Chapter 76: Ling Yuan - This Bastard is Definitely Plotting Something
"Good kid, I've long heard that you broke out of the City of Slaughter, and your Spirit Power greatly advanced, defeating the Holy Maiden, who had the cultivation of a Spirit Saint, with the strength of a Spirit Emperor."
Yue Guan put away his Spirit and walked with Gui Mei toward Qin Xuan. "You even brought back a beautiful wife who is powerful and exceptionally talented. Seeing it today, it truly makes others envious."
Although he didn't know why Ling Yuan was so angry just now, since they were all colleagues of Spirit Hall, there was no need to make a fuss.
Qin Xuan smiled, "Haven't Senior Yue Guan and Senior Gui Mei also broken through the bottleneck of 90 levels?"
"Hey, don't mention it!" Yue Guan waved his hand dramatically, his voice flowery. "We can't compare to a monster like you. Old Gui and I are just old bones. We were stuck at that cursed bottleneck for several years before we finally, finally broke through."
Although he said so, the smile overflowing from the corners of his mouth couldn't conceal the excitement, joy, and exhilaration in his heart, which were almost palpable.
Gui Mei added from the side in his sinister, monotone voice, "To be precise, it was five years, 3 months, and 12 days."
"Damn it, Old Gui! Are you deliberately trying to undermine me here?" Yue Guan's laughter came to an abrupt halt, and he shot his partner a glare.
Gui Mei said sinisterly, "Did I say something wrong?"
"I'm too lazy to bother with you." Yue Guan huffed and stopped looking for trouble. His gaze returned to Qin Xuan, his expression turning eager and almost fanatical as he asked excitedly, "Qin Xuan, let me ask you, did you really find the Quiescent Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower?"
[Inorin's Note: The Quiescent Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower is the official English name for the Immortal Herb Qirong Tongtian Juhua, which is Yue Guan's (Chrysanthemum Douluo) ancestral herb.]
"Senior Yue Guan, why don't you see for yourself?" Qin Xuan spread out his right hand, circulated the Ghost Valley Breathing Technique, and a golden-red Spirit Power light emanated from his palm.
It wasn't just light; it was an aura. A noble, pure, and unbelievably potent scent of chrysanthemum mixed with a sun-like warmth washed over them.
Yue Guan's eyes instantly lit up, and he stumbled forward a step, his eyes gleaming with undisguised excitement and longing. His hands were trembling.
"This aura… this scent… this noble purity! There's no mistake!" He breathed it in deeply, as if it were the most intoxicating wine. "It's the Quiescent Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower! It really is! You are truly too lucky, my boy! Too lucky!"
Just like in the original work, Yue Guan's Spirit was so attuned to his ancestral herb that he only detected the Quiescent Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower consumed by Qin Xuan.
Because the medicinal properties of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Blazing Apricot neutralized each other, tending towards body refining, and the Single-Gaze Autumn-Water Dew tended to enhance mental force, he did not sense the aura of other Immortal Herbs on Qin Xuan.
Instead, Gui Mei sensed something was off. His gaze, hidden within the black mist, sharpened.
He asked with some doubt, "This Spirit Power fluctuation... it's clearly reached Level 75. It's stable, not hollow. I remember when you entered the City of Slaughter, your Spirit Power had just reached Level 56. It's only been less than two years."
Gui Mei's voice was low and suspicious. "That is 19 Ranks. Could this one Immortal Herb truly be so miraculous? This is unheard of, even for a divine treasure."
Before Qin Xuan could answer, Yue Guan had already found a reason for him, spinning around to face his partner.
"Old Ghost, what do mere mortals like us know about such divine objects! If I could also obtain one, I wouldn't trade it even for a 100,000-year Spirit Bone! Perhaps in the future, I could also reach that realm."
That realm naturally referred to peak Douluo above Level 96.
As the wielder of the Odd Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum Spirit, Yue Guan's reverence for Immortal Herbs had reached an almost blind, fanatical level. Let alone Qin Xuan's Spirit Power being Level 75 now, even if it were Level 85, he would believe it without a doubt.
Gui Mei, upon hearing this, fell silent. A thoughtful expression was hidden on his face, which was shrouded in black mist, but he did not refute it. He knew better than to argue with Yue Guan about this particular subject.
Qin Xuan smiled inwardly. He glanced at Yue Guan and Gui Mei and said, "Both Seniors should be here to hunt for your ninth Spirit Ring in the Star Dou Great Forest, right? Jingni's Spirit Power has also reached Level 80. How about we all act together? We can also look out for each other."
At this moment, Qin Xuan had already conceived the idea of subduing the two of them.
Unlike the Enshrined Hall's Offerings, who were absolutely loyal to the Angel Clan, Yue Guan and Gui Mei were more loyal to the position of the Supreme Pontiff. Whoever sat on that throne, they would be loyal to them.
And in the future, Spirit Hall was destined to belong to Qin Xuan.
Compared to painstakingly cultivating those younger generations from scratch, Qin Xuan preferred to cultivate these Titled Douluo who had already grown up and possessed unique, powerful abilities.
In the original work, Yue Guan and Gui Mei, due to the limitations of their Spirit Rings and Spirit Bones, were not considered the strongest among Titled Douluo of the same level when taken individually.
However, they possessed an extremely powerful Spirit Fusion Skill: Two-Pole Still Domain. They were able to simultaneously restrain the Sky Blue Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape, whose strengths were far superior to theirs.
If they could be given better Spirit Bones and higher-quality 100,000-year Spirit Rings, their future prospects would definitely be limitless, perhaps even surpassing the Qianjun and Jiangmo brothers.
However, everything required two-pronged preparation.
Before subduing Yue Guan and Gui Mei, Jingni must first complete her Spirit Rings and advance to Titled Douluo, providing sufficient deterrence. Then, he would use a recruitment card to make them sign a contract.
Otherwise, after absorbing 100,000-year Spirit Rings and Immortal Herbs, why would two powerful Titled Douluo listen to the command of a mere Spirit Saint like him?
Yue Guan and Gui Mei naturally would not refuse Qin Xuan's invitation.
Yue Guan was the first to answer. "Of course, little Xuan! An excellent idea! With your divine luck, perhaps we'll find another Immortal Herb hiding somewhere!"
Gui Mei simply nodded. His reasoning was more practical. With himself, Yue Guan, and Ling Yuan—three Titled Douluo—plus two powerhouses at the Spirit Saint level, their chances of hunting higher quality Spirit Rings would naturally be greater. It was a logical choice.
Although they were equally amazed by Jingni's talent, once Yue Guan sensed the aura of Immortal Herbs from Jingni as well, everything that seemed unreasonable became reasonable.
Only Ling Yuan felt puzzled by Qin Xuan's unusual behavior.
She stood to the side, watching him charm the two Elders, and a deeply suspicious look appeared in her dark red eyes.
After the discussions and... events of the past few days, she had deeply understood that her little man was someone who wouldn't act without seeing benefits first. He was a creature of pure, calculated self-interest.
This bastard was never this altruistic.
Even when giving her that priceless Immortal Herb, he only did it when he was about to coax her into bed. It was a gift designed to shatter her defenses. He had overwhelmed her, led her astray at that moment, and sprung his trap.
Now, he was being so kind? Offering to hunt ninth Spirit Rings for Yue Guan and Gui Mei, together? That was no small favor. It was a dangerous, time-consuming undertaking.
There must be something fishy going on. This bastard was definitely plotting something.
Was he trying to secure their loyalty? Was he planning to use their Spirit Fusion Skill for something? He didn't just offer help; he schemed.
Ling Yuan felt a strange, complicated mix of annoyance and, embarrassingly, a sliver of pride. He was a complete scoundrel, but he was her scoundrel now, and it was undeniable that he was always ten steps ahead of everyone else.
In fact, she was right.
That night, under the cover of darkness, Qin Xuan exchanged three 10,000-year fixed Spirit Rings and secretly gave them to Jingni.
The next morning, he found an unlucky Spirit Beast of about 70,000-years, and with everyone's combined efforts, Jingni finally killed it, pretending to be about to absorb her eighth Spirit Ring.
Qin Xuan's fourth Spirit Ring lit up. Countless golden sword edges rose from the ground, transforming into soft, pliable golden blades. They interwove with each other to form a small, airtight, seamless room, encompassing Jingni and the unlucky Spirit Beast within it.
"Tsk tsk, with us few guarding, you even specially added a layer of protection. Isn't that being too cautious, little Xuan?"
Yue Guan walked up to Qin Xuan with his arms crossed and clicked his tongue, his voice full of teasing. "My, my, aren't you the protective one? With four Titled Douluo standing guard, you still add another layer? Such tenderness. You'll spoil her!"
"It's better to be safe than sorry. This is the activity area of 10,000-year Spirit Beasts, not far from the core area. If those two 100,000-year Spirit Beasts suddenly went crazy and ran out, it would be dangerous," Qin Xuan said perfunctorily.
Yue Guan nodded in deep agreement, "That's true. It's no wonder this girl is so devoted to you. Such tenderness. If it were me, I'd be moved too."
Upon hearing this, Qin Xuan felt a chill in his heart.
Then he heard Gui Mei say from the side, "Stop disgusting people here, Yue Guan. Focus your attention on guarding the surroundings. Qin Xuan is right, it's not safe here."
As soon as these words were spoken, the scene immediately fell silent.
Qin Xuan secretly gave Gui Mei a thumbs up. The four of them—Qin Xuan, Ling Yuan, Yue Guan, and Gui Mei—stood guard around Jingni's golden cube with serious expressions.
With the experience of absorbing the first six 10,000-year Spirit Rings and her enhanced physique, Jingni's endurance had long surpassed the limit of a 10,000-year Spirit Ring.
Absorbing another 10,000-year Spirit Ring was effortless.
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