Chapter 46: Qin Xuan vs. Bibi Dong
A faint, insidious purple light emanated from Bibi Dong's body. The air around her grew thick and toxic.
Her delicate hands contorted, elongating into sharp, dark-purple claws, and her legs fused and shifted, her lower body disappearing, replaced by the grotesque, powerful abdomen of a giant spider. In an instant, she had transformed into a spiderwoman, her upper body a vision of perfect beauty, her lower body a creature of nightmares.
Two yellow, two purple, and three black spirit rings—seven in total—rose silently from beneath her feet. A dazzling, oppressive light enveloped her body as she instantly completed her Spirit Possession.
This was her first Spirit, the Death Spider Emperor.
"It seems you've made great progress this year, breaking through the Spirit Saint threshold so quickly," she said, her voice a cold, layered echo. "But I haven't been without gains either."
She had worked tirelessly, bearing the weight of her master's expectations and her own ambitions. This year, she had finally broken the bottleneck, becoming a true Spirit Saint, a powerhouse in her own right. This match was her chance to solidify her position as the undeniable future of Spirit Hall.
Qin Xuan merely smiled, his red robes unstirred by the toxic pressure. He slowly raised his right hand.
Immediately, a brilliant golden light condensed in his palm, solidifying into the form of the Changming Sword. It hummed, and the intricate, pure-white bat demonic patterns etched onto the blade near the hilt seemed to pulse with a cold, hungry light, as if they were alive.
At the same time, six spirit rings rose quietly from his feet.
Two yellow, two purple, and two black.
Because everyone present knew the configuration of his first five spirit rings, he had consciously used the [Phoenix Fire] to change the color of his fourth spirit ring, masking its 10,000-year black to appear as a standard purple.
Even so, that sixth and final ring—a deep, abyssal black that seemed to drink the light around it—was more than enough to attract everyone's attention.
From the color and size of that spirit ring, it was clear its age was no less than Bibi Dong's seventh spirit ring.
"A sixth... a sixth ring of that level..."
Aside from Qian Daoliu and Qian Jun, who already knew the inside story, all the other Titled Douluo present narrowed their eyes. The relaxed, observational atmosphere in the Elder Palace suddenly vanished, replaced by a suffocating seriousness.
A sixth ring at the 10,000-year level was the mark of a monster.
"You probably don't know yet," Qian Jun Douluo spoke. To avoid affecting the two competitors, his voice was transmitted directly to the ears of the Titled Douluo present via a precise application of spirit power.
"Xuan'er's sixth spirit ring was not obtained through normal means. Instead, it came from a primeval exotic beast, a Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Serpent, which he encountered on the Hell Road in Slaughter City."
His voice was thick with a pride he couldn't hide.
"Xuan'er and his girlfriend worked together to brave the Hell Road. After killing the Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Serpent, an inner core appeared."
"This sixth spirit ring," Qian Jun concluded, "was formed by refining that ancient exotic beast's inner core. Its spirit ring age is equivalent to around 50,000 years."
The Titled Douluo suddenly understood, and their gazes towards Qin Xuan filled with even more undisguised admiration. To be able to absorb a Spirit Master's seventh spirit ring equivalent at the sixth ring... this child's future was limitless.
Qian Xunji, however, heard something else entirely. His focus, which had been fixed on Qin Xuan's provocative power, instantly shifted. His eyes lit up, and he quickly broke the sound transmission line to ask aloud, "Uncle Qian Jun, did you say... Qin Xuan and his girlfriend worked together to get out of the Hell Road?"
Qian Jun Douluo, oblivious to the undercurrent, nodded, still beaming with pride. "That's right, Supreme Pontiff. Xuan'er's girlfriend is named Jing Ni. She possesses a top-tier Tool Spirit, the Jing Ni Sword, and is the same age as the Holy Maiden."
He continued, stacking one shocking fact upon another. "Her spirit power has already reached Level 73, and her spirit ring configuration is even more terrifying. A 1,000-year second ring and a 10,000-year fourth ring."
"According to Xuan'er, she's a native of the extreme western barbaric lands, and they met because she accidentally entered Slaughter City."
"Speaking of which," Qian Jun chuckled, "Xuan'er is really too reckless. After getting together with my apprentice's wife, he actually got her pregnant in Slaughter City, and then they both braved the Hell Road with her pregnant!"
"Fortunately, there were no major mishaps, and both of them obtained the Slaughter God Domain. Otherwise, I would have flayed him alive."
At the end of his speech, Qian Jun Douluo laughed and cursed, clearly delighted.
There was no hint of blame in his tone, only more relief: relief that his disciple had emerged from Slaughter City and obtained the Slaughter God Domain.
Relief that his disciple had found such a talented other half.
And relief that Spirit Hall had, in one fell swoop, gained another peerless genius in Jing Ni.
"Haha! Uncle Qian Jun is right. My Second Brother is indeed quite reckless!"
Qian Xunji also laughed, and for the first time in a long time, it was a genuine, booming laugh, without a trace of falsehood.
The crushing, possessive weight in his chest suddenly evaporated.
He didn't care who Qin Xuan married. He didn't care if she was a Level 73 Spirit Saint or a commoner. He didn't care about her talent or her appearance, as long as it wasn't Bibi Dong.
On the contrary, he was genuinely, profoundly happy.
This news was better than obtaining a 100,000-year spirit ring. This meant Qin Xuan was... settled. He was tied down. He had a woman, and a child on the way.
He would never, ever be able to lay claim to Bibi Dong again.
As the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, he would never allow his disciple, the dignified and pure Holy Maiden, to share a husband with another woman. It was a perfect, unassailable excuse.
This way, even if Qin Xuan brought up that old, foolish "agreement" from before, he would have sufficient, righteous, and public reasons to refuse. The Elders, even his own father, would not be able to say anything more.
The threat was gone.
Thinking of this, Qian Xunji looked at Qin Xuan again, who was standing tall in the arena. He couldn't help but find his "Second Brother" much more agreeable.
[Qian Xunji's favorability +10 (still disdainful)]
It seems my cheap master has already told that old fox Qian Xunji about Jing Ni and me, Qin Xuan speculated, feeling the shift in the Supreme Pontiff's aura.
This was exactly the outcome he had planned for.
With a wave of his longsword, he created a large wave of Spirit pressure that spread outwards, a golden ripple in the air. He announced his spirit power level, his voice clear and resonant.
"Qin Xuan, Spirit: Changming Sword. 68th-ranked, Attack System Spirit Emperor. Please enlighten me."
The Spirit pressure, sharp as a blade, rushed towards his opponent. It struck Bibi Dong's body. Her dark, reddish-brown hair, which had turned a glossy black due to her Spirit Possession, slowly fluttered up and then fell.
"68th rank... How is this possible?"
Feeling the spirit power fluctuations on Qin Xuan, which were so dense they were already close to the 69th-rank bottleneck, Bibi Dong was greatly, profoundly surprised.
Her composure, her cold confidence as a Spirit Saint, cracked.
When Qin Xuan left Spirit Hall, he was only at Level 56.
By her estimation, even if Qin Xuan had gained some unexpected, dark fortune in Slaughter City, breaking through to Spirit Emperor—Level 60—would have been the absolute limit.
Who would have thought?
In just one year... he had increased his spirit power by more than 10 ranks. This was a leap across both the Spirit King and Spirit Emperor realms. This was far beyond the scope of common sense.
Let alone her, even most of the Titled Douluo present were puzzled.
Logically speaking, even if Qin Xuan absorbed an ancient exotic beast's inner core for his sixth ring, his spirit power couldn't have increased so rapidly. A 50,000-year ring might boost a new Spirit Emperor to Level 62, perhaps Level 63 if he was lucky.
To suddenly reach Level 68... It was hard not to let one's imagination run wild.
And at this moment, it was our commentator, Qian Jun Douluo's, turn once again.
He took out the Immortal Herb catalog that Qin Xuan had given him, his voice again transmitted to the other Elders. He stated that he had already confirmed with Yue Guan and had carefully examined Qin Xuan's body himself.
Not only had his physique become stronger, but there were no side effects. His foundation was as solid as bedrock.
Moreover, these Immortal Herbs could indeed enhance spirit power and talent while strengthening that foundation.
Qin Xuan's spirit power had increased so rapidly precisely because he had consumed the Odd Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum—an Immortal Herb similar in nature to Yue Guan's own Spirit.
For a moment, everyone whose spirit power had stagnated—including Qian Xunji—seemed to see a higher realm beckoning to them. The path to Level 97, 98, or even the legendary Level 99... it seemed possible again.
Unfortunately, Immortal Herbs were not so easy to find. Aside from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well described in the catalog, even if there were other places, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
"Personal encounters vary. It's just luck," Qin Xuan said, his voice cutting through the silent awe. He narrowed his eyes.
The white bat demonic patterns on the Changming Sword lit up.
A faint, pure-white light spread from his body, instantly turning colorless and invisible.
At this time, it was midday. Although indoors, the Elder Palace enshrined the Angel God statue, and the lighting was excellent. Sunlight streamed through the huge windows and filled the hall.
The temperature was warm, much higher than on the ground.
But at this moment—at the instant Qin Xuan released the white light—the air suddenly turned cold.
A bone-chilling, visceral killing intent instantly spread to every corner of the Elder Palace hall. It was the smell of death, the aura of a million screaming souls.
The Slaughter God Domain.
The Titled Douluo present suddenly looked serious. They knew, with this Domain in play, this battle would far exceed the level of ordinary Spirit Emperors and even Spirit Saints. They exchanged glances.
Except for Qian Xunji and the six High Priests, the other Titled Douluo moved in unison. They each formed a huge circle around Qin Xuan and Bibi Dong, unleashing their own Spirit Power to create a barrier, confining the terrifying killing intent to the battle area.
Qin Xuan's dark eyes flickered with a blood-red light. His gaze swept around, and his powerful mental force instantly locked onto Bibi Dong.
The dispersed, colorless killing intent reappeared as a tangible, white light, like a bridge connecting Qin Xuan and Bibi Dong.
The dense, suffocating killing intent emanating from the surrounding air instantly condensed at this moment, gathering entirely... onto Bibi Dong's body.
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