Chapter 74: Shaking Ling Yuan's Worldview
"I don't know. She probably woke up a while ago," Qin Xuan said indifferently. He didn't seem concerned. What could a child, less than four months old, possibly understand?
"Doesn't that mean we..." Ling Yuan recalled the scene and immediately felt a mix of shame and annoyance. After a long moment, she finally muttered, "Beast."
"Thanks for the compliment." Qin Xuan felt no shame, only pride. He often did things with Jing Ni in front of A Yan, though as the baby grew older, Jing Ni had started requesting that the lights be turned off at night and no longer allowed it during the day.
"Alright, you rest well. I'll go prepare breakfast," Qin Xuan said as he got up. Using spirit power, he transmitted a message to Nong Yu in Chinese, "Nong Yu, help me look after A Yan."
Nong Yu stiffened. A moment after Qin Xuan left the tent, she slowly opened her eyes, pretending to have just woken up.
For the next three days, they continued their search in the Star Dou Great Forest. During the day, Qin Xuan half-heartedly looked for Spirit Beasts; at night, he schemed to coax Ling Yuan back into the tent.
Unfortunately, after that first time, Ling Yuan had become smarter. She insisted on standing guard herself, and if they were to rotate, it had to be her and Qin Xuan taking turns. She simply enjoyed seeing the scoundrel want her but be unable to have her, itching with impatience.
On the other hand, she got along very well with Jing Ni. Jing Ni's talent made it almost certain she would become a Titled Douluo in the future, with achievements that might even surpass Ling Yuan's. Because of this, Ling Yuan didn't put on any airs and the two often whispered secrets to each other like sisters.
Her plan was simple: if Qin Xuan stood guard, she would stay in the tent. If he stayed in the tent, she would stand guard. She refused to let him succeed again.
However, Qin Xuan didn't seem to care at all. He wasn't the type to grovel for a woman's attention. His indifferent attitude made Ling Yuan both angry and anxious. Is this scoundrel just going to use me and then cast me aside? she worried. Unwilling to give up, she even tried to get Jing Ni to stand guard with her, but Jing Ni's words made her despair: if neither of them was in the camp, Qin Xuan would immediately go for Nong Yu, and they would simply gain another sister.
Finally, on the evening of the fourth day, Ling Yuan decided to give in. But first, she had to take the initiative.
"You little scoundrel," she began, "you keep being so picky, passing over one Spirit Beast after another. There are so many that are over 50,000 years old in this forest. Isn't there a single one you like?"
"That's because I've already obtained my seventh spirit ring," Qin Xuan replied calmly.
Yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red—seven terrifyingly dazzling spirit rings quietly rose around him. He stood up, no longer concealing his aura, releasing the full might of his level 75 spirit power.
"A 100,000-year spirit ring... and your previous rings... how is this possible?" Ling Yuan's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.
Qin Xuan didn't answer directly, but instead looked at Jing Ni. "Jing Ni, show her your spirit rings."
An even more shocking scene unfolded. Six spirit rings emerged around Jing Ni, every single one of them the crimson color of a 100,000-year ring. Her spirit power was astonishingly at level 80. The sight was enough to shake Ling Yuan's entire worldview.
"100,000-year spirit rings... how did you two do it? And Qin Xuan, wasn't your original configuration yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black?"
Ling Yuan had too many questions. Now she finally understood why she, a Titled Douluo, had felt a sense of threat from both of them. At first, she thought it was just her imagination. But are they really this formidable? When did 100,000-year spirit rings become so common? Compared to them, Spirit Hall's so-called Holy Maiden, Bibi Dong, was nothing.
"Want to know?" Qin Xuan asked, a mysterious smile on his face.
"Nonsense! I've already given you my body, are you still going to hide things from me?" Ling Yuan said irritably.
"I can tell you, but you have to promise me one thing," he said, leaning close to her ear and whispering a few words.
Ling Yuan's charming face flushed. "Just tell me! As long as you tell me, I'll promise you anything." She was already giving in completely. At this point, her whole being belonged to this scoundrel anyway.
"You said it," Qin Xuan began, fabricating a story about a divine trial. Using Qian Daoliu's spirit ring configuration as an example, he explained that the increase in his spirit rings' age was a reward from the trial, and the 100,000-year ring was a god-bestowed one.
As for why Jing Ni, at level 80, only had six rings but all were 100,000-year ones, his reason was equally elaborate. He claimed her master had used a secret method to remove her old rings, giving her the chance to replace them. After absorbing an Immortal Herb and a complete set of Spirit Bones left by her master, she gained the physique and mental force necessary to withstand the power of six god-bestowed 100,000-year spirit rings.
He kept the secret of their ability to travel between worlds hidden. That was a truth he would never reveal until he was truly invincible.
"I'm going crazy! Why did I break through to Titled Douluo so early?" Ling Yuan was filled with regret. "If only I had waited another year, or even just half a year!" She had never once regretted obtaining her ninth spirit ring until this very moment.
Qin Xuan comforted her. "Don't say that. If you hadn't joined the Elder Hall, we might still be strangers."
"I don't care, I want 100,000-year spirit rings too! You have a method to improve them, don't you? Help me improve my ninth spirit ring. As long as you raise it to 100,000 years, I'll..." Ling Yuan tugged at his arm like a spoiled girlfriend asking for a handbag. She leaned close and whispered a few more promises in his ear, making his blood boil.
"What's the current age of your ninth spirit ring?" Qin Xuan asked, unable to resist her pleas.
"It's about 70,000 years," Ling Yuan said with a hopeful smile.
"So it's 30,000 years short," Qin Xuan sighed, rolling his eyes. "Let me be clear, you are my woman, and that's why I'm telling you this. If you leak a word of it, then all bets are off."