Chapter 76: A Bastard's Bad Intentions
"Good kid! I'd heard you broke out of Slaughter City and that your spirit power had advanced by leaps and bounds. They said you defeated the Spirit Saint-level Holy Maiden as a Spirit Emperor and even brought back a powerful and beautiful wife. Seeing it today, it's truly enviable."
Yue Guan put away his Spirit and walked over with Gui Mei. Since they were all colleagues from Spirit Hall, there was no need to escalate the conflict.
Qin Xuan smiled. "Haven't Senior Yue Guan and Senior Gui Mei also broken through the level 90 bottleneck?"
"Hey, don't mention it. We can't compare to you. Old Ghost and I were stuck at that bottleneck for several years," Yue Guan said with a wave of his hand, though the joyful smile on his face betrayed his excitement.
"To be precise, it was five years," Gui Mei added dryly from the side.
"Damn it, Old Ghost, are you deliberately trying to undermine me?" Yue Guan's laughter died abruptly.
"Did I say something wrong?" Gui Mei retorted sinisterly.
"I'm not bothering with you." Yue Guan turned his attention back to Qin Xuan, his eyes gleaming. "Qin Xuan, let me ask you, did you really find the Odd Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum?"
"Why don't you see for yourself, Senior?" Qin Xuan held out his hand, and a golden-red spirit power glowed from his palm.
Yue Guan's eyes lit up with undisguised longing. "This aura... there's no mistake! It's the Odd Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum! You are truly too lucky."
Just like in the original story, Yue Guan's senses were focused on his own Spirit's counterpart. He didn't detect the other Immortal Herbs Qin Xuan had consumed, as their properties were focused on body refining and mental force.
Gui Mei, however, was more perceptive. "This spirit power fluctuation has clearly reached level 75. I remember you were only level 56 when you entered Slaughter City less than two years ago. Could this Immortal Herb truly be so miraculous?"
Before Qin Xuan could answer, Yue Guan had already found a reason for him. "How can we mortals judge a divine object like an Immortal Herb? If I could obtain one, I wouldn't trade it for a 10,000-year Spirit Bone! Perhaps I could even reach that realm..."
That "realm" naturally referred to a peak Douluo above level 96. Yue Guan's reverence for the herb was almost blind.
Gui Mei fell silent, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Qin Xuan smiled inwardly. "Both Seniors must be here to hunt for your ninth spirit ring, right? Jing Ni's spirit power has also reached level 80. How about we travel together? We can look out for each other."
At that moment, Qin Xuan had already conceived a plan to bring the two of them under his command. Unlike the pontiff's offerings who were loyal to the Angel Clan, Yue Guan and Gui Mei were loyal to the position of Supreme Pontiff itself. And in the future, Spirit Hall was destined to be his. Rather than cultivating the younger generation, he preferred to invest in these already-powerful Titled Douluo. If he could provide them with Immortal Herbs and better spirit rings, their potential would be limitless.
But first, he needed to establish sufficient deterrence. Jing Ni had to complete her spirit rings and advance to Titled Douluo. Then, he would use a recruitment card to make them sign a contract.
The duo naturally agreed to his invitation. Teaming up with Qin Xuan, the powerful Jing Ni, and the Titled Douluo Ling Yuan would greatly increase their chances of hunting higher-quality spirit rings.
Only Ling Yuan felt puzzled by Qin Xuan's unusual kindness, a suspicious look in her eyes. She knew her man well; he never acted without a reason. Offering to help them so generously? There had to be something fishy going on.
She was right. That night, under the cover of darkness, Qin Xuan secretly gave Jing Ni three fixed-age 100,000-year spirit rings.
The next morning, they found an unlucky 70,000-year Spirit Beast. After killing it, Jing Ni pretended to begin absorbing her eighth spirit ring. Qin Xuan's fourth spirit ring lit up, and countless golden sword edges rose from the ground, weaving themselves into a small, airtight room that enclosed Jing Ni and the dead beast.
"Tsk tsk, with all of us guarding, you still feel the need for extra protection? Aren't you being a bit too cautious?" Yue Guan remarked, walking up to Qin Xuan with his arms crossed.
"It's better to be safe than sorry. We're not far from the core area. If one of those apex beasts ran out, it would be dangerous," Qin Xuan said perfunctorily.
Yue Guan nodded. "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."
Hearing this, Qin Xuan felt a chill run down his spine, but Gui Mei interjected from the side, "Stop being disgusting. Focus on guarding the perimeter. Qin Xuan is right, it's not safe here."
The scene immediately fell silent. Qin Xuan secretly gave Gui Mei a thumbs-up as the four of them stood guard with serious expressions.
With her enhanced physique and experience absorbing six 100,000-year rings, Jing Ni's endurance was far beyond the limit. Absorbing another was effortless.