Chapter 45: The Fusion of Power — Body Martial Soul
Qi Tian quickly shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong on my side."
Bibi Dong finally exhaled in relief. If anything had happened to Qi Tian because of her—if her choices had somehow prevented his existence—she would never have forgiven herself.
"Then," she said after a pause, her voice a little soft, "shouldn't you tell me what you actually look like? And where will I find you in the future?"
Qi Tian gave a faint, evasive smile. "Haha… If I told you that, would it still be any fun when we meet again? Wouldn't you rather recognize me yourself?"
In truth, he wasn't certain whether he had truly traveled to the past or entered some parallel world. Revealing too much might cause unpredictable consequences—so it was safer to dodge the question.
Bibi Dong crossed her arms, snorting lightly. "Hmph. Even if you turned into ashes, I would still recognize you!"
After nearly nine years of intertwined fates, she had come to know Qi Tian's every habit, tone, and temperament. She'd imagined many times what it would be like to meet him again—face-to-face, in her own time.
One day, she thought, 'When I become Pope and command the Spirit Hall, do you really think you'll escape the palm of my hand, Qi Tian?'
In her heart, she was certain: with Qi Tian's intelligence and insight, he would one day stand out among countless soul masters. And when that day came, finding him would be simple. She would use the full might of the Spirit Hall to bring him back to her side.
"Fine," Qi Tian said with a playful grin. "You said it yourself. When we meet again, don't you dare pretend you don't know me."
"I won't," Bibi Dong said firmly, her gaze unwavering.
Qi Tian chuckled inwardly in relief. He had successfully diverted her curiosity. Still, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret—he wouldn't be able to "borrow" her martial soul talent for cultivation anymore.
And, admittedly, he'd miss teasing her soft cheeks every morning.
Now that his time inside Bibi Dong's body was nearing its end, his future cultivation would rely solely on his own strength again. Thankfully, his newly awakened Blue Silver King Martial Soul wasn't ordinary—it was an upper-tier martial soul, and his cultivation speed wouldn't fall too far behind.
"Bibi Dong," Qi Tian said suddenly, his tone turning serious, "your next soul ring will be your eighth. With your current foundation, you should be able to handle a hundred-thousand-year ring. Have you thought about where to find one?"
Bibi Dong blinked. She hadn't considered it yet.
After all, the idea of absorbing a hundred-thousand-year soul ring was something most Soul Saints would never dare to imagine.
But Qi Tian was right—after absorbing three immortal herbs, her physical strength, soul power purity, and mental fortitude had all reached levels far beyond ordinary soul masters. Combined with the Mysterious Heaven Skill Qi Tian had taught her, and the fact that she had already opened two of her eight extraordinary meridians, she indeed had the potential.
"My Death Spider Emperor once sensed the existence of another Death Spider Emperor," Bibi Dong said thoughtfully. "I think… that would be the most suitable hundred-thousand-year soul ring for me."
Just as Tang San's Blue Silver Emperor resonated with the Blue Silver Emperor in the forest, Bibi Dong, too, felt a subtle connection to the true Death Spider Emperor somewhere in the world.
Her martial soul was the Empress of Spiders—there could not be two rulers in one domain. Sometimes, during cultivation, she could faintly sense the presence of her kin across the land.
"The Death Spider Emperor is indeed a perfect match for you," Qi Tian agreed. "But what about your second martial soul? You still have eleven empty soul ring slots for it."
Bibi Dong frowned slightly. "I've heard the Star Dou Forest hides two powerful beasts — the Titan Giant Ape and the Azure Bull Python. Both are over a hundred thousand years old. What about them?"
Qi Tian instinctively shook his head. "I wouldn't recommend it. Those two are not ordinary soul beasts — they're ancient kings of the forest. Taking their rings could lead to a catastrophe."
He paused, then suggested, "The oceans beyond the continent are teeming with life — and the number of hundred-thousand-year soul beasts there is far greater than on land. If you seek one, look to the sea. You can confirm this with the Grand Elder, Qian Daoliu. He's been to Seagod Island and knows the ocean better than anyone in Spirit Hall."
Bibi Dong frowned, troubled. "The sea, huh... but my martial soul's power is heavily reduced in water. At most, I could exert seventy percent of my strength there. How would I fight a hundred-thousand-year soul beast in that environment?"
Qi Tian had already considered this. "That's where the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well comes in. Take some of its hot and cold spring water with you. Inject it into a hundred-thousand-year beast's body — even those mighty creatures wouldn't withstand that elemental clash. With your body tempered by two immortal herbs, you should be able to resist the backlash."
"Also," Qi Tian added, "you can befriend Golden Crocodile Douluo. When the time comes, ask him to accompany you on your hunt for sea soul beasts."
The Golden Crocodile King, Golden Crocodile Douluo's martial soul, was a water-land amphibious beast—perfectly capable of unleashing its full strength in the ocean.
Qi Tian sounded like an overprotective elder as he continued listing precautions and strategies.
Bibi Dong, however, didn't interrupt. She simply listened quietly, her eyes soft, memorizing every word he said.
She cherished this final moment—the last time she would hear Qi Tian's voice before they were separated. When they met again… who knew what year it would be, or what would have changed by then?
The next morning, Qi Tian awoke in his small rented room.
Blinking in the soft morning light, he sat up and subconsciously touched his firm chest muscles—only to feel an inexplicable emptiness within.
'Sigh… After being together for so long, I've actually grown a little reluctant to part with them,' he thought with a wry smile.
Over the years, he had watched Bibi Dong transform—from a naïve and innocent girl into the calm yet ruthless Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall.
He had also witnessed Liu Erlong's growth—from a hot-tempered, heartbroken youth into a strong and independent warrior woman.
Both of them, in their own ways—whether in beauty, temperament, or inner strength—had captured the heart of a perfectly normal man like him.
"I just hope they'll both continue to walk their own paths… and live well," Qi Tian murmured, silently blessing them.
Then a thought struck him. "I wonder… what exactly is my second martial soul?"
Sitting cross-legged, he circulated his soul power and summoned his second martial soul.
In the air behind him, a human-shaped figure gradually materialized—identical to himself in appearance.
"Huh? My martial soul… is me?" Qi Tian blinked. "A Body Martial Soul?"
But almost immediately, he sensed something was off.
"No… this isn't a pure Body Martial Soul."
The manifested martial soul exuded a dense aura of death, eerily similar to Bibi Dong's Death Spider Emperor. Its left eye gleamed a frosty white, while its right eye burned crimson—a perfect fusion of ice and fire.
Within the crimson pupil flickered traces of dragon flame, nearly identical to Liu Erlong's dragon fire.
Qi Tian's lips twitched. "Wait… is this a complete mash-up of everything I've ever absorbed?"
Indeed, this martial soul seemed to be an amalgamation of all his accumulated powers—except for his Blue Silver Grass.
Bibi Dong's Death Power, the twin immortal herbs' opposing energies, Liu Erlong's ultimate dragon flame, and the potent bloodline energy of his True Dragon Physique—all blended into one singular existence.
"Hah, so it's a fusion… a Body Martial Soul, huh? Works for me."
After the initial shock, Qi Tian quickly accepted it.
With his True Dragon Physique, he possessed the potential to evolve it further—to eventually attain the legendary Divine Dragon Physique.
When that time came, if he could refine his body into the form of a hundred-level True God, his Body Martial Soul would allow him to unleash the full might of his divine body—without being constrained by the world's laws.
Unlike Tang Chen, who reached the peak of mortal cultivation but could never break through the hundredth rank even after creating the Great Sumeru Hammer techniques…
And unlike the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, who converted ninety-nine percent of his body into divine flesh but still couldn't transcend the barrier to godhood—Qi Tian's path held no such shackles.
The cultivation of a Body Martial Soul directly tempered the body, accelerating the growth of his True Dragon Physique.
The two paths reinforced each other—each advancement boosting the other.
Qi Tian grinned. "Haha, this is amazing! My future's looking brighter than ever. One more martial soul to train—another step closer to divinity!"
With renewed determination, he dispersed his Body Martial Soul and stood up.
No matter what form his martial soul took, one truth remained unchanged—
Only through mastery and relentless cultivation could he draw out its true power.
And he intended to do just that.
---
End of Chapter