"Eighth Soul Skill—Heaven-Shaking Strike!"
The eighth soul ring beneath Elder Qian Jun's feet lit up as the Panlong Staff in his hands rapidly expanded, transforming into a fifteen-meter-long, half-meter-thick colossal pillar. Blue flames surged from the staff as it came crashing down upon the Medusa Empress.
Boom!
A deafening roar echoed out, causing the entire hilltop to quake. When the Panlong Staff was withdrawn, the Medusa Empress had been reduced to a mangled heap of flesh. A pitch-black soul ring slowly rose from her remains.
"Elder Qian Jun, go check if that Medusa soul beast dropped a soul bone," Qian Xunji instructed. If he remembered correctly, Dugu Bo had a Medusa head-type soul bone. It was likely this very Medusa that had dropped it—after all, a 50,000-year-old Medusa perfectly matched the limit of a Soul Master's seventh ring.
"Yes, Young Master."
Elder Qian Jun hadn't held much hope—after all, the drop rate of soul bones was astronomically low. But to his surprise, this Medusa actually had dropped one, and it was an extremely rare head-type soul bone. What absurd luck!
Qian Xunji had no intention of claiming it for himself. Though Elder Qian Jun wouldn't have objected if he did, it would've seemed petty and grasping—an unworthy trade that might have cost him the loyalty of the Qian Clan. That would've been a serious loss.
Arriving at the mountaintop, Qian Xunji looked down and was immediately drawn to a conical mountain basin. From the edges of the basin, a dense, steamy mist rose from its depths, warm and slightly fragrant with herbal notes.
At the valley entrance, the full view of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well came into sight. Though not large, the spring was distinctly divided into two halves. The oval pool contained milky-white and vermilion-red waters, split cleanly down the middle. The two never mixed, always remaining in their respective halves.
Surrounding the pool, through the swirling red and white mist, countless rare herbs and flowers grew in dense clusters.
Blazing Apricot Delicate, Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Lovesick Heartbreak Red, Piercing Autumn Dew, Celestial Chrysanthemum, Daffodil Jade Flesh Bone, Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, Gorgeous Tulip, Fragrant Celestial Dew, Millennium Ginseng King, Snowy Swan Kiss, Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma…
Qian Xunji took out a rare herbs handbook he'd borrowed from Yue Guan before leaving the Hall of the Pope. At this point, Yue Guan was still only a Soul Sage, so borrowing it had been easy.
To enhance one's talent most effectively, the optimal choice was to select a celestial herb that best aligned with one's martial spirit, thereby increasing the martial spirit's origin power and strengthening one's inherent potential.
But Qian Xunji's own talent was already fixed—he might as well leave the top-tier herbs for his descendants. Instead, he chose Blazing Apricot Delicate and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, both of which would greatly enhance his physical constitution. That would allow him to keep enjoying life—music, dance, and carefree days.
Let the descendants handle the burdens. He'd just use a bit of brainpower when needed. What a leisurely life.
Qian Xunji pulled out two warm jade containers from his storage-type soul tool. He channeled soul power into one, dissolving its outer layer to reveal a razor-sharp blade. He then sliced off portions of the Blazing Apricot Delicate and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, crushed them into a paste, swallowed it whole without chewing—and immediately jumped into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
—
Meanwhile, in Spirit City's Hall of the Pope…
Qian Daoliu sat on the papal throne, beard twitching and brows furrowed as he glared at the growing mountain of documents in front of him.
Where the hell had Qian Xunji run off to? Why was absorbing one soul ring taking so long? He was over a hundred years old and still couldn't retire. Every day he was stuck burning brain cells processing this bureaucratic nightmare.
Just then, a red-robed cardinal came running in.
"Greetings, Your Holiness!"
Qian Daoliu asked calmly, "What's the matter?"
"Your Holiness, the Wuhun branch hall in Luoxi City reports the awakening of a twin martial spirit talent named Bibi Dong, a girl with innate full soul power!"
Even the aged Limit Douluo was visibly stirred by this report. He asked, "What are her two martial spirits?"
"Death Spider Emperor and Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor."
The excitement on Qian Daoliu's face faded somewhat. While both spirits were undoubtedly top-tier, their attributes were extremely dark and sinister. He had originally planned to groom this girl as Qian Xunji's future wife to ensure the purity and strength of the Seraphim bloodline. After all, if Qian Xunji married someone with poor talent, the Six-Winged Angel's origin might weaken—or worse, degrade.
But with both her martial spirits being evil in nature and completely opposed to the light of the Seraphim, she could only serve as a disciple. Perhaps she could still become a pillar of support for Spirit Hall in the future.
A child's talent, barring mutations, is directly related to their parents'. For someone like Qian Xunji, his wife had to possess a martial spirit aligned with light, holiness, or fire—only then could their child fully inherit and nourish the Seraphim's essence within the womb.
In martial spirit inheritance, the stronger spirit always devours the weaker one. Survival of the fittest—even in inheritance.
A Seraphim eating two evil-natured spiders? That's not a supplement—that's poison.
—
Three more days passed. After consuming the Blazing Apricot Delicate and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Qian Xunji's cultivation rose by another level to 84. He also completed the Ice and Fire Golden Body, drastically boosting his physical strength. It felt as if his meridians had been fully opened. He then uprooted nearly every herb around the Yin Yang Well and returned to Spirit Hall.
As for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, aside from the celestial herbs, he planned to send people to harvest it once every decade for sustainable use.
Upon his return, Qian Daoliu looked him up and down. Seeing how his soul power had increased by four full levels and that he even looked visibly younger, he raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"What have you been doing, brat? How'd you jump so many levels at once?"
"Secret," Qian Xunji replied flatly.
He didn't bother explaining. What good would it do? It's not like Qian Daoliu would care about anything less than godhood.
Now that he was about to ascend to the papal throne, Qian Xunji had to start planning his next steps.
First off, Tang Chen absolutely had to be lured to Slaughter City. Otherwise, how could he destroy the Clear Sky Clan? After all, even the smartest mind is useless against a brute. When a scholar meets a soldier, reason goes out the window.
The best candidate for this manipulation was undoubtedly Bo Saixi. Get Tang Chen emotionally involved. As for Qian Daoliu? He was no longer relevant. He couldn't even become a god.
Even if Qian Xunji peacefully tricked him into going to Sea God Island, Qian Daoliu would definitely end up fighting Bo Saixi. Their clash would draw Tang Chen's attention—and eventually, Bo Saixi would fall for Tang Chen. As ridiculous as it sounded, Qian Xunji remembered that Bo Saixi had once glimpsed Tang Chen from afar while visiting the continent. Even though he was already married at the time, she still fell for him. Absurd.
Qian Daoliu flung his sleeve. "Fine, don't tell me then. Down south, a girl named Bibi Dong has awakened twin martial spirits. She'll be brought to Spirit Hall in a few days. You're to take her as your disciple. I'll officially pass the papal position to you tomorrow."
Qian Xunj
i's pupils widened the moment he heard the name.
"What? Bibi Dong?!"
(End of Chapter)
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