Chapter 82: Ghost God Manifestation and Infinite Ghost Shadows
[System Profile:
[Yue Guan, Spirit: Odd Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Spirit Power: Level 90, Talent: S+, Loyalty: 100, Favorability: 90 (Moved)]
[Gui Mei, Spirit: Ghost, Spirit Power: Level 90, Talent: S+, Loyalty: 100, Favorability: 95 (Admiration)]]
The talents of these two were not much worse than my initial talent, but unfortunately, they weren't well-cultivated in their youth. Otherwise, they should have become Titled Douluo long ago.
Qin Xuan glanced at the attribute panels of the two, sighing softly in his heart. Spirit Hall had many talents, but Qianxun Ji was a poor master, using loyalty as his only metric and wasting the potential of men like these.
Even Ling Yuan, who had always been at odds with Yue Guan, couldn't help but exclaim when she saw him crying like a child, "How much suffering did this child endure when he was young?"
"Cough," Qin Xuan lightly coughed and said, "Alright, Yue Guan, don't dilly-dally like a woman. If you want to cry, it's not too late to cry after absorbing the Spirit Ring. I have a task to assign to you two later."
Upon hearing this, Yue Guan wiped his tears, his face a mixture of snot and embarrassment, but his eyes were filled with a fiery resolve. He nodded heavily.
He and Gui Mei each found an empty spot, sat cross-legged, and began refining the Spirit Rings according to Qin Xuan's method.
Under Ling Yuan's shocked gaze, two massive, crimson energies enveloped Yue Guan and Gui Mei. The 100,000-year Spirit Rings pulsed with power, gradually merging into their bodies under the guidance of their Spirit Power.
Absorbing a 100,000-year Spirit Ring was undoubtedly painful. Not everyone had the same treatment as Qin Xuan and Jingni, with multiple Immortal Herbs and 100,000-year Spirit Bones, enabling them to absorb 100,000-year Spirit Rings beyond their level.
In the original work, when Sword Douluo broke through Level 90, he nearly exploded and died after absorbing a 90,000-year Spirit Ring without a single Spirit Bone.
And so, as soon as the massive crimson energy entered their bodies, the trial for Gui Mei and Yue Guan began.
Their faces immediately contorted in pain and ferocity, and sweat streamed down their cheeks.
Gui Mei was slightly better off. His entire body was shrouded in a black mist that writhed as if alive.
Although the 10,000-year Ginseng King was not as effective as the Quiescent Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower in improving physical constitution, he at least possessed two Spirit Bones. His Spirit was also an extremely rare Body Spirit, giving him control capabilities far exceeding ordinary Spirits.
The crimson energy slammed into his spiritual sea, but his existing Spirit Bones helped anchor his soul. The black mist of his Ghost Spirit churned, fighting to contain and decompose the tyrannical energy.
The process was difficult, a silent, grim battle of wills, but as long as he persevered, he would succeed.
Yue Guan, however, was miserable.
Even though he had absorbed the Quiescent Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, which shared the same origin as his Spirit, he was doing this without a single Spirit Bone. He had no foundation to anchor this apocalyptic power.
Facing the immense, violent energy of the 100,000-year Spirit Ring, he was in constant peril.
His meridians felt like they were being torn apart by wild beasts. The golden light of the Immortal Herb in his body flared, desperately trying to heal the damage, but it was like trying to patch a bursting dam with silk.
What flowed out of his pores was no longer just sweat, but sweat mixed with blood.
"Oh no, Yue Guan can't hold on much longer." Ling Yuan's face turned pale with fright. His body was visibly trembling, and the crimson aura around him was becoming unstable, flaring violently.
Although she and Yue Guan didn't get along, it didn't mean she wanted him dead. Moreover, he was now her man's subordinate. Seeing Yue Guan about to explode, Ling Yuan couldn't help but show a worried expression.
It wasn't that she was genuinely worried about Yue Guan, but rather about the Immortal Herb and this 100,000-year Spirit Ring.
That stupid, sentimental pretty-boy, Ling Yuan cursed internally. He just wasted a 100,000-year ring! And an Immortal Herb! All because this idiot couldn't handle it!
If Yue Guan died, the resources her man had invested would be completely wasted.
The commotion here quickly attracted Jingni. She sprang out of the tent, her hand on her sword hilt, her cold eyes immediately assessing the situation.
"Jingni, you guard me here. Ling Yuan, if my Spirit Power is insufficient later, transfer Spirit Power to me." Qin Xuan seemed to have anticipated Yue Guan's situation.
He flashed, appearing instantly behind Yue Guan. He pressed his palms onto the man's back and began circulating the Ghost Valley Breathing Technique, transferring a steady, refined stream of Spirit Power into Yue Guan's body.
Qin Xuan did not know Yue Guan's Spirit Power circulation route, and rashly guiding it would only be counterproductive.
Therefore, he merely covered Yue Guan's strained meridians with a layer of his own power, creating a flexible, resilient defense from the inside.
With Qin Xuan's help, Yue Guan's meridians, which were on the verge of rupturing, found immediate relief. The rampaging energy slammed against Qin Xuan's power and was buffered.
Knowing someone was helping him, Yue Guan, despite the blinding pain, quickly circulated his Spirit Power, doing his best to direct this vast energy to his limbs and meridians, and then refine it.
Qin Xuan's Spirit Power was rapidly depleting at a rate visible to the naked eye. This was not a simple transfer; he was actively fighting the backlash from a 100,000-year ring.
Seeing this, Ling Yuan quickly sat behind Qin Xuan, pressing her own palms to his back and transferring her Spirit Power into him. A steady stream of fiery, yet pure, energy flowed into Qin Xuan, replenishing what he spent.
A chain was formed: Ling Yuan to Qin Xuan, Qin Xuan to Yue Guan.
The night passed uneventfully, filled only with the sound of three people's strained breathing and the violent hum of spiritual energy.
Finally, with the help of Qin Xuan and Ling Yuan, Yue Guan finally passed the danger period. The crimson glow representing the 100,000-year Spirit Ring gradually stabilized, forming a perfect, blood-red halo around Yue Guan's body.
The next morning.
"I say, do you need to be so desperate?" Ling Yuan opened her eyes, looking up at the brightening sky. She pulled her hands back and stretched languidly. Her tight black clothes stretched, outlining her graceful and alluring figure.
"If it were you, I believe I would be even more desperate." Qin Xuan smiled slightly. He slowly got up with Jingni's support, his face pale.
At this moment, his Spirit Power was greatly depleted, and he had to recuperate.
Just then, Gui Mei also woke up. His eyes snapped open, and the black mist around him coalesced back into his body.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.
Nine Spirit Rings rose, perfectly configured. Looking at the dazzling, crimson halo pulsating with power, his heart was filled with an excitement so intense it almost made him tremble.
It was said that to become a Level 98 Peak Douluo, or even a Level 99 Limit Douluo, one needed at least one 100,000-year Spirit Ring.
Gui Mei had never believed he could reach the heights of the High Priest Qian Daoliu or the Second Guardian.
But now, he possessed a 100,000-year Spirit Ring. He had absorbed a legendary Immortal Herb. There was a great, tangible hope of achieving the accomplishments of the other Guardians in the future.
In fact, few of the Guardians in the Elder Hall possessed a 100,000-year Spirit Ring.
Level 97 was the goal he would strive for throughout his life.
"Tell me, what did this Spirit Ring bring you?" Seeing Gui Mei awaken, Qin Xuan immediately lost his desire to recuperate and asked with some curiosity.
In his mental force perception, Gui Mei's Spirit Power fluctuations had clearly surpassed Ling Yuan's.
Gui Mei could not hide his excitement. He stood, knelt on one knee, and said excitedly, "Lord Qin Xuan, my Spirit Power, with the blessing of the Immortal Herb, the 100,000-year Spirit Ring, and the Spirit Bone you bestowed, has already broken through to Level 93, and is not far from Level 94. I believe I will definitely break through within a few years!"
As soon as he said this, Ling Yuan couldn't help but curse, "Damn it!"
Her psychological balance was once again disrupted. She, a Level 92 Titled Douluo, was now the weakest of the Titled Douluo present (excluding Yue Guan, who was just stabilizing).
At the same time, she deeply regretted absorbing her ninth Spirit Ring so early. Otherwise, her current Spirit Power would definitely be above his. Only the evolution of her Spirit brought her a slight sense of comfort.
"Lord Qin Xuan, Lord Ling Yuan, she is..." Gui Mei looked at Ling Yuan with some hesitation.
"Don't mind her. Let's continue talking about what Spirit Abilities you gained." Qin Xuan did not expose Ling Yuan.
Gui Mei nodded and respectfully said, "Reporting to Lord Qin Xuan, this Spirit Ring has provided me with two Spirit Abilities."
"The first Spirit Ability is called 'Ghost God Manifestation.' It can instantly create a gigantic Ghost God, an ability similar in concept to a Spirit Avatar, like the Clear Sky Avatar. It is both offensive and defensive, with powerful destructive force."
He elaborated, "The Ghost God is an existence independent of the main body, formed from my Spirit and pure Spirit Power. It is capable of ignoring most physical attacks, and only requires Spirit Power to maintain. Even if it is forcibly broken, I will not be affected by the backlash."
Isn't this the Douluo version of Susanoo? Qin Xuan thought. And the kind that's immune to physical attacks.
[Inorin's Note: Susanoo is a gigantic, humanoid avatar made of chakra from the anime Naruto. The author is making a direct comparison to its abilities.]
It seems Susanoo was full of prestige in the early stages but was often kicked to pieces later on.
In fact, during the Ninja World War, if you didn't break a Susanoo, you wouldn't even dare to call yourself one of the Five Kage.
Qin Xuan secretly complained a few times in his heart and continued to ask, "What about the second skill?"
"Infinite Ghost Shadow Blast." Gui Mei said excitedly, "As long as my Spirit Power is sufficient, I can split into an endless number of ghost shadows to bomb opponents."
"It's not just a physical or energy attack," Gui Mei clarified, sensing Qin Xuan's curiosity. "The shadows are illusions, but the attack is real. They pass through physical defenses and explode directly on the target's spiritual and mental level. It has extremely strong offensive power and can ignore physical defense entirely."
"It's actually a mental attack skill, which is quite rare," Qin Xuan said, his eyes lighting up. This was far more valuable than a simple explosion.
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