the opposite. She was gentle and soft, possessing a fragility that made people instinctively want to protect her.

These two women. Gong Xiao is like a strong businesswoman, and Jiang Shuijue is like a delicate young lady.

Su Li mentally evaluated the two women. Silence fell between them on the raft.

They soon returned to Gold Eagle One B-Building and were greeted by a savory scent.

He hadn’t eaten cooked meat in almost ten days. The aroma made his mouth water.

Su Li swallowed hard. He took a deep breath. “The meat smells so good. It looks like Jiang Shuijue was right. The Sea Cow Beast’s meat is tender and delicious.”

Returning to the building, he was greeted by people respectfully calling him “Brother Su” or “Boss.” The air was filled with the scent of food. Dinner was about to be served.

Climbing to the 44th floor, Ding Longyun laughed heartily. “You’re finally back! We were just waiting for you two.”

“What is it?” Su Li asked. “Did something happen?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to invite you to dinner. Come quickly.”

“Invite us to dinner?” Su Li smiled wryly. He thought: All food is communally owned and distributed based on need. How is Ding Longyun inviting people to dinner?

Ding Longyun realized his mistake and chuckled. “It just slipped out. I mean, let’s eat together. And you can keep me company while I have a drink. I haven’t had a drink in days, and I’m craving one.”

Su Li washed his hands and walked into the living room. He saw a table set up. It was filled with the vacuum-sealed food he usually ate, which he was already tired of.

In the center, an alcohol stove was set up, and a pot of steaming, fragrant meat sat on top. Su Li knew this was the Sea Cow Beast meat they had hunted today.

Besides Ding Longyun, Zhong Rongrong, Xu Xuehui, and Qi Mengyu were in the room.

Zhong Rongrong and Qi Mengyu were standing. They greeted Su Li and Gong Xiao, calling them “Brother Su” and “Sister Gong.”

Su Li smiled. “Brother Ding, you’re in high spirits today. Everyone, please sit down.”

Ding Longyun insisted, “Yes, yes, everyone sit.”

Qi Mengyu was hesitant but was encouraged by Zhong Rongrong to sit down.

Ding Longyun sat next to Zhong Rongrong. Seeing Su Li and Gong Xiao also seated, he chuckled. “I gathered you all here tonight to introduce you to Rongrong. From now on, she’s your sister-in-law.”

As he spoke, he proudly put his arm around Zhong Rongrong’s waist. Zhong Rongrong smiled happily, her cheeks flushed. Although she wasn’t particularly beautiful, she was plump and looked very womanly with the blush on her cheeks.

Su Li was momentarily stunned, then laughed heartily. “Congratulations! That’s certainly cause for celebration, Sister-in-Law. You should have a drink too.”

Gong Xiao also smiled. “Congratulations, Brother Ding and Sister-in-Law.”

Ding Longyun had already set out the glasses and opened a bottle of Maotai. He poured a full glass for Su Li, then half a glass for Zhong Rongrong. Seeing her look uneasy, he said, “Rongrong, it’s a special occasion. Have a drink with us.”

Zhong Rongrong clearly didn’t like drinking, but she reluctantly nodded, not wanting to spoil Ding Longyun’s mood.

Zhong Rongrong thoughtfully prepared fruit juice for the non-drinkers—Gong Xiao, Qi Mengyu, and Xu Xuehui—pouring each of them a glass.

Su Li raised his glass. “A toast to Brother Ding and Sister-in-Law.”

Ding Longyun was in high spirits and downed the two-ounce glass in one gulp.

Su Li, who had only planned to take a small sip, had no choice but to follow suit.

The strong liquor burned his throat and hit his stomach. Su Li quietly sighed.

(End of Chapter)