Chapter 67: The Artifact's Hidden Power — Item Transmission
Changing a person's mind is never easy.
Zhu Zhuqing had been deeply conditioned for years — Qi Tian didn't expect to overturn her beliefs overnight. He only sought to subtly reshape her thoughts, letting change take root naturally.
"Then… Can you teach me? Teach me how to break through and reach the Titled Douluo realm?" Zhu Zhuqing asked earnestly.
Qi Tian paused for a moment before replying calmly, "I can. But you'll have to follow my every instruction — no questions, no hesitation."
Zhu Zhuqing didn't even think before nodding. "Alright. I'll listen to you!"
The allure of becoming a Titled Douluo was simply too great for any Soul Master to resist.
"But didn't you say you'd be leaving my body tomorrow?" she asked hesitantly.
Qi Tian chuckled. "If I can leave, I can also return whenever I want."
"You—!"
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly realized she'd been tricked. She had thought once he left tomorrow, she'd finally be free of him!
Qi Tian said with a faint smile, "Tomorrow, after I leave, you'll go find your sister and reconcile with her. Mend your relationship."
"If you can do that, when I return, I'll teach you a special cultivation method."
He was referring to the Mysterious Heaven Skill— a superior cultivation art that refined not only soul power but also strengthened the body's meridians. Compared to the current basic meditation techniques, it was on an entirely different level.
With the Mysterious Heaven Skill, soul power condensed faster, the meridians could be expanded, and the Eight Extraordinary Meridians could be opened — eventually leading to the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
In the far future, even the God King Tang San would discover that the Mysterious Heaven Skill could absorb bloodline power.
In short, this was a truly universal cultivation art.
Zhu Zhuqing's expression grew complicated. She had cut ties with her sister, Zhu Zhuyun, for four years now. She didn't even know how to face her anymore.
Qi Tian, of course, understood her hesitation.
He wasn't just asking her to reconnect with family. He was training her — both emotionally and mentally.
Partly, he wanted Zhu Zhuqing to experience a less painful youth. Despite her cold, mature exterior, she was still a young girl burdened by duty and fear.
And partly… he wanted to shape her thoughts, so that she would trust and listen to him completely.
After a long silence, Zhu Zhuqing finally said softly, "Alright. I promise. Tomorrow, I'll go see my sister."
To reach the realm of a Titled Douluo — she would risk anything!
Hearing that, Qi Tian stopped pressing her and shifted his focus to the divine artifact — the Sea Calming Pearl.
With his main body cultivating soul power elsewhere, his split soul — housed within Zhu Zhuqing — began studying the artifact's hidden properties.
"I wonder if this phantom projection of the Pearl has other abilities…" Qi Tian mused, curiosity flashing in his eyes.
Through his spiritual sense, he could feel vast oceans swirling inside the Divine Pearl — a miniature world that could evolve into countless realms.
"If there's a world inside, then it should be able to store things," he reasoned.
Acting on the thought, his true body retrieved a single gold soul coin from his spatial soul tool and placed it into the Sea Calming Pearl.
The Pearl absorbed it effortlessly, much like a spatial device.
Then Qi Tian directed his spiritual sense toward the phantom projection of the Pearl linked to his split soul — and tried to retrieve the same coin.
With a graceful turn of his slender, jade-like hand, a gleaming gold soul coin appeared out of thin air — in Zhu Zhuqing's palm!
"This is… spatial transmission?" Qi Tian's eyes widened with surprise and delight.
"So the Sea Calming Divine Pearl has this kind of miraculous function!"
He couldn't help but grin. "Doesn't this mean I could send Zhu Zhuqing out to adventure — and she could just send all the loot straight to me?"
A moment later, he coughed and shook his head. "Bah, what kind of idea is that?"
Still, the function was worth exploring.
Both he and Zhu Zhuqing were short on funds. With her in Star Luo City and his real body in Silvis City, couldn't they… start a logistics business?
Or better yet, a cross-border trade network?
Qi Tian sighed dramatically. "Too mundane. Doing business takes too much time. I'd rather be cultivating."
If he really wanted to make money, he thought, it'd be better to fight in the Great Soul Arena — earn coin, hone skills, and gain fame all at once.
"Hmm… but if items can be transmitted," he wondered aloud, "could living beings be transmitted as well? Could it even transfer… people?"
The space within the Sea Calming Pearl wasn't just a storage pocket like an ordinary soul tool.
It was a world.
Although still in its embryonic stage — incomplete and requiring Qi Tian's continual refinement and sacrifice to stabilize — it should, theoretically, be capable of sustaining living beings.
With that thought, Qi Tian's main body quickly stood and went outside the forest, catching an ordinary wild rabbit.
He circulated his soul power and activated the Divine Pearl, pulling the rabbit into its inner world.
"The soul power consumption for living beings is far higher than for dead objects…" Qi Tian noted as he sensed the drain on his energy.
Once the rabbit was absorbed, he immediately commanded his split soul, the one within Zhu Zhuqing, to channel soul power into the phantom projection of the Sea Calming Pearl — and retrieve the creature.
In the next instant, a plump white rabbit appeared on the bed.
"It's still alive!" Qi Tian's heart leapt in excitement.
If a rabbit could survive the transfer, didn't that mean a human could as well?
With such an ability, he could teleport himself away in emergencies — a perfect escape tool.
But the moment he thought of it, Qi Tian's expression grew cautious. This power was too extraordinary. If others discovered he possessed such a divine artifact, endless trouble would follow. It was not something he could expose lightly.
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing was groaning softly from muscle soreness after a day of intense training. Just as she was about to rest, she noticed something strange.
A live rabbit had suddenly appeared on the bed.
"Why is there a rabbit here?" she asked in confusion.
Since she couldn't perceive the Sea Calming Pearl's phantom inside Qi Tian's soul, from her perspective, the rabbit had literally materialized out of thin air.
"Whatever — it's here, and I'm starving after all that training!"
Her eyes brightened slightly as she appraised the rabbit. "It's so plump… must taste great. Let's have rabbit stew tonight!"
Qi Tian, having rested enough to ease his own soreness, laughed lightly and got up. "Then let's eat."
He stepped into the courtyard, swiftly killed and cleaned the rabbit, and began cooking.
Though Zhu Zhuqing couldn't keep up with Qi Tian's eccentric logic, the aroma that soon filled the air silenced her doubts.
The stew was delicious — tender, rich, and perfectly seasoned.
After dinner, Qi Tian sent a thought to his true body, which instantly transmitted a bundle of medicinal herbs through the Sea Calming Pearl.
He used them to prepare a large barrel of herbal bathwater.
"What's that for?" Zhu Zhuqing asked curiously.
"This," Qi Tian said as he stirred the steaming concoction, "is an herbal bath formula I obtained from the Spirit Hall. Soaking in it relieves muscle fatigue and prevents the hidden injuries caused by overtraining."
"I'll write down the recipe for you later. Gather the herbs yourself next time — and remember, don't share it with anyone."
Hearing that, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes widened slightly. She finally realized Qi Tian hadn't been lying — he was genuinely helping her cultivate.
Such a precious formula… and he just gave it away without hesitation. Wasn't that too generous?
For the first time, she didn't even think to question where he'd gotten the herbs.
"You're from the Spirit Hall?" she asked softly. "Can you tell me who you really are?"
In truth, the formula didn't come from the Spirit Hall at all — but from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, renowned as the strongest beast martial soul family in the Douluo Continent.
Qi Tian pondered for a moment, then smirked mischievously. "You may call me… Elder Yao."
"Elder Yao?" Zhu Zhuqing repeated, blinking.
The name clearly sounded masculine. Women rarely called themselves "Elder," much less "Elder Yao."
Did that mean the one inside her body — the one who had seen her naked, even touched her — was… an old man?
The thought should have disgusted her.
Yet strangely, it didn't.
Perhaps because, despite his teasing, Qi Tian's presence didn't feel aged or indecent at all. There was no lecherous aura, no sense of an old man's leer — only calm strength and steady confidence.
Just then, the herbal bath was ready.
Qi Tian checked the windows and doors, then removed his clothes and stepped into the steaming tub.
The warmth of the water enveloped him — or rather, enveloped her shared body.
"Not again…" Zhu Zhuqing muttered, her emotions swirling in confusion. She wanted to stop him, yet couldn't bring herself to waste the precious medicinal bath.
"Forget it… just think of it as being possessed by a ghost…" she whispered bitterly.
The moment she sank into the water, the medicine took effect. A wave of warmth and relaxation spread through her body, washing away the lingering pain in her muscles.
If she were the one in control right now, she probably would've let out a soft, involuntary moan of comfort.
—
End of Chapter